A phony mortgage relief company allegedly bilked victims – many of them elderly and in financial distress – out of more than $7 million
Three people have been indicted in relation to an alleged mortgage scam that resulted in losses of more than $7 million and operated throughout the state of California.
The operators of Grand View Financial – Steven Rogers, Robert Sedlar and Audrey Gan – have been charged with conspiracy, grand theft, elder abuse, filing false or forged documents in a public office, and engaging in a prohibited act as a foreclosure consultant, according to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Grand View Financial allegedly preyed on people seeking mortgage relief services in counties across the state. Many of the victims were elderly and in financial distress, the California attorney general’s office said.
“Individuals who prey on vulnerable communities to enrich themselves will be held accountable by the California Department of Justice,” Becerra said. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who disregard the rule of law.”
According to authorities, between 2015 and 2019, Rogers, Sedlar and Gan allegedly conspired to steam money and homes from distressed homeowners. Grand View Financial launched a mortgage and foreclosure assistance program that promised consumers that if they transferred their homes and paid money to the company, it would eliminate the mortgage lien and deed the home back to the homeowner. Rogers, Sedlar and Gan also allegedly filed phony court proceedings, false documents and false bankruptcies.
Becerra urged Californians who believe they may have been targeted by the scam to contact the California Department of Justice.
