Attorney General Bondi’s Office Protects Distressed Homeowners from Mortgage Relief Scam
TALLAHASSEE, FL – September 26, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — 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
Media Contact:
Jenn Meale
Phone: (850) 245-0150
