Florida AG: Tampa Attorney Ran Nationwide Loan Modification Racket That Duped Homeowners Into Paying Illegal Fees By Using Websites That Mimicked Gov't Sites, Other Deceptions, Then Stiffed Them On Promised Services

From the Office of the Florida Attorney General:

• Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office [] sued Tampa lawyer Eric Mader, alleging he ran a nationwide foreclosure-rescue operation that charged illegal fees and failed to provide promised assistance to consumers.
  
  Some of the allegations include that Mader and his firm, Mader Law Group, lured consumers with websites mimicking government sites, misrepresented that consumers would be enrolled in government assistance programs or could get loan modifications from lenders, and charged fees for services never rendered.
  
  Mader allegedly offered refunds to some consumers only if they would withdraw their complaints about him to the Florida Bar, which regulates lawyers.
  
  “We will not allow scam artists to defraud Florida’s homeowners who are seeking financial relief,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi.
  
  Among other things, the lawsuit seeks an order to prohibit Mader and his firm from charging up-front fees for foreclosure-rescue services and to require them to comply with Florida's foreclosure-rescue law. The lawsuit is also seeking restitution for consumers.

For the Florida AG press release, see Attorney General Bondi's Office Sues Tampa Law Firm for Foreclosure Rescue Operation (go here for the Spanish version of the press release).

For the lawsuit, see State of Florida v. Mader, et al.

(1) The Florida Bar's Clients' Security Fund was established to reimburse clients who have suffered a loss due to misappropriation or embezzle­ment by a Florida-licensed attorney.

For similar "attorney ripoff reimbursement funds" that sometimes help cover the financial mess created by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed in other states and Canada, see:

• Directory Of Lawyers' Funds For Client Protection (now includes Canadian recovery funds, courtesy of the American Bar Association);
• Check the USA Client Protection Funds Map;
• Check the Canada Client Protection Funds Map.

Maps available courtesy of The National Client Protection Organization, Inc.