Foreclosure Con Artist in Jail

Big news has stirred up a hornet’s nest. One crook hoodwinking foreclosure victims is actually behind bars. Las Vegas con artist is popularly known as Matt Marlon but this is only of his aliases. His other names are Andrew Johnson and John Alson. There are even more, says News 3 Investigator. The Secretary of State has sent out a general warning to all that if anybody knows anything about such a person the relevant state office should be contacted without delay. Carolyn Ellsworth of the state office is one of the few who are at the bottom of this exposure.

The names were changed but the story remained the same. Nearly sixty foreclosure victims in the valley pinned their trust on this cheat. He sweet-talked them into believing that he and only he could save them from the clutches of bank foreclosure. He would first locate his victims by browsing through the public record – there being an official website of the Recorder’s Office registering default notices. Having got the names and addresses he contacted them posing as a buyer. The stage setting was perfect. He would call on his victims accompanied by a notary. The unfortunate house owners were shown documents while he talked about shouldering their problems. First he would pay off the mortgage and then give them some cash too to tide over the present. Then he would make them sign a sale contract.

The forms looked perfect to the cursory glance. But Marlon neither bought the house nor paid off the loan. In his next move he would get the owners out of the house on some plea or the other and settle in renters. The renters did not have a clue that they too were being duped.

Marlon cheated on the Recorder’s Office too. As per rules whenever property was changed hands a transfer tax has to be paid. Marlon never paid it but used fake stock certificates to explain that these sales were exempt from the transfer tax.

There is more to the Matt Marlon story. He used four different names, set up 45 different firms pretending to buy houses. His office was nothing but a post box on Spring Mountain Road!

The state office is waiting for other complaints against Matt to roll in. Meanwhile the general message is loud and clear – when facing foreclosure contact the lender or bonafide hot lines.

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