PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A New Hope (Bucks County), Pa. couple has been convicted of a mortgage foreclosure “rescue” scam that cost victims their homes.

A federal jury in Philadelphia today convicted Edward and Jacqueline McCusker of virtually all of the two dozen counts against them.

Edward McCusker shook his head “no” and Jacqueline McCusker put her head in her hands and cried as the jury foreman announced the verdicts — guilty, over and over again.

Prosecutor Nancy Rue says the McCuskers conspired to cheat homeowners who were desperate for help, facing foreclosure, telling them they’d be able to remain in their homes.

“What they were told as part of the initial pitch was that they would be able to pay a rent that they could afford and get back on their feet and obtain a new mortgage a year later,” Rue told KYW Newsradio after the verdict was announced.

But Rue argued, and the jury found, that the defendants defrauded more than two dozen homeowners, most of whom were ultimately forced out of their homes (see previous story).

The McCuskers, who have four children, will be sentenced at a later date.

Reported by Tony Hanson, KYW Newsradio 1060