Ronald Vernon Cupp, Santa Rosa, California, was convicted by a jury of running a mortgage elimination scheme wherein he charged homeowners up front fees in exchange for allegedly eliminating their mortgage.
As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Cupp was charged along with Randall Gilbert Heyden, San Rafael, California, and Angelle Wertz, Santa Rosa, for their roles in the alleged mortgage fraud scheme that targeted struggling Northern California homeowners.
According to media reports, Cupp was convicted of 15 felonies ranging from forgery to falsifying documents.
Six websites allegedly used by the suspects to advertise their scheme have been intercepted and redirected to a resource page on the California Attorney General’s website.
Cupp allegedly deceived homeowners by falsely advertising a way to kill their mortgage debt on six websites including www.wekillyourmortgage.com. Cupp was assisted by Heyden and Wertz, a public notary who allegedly certified phony legal documents. Cupp allegedly recorded fraudulent documents, which would only delay a foreclosure, not actually satisfy the preexisting mortgage debt.
Cupp, Heyden and Wertz are charged in a 57-count complaint alleging theft, forgery, notary fraud and recording of false documents. They were booked at the Sonoma County Jail on Wednesday, January 23, 2013. Cupp and Heyden are being held with bail set at $500,000 and $75,000 respectively. Wertz was released but ordered to appear for arraignment on Friday, January 25.
Through Cupp‘s business, North Bay Trust Services, homeowners would often allegedly pay upfront fees of between $1,000 and $10,000 and sign a promissory note or new mortgage for a phony offer to eliminate their mortgage debt. Requiring up-front fees is illegal in California. The suspects would then allegedly record fraudulent documentation purporting to be the attorney for the homeowner’s actual lender and then relinquish the mortgage and record a new deed of trust in favor of North Bay Trust Services. The debt to the original lender was never actually satisfied.
The following six websites have had their service suspended pursuant to a court order at the request of the Attorney General Harris’s eCrime Unit:
http://www.northbaytrustservices.com/
http://wekillyourmortgage.com/
http://santarosatrustandtitle.com/
http://sonomafidelitytitle.com/
http://cortemaderafidelityandtitle.com/
http://marintrustandtitle.com/
These pages have been redirected to the California Attorney General’s website (http://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/doj-investigation) where individuals are able to file an online complaint form if they believe they may have been the victim of the scheme.
