Between August 2018 and July 2019, the United States entered into a series of separate settlement agreements with individual defendants to fully resolve its claims in United States v. The Home Loan Auditors (N.D. Cal.), a HUD election/pattern or practice case. The amended complaint, filed on May 9, 2017, alleges that the defendants intentionally discriminated against Hispanic homeowners in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act by targeting them for predatory mortgage loan modification services and interfering with their ability to receive financial assistance to maintain their homes. As alleged, the individual defendants and their defunct companies – The Home Loan Auditors LLC, Century Law Center LLC, SOE Assistance Center Inc. – told homeowners that “forensic home loan audits” were essential for loan modifications, when the audits had no impact on the loan modification process and provided no financial benefit. The United States also alleged the defendants encouraged their clients to stop making mortgage payments and instructed homeowners to cease contact with their lenders, which resulted in clients defaulting on their mortgage payments and losing their homes. Among other relief, the settlement agreements with defendants Omar Alcaraz, Araceli Castro, Oralia Gutierrez, Hortencia Leon, Raul Luna, Elena Ramirez, and David Spieker and Spieker Law Office, establish more than $148,000 in a restitution fund to reimburse victims for fees the defendants collected as part of their predatory scheme.
comunicado de prensa (23/8/16)
comunicado de prensa (31/7/19)