H.B. woman arrested in foreclosures fraud case, police say
A Huntington Beach woman was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of running a statewide fraudulent foreclosure scam, authorities said.
Brandy Taylor, 55, was taken into custody Nov. 9 on suspicion of fraud and is being held on $1.36 million bail, police said.
Authorities from Santa Barbara and Alameda counties contacted the Orange County district attorney’s office after a months-long investigation into a so-called “foreclosure rescue” scam, in which a Huntington Beach-based company called Carrington Investments/The Wellington Group is suspected of defrauding victims throughout California, police said.
Police said the company would offer to halt the foreclosure of peoples’ homes with fraudulent deeds of trust. The company also charged a monthly fee.
The company had clients sign documents that were sent to banks to stop foreclosures, but the banks ultimately recognized the documents were falsified, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Marlatt.
Marlatt said Taylor ran the business.
Huntington Beach police detectives, along with district attorney’s offices from Orange, Alameda and Santa Barbara counties, served several search warrants in Huntington Beach.
Alameda and Santa Barbara counties issued two arrest warrants for Taylor in early November and she was taken into custody by Huntington Beach police, police said.
Marlatt said Taylor has been the only person arrested in this case.
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