In 2014, working together with officials from fifteen states and the Federal Trade Commission, the CFPB filed lawsuits against “The_Mortgage Law_Group, LLP, the_Consumer First Legal Group,_LLC, and attorneys Thomas Macey, Jeffrey Aleman, Jason Searns, and Harold Stafford” for charging “illegal advance fees for services that falsely promised to prevent foreclosures or renegotiate troubled mortgages.”

• The case, 3:14-cv-00513, was filed in the U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin._ The Federal Trade Commission filed six lawsuits and the fifteen states collectively filed thirty-two lawsuits. [Press Release, “CFPB, FTC and States Announce Sweep Against Foreclosure Relief Scammers”, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 07/23/14]

• The plaintiffs alleged that “the scammers used deceptive marketing to persuade thousands of consumers to pay millions in illegal, upfront fees for promised mortgage modifications.”_ The firms “disguised their false promises of foreclosure relief for struggling homeowners with claims that they were performing legal work. These tactics are used by foreclosure relief scams to attract victims, add credibility to their schemes, or exploit certain legal exemptions for the practice of law.” [Press Release, “CFPB, FTC and States Announce Sweep Against Foreclosure Relief Scammers”, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 07/23/14]

• Illegal activities alleged in the lawsuits include “collecting fees before obtaining a loan modification,” “inflating success rates and likelihood of obtaining a modification,” “duping consumers into thinking they would receive legal representation,” and “making false promises about loan modifications to consumers.” [Press Release, “CFPB, FTC and States Announce Sweep Against Foreclosure Relief Scammers”, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 07/23/14]