FTC Files Suit Against Central Florida Foreclosure Rescue Operator

The Federal Trade Commission announced last week:

• In an ongoing effort to crack down on businesses that prey upon homeowners facing foreclosure, the Federal Trade Commission has charged six businesses and three individuals with violating the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA), the FTC Act, and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) by enticing homeowners into high-cost, short-term loans secured by an additional mortgage on their homes. The FTC will seek to bar the defendants from further violations, make them forfeit their ill-gotten gains, and stop collection and foreclosure actions or efforts to seize or transfer properties.

• The defendants are Safe Harbour Foundation of Florida, Inc., Silverstone Lending, LLC, Silverstone Financial, LLC, Southeast Advertising, Inc., Keystone Financial, LLC, MT25 LLC, Peter J. Porcelli II, Bonnie A. Harris, and Christopher Tomasulo.

• According to the FTC’s complaint, Safe Harbour, Porcelli, Harris, and Tomasulo target homeowners facing foreclosure with claims such as “We have all the funds available to pay your bills and save your home from foreclosure. GUARANTEED!” The Silverstone companies and Keystone then provide high-cost, interest-only, short-term balloon-payment loans secured by second mortgages on homes already subject to foreclosure.

For more, see FTC Charges Mortgage Foreclosure “Rescuers” with Deceiving Homeowners.

In a related story, see the St. Petersburg Times: Scammer in trouble again (A millionaire, already in prison for credit card fraud, is accused of foreclosure deceit).

To view the lawsuit, see FTC v. Safe Harbor Foundation Of Florida, Inc., et al. (U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill.)

This suit now makes at least three civil suits against foreclosure rescue operator Peter Porcelli and his group of associates. To view the two other lawsuits (that I know of), see:

• Complaint - Clark, et al. v. Porcelli, et al. (U.S. District Court, M.D. Fla.),
• Heise, et al. vs. Porcelli, et al. (U.S. District Court, M.D. Fla.).

Go here for earlier posts on Peter Porcelli.