A Filipino-American man from Anaheim was charged on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with six counts of grand theft and four counts of elder abuse after allegedly swindling $50,000 from six individuals in a mortgage scam.
Sajid Geronimo, 35, called victims facing home foreclosures, allegedly claiming he could cut down their monthly mortgage payments by hundreds of dollars per month through a refinancing program.
Most of the victims were elderly Filipino-Americans.
Geronimo began the scam in late 2012 when he allegedly identified himself to a victim as a mortgage loan officer working for a fabricated company called HLA Processing in Orange County. The victim then referred James Alkin or Arkin, the name Geronimo used, to four other people facing similar financial hardships.
“Desperate for financial relief, some people look for desperate solutions,” Prosecutor Huang told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Use extreme caution when dealing with anyone who promises miraculous financial cures.”
The Fil-Am was arrested on Nov. 26 at Los Angeles International Airport upon returning from the Philippines.
Geronimo allegedly requested the victims to fill out fake loan applications. He would then allegedly send back bogus approval letters with the Citibank Mortgage letterhead. Afterward, victims would send money to an escrow account, which was actually Geronimo’s personal account, according to prosecutors.
Huang told the Chronicle that of the victims, five are from Santa Clara County and one is from Riverside County. He also said he believes Geronimo may have scammed victims in Orange County and Washington state.
Geronimo entered a court hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 2, but did not enter a plea. His bail is set at $100,000, but he will remain in custody until Dec. 16, at which point he must show that his bail money was not acquired feloniously.
If convicted, Geronimo may face more than 10 years in prison, according to prosecutors.
Anyone with further information regarding the alleged scam or those who were victims of it are encouraged to call investigator John Carrillo on weekdays between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (408) 792-2977.
As of press time, Carillo did not return a call for comment.
(With reports from San Francisco Chronicle)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek December 10-12, 2014 Sec. A pg.1)