Camden Co. investigator pleads guilty to wire fraud

An investigator with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office pleaded guilty to wire fraud today in federal court and admitted that she lied on loan applications for a house her then-boyfriend used as a rental property.

Asha Ritchards, 31, of Sicklerville appeared in U.S. District Court in Camden where she accepted a plea agreement in which prosecutors said they would not pursue mortgage fraud or money-laundering charges.

She faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, but is likely to face far less because she is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. She resigned from her job last week, officials said.

Ritchards' attorney, Leonard S. Baker, said his client was paying a high price for participating in a fraud orchestrated by her boyfriend, who he said asked Ritchards to sign mortgage papers for his own financial gain.