PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) - Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne obtained a consent judgment on Thursday against a West Valley woman who allegedly engaged in a scheme meant to defraud homeowners looking for mortgage loan modifications.
Rosa Galope allegedly charged distressed homeowners thousands of dollars in advance for her services and failed to obtain results for her clients. Galope allegedly refused to refund the money and claimed the payments were donations to her church, Nation to Nation Ministries.
Galope also allegedly told her clients not to communicate with their lenders and that they should send mortgage payments to her so she could forward them to the consumer's lender. She then kept the money for her own use.
"The mortgage crisis has brought out the worst in consumer scams, and this is among the more distasteful schemes my office has seen," Horne said. "I remain committed to vigilantly protecting Arizona consumers and ensuring that incidents such as this one are brought to the public's attention to help people be vigilant and to protect themselves."
Under the terms of the judgment, Galope must pay full restitution to consumers who complained to Horne's office in the amount of approximately $65,000. Galope must also pay $10,000 in civil penalties and is prohibited from engaging in any loan modification activities on behalf of Arizona consumers or in Arizona.
Galope did not admit any violations of the law as part of the agreement.
Consent judgment entered in Ariz. AG Horne's case
