Corrupt Chicago contractor gets 17-year sentence for targeting elderly Black homeowners on West Side

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A corrupt Chicago contractor was sentenced Thursday for targeting elderly homeowners.

It's a bittersweet day for Barbara Quintero-Bailey and her sister, Brenda, after a judge sentenced Mark Diamond to 17 years in prison for scamming their mother, Etta Quintero, and other elderly African American homeowners out of millions of dollars, causing them, in many cases, to lose their homes.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

"There is no sentence ever given to Mark Diamond that's going to ever suffice the hurt, the pain, the emotion that he put us through," Quintero-Bailey said. "You aren't remorseful. You aren't sorry that you hurt these people. You're not sorry that you hurt these families."

Because of the scheme, the sisters eventually lost their mother's home to foreclosure.

The now-68-year old Diamond pleaded guilty in May to several counts of federal wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Diamond targeted Black homeowners on the city's West Side, who were often seniors or disabled.

They say he ran a massive home repair scheme by first gaining the trust of his victims to trick them into reverse home mortgages.

SEE MORE: Chicago contractor to plead guilty after allegedly targeting elderly homeowners: attorneys

Authorities suspect at least 80 people were ripped off, including the aunt of community activist the Rev. Robin Hood.

"Mark Diamond took predator to a whole new level for me, and I don't believe he will change," Hood said.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Franklin Valderrama said of Diamond's crime, "Buying a home is a part of the American dream. You turned that dream into a nightmare. You targeted largely African American communities already at a disadvantage. You didn't target the North Shore or the Gold Coast. You targeted some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the city, the elderly and the disabled."

After hours of victims' impact statements, Diamond addressed the court, and blamed his crimes on an addiction to money and obsession with providing for his family, saying in part, "Everything said totally is my fault. I take full responsibility for what's happened. I did the harm that I did, and I take full responsibility."

He blamed his greed on his past traumas, his wife's terminal cancer and his failing family business, saying "if I could turn back the hands of time, I would. But, I can't. All I can say is I'm sorry."

It's little comfort to relatives of the victims, who say Diamond took more than just their trust and money.

"What he doesn't understand, not only did you hurt the person you took advantage of with this mortgage, he hurt generations," Quintero-Bailey said. "We are glad that it's finally done, and he'll finally be sentenced and hopefully he won't be able to prey on anyone else."

Diamond has been ordered to pay $2.7 million dollars in restitution, and can't ever work as a mortgage banker or builder again.

Lawyers representing nearly 50 of the victims say the families may never be made whole.

"None of the lenders have been held responsible. The entire system has broken down," said Sam Tenenbaum, with Bluhm Legal Clinic.

Diamond's four co-conspirators have also been charged, and have pleaded guilty to fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced, and could face up to 30 years in prison.