Attorney General Bondi’s Office Protects Distressed Homeowners from Mortgage Relief Scam
Contact:
Jenn Meale
Phone: 850.245.0150
jennifer.meale@myfloridalegal.com
Attorney General Bondi’s Office Protects Distressed Homeowners from Mortgage Relief Scam
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has obtained a
temporary injunction and asset freeze against a company that allegedly
preyed on distressed homeowners, defrauding them out of thousands of
dollars in a mortgage relief scam. According to the complaint filed by the
Attorney General’s Office, Edward Cherry, Lawrence Diodato, Paul
Gellenbeck, Shane Frankovic, Anthony C. Pintsopoulos and their businesses
charged homeowners $3,500 in up-front fees and, in return, falsely
guaranteed that the defendants would “void” the homeowner’s “upside-down
mortgage.” The Broward County Circuit Court today ordered the defendants to
immediately cease operations and freeze their assets.
“This mortgage relief scam targeted hundreds of distressed homeowners who
were already facing financial hardship,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“By obtaining a temporary injunction and asset freeze, we have stopped this
company from preying on even more of Florida’s homeowners.”
An example of the allegedly misleading claims made by the company is that
they would work with property owners who are currently in distress or
upside down in their mortgage. The business claimed that they were the only
ones that offered Florida homeowners the chance to refinance an upside down
mortgage and regain equity in their homes by permanently cancelling or
voiding the homeowners’ mortgages.
The temporary injunction bars the company from advertising for or providing
services to Florida homeowners directly or indirectly by which the
defendants claim to cancel or otherwise void previously recorded mortgages
so that the mortgages are not enforceable against defendants or any other
party because the mortgage assignments were not recorded.
The temporary injunction and asset freeze were obtained against: Edward
Cherry, Lawrence Diodato, Paul Gellenbeck, Shane Frankovic, Anthony C.
Pintsopoulos, The Fidelity Land Trust Company, LLC, The Sunshine State Land
Trust Company, LLC, Florida Land Trust Services, LLC, Growth Capital
Funding, LLC, August Belmont And Company, LLC, Esquire Litigation Support,
LLC, Click Media Consulting, LLC doing business as Florida Home Rescue
Mission and American Federal Trust, LLC, EsqLitigationSupport.Com, LLC,
Zion Partners Irrevocable Trust, LLC, Zion Partners Irrev Trust, LLC, and
their officers, affiliates, agents, servants, employees, attorneys and
those persons in active concert or participation.
To access the complaint, please follow this link:
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/JMEE-8YHNLQ/$file/92612LandTrust.pdf
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