Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Alleged Scam Victims' Attorney: Mortgage Assistance-Peddling 'Guru' May Have Ripped Off $1M+ From Nearly 200 Connecticut Residents; Cops Yet To Act
In Wethersfield, Connecticut, The Hartford Courant reports:
An immigrant couple paid a Wethersfield man $18,600 to erase their debts by tapping into a little-known federal fund that they were told has money for anyone who knows the special, complicated way to apply for it, court records state. But no such fund exists, their lawyer Manuel A, Suarez said Monday. The fund is "fictitious," he said.
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Suarez said his clients were struggling but current on their debts when they went to [Deowraj] Buddhu for advice in 2010, hired him and followed his guidance to stop paying on loans and apply for money to wipe out all their obligations. That advice caused the couple to fall into foreclosure, which they believed until a few months ago would be reversed by the secret fund, Suarez said.
In court, Judge Antonio Robaina said he needed time to review the motion and would notify all parties once he made a decision on the motion.
Outside court, Suarez said he has six clients who claim they were defrauded by Buddhu, a Wethersfield resident in his 60s who served time in state prison for his misdemeanor role in a counterfeit check case.
In court papers, Suarez says he's gotten information that Buddhu may have collected more than $1 million from as many as 200 clients who on his counsel stopped paying mortgages, car loans, credit card debts because the secret fund would pay off those obligations.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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