NJ AG Scores $5M+ Consent Judgment Against Outfit Accused Of Upfront Fee Loan Modification Ripoffs

From the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General:

• Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced [] that a New Jersey loan modification company and its owners have agreed to a judgment of $5,051,253 to settle civil charges they defrauded homeowners who sought help in avoiding mortgage foreclosure.

• In addition to civil penalties of $5 million, corporate defendants Hope Now Financial Services Corp. and Hope Now Modifications LLC, of Cherry Hill, along with individual defendants Salvatore A. Puglia Sr. and Nicholas F. Puglia Jr., principals in the business, have agreed to pay the State $51,253 in attorney fees and investigative costs.

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• The lawsuit accused Hope Now Financial and the other defendants of charging already-distressed consumers thousands of dollars in upfront fees for loan modification services, but failing to provide any such services. [...] The complaint also charged that Hope Now Financial and the other defendants placed content on a Web site designed to deceive consumers into believing the company was affiliated with the non-profit Hope Now Alliance, which provides credit counseling and free foreclosure prevention.

For the entire NJ AG press release, see Attorney General Announces Settlement in Mortgage Fraud Case; Loan Modification Company, Individuals Agree to $5 Million Judgment.

Go here for Final Consent Judgment - Dow v. Hope Now Financial Services Corp., et al.

Go here for the original NJ AG lawsuit: Milgram v. Hope Now Financial Services.