Cerritos Attorney Tied to Loan Modification Fraud Scheme

By City News Service

A Cerritos attorney faces disciplinary charges of collecting illegal advanced fees from homeowners and unlawfully practicing law in several states as part of an alleged loan modification fraud scheme, according to the State Bar of California.

Pamela Stacey Gerber-Gressier, 53, is also accused of convincing a former client to withdraw his State Bar complaint in exchange for the return of unearned fees he paid her and enticing several clients to sign documents waiving their right to file malpractice claims by offering partial fee refunds, the bar association reported.

The Cerritos local also allegedly failed to inform the clients that they could seek the advice of an independent lawyer.

According to the notice of disciplinary charges, Gerber-Gressier ran Orange County law firms under the names Prudential Law Group, Prudent Law Group and Remedy Center Law Associates, and used those names to advertise loan modification services to homeowners in Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, Georgia and New Jersey.

According to the bar association, Gerber-Gressier was not licensed to practice law in any of those states and did not personally evaluate the clients' cases. She also allegedly did not determine how much in legal fees to
charge them, or whether they qualified for loan modifications, leaving those tasks to non-attorney staff members instead.

She is also accused of improper solicitation because the mailers she sent to prospective clients did not clearly state that they were advertisements and made it appear as though they were sent by the homeowners'
respective mortgage holders, according to the State Bar.

The mailers also contained other misleading statements, including that the sender had already reviewed the terms of the recipients' mortgages, according to the disciplinary charges notice.