Nearly $750K In Restitution Coming For Mortgage Fraud Victims In Michigan

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan attorney general's office says nearly $750,000 is being distributed to 36 southeastern Michigan victims of mortgage modification fraud.

The payouts announced Thursday by Attorney General Bill Schuette are from a state fund for foreclosure scam restitution.

Schuette's office says individual reimbursements will range from $250 to $208,000.

"We created the Homeowner Protection Fund to aid the thousands of Michigan citizens who lost their hard-earned money to mortgage rescue scams," Schuette said, in a media release. "In many of these cases, the money was spent by the scammer long before they were convicted, so the chance of victims being repaid in the short term is slim."

"While we can never bring back a home lost to foreclosure, what we can do is secure restitution to help victimized citizens rebuild their lives.  This fund is a good first step, and it will directly benefit the citizens who need it most."

A letter will be sent to each victim notifying them of reimbursement. The Wayne County Clerk's office will disperse checks starting Thursday.

he victims receiving restitution payments all sought mortgage modifications from Nationwide Consulting, LLC.  The operators of the business, Kenneth Sandoval and Zacharia Ortiz were both convicted for their role in the scam.

Sandoval, who was sentenced to serve up to twenty years in prison,  is currently incarcerated at the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco, Michigan. Ortiz served time and was released on parole.

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