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, March 11, 2013
Elderly Scam Victim Loses 14 Rental Properties To Foreclosure After Entrusting Accused Perpetrator With Making Monthly Mortgage Payments Out Of Rent Collections; Suspect Hit With $250K Bail In Alleged $220K+ Ripoff
From the Office of the Ventura County, California District Attorney:
District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced [] the filing of a felony complaint against Julietta Quinones ( DOB 3/12/68) of Port Hueneme. Quinones is charged with seven felony counts of grand theft, along with an aggravated white-collar crime enhancement alleging the thefts involved the taking of more than $100,000. The case was investigated by the District Attorney's Real Estate Fraud Unit.
The 70-year-old victim owned 14 rental properties throughout Ventura County. The victim entrusted Quinones to make the victim's monthly mortgage payment on each property and provided the defendant with signed, blank checks for that purpose. Rather than pay each respective mortgage, Quinones used the victim's checks for personal expenses. As a result, the victim lost all 14 rental properties. Quinones is accused of stealing in excess of $221,708 over a period of three years.
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Quinones remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail and faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.
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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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