Southern California Woman Alleged Victim Of Home Theft, Mortgage Broker Arrested

In this May, 2006 story, a financially distressed mother of two seeking to refinance her defaulted mortgage was reportedly convinced by a local mortgage broker to sign over her home to the broker's father to take advantage of his better credit rating to obtain a refinancing of her existing mortgage. Unbeknownst to the homeowner, the property was subsequently sold, with her name allegedly forged on documents authorizing the sale proceeds to be sent to someone unknown to her.

The broker was subsequently arrested on various charges, including forgery, after an investigation by Riverside County authorities.

Denise Meenan, a consumer attorney employed by the Riverside office of Inland Counties Legal Services, which serves San Bernardino and Riverside Counties with free legal assistance to the elderly and to low-income households, was quoted as believing that most foreclosure investors "are basically putting the nail in the coffin as far as taking the last bit of a homeowner's equity."

Private attorney Tim Liebaert, representing the victim in this story in a civil suit to get her house and equity back, said in the past year he has filed five cases on behalf of victims of foreclosure fraud.

To read more, click below for the following article in The Press Enterprise at pe.com:

False Hopes
Inland homeowners facing foreclosure encounter scams under guise of refinancing

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