Mass AG Obtains Civil Judgments Against Five Accused In Equity Stripping, Sale Leaseback, F'closure Rescue Racket; Case Against 9 Others Still Pending

From the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General:

• Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has obtained consent judgments against five defendants that perpetrated an unlawful foreclosure rescue scheme against multiple homeowners facing foreclosure that stripped and retained hundreds of thousands of dollars of the victims' home equity.

• The judgments, entered against Primary Mortgage Resource, Leo Desire, Sr., Robert Marks, Pierre Joseph and Daphne Mompoint, provide for payments of restitution to victims and civil penalties to the Commonwealth and prohibit the defendants from engaging in certain activities that facilitated the scheme.(1)

For the entire Massachusetts AG press release, see AG Martha Coakley Obtains Judgments Against Multiple Defendants in Alleged Foreclosure Rescue Scheme.

(1) In addition to the five recently-announced consent judgments, the Commonwealth obtained consent judgments against five other defendants (closing attorney Valerie Hanserd and straw buyers Marie Betey Mereus, Neville Francis, Jean Roll Joseph and Robens Joseph) within the last year, the press release states. The case remains pending against defendant closing attorney James J. Alberino, defendant real estate salesperson Robin Hayes, and seven other defendants who failed to appear or defend in the action and as to whom the Commonwealth obtained entries of default.