SACRAMENTO, Calif.—As the result of an alleged mortgage relief scam, a federal court has issued an order banning the operators Home Matters USA from the telemarketing and debt relief businesses and have further required them to turn over $19 million.
The penalties follow a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI).
The FTC and DFPI sued companies doing business as Home Matters USA, Academy Home Services, Atlantic Pacific Service Group, and Golden Home Services America and the owners of the companies, Michael R. Nabati, Armando Solis Barron, Dominic Ahiga (also known as Michael D. Grinnell), and Roger S. Dyer in September 2022, charging them with taking millions of dollars from thousands of struggling homeowners seeking mortgage relief, the FTC stated.
False Promises
The court found the defendants “falsely promised” to reduce homeowners’ mortgage payments and prevent foreclosures, defrauding distressed homeowners out of millions of dollars. The scheme harmed more than 3,000 people nationwide, particularly elders and veterans, the FTC said.
The court’s orders bar the individuals and their companies from directly or indirectly engaging in telemarketing, debt relief services, and making any misrepresentations or unsubstantiated claims about any product or service.
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