$100K Bail For Suspect Pinched For F'closure Rescue Fraud; Allegedly Stiffed Strapped Homeowners On Services After Clipping Them Out Of Upfront Fees

From the Office of the Ventura County, California District Attorney:

• Ventura County District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced [] that the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Real Estate Fraud Unit has filed a felony complaint against Aquilino Hernandez (aka Lino Hernandez, DOB 7/5/64) of Bellflower. The felony complaint charges Hernandez with two counts of foreclosure consultant fraud (Civ. Code § 2945.4(a)).



• The charges filed against Hernandez arise out of a fraudulent home foreclosure rescue program he ran primarily under the business name of “Terra Bella Management” [...] in Bellflower, California. Hernandez is alleged to have targeted predominantly monolingual Spanish-speaking residents of Ventura County who were facing foreclosure of their homes.



• Hernandez is accused of demanding or collecting thousands of dollars in upfront fees from victims while promising to save their homes from foreclosure. In reality, Hernandez completed no actual services for the victims who eventually lost their homes in foreclosure.

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• The arrest and prosecution of Hernandez is the result of a long-term investigation being conducted by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Real Estate Fraud Unit into suspicious home foreclosure rescue schemes and follows the pending felony case of People v. Maria Victoria Santos [...]. On February 22, 2011, Santos pled guilty to four felony counts of foreclosure consultant fraud and four counts of felony grand theft. Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28, 2011. Bail was set at $100,000 for Hernandez.

Go here for the Ventura County DA press release.