California attorney James Parsa of the Parsa Law Group has been ordered by the State Bar to stop practicing law effective immediately on October, 16, 2009.
Mr. Parsa was operating a large loan modification firm out of Orange County since 2008 and it is unknown at the time what will happen to the many homeowners who may have hired this law firm to save their homes.
Like many other homeowners of closed down firms, they may be simply out of luck and money.
Here was one of the commercials he was running on TV:
In August the Attorney General has sent the firm a warning in a letter asking the firm to substantiate several claims it has made through various marketing methods used to obtain clients.
On August 31, 2009, The Chief Trial Counsel’s Office of the California State Bar filed charges against James Parsa, owner and founder of Parsa Law Group, for moral turpitude stemming from his 2 convictions in Orange County for unlawful sexual intercourse:
- 04/06/2000 261.5 PC M Unlawful sexual intercourse GUILTY 05/17/2001 Pled Guilty 05/17/2001
- 04/06/2000 261.5 PC M Unlawful sexual intercourse GUILTY 05/17/2001 Pled Guilty 05/17/2001
The Cal Bar complaint from August: http://members.calbar.ca.gov/courtDocs/09-C-12545.pdf
REVIEW DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE BAR COURT
In the Matter of JAMES MAZI PARSA
a Member of the State Bar of California
Since respondent James Mazi Parsa, State Bar Number 153389, has been convicted of violating Penal Code section 261.5, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, under the authority of rule 9.10(a), California Rules of Court, it is ordered pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6102 that respondent be suspended from the practice of law effective October 16, 2009, pending final disposition of this proceeding. It is also ordered that respondent comply with rule 9.20, California Rules of Court, and perform the acts specified in subdivisions (a) and (c) of that rule within 30 and 40 days, respectively, after the effective date of this suspension.
As the judgment of conviction is final and it appearing that the statutory criteria for summary disbarment are not met, this case is referred to the hearing department for a hearing and decision recommending the discipline to be imposed.
California State Bar: http://members.calbar.ca.gov/courtDocs/09-C-12545-1.pdf
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like Bad Biz Finder was right after all…
Wasnt Roseville’s New Leaf Modifications working with them last year on many loan mods that never were done? I was one of the people affected by that…Is there any way to get an update on what is going on with the investigation into New Leaf Mod and Oleg Artishuk? From what I understand, no one has gotten money back, no homeowners, not former employees…And people have told me they know for a fact that Oleg is opening or already opened another loan mod company in Stockton, though he’s not the ‘official’ president of that one–one of his former managers is. Since he has a cease and desist order against him, is this legal? Im just wondering if there’s any way to know whether everything Oleg is doing is legal, since I dont want other homeowners to fall into the same problems as we did with New Leaf Mod. Please let me know, Thanks!!
As someone who is a victim of the Parsa Law Group, what can I do to 1. get my money back or 2. actually get another attorney (an honest one-if there is such a thing) take over my case and pursue my mortgage company for a modification?
what is the state bar or the attorney general’s office doing to help us victims??
I was also a victim of Parsa Law Group. They are a total FRAUD.
By going with another attorney to go after these thieves, I think you would be throwing good money after bad.
I called the Costa Mesa Police Department and told me to file a complaint with the FTC (ftc.gov). Personally, don’t have the money to hire someone else, but at least make my complaint legal.
Good luck!
I was totally scammed as well. They provide no services what so ever and just took me for a ride of $3000.00. Their sales rep kept calling me and hounding me to send in the retainer agreement and I finaly did so October, 3rd. The parsa law group was aware of what was happening and still was accepting clients, even though the California state bar banned them from practicing Law on Oct. 16th, 2009 and preventing their means of doing business. I hope this guy rots in a jail cell and drinks champagne with the devil someday. I went with a law firm, think they were a safe bet instead of one of these loan modificiation companies. If you can not trust a lawyer to represent you as he promised, then what is a lawyer good for.!!! I will be contacting the attoney general, costa mesa police, state bar, and BBB. I will also ping various media outlets and let them know what happened to me…
I was in the process with Parsa as well when he was shut down. Call the State Bar. There is a Client Recovery Fund and you might get your money back!
this guy scammed me and if i dont get my money back , well lets just say i am cleaning my weapon now.
parsa is a scam and ripoff co hope i get my money back but that will be like pulling a needle out of a haystack im sure.Parsa will pay for this in more ways then one.
I think Mr. Parsa is being unfairly persecuted. I worked there for a while and they ran a very good operation that was trying hard to help people. We had to turn away a majority of the people that called in because they wouldn’t have qualified for a loan mod. There were a lot of scammers associated with loan mods but The Parsa Law Group ran an honest business. The charge of moral perpitude referenced above had nothing to do with loan mods.
I was a victim too. I paid $3300 to parsa law group and I went to the office to take my documents and pay them, I met james parsa and I had a short talk with him. James parsa told me “If we can not modify your loan, no one else can, we are number one in California”. So I trusted this guy and he never did anything for me. I spoke to the attorney who was handling my case on 10/8/09 and he said james parsa has not paid anyone and the attornies are not working on any case at this time. I started calling the office and there was just answering machine and later I found out that the office is shut down. Yesterday I filed a complaint with state bar of california.
Everyone should file a complaint so that we can get our money back.
I DID TOO ,ALSO WENT TO COSTA MESA POLICE DEPT/ DETECTIVE SHEILA CANNAN/ SHE GAVE ME FORMS FOR THE STATE BAR AND THE DISTRICT ATT. DO NOT FORGET TO FILE WITH THE DISTRICT ATT ALSO. PLS DO. WE HAVE TO GET OUR MONEY BACK.
I retained The Parsa Law Group on 6/30/09, they gave me bad advise about making my payments. I am now out the $3600. I paid them and my credit is ruined. They did nothing at all for me except take my money and lie to me.
I filed a complaint with the Bar and Attorney General. We as vitims should get together and petition the A/G to prosecute Parsa the full extent of the law.
october 17 2009 at 10.50 p.m
i paid him $3145 on the 8/28/2009 and he new that he was in trouble
and they may suspend his license and he still got my money .
i hope that we all can get our money back. i should go to police and report this a.s.a.p
thank you all for reporting this and helping people like me which i trusted this guy that will help me .
Senate Bill 94, passed into law by the Governor effective Monday, October 12, 2009, now makes it unlawful for anyone, including attorneys, to charge an upfront fee to homeowners’ for loan modification services. James Parsa and other attorneys have caused irreparable damage to their profession by (allegedly) “partnering” with unlicensed individuals seeking to maintain the lifestyle they built through fraudulent, predatory lending practices. I’m sure some lawyers thought they were doing a good thing and these con-artists convinced them that nothing would be done to affect their licensing, But the simple fact remains that attorneys should have known better. Every attorney knows it is unlawful to share fees with a non-attorney and that any shared fees must be disclosed and agreed to by the client.
The level of greed and disregard for the well being of homeowners by attorneys/brokers agreeing to represent them as a fiduciaries is sickening. Now homeowners who genuinely need the assistance of a competent, qualified law firm cannot get help, because good, reputable law firms generally charge for services rendered, not guaranteed results – thus legal services are no longer available to homeowners in need because the legislature determined it is now unlawful to charge in advance, and unlawful to collect fees unless the firm obtains successful results.
Don’t get me wrong, SB 94 is completely attributable to the unconscionable, wide-scale fraudulent business practices of a bunch of licensed lawyers (and their unlicensed business partners) and such action was probably necessary by the legislature to curb the abuse. Its only unfortunate because the homeowners, once again, are the unintended victims.
Since homeowners will now be forced to negotiate with their lender directly, it is important to know that the “lender” is virutally never the true lender, but rather, acting as a debt collector for the wall street investment fund that owns the loan. So when calling Bank of America or Wells Fargo or any “bank,” remember that it is a debt collector that you’re dealing with, not a bank who cares about your best interests. Be guarded with what information you provide, and negotiate as you would with any harrassing debt collector. If you want to know for certain whether or not the bank owns your loan, simply ask if the bank is acting as a servicer for a third party. The answer is almost always yes, but the identity of the third party is rarely, if ever, disclosed by the bank, even when threatened with litigation.
I also paid him $3325. in 04/09
and My modficiation is not complete
and the advise I wasn’t ruin’t me credit.
Is there anyway to do a class action
suit against him?
I’m also a victim of this law group. My biggest concern is saving my home.
Do any of you have any thought on this matter. I will also be filing a complaint
with the bar
they completed my first loan modifications and then they sent me a letter saying that completed loan modication on my second back in july I paid via credit card got monies refund from credit card company and i am waiting on the lender to complete hemp loan and trun it real mod
I was also a victim who hired there service back in October of last year I was charged 2,500 never was modified asked for a refund and never recieved anything back and decided to go with Avid law center who has a A+ in the bbb.What can I do to get my money back.
I was a victim too and paid him $3300. I posted some ads on craigslist to find out who else has been a victim. I received a call from an Attorney, her name is Charlotte and her phone no. is 909-2296368.
She is willing to file a class action law suite against james parsa. If you are interested to get involved and go after this guy, call her.
Let’s get together.
I obtained parsa law group back in OCT of 2008, and it is just now that my loan modification is going through its final stages of a mod. payment. I am very thankful for Parsa Law Group. It did take a good year, however I am now on my own to do whats left of the paperwork without any help besides myself. I am a little nervous now that Parsa is no longer in business. But again, I had to qualify first through Parsa to see if they could even help me get a loan mod. which took about 48 hours, and i was nervous awaiting their response. I did qualify, and they did help me get a loan mod!
I am very sorry to hear about everyone else. good luck to you
A class action lawsuit would be great but does Parsa have any real assets? How can we collect our money?
WE WERE ALSO TOTALLY SCAMMED BY THIS PEDIFILE. WE LOST OUR MONEY, WE RETAINED THE PARSA LAW GROUP IN MARCH 2009, WE SUBMITTED FINACIAL DOCUMENTS FOUR TIMES, THEY NEVER ADVISED US OR KEPT US UP TO DATE ON OUR STATUS. I FOUND OUT THAT JAMES PARSA HAD BEEN ARRESTED LAST WEEK BY ONE OF HIS ATTORNEYS WHO IS NOW UNEMPLOYED. I CONTACTED MY LENDER WHO ADVISED ME THAT OUR PROPERTY IS IN FORECLOSURE AND THAT WE NOW DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE OBAMA PLAN LOAN MODIFICATION. WHAT CAN WE DO?, IS THE GOVERNMENT NOW GONNA STEP IN AND HELP ALL OF US WHO THRU NO FAULT OF OURS NOW FACE FORECLOSURE. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO MODIFY ALL OF OUR LOANS NOW.
I would like to know the status of our loan modofication Is anything going to be completed? I know you are shut down but need to get my money back if you can’t do anything for us. I would like to hear from Tom Navarro or Maria Delgado as soon as possible. (562)754-3573
My husband and I were fortunate we got our modification done by Parsa Law Group. We were lucky enough to get someone there who cared and took care of us. Our problem is we gave Parsa $2349 for our bankruptchy in Aug 2009 and now we find out they never filed. You can call the state bar and file a legal complaint and hopefully get all if not some of your money back. Any one out there who has this same situation contact your bankruptchy court in you area. Di
Here is the posting:
If you are one of the many clients who were left hanging in the wind by the closing down of the Parsa Law Group or any other loan mod company, here are some tips on how to proceed.
First, contact your lender and ask for the status of the modification request.
-The lender may tell you that your file is under review, in which case you need to just follow up every 7-10 days or as often as the lender tells you until you get an answer.
-Ask them if they need any other documentation.
-If they are requesting additional or updated financials (e.g. bank statements, paystubs, etc.) send them in ASAP.
-If they tell you nothing has been done, then unfortunately you will need to start from the beginning (see below).
1. Be realistic. You will have to do a financial analysis of your income versus expenses. If on paper you find you make too much money, you will be denied. If on paper you find you make too little money, you will be denied. If on paper you find you are breaking even or a couple of hundred dollars short, you may have a shot.
2. Contact your lender, let them know about your situation and if there is a financial analysis form or borrower assistance form you need to fill out (Chase has a comprehensive borrower assistance form you need to fill out and checklist of required documents; Wells Fargo and Bank of America have a simpler financial analysis form you need to complete…these are usually on their website).
3. Gather the required documents (usually 60 days worth of your most recent paystubs, 3 consecutive months of recent bank statements, 2 previous years’ W-2’s and tax returns, year-to-date profit and loss statement if self-employed; you may also need to provide a copy of a utility bill to prove your home is your primary residence).
4. Complete all the forms and send them in to your lender (fax works best or send them certified mail or FedEx so you can get a tracking number).
5. Follow up in several days (it takes the lender several business days to scan them into their systems).
6. Follow up every 7-10 business days (because of the large amount of applications and “new-ness” of this process to lenders, it will take them a while to process your application and get it to a negotiator).
7. Promptly submit any documents your lender requests. Again, fax or send them certified mail or FedEx).
8. If you qualify for the federal modification program or HAMP, take the offer. Lenders rarely make a second offer unless there is a significant change in your income or expenses.
9. If you are denied, ask them to review your loan for a traditional modification.
10. If you are denied again, consider a short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, or a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you wish to keep the house, consider a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Why aren’t my postings showing up?
Erin Baldwin is a crazy chick with no life. Her blogs have been suspended. GOOGLE her. She has been sued all over for slander, defamation, innuendo and outright manufactured lies perpetrated by Erin K. Baldwin (aka BadBizFinder, Erin Baldwin, Beverly Sullivan). Don’t be a follower, do your own research. the Internet is NOT ANONYMOUS. You CANNOT damage the reputation of a good company by spreading LIES AND DECEIT, and put in jeopardy the jobs and livelihood of hundreds of hard working people supporting their families. For those willing and determined to get justice, justice will come, and today it came in the form of a $604,515.66 judgment against Erin K. Baldwin and BadBizFinder. Plus, this injunction is permanent across all media (tv, radio, print, internet, any website), it is retroactive, and if the Judge’s order is violated, Ms. Baldwin will find herself facing a bench warrant and some well deserved jail time.
http://www.mfi-modsquad.com/from-the-land-of-fruits-and-nuts-arises-a-queen
Sandy, What does Bad Biz Finder have to do with anything anymore? Parsa is a FOOL for not reporting his crimes to the State Bar and that is why he is shut down. It is obvious that Parsa has many problems in his personal and his business life. Parsa had a good gig going on and maybe it went to his head.
We paid 3,900 to get a mod since August 2009. Our bank told us that they heard from Parsa on 9/24 and stopped a sale date on our home. We got reffered to them by a friend who got a nice modification. Personally I think all these convictions got in the way ,and obviously before that they were doing their job. If James is a smart man he should hire other lawyers to finish off what he started. Good luck to all of us!
I found the gov. website that states what the lenders/servicers get as an incentive from the Treasury for helping all of us. The will get a bonus for all those that can send in the payments during the trial period on time and then they will receive more during the next few years if you are able to keep your loan current. You as a borrower will also receive a bonus that is used to lower your principal amount as long as you are able to keep current. As far as Parsa goes, you have to first file a complaint with the State Bar and then you can file to get your money back through the Client Reimbursement Fund. You have to do it in that order. I may take some time so you have to be patient. Also call your congressman, senator and your assemblyman. If enough of us call they should be able to put some pressure on the State Bar to help us get our hard earned money back. I have already called my assemblyman when I had a hard time getting ahold of the State Bar and he called them, called me back to tell me who to talk to and low and behold when I called I got ahold of the person right away. Good luck to all of you that got scammed, you got more work cut out for you but if you don’t do anything you won’t acheive anything. There is strength in numbers.
I, TOO, AM A VICTIM OF PARSA’S EVIL DEEDS. I LOST 2200.00 AND I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP ON GETTING THIS MONEY BACK. I SENT DOCUMENTS TO THE STATE BAR AND ALSO TO MY ORIGINATING LENDER WHICH IS INDYMAC. HOW CAN PARSA AND HIS EMPLOYEES SLEEP AT NIGHT? DONT THEY KNOW THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR THEM? WHITE COLLAR CRIME SHOULD BE PUNISHED TO FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW! DONT WORRY, PARSA, IM NOT GIVIN UP!
I WAS A VICTIM OF PARSA , ALSO! I WAS SCAMMED OUT OF MY PRECIOUS 2200.00. MY FIRST CONTACT, LORENA MEDINA PROMISED ME MY MONEY BACK IF I COULDNT GET A LOAN MODIFICATION! HOWEVER, IT WAS A VERBAL STATEMENT. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS ON THE UP AND UP WHEN I SAW PARSA ON FOX TV, OF WHICH I SENT THAT TV NETWORK AN EMAIL. BUT TO NO AVAIL. IT SEEMS THAT WE ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE, BUT I AM NOT GIVING UP ONE SHRED OF ENERGY IN MY BODY UNTIL I RECOVER MY MONEY. I HAVE CONTACTED THE CALIFORNIA STATE BAR, NOW I AM CONTENDING WITH INDYMAC AND PRAYING FOR A MODIFICATION. I KNOW IF I CANT, I WILL HAVE TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. I AM PRESENTLY SELLING MOST OF MY BELONGINGS, HEIRLOOMS, JEWELRY ANYTHING OF VALUE. MY MOTHER’S CHINA CABINET AND CONTENTS AND LETTING THEM GO AT A PAUPERS COST. WELL, I HAVE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND GET ALONG MONTH TO MONTH. ITS NOT EASY FOR ME NOW, I AM DOWN TO BUYING BEANS AND SO FORTH, NOT VENTURING FAR IN MY CAR FOR FEAR OF USING TOO MUCH GAS, ETC. I AM 61 YEARS OLD, RETIRED FOR MANY YEARS AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET. DONT FORGET MR. JAMES PARSA, I HAVENT FORGOT ABOUT YOU. I WILL PURSUE THIS MATTER UNTIL I GET MY MONEY BACK. WHY DONT YOU MAN UP TO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND RECTIFY EVERYTHING BAD THAT YOU HAVE DONE!
GILBERT
MISSION HILLS, CALIFORNIA
TO PATRICK:
I READ YOUR COMMENTS ON PARSA. JAMES PARSA DIDNT EVEN SUBMIT MY DOCS TO THE BANK FOR MODIFICATION. SO WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IT WASNT YOUR MONEY HE TOOK!
GILBERT
TO PATRICK:
AND WHY DID YOU QUIT?
All I want to get is the money minus their fee because I was sent a letter denying my modification. Has anyone e-mailed Parsa and has anyone received a response?
To GILBERT: Indymac was SOLD at the beginning of the year to ONEWEST. Onewest is playing games with your mortgage. Onewest is the NEW bank that owns your mortgage. They are 95% backed by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. You will be lucky to get out with the shirt on your back. Last year IndyMac was giving EVERYONE with a pulse a 3% modified loan. You snooze, you lose. Sorry.
Im comming to get you parsa, I know where you live,
It is unbelievable what this business did, under misleading guidance we trust our home to them in hopes that we were being helped. I want to know what I should do to receive my money back they never processes any modification on our account and we almost lost our home. Please give me some advise of what I should do.
i earl was a victim of parsa to thay made us fell good about it let do something about. god do not like that we need our money.
we need to get them by the law thay got us to. we was looking from them. look what thay have done to us what can we do about we have stick togather ok. so some will e-mail us please thank you.
What kind of name is Parsa anyways? Just curious.
Check out http://www.CLCREE.org for assistance in getting your money back. Read their media section on their website to see how they’ve helped others. Highly recommend.
D Riley November 19, 2009 at 4:36 pm
What kind of name is Parsa anyways? Just curious.
PERSIAN
I am so sorry to hear of everyones painful experience. I was getting ready to refer them when I couldn’t get through to my processor from my old loan mod. Researching I discovered James Parsa was given a ceased to practice. Looking further I see it has to do with unlawful sex. Jerk. He lost his business thinking with the wrong head. What a shame. They did an excellent job for my husband and I. Thank you Frenz! It took a long time. Many months. It was scary and stressful at times and worth every penny. With income cut we became clients in Dec. 2008. In June I was no longer employed. At the same time we received our loan mod. That loan mod would have allowed us to keep our house if my financial status had not changed. It’s a shame, James Parsa Law Group could have helped many people had he not screwed up. I would like to think he did not mean to mislead new clients and instead hoped to beat the charges. All the folks there through the different stages were great. I did see one post above that referenced where current homeowners/clients can get help. Here’s what it said…As far as Parsa goes, you have to first file a complaint with the State Bar and then you can file to get your money back through the Client Reimbursement Fund. You have to do it in that order…
The last thing any of you needed was this.
We, too are a victim of this PARSA law group. If you lost any money by retaining them, & if you wrote a check to them. Go to your back & try to collect by letting your bank know that PARSA is a FRAUD advise your bank about the letter from the California attorney General.
I am pretty sure he was able to help others, but in our case he did not do anything. He could have close his business as soon as he received letters from the Ca Attorney General. he still took our case after all that.
He deserve everything what he got if NOT more.
MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN RIPPED OFF BY PARSA LAW GROUP, WE EITHER CAN NOT AFFORD TO HIRE ANOTHER ATTORNEY. THANK FULLY WE HAVE NOT LOST OUR HOME. MY BANK WAS LINIENT ENOUGH TO HEAR US OUT AND ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH US.
WE ARE IN NEED OF OUR RETAINER DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY ADVISE FOR ME, HOW TO GO ABOUT IT WHO TO CONTACT OR WHAT????
PLEASE ADVISE
THANK YOU
ROSEMARY
MINKPRINTING@AOL.COM