WASHINGTON — Federal agents arrested four Florida men Tuesday on charges that they scammed thousands of homeowners who were seeking loan modifications, according to authorities.
The men all held positions with a company called Home Owners Protection Economics Inc., or HOPE, which posed as a non-profit organization, according to authorities.
Among the company's misrepresentations was a false claim that it could virtually guarantee that its clients would receive loan modifications through the federal government's Home Affordable Mortgage Program, known as HAMP, the government alleges.
The arrests were made by agents with the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which has jurisdiction because the government's loan-modification program is funded with TARP dollars.
Arrested were the firm's president, Christopher S. Godfrey, 42, of Delray Beach, and its vice president and treasurer Dennis Fischer, 40, of Highland Beach, as well as Vernell Burris, Jr., 51, of Boynton Beach, and Brian M. Kelly, 34, of Boca Raton.
The men face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and misuse of a government seal. The firm collected more than $3 million in fees from homeowners, according to authorities.
