A McAllen woman faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in connection with a real estate fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.

Mayela Saby Cantu, 55, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Cantu admitted to knowingly participating in a scheme that used falsified lien payoff statements, fraudulent warranty deeds and deceptive emails to mislead lenders, title companies and property buyers, a news release stated.

Cantu was arrested in June 2024. From Nov. 2020 until her arrest, Cantu worked at Sierra Title in McAllen, and defrauded buyers and lenders in multiple property transaction.

An indictment against Cantu described the scheme as a “get rich quick” fraud.

“Using her position of trust, she facilitated closings backed by falsified documents,” the news release stated. “In one notable case, she directed others to create a fraudulent email address resembling that of a legitimate lienholder. Cantu then used the fake account to send false payoff amounts via interstate wires, leading a title company to improperly disburse more than $350,000.”

To commit the scheme, Cantu used her assistant’s email address, and a mcantu@sierratitle.com email address.

Channel 5 News contacted Sierra Title, and was told Cantu had not been employed with the company since June.

Sentencing for Cantu was set for March 3, 2025. She will remain on bond pending that hearing, the release added. 

Cantu also faces a possible fine of up to $250,000 as part of her sentence.