Attorney Indicted for Operating Loan Modification Scam

Allison Tussey —  October 3, 2012 — 1 Comment

Dean G. Chandler, an attorney, and Shelveen Singh, a telemarketing salesman, were arraigned in federal court in San Diego, California, on a 50-count indictment charging them with defrauding thousands of homeowners in an $11 million “loan modification” fraud scheme.

According to the indictment, these defendants (and two others previously arraigned) used Chandler‘s Oceanside-based law firm, 1st American Law Center (“1ALC“), to persuade victims to pay thousands of dollars each by deceptively touting 1ALC‘s purported success and legal resources, and falsely promising that 1ALC would successfully modify their residential mortgage loans.

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants and their co-conspirators used high-pressure sales tactics and outright lies to prey on homeowners located across the country who were struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments and were at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. Among other alleged lies, the conspirators falsely promised to have a team of attorneys pre-screen client applications ““ claiming that these attorneys only approved 30% of those seeking to use 1ALC‘s services — and boasted of having a 98% success rate in obtaining loan modifications. 1ALC‘s telemarketers were encouraged (using call “scripts” and other training) to say virtually anything to customers in order to close the deal.

The indictment alleges that among other ruses, employees pretended that that they had helped “thousands” of happy homeowners save their homes, that 1ALC had been in business for 20 years, that clients’ fees would be deposited into a client-trust account and remain untouched until the client was satisfied, and that there was a money-back guarantee. Conspirators even persuaded financially strapped homeowners to pay 1ALC‘s fees, instead of the clients’ monthly mortgage payment.

According to the indictment, lead defendant Dean G. Chandler was the Oceanside attorney at the head of 1ALC. He appeared in television commercials and on the company’s websites as the attorney in charge of the company, soliciting customers throughout the United States. Chandler is charged along with telemarketers Shelveen Singh, Anthony Calandriello, and call center manager Michael Eccles, with conspiring to commit the offenses of mail fraud and wire fraud through the operation of 1ALC. Defendant Chandler is also charged with money laundering because he conducted financial transactions with the proceeds of the fraudulent conspiracy.

Defendants Chandler and Singh have been released on bond and will next appear in federal court before District Judge Roger T. Benitez on November 13, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. to set future dates for a motion hearing and trial. Defendant Calandriello was taken into custody in New York, and will appear in San Diego on October 17, 2012 at 10:30 am to set further dates. Defendant Eccles is in custody in San Diego, pending release on bond.

Nine other participants in 1ALC‘s telemarketing scheme have already entered guilty pleas in federal court for their roles in the criminal enterprise and the subsequent cover-up. On December 16, 2011, 1ALC‘s Director of Marketing Gary Bobel pled guilty to conspiracy and tax charges, and telemarketers Scott Thomas Spencer, Mark Andrew Spencer, and Travis Iverson each pled guilty to conspiracy charges in relation to their conduct at 1ALC. These four defendants are next scheduled to appear before Judge Benitez for sentencing on December 3, 2012.

On August 21, 2012, 1ALC telemarketer Jonathon Hearn pled guilty to conspiracy charges, and will also face Judge Benitez for sentencing on December 3, 2012. Telemarketer Roger Jones pled guilty to conspiracy on December 23, 2010, and was sentenced in March 2011 to serve 21 months in custody for his role in defrauding desperate homeowners. On February 9, 2012, Director of Information Technology Steven Gerstzyn pled guilty to making a false statement to federal agents who were investigating the activities at 1ALC. Gerstzyn is scheduled to appear before Judge Benitez for sentencing on October 15, 2012.

Finally, Sarah Grimm and Amy Hintz, both former employees of 1ALC, pled guilty on June 28, 2012, to theft of government property, and were each fined $1,000 and ordered to serve 2 years’ probation.

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced the charges.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Daphne Hearn commented, “At a time when many homeowners in our nation are bearing extreme financial difficulty, it is most unfortunate that there are those individuals who prey on their vulnerability and egregiously attempt to defraud them. The FBI stands resolute in identifying those who are responsible for these schemes and will work with our law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity of the economic sectors of our country.”

Leslie P. DeMarco, Special Agent in Charge of IRS ““ Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office commented, “Mortgage modification scams prey on struggling and trusting homeowners. The court actions are a strong reminder of how serious our courts consider this criminal activity. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to be a part of the law enforcement partnership that is dedicated to tackling this type of crime.”

Victims of 1st American Law Center may contact the U.S. Attorney=s Office Victim/Witness Coordinator, Polly Montano, at (619) 546-8921.

Allison Tussey

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One response to Attorney Indicted for Operating Loan Modification Scam

  1. Frencheska Steels November 26, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Enrolling for a loan is quite risky enough you should one, shoulder the burden of paying it together with the interest of what you borrowed; two, the risk that you are not under a fraud system; and lastly the risk of not paying it and violating several provisions or laws that’s why I’m suggesting that you better look for a good loan modification leads that is purely legal and transparent to be able to make sure that the transaction and the process are all in legitimate process be not become a victim of any scam or whatsoever.

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