Buckner was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud following a jury trial, and was one of 11 charged in the scheme.
From 2013 through 2018, the defendants took advantage of desperate homeowners, and instead of helping them, used money from homeowner victims to personally enrich themselves, according to court documents and trial testimony.
Co-conspirators promised affiliates commissions by recruiting distressed homeowners to companies, including:
- MVP Home Solutions, LLC, also known as Stay In or Walk Away;
- Bolden Pinnacle Group Corp., also known as Home Advisory Services Network and Home Advisory Services Group Inc.; and
- Silverstein & Wolf Corp.
Affiliates were aggressive in recruiting homeowners and used online databases and court records to identify vulnerable, financially distressed homeowners who had recently received notice of foreclosure on their homes. Buckner and his co-conspirators mailed more than 56,000 postcards in southwest Ohio and elsewhere, promising to “stop foreclosure” or “stop the sheriff sale” for a fixed fee.
They also used Craigslist ads, websites, email and social media platforms to contact homeowners.
Buckner would collect payments from homeowners and refer the victims to the co-conspirator companies.
Among other things, the defendants promised:
- to negotiate with mortgage lenders on the homeowners’ behalf for the purchase of the mortgage notes at a discount;
- to negotiate the sale of their home and release of their mortgage loans through a short sale and/or deed in lieu of foreclosure sale;
- to stop an imminent foreclosure sale;
- to remove the mortgage lien via a tender offer; and
- achieve short sale prices at a fraction of the value of the outstanding lien/note.
The defendants represented they had “proprietary” methods or “legal tactics” to help homeowners stall or completely avoid foreclosure. The reality was they persuaded homeowners to file Chapter 13 bankruptcies to delay foreclosure actions.
Any relief from foreclosure delay was temporary until the bankruptcy court dismissed the proceeding. As a result of the defendants’ scheme, victims lost thousands of dollars and, in many cases, lost their homes.
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