S. California Man Gets Pinched For Allegedly Fleecing Homeowner In Foreclosure Out Of Over $10K In Loan Modification Ripoff; Prior Bank Robbery Conviction Compels Judge To Belt Suspect w/ $120K Bail

From the Office of the Orange County, California District Attorney:

• A man previously dubbed the Assistant Coach Bandit by the FBI has been charged for defrauding over $10,000 from a woman through a loan modification scam.
  
  James Allen Ramsdell, 51, Huntington Beach, is charged with one felony count of grand theft by false pretense, one felony count of foreclosure consultant unlawful advance fee, one misdemeanor count of loan modification unlawful advance, and a sentencing enhancement for a prior prison conviction of a serious and violent felony for bank robbery in 2009 in the San Diego federal court for bank robbery.
  
  If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years and four months in state prison. He is being held on $120,000 bail [...].
  
  Between March 1, 2014, and Nov. 1, 2015, Ramsdell is accused of offering to provide loan modification services to Jane Doe. He is accused of illegally collecting an upfront fee of approximately $920, after the victim had received a bank notice of default on her mortgage.
  
  Ramsdell is accused of instructing the victim to write multiple checks to complete the loan modification but never performing any services. Ramsdell is accused of operating his fraudulent loan modification/foreclosure consultant firm under the fictitious name of Ramsdell Consulting. He is accused of using the fictitious name of Melissa Hurley when communicating with Jane Doe. The defendant is accused of receiving multiple checks from the victim and cashing them, defrauding over $10,000 from Jane Doe.
  
  After having never received modifications on her home loan, Jane Doe submitted a fraud report to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, who investigated this case and arrested the defendant [on] Friday, April 29, 2016.
  
  Prior Prison Conviction for Bank Robbery
  
  On July 6, 2009, Allen pleaded guilty to robbing a Washington Mutual bank branch in San Diego County in 2008 and four other banks in Orange County in the Cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Tustin. Ramsdell had been coaching youth baseball and soccer in Orange County and the FBI dubbed him the Assistant Coach Bandit.
  
  Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Damon Tucker at (714) 648-3615.

Source: Man Dubbed Assistant Coach Bandit Charged For Defrauding Over 10,000 From Woman Through Loan Modification Scam.