Thursday, August 23, 2012

Maryland Regulator Issues Final Order Directing Fake Lawyer/Loan Mod Scammer To Refund All Upront Fees To Victims & Pay State $236K In Penalties

In Baltimore, Maryland, LegalNewsline reports:
  • Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler announced on Friday that his Consumer Protection Division issued a final order against a man claiming to be a lawyer who allegedly took thousands of dollars from consumers.

    Corey W. Hankerson, who operated as Equity Law Group LLC from 2009 to 2011, allegedly told consumers he was a lawyer and offered to provide credit and legal services. The services included foreclosure consulting and loan modification services. The six victims who testified in the case allegedly paid $12,750 in fees to Hankerson for assistance he never provided.
***
  • The final order requires Hankerson to stop representing his qualifications to consumers and stop offering credit services unless he obtains a license and posts the required bond. Hankerson must also return all the money he took from consumers, including the $12,750 he allegedly took from the six consumers who testified.

    The order penalized Hankerson $300 for each of the 787 days he allegedly illegally advertised his services for a total penalty of $236,100.