A 34-year-old Sherman Oaks man accused of involvement in a Southern
California mortgage fraud scheme with West Hollywood resident Patrick
Joseph Soria pleaded not guilty Wednesday in an Orange County courtroom
to nearly five dozen felony charges.
Michael Charles Jackson was charged July 31 with four counts of grand theft and 53 counts of attempting to file a false or forged instrument, with sentencing enhancement allegations of aggravated white-collar crime between $100,000 to $500,000 and property damage exceeding $200,000.
Jackson is due back in court on Friday for a pretrial hearing at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
According to a motion to increase Jackson’s bail from $40,000 to $344,000, investigators alleged he “was an integral part of the fraud scheme used by (co-defendant) Patrick Joseph Soria’s companies West Inc. and West H&A LLC to transfer title on residential properties via fraudulent substitution of trustees and fraudulent assignment of mortgages/deeds of trust… without the authorization of the beneficiary lender.”
Jackson was living with Soria, 33, of West Hollywood and had “intimate knowledge of the operations of the business and its day-to-day activities,” investigators alleged. Soria has not yet been arrested in the case.
At least five civil lawsuits have now been filed against Soria and Jackson’s shell companies; four are in Los Angeles and one is in Orange County. The suits were filed in Superior Court in L.A. and Orange County.
One of the civil suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles last year by attorneys for Nationstar Mortgage against Soria, Jackson and others associated with the shell companies they operated, claims “defendants, strangers to the subject loans and having never lent a penny to anyone, created a criminal enterprise by which they hijacked ‘thousands’ of mortgages via void assignments all in the name of helping” borrowers.
“They have “helped”
a borrower and her elderly mother by sending “thugs” to her home at
night to evict her. The “thugs” banged on the windows, attempted to
climb the walls of the home and attempted to break the door. … They have
“helped” a family pay $465,000 to the Defendants for the purchase of
a home Defendants claimed to own. Defendants were even accommodating enough to
offer their own title insurance to the family when the family could not acquire
title insurance elsewhere. The family wired the money, moved into the home, and
a few days later were fined for trespassing when they found out that the
Defendants never owned the property they sold them. “.. Defendants also ‘helped’ a borrower, with a
disabled wife and a disabled child lose his home by lying to him about
“refinancing” his loan, again requiring the borrower pay Defendants.
It was not clear why the case was filed in Orange County and
the District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
This content has been reproduced from its original source.
SHARE:Five charged with deed fraud involving North and West Philly properties
Five people who city prosecutors said Monday had been arrested on charges that they used forged deeds to steal houses. They face counts of fraud, conspiracy, and other offenses in the alleged theft of 11 properties, all but two in North Philadelphia. Most of the allegedly fraudulent transactions were certified by notary Demeshia Harris-Bey, 42, who is also among those charged. Also charged was Harris-Bey’s husband, Robert Harris-Bey, 58; he and his wife are accused in the theft of nine of the properties.
Is home title theft a real thing? You bet it is, and here’s how to protect your property
The Watchdog surveyed the county clerks in Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties. I also talked to the company that bombards us with advertising. I have experience covering this. A decade ago, I told the story of Norris Fisher, who stole 170 homes in Tarrant County (some kind of record) before he was shipped off to prison. So yeah, it’s real. Crooks can forge names and use fake notary public seals and change the ownership of your house without you knowing it.
Retired Teacher Evicted from Her Home
Domestic and international thieves scour online records for homes with equity. It could be the home you live in, your vacation home, a home of an elderly relative, or rental property you own.
Once they change your home's ownership from YOU to THEM, they re-file the Quitclaim Deed for your home with the proper authorities so it appears your home has been legally sold.
They take out personal loans through banks and online lenders using all your home's equity. You likely won't know you're a victim until you start receiving late payments or foreclosure notices.
Click to see if your home's title has been compromised.
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Everything is stored online these days - including your home's title. Domestic and international cyber-thieves target U.S. homeowners equity in their homes. Removing you from your home's title takes just minutes. Then they forge their name on the title document and refile it. Next, they take out loans using your home's equity and stick you with the payments. You likely won't know until you get a late payment or foreclosure notice from several banks.
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