Early last year, complaints were received about a father and son in Arizona. Ruben and Rodrigo Diaz had been accepting Spanish-speaking clients in the state of Arizona for real estate sales and financing; the two of them led a scheme that utilized English documentation that families were meant to sign and understand, even though Spanish was their first language. Diaz and Diaz routinely misrepresented the contents of these documents and reassured their clients that everything was proceeding according to plan.
In the end, dozens of Spanish-speaking clients were tricked into renting, rather than purchasing a home and building equity upon it during the duration of their association with ProSolutions LLC. Furthermore. Some of the defrauded clients had provided thousands of dollars for down payments to Diaz and Diaz – this money was clearly never put towards the purchase of homes but, rather, spent on Ruben and Rodrigo’s own personal time.
“Buying a home is part of the American dream, but Ruben and Rodrigo Diaz turned that process into a nightmare and robbed dozens of home buyers of that experience,” said Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
The two defendants were not and have never been licensed to practice real estate in the state of Arizona. Taking this into consideration, Ruben and Rodrigo Diaz have been banned from practicing business for or offering any kind of services related to the promotion, financing, or selling of real estate and property in the state of Arizona. In addition, Ruben is due to pay out $425,313 to wronged clients and $100,000 to the state.
Although it is tragic whenever fraudulent sales occur anywhere in the country, there’s something more frustrating and upsetting about this case. Preying on those who may not be able to read and comprehend legal documentation is unacceptable; always speak with a lawyer or legal representative when entering into any type of signed contract. Often, your signature on paper means more than you realize – don’t be the victim of mortgage fraud.