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.
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.
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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