Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Feds Pinch Group Running Alleged Foreclosure Rescue Racket That Manufactured & Sent Phony Military Orders To Lenders To Stall Repo Process Under SCRA

From the Office of the U.S. Attorney (Plano, Texas):
  • Five individuals have been indicted have been indicted for their roles in a combination foreclosure rescue/drug distribution scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

    Charles Williams, 37, of McKinney, Texas; Jarrod Williams, 33, of McKinney, Texas; Julius Williams, 41, of McKinney, Texas; Jemilat Williams, 33, of Missouri City, Texas; and Christopher Carter, 33, of Leicester, England, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on July 11, 2012 and charged with multiple violations.

    According to counts one through 17 of the indictment, Charles Williams, Jarrod Williams, Julius Williams, and Jemilat Williams controlled and operated Applied Investment Strategies Inc., which marketed itself as a foreclosure rescue service that would assist homeowners who were at risk of foreclosure.

    However, once retained by their customers, AIS fraudulently used their customers’ personal identification information to prepare and send false military orders to lending institutions in order to claim relief from foreclosure efforts under the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act.

    AIS then leased out the homes and collected the rental payments for its benefit. The scheme involved approximately 38 homes and also extended to efforts to forestall repossession of cars. According to count 18 of the indictment, after at least one of the fraudulently acquired properties was vacated, Charles Williams, Jarrod Williams, Julius Williams, and Christopher Carter turned it into a marijuana grow operation that housed in excess of 1,000 marijuana plants.
For the U.S. Attorney press release, see Five Indicted in Combination Foreclosure Rescue/Drug Distribution Scheme (Subjects Used False Military Orders to Forestall Foreclosures Before Converting Home into Marijuana Grow Operation).