SANTA ANA, California – A Brea man was sentenced to 109 months in custody for operating a multi-million dollar fraudulent mortgage modification scheme that posed as a successful law firm.
Bryan D’Antonio, 50, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter, who ordered the defendant to spend 97 months in federal prison and to serve the final year of the sentence in a halfway house. In addition to the sentence of over eight years, Judge Carter ordered D’Antonio to pay $3,826,977 in restitution.
D’Antonio pleaded guilty last August to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in relation to his role as owner and operator of Rodis Law Group (RLG) and America’s Law Group (ALG). D’Antonio admitted that, between October 2008 and June 2009, he participated in a scheme that induced homeowners to pay between $3,500 and $5,500 for the services of RLG and its successor entity, ALG.
In connection with his guilty plea, D’Antonio admitted that the RLG and ALG schemes fraudulently obtained approximately $9 million from more than 1,500 victims.
RLG and ALG advertised on radio stations nationwide, urging struggling homeowners to call a toll-free number and stating that the companies consisted of “a team of experienced attorneys” who were “highly skilled in negotiating lower interest rates and even lowering your principal balance.” In fact, RLG and ALG were telemarketing operations that never had teams of experienced attorneys.
“While still under court supervision after serving a prison term in another telemarketing case, D’Antonio oversaw what was essentially a boiler room operation that preyed upon struggling homeowners,” said Acting United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown. “Hundreds of victims lost millions of dollars after D’Antonio’s employees told a series of lies that misrepresented nearly every aspect of the business. Today’s lengthy sentence will ensure that he will not have the opportunity to defraud unsuspecting victims for many years.”
Bryan D’Antonio, a repeat telemarketing fraudster, took advantage of vulnerable homeowners facing foreclosure during the mortgage crisis. He operated two fake law firms, Rodis Law Group and America’s Law Group, which promised homeowners assistance saving their homes and modifying their mortgages. The sad reality is both firms were nothing more than telemarketing scams.
RLG and ALG telemarketers working for D’Antonio made numerous misrepresentations regarding the companies’ ability to negotiate loan modifications for homeowners. For example, the telemarketers falsely stated that RLG and ALG routinely obtained positive results for homeowners, including lower monthly payments, reductions in principal balance and lower interest rates. In fact, positive results were rarely achieved for any RLG or ALG clients. Telemarketers also falsely reiterated that homeowners would have a team of attorneys and real estate professionals assigned to their cases. The telemarketers did not disclose to homeowners that RLG and ALG were owned and operated by D’Antonio, a convicted felon who was prohibited from engaging in telemarketing.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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