Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced the indictment of two men accused of running a foreclosure rescue scheme that bilked distressed borrowers out of thousands of dollars.
A Clark County grand jury in Las Vegas indicted Gary Dimattia, 62, and Lawrence Batement Jr., 36, of Las Vegas on 18 separate counts tied to their alleged involvement with a foreclosure rescue company called Financial Link Services.
The pair allegedly told distressed borrowers they could help them negotiate new loans with their banks.
Instead, they allegedly collected more than $3,400 in upfront fees without performing the promised services, Masto says.
The grand jury charged Dimattia with four felony counts of mortgage lending fraud, four felony counts of theft, one felony count of multiple transactions involving fraud and deceit in the course of enterprise or occupation and one felony count of pattern of mortgage lending fraud.
Bateman is facing three felony counts of mortgage lending fraud, three counts of theft, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud and deceit in the course of enterprise or occupation and one felony county of pattern of mortgage lending fraud.
“Mortgage and foreclosure rescue scams continue to be a big threat to Nevadans,” said AG Cortez Masto in a statement. “I encourage potential fraud victims of Financial Link Services and others in similar cases to report it to our office so we can investigate and prosecute.”
The suspects alleged violations occurred between April 2009 and August 2010.
Both could face up to 20 years in prison for their involvement in the scheme.
