"The best way to stop an investigation is to become one of the investigators"

4closureFraud 2010



It's about damn time...

Been sitting on this one for a few weeks. Was waiting until someone in the media picked it up...

We knew something was up from the search traffic on Cullaro from various media outlets to the site, especially the NY Times, and confirmed her termination last week.

Moral to the story is, media, please keep the attention on fraudclosures. We would not be this far without you.

Assistant attorney general tied to foreclosure mill fired

By SHANNON BEHNKEN | The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA -- The attorney general's office has fired Erin Cullaro, an assistant Florida attorney general reprimanded last year for moonlighting for a "foreclosure mill."

The termination follows a second reprimand in March from Gov. Rick Scott's office, which questioned variations of her signature on legal documents.

The signature that was used to notarize affidavits of "reasonable attorney fees" is not the same signature she was commissioned to use, according to a letter from Scott's office.

The April termination came from the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Jenn Meale, communications director for Bondi's office, said "when the management team reviewed its personnel, they decided to terminate (Cullaro's) employment." Meale offered no further explanation.

Ricardo A. Roig, a Tampa lawyer who represents Cullaro, said "there is no evidence of wrongdoing."

"There's no question Erin complied with the spirit and the letter of the law," Roig said. "There are differences in her signatures, but a lot of people change the way they sign their name."

You can check out the rest of the report here...

Much more below....

As for the signatures, NOBODY changes their signatures like the examples above. Especially when they would vary from week to week.

Here is a copy of an Oath she signed back in 1996…

Her "real" signature sure looks like the examples above /sarcasm...



Anyway, for those who do not know who Ms Cullaro is, we will provide some background...

Way back in 2009, we discovered Ms Cullaro was working for both the Attorney General's Economic Crimes division at the same time she was working for the Florida Default Law Group, an entity that her office was investigating.

The following ensued...

From March 2010...

Attached here is a must read Motion along with a copy of a transcript from a hearing held in a Volusia County Courtroom. The Motion lays out a very disturbing set of allegations…

This is a foreclosure action filed by WELLS FARGO BANK, NA (the “BANK”). The BANK is represented by Florida Default Law Group, P.L. (“FDLG”). On behalf of the BANK in this case, and on behalf of other clients in other cases, FDLG filed affidavits to establish that the attorneys’ fees it was allegedly paid were reasonable. The affidavits purport to have been executed by Lisa Cullaro, the appointed expert on attorneys’ fees. The notary who allegedly administered the expert’s oath and vouched for her signature was Erin Cullaro, a former employee of FDLG and now an Assistant Attorney General in the Economic Crimes Division of the Office of the Attorney General.

Economic Crimes Division. The same Economic Crimes Division that investigates firms like the FDLG?



What is it that William Black said?

“The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One“

Well How about this…

“The best way to stop an investigation is to become one of the investigators“



Not only was Erin just a former employee, it looks like she was one of the lead counsel for Michael Echeverria, the owner of FDLG (Florida Default Law Group)

Just recently their website http://www.echevarria.com/AttorneyProfiles.htm went “offline” but Google cashed version is here…

I also archived it here…

The public records request also revealed that Ms. Cullaro completed a “Request for Approval of Dual Employment” (From the Florida Attorney General’s Office) in which she certified that her secondary job notarizing documents “does not create a conflict of interest (as specified in Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes) nor the appearance of impropriety…” Ms. Cullaro’s dual employment was limited to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 7:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Defendants proffer that they will show affidavits executed on days other than those approved by the Office of the Attorney General and that travel records suggest that Ms. Cullaro would have not been present in Florida on the date and time that an affidavit was notarized.

Mind blowing, isn't it?

But wait, there's more...

After all this broke, we came to find out about this...

13TH CIRCUIT JNC ANNOUNCES CANDIDATES FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COURT JUDICIAL VACANCY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 21, 2009

CONTACT: Pedro F. Bajo, Jr., Chairman; pedro.bajo@akerman.com ,

13th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission

TELEPHONE: (813) 223-7333

The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission is pleased to announce the following candidates will be interviewed for appointment to the currently vacant position of county court judge in and for Hillsborough County:

Lawrence Anzalone

Robert A. Bauman

Patrick Bowler Courtney

Erin Collins Cullaro

Fortunately, she did not get the position...

Pretty crazy right? Well, it gets even better...

After Erin and her sister in law were caught with their hands in the foreclosure cookie jar, they “promised” in court not to do it ever again…

“The Cullaros Promise Not to Provide Any More Expert or Notary Services…”

Next, the Cullaros promise this Court that they have ceased providing any expert witness or notary services to FDLG “and have no intention” to so in the future”.

Instead they found a replacement to handle the workload for the foreclosure mill...

After they were caught with their hands in the foreclosure cookie jar, they “promised” not to do it ever again…

“The Cullaros Promise Not to Provide Any More Expert or Notary Services…”

Next, the Cullaros promise this Court that they have ceased providing any expert witness or notary services to FDLG “and have no intention” to so in the future”.

Kind of like when a shoplifter gets caught walking out of the store with some merchandise, then trying to give it back promising never to do it again to avoid being prosecuted, right?

Well, to my surprise, it seems like they are living up to their promise, kind of…

It looks like Erin Cullaro and Lisa Cullaro are no longer providing Expert or Notary services to the FDLG.

Since they have been replaced by JOHN CULLARO, ERIN’S CULLARO’S HUSBAND!!!

Interestingly enough, John Cullaro is a DUI Defense Attorney who now is also an “Expert Witness” for Reasonable Attorney Fees for Foreclosure cases.

Go figure…

Guess the FDLG money is too great to pass up, even if it opens the door to potential depositions and other legal issues that may haunt John in the months to come…

So there you have it. It was a long time coming.

Oh, and one last thing. The tribune also mentioned something about Cullaro's "termination follows a second reprimand in March from Gov. Rick Scott's office, which questioned variations of her signature on legal documents."

Wonder what that was all about... Oh, yea, it was this... Lisa has her hand in everything...

Erin Cullaro Response to Notary Complaint Lisa Epstein's Response to Erin and Lisa Cullaro