New Haven— An Easton man accused of preying on homeowners on the brink of foreclosure was denied bail on the grounds that he was deemed a flight risk, court records show.

At a detention hearing held Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam, Timothy Burke was ordered to remain in federal custody, pending his trial.

Burke was arrested last month and charged with mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.

An investigation by The Day in 2014 found more than a half-dozen instances across the state — in Bridgeport, New London, Griswold, Waterbury, Plymouth, Portland, Andover, New Haven and West Haven — in which property owners facing foreclosure believe they were misled and taken advantage of by Burke.

Law enforcement officers believe that Burke and his associates sent out mass mailings to people whose homes were in foreclosure — information that is available to the public on the state Judicial Branch website. The affidavit in the case also said that Burke subscribed to the online database the Warren Group, which provides a listing of properties in foreclosure.

Former employees interviewed by federal authorities said they mailed 800 to 1,000 letters a week to homeowners in foreclosure, according to a court affidavit.

Burke, who went by numerous aliases, told the property owners that he would buy their homes from them, enabling them to walk away from their debts and other financial obligations.

Instead, the homeowners who spoke to The Day said he paid them a small amount of cash and then rented out the property, keeping the rent money instead of applying them to the mortgages, taxes and other property-related expenses.

On Tuesday, evidence was presented to show that in 2015 Burke deposited $1.5 million, mostly in cash, into a single account. Burke told authorities that he did not have access to those funds.

But the government said that Burke appears to be able to obtain large amounts of cash on short notice, which presents a flight risk.

"Further, defendant has made various differing representations about his net worth, cash flow and assets in different contexts in recent months," the detention order said.

Burke was sentenced in 2003 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey to 60 months in prison for participating in an "equity skimming" scheme similar to what Connecticut homeowners described to The Day.

The detention order notes that Burke was participating in his real estate scheme in Connecticut while on supervision for the New Jersey offense.

The court also noted that Burke is an alcoholic and has a gambling addiction, "the status of which is unknown."

Federal authorities raided Burke's Easton office on Nov. 3, 2014, and discovered 60 to 70 booklets of carbon copy rental receipts. Each booklet had 50 pages. The timeframe for the receipts was from 2009 to 2013, the affidavit said.

On Dec. 5, 2014, Burke's attorneys met with investigators and said he would open a bank account and deposit collected rent as a sign of "good faith" and not an admission of guilt.

The following month Burke opened a bank account at TD Bank with a $50 deposit. He closed the account in February 2015 with a balance of $25.67.

Investigators discovered that Burke instead opened an account at People's Bank in February 2015 in the name of Quality Asset Management Services, one of his many businesses. From February to August 2015, he made a series of deposits totaling $3 million, the affidavit said.

"Given the apparently ongoing nature of defendant's conduct over the course of many years, including while on supervised release and more recently, while he was aware that he was under federal investigation, the Court finds that there is a risk to the community associated with the defendant's release," the detention order said.

On Dec. 4, 2015, federal agents raided Burke's rental home, where he lived at the time of his arrest. Agents seized multiple rounds of 9mm ammunition, two magazines for two different handguns and an owner's manual for a shotgun. No firearms were found in the home.

Agents noted that among Burke's belongings was an undated newspaper clipping about an individual who was convicted in 2006 after a trial of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

The order noted that because ammunition and other items related to firearms were found in the home, it "could give rise to criminal liability as a felon in possession of a firearm, further raising the incentive for him to flee."

Burke has not been charged with any weapon offenses.

His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 22.

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta