Tamara Teresa Tikal, Rescue Mortgage Scam, California 2012

Related Federal Cases

James Christopher Castle, Mortgage Elimination Scheme, California 2011 · Nevada
Rico Tomas Garcia, Hand Sanitizer Scam, California 2023 · Louisiana
Peter Heinrich Conrad Reinert, Investment Scam, California 2023 · Nevada
Rico Tomas Garcia, Hand Sanitizer Scam, CO, 2023 · North Carolina
Timothy G. Fisher, Money Laundering, California 2024 · Florida

Table of Contents

Tikal Couple and Co-Conspirator Arrested for Continuing Mortgage Scam

Two individuals, Tamara Teresa Tikal, 43, of Brentwood in Contra Costa County, and Ray Jan Kornfeld, 57, of Las Vegas, have been arrested for their involvement in a large-scale mortgage rescue scam. According to the U.S. Attorney, Benjamin B. Wagner, and California Attorney General, Kamala D. Harris, the duo continued the scam despite the arrest and imprisonment of its leader.

The scam targeted homeowners across California and other areas, defrauding property owners out of millions of dollars. A federal grand jury indicted Alan David Tikal, 45, on Wednesday, adding charges against his wife, Tamara Tikal, and Kornfeld. They allegedly continued operating the scam while Alan Tikal was out on bail, awaiting trial.

According to court documents, Alan Tikal operated the mortgage rescue scheme at the beginning of January 2010. He promised to eliminate homeowners’ mortgages and replace them with a new debt from his company, KATN Trust. He claimed the new loan would only be for 25% of the original principal. Victims paid thousands of dollars in advance fees and then made regular payments to Alan Tikal for the new loans.

The victims were instructed not to pay their original mortgages and to ignore all correspondence from the original lenders. This resulted in many victims losing their homes through foreclosure. Alan Tikal was arrested on September 28, 2012, and charged with mail fraud.

After Alan Tikal’s arrest, federal authorities continued investigating the case. In November 2012, the police discovered that the scheme continued, and they raided the KATN office in Las Vegas, seizing multiple computers and thousands of documents. Later this year, the police learned that the scam continued, with victims still making payments to the accused company. According to the indictment, Tamara Tikal and Kornfeld played a central role in continuing the operation.

A significant aspect of the continued scheme was a bankruptcy case filed in the Nevada District Court on behalf of Alan Tikal. He listed the properties of many of his victim clients as his personal property, preventing financial institutions with interests in those properties from foreclosing. The scheme victimized over 1,000 homeowners, who paid more than $3.4 million. Approximately 95% of the identified homeowners reside in California, with at least 185 residing within the Eastern District of California.

Tamara Tikal faces charges of mail fraud, and Kornfeld is charged with conspiracy and mail fraud. The case is ongoing, and no sentencing information is available at this time.