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Loan-aid attorney faces discipline over sex with minor
October 8th, 2009, 4:31 pm · 43 Comments · posted by Mathew Padilla
The California State Bar plans to suspend James Parsa of Costa Mesa-based the Parsa Law Group from practicing law, citing “moral turpitude” related to a prior conviction of having sex with a minor.
The suspension is scheduled to begin on Oct. 16, but Parsa’s attorney is seeking to stop it, according to the Bar.
An attorney for James Parsa was not immediately available for comment. Calls to Parsa’s office were not answered.
Parsa Law represents homeowners asking their lenders to make their loan payments more affordable.
The firm’s Web site says it stopped accepting new clients. A few customers contacted the Register saying they cannot reach anyone at the firm to get a refund.
Customers were denied access to Parsa’s office at 3200 Park Center Drive. Anyone visiting is given a letter saying the firm only responds to emails.
Kristin Ritsema, a supervising trial counsel for the Bar, declined to say why it began looking at James Parsa, citing privacy rights.
A few months ago investigators discovered Parsa pleaded guilty in 2001 to a misdemeanor of unlawful sexual intercourse.
“We were never notified that he was convicted,” Ritsema said.
She said Bar prosecutors believe even though Orange County Superior Court failed to notify the Bar, Parsa should have done it himself.
Ritsema declined to say if any consumers have complained about Parsa’s loan modification business.
The Bar last month identified 16 attorneys, including 11 in Orange County, who are being investigated for alleged misconduct related to loan mods. Parsa was not on the list.
Wade Gilliam said he paid Parsa Law $2,400 to help him get the mortgage modified backing his Westminster home.
The firm did submit paperwork to Wells Fargo, but the bank declined to offer a change to Gilliam’s loan terms.
He can afford the payments now, but is worried that when the interest-only period ends and the loan’s rate becomes adjustable, he won’t be able to make payments. The home is worth less than the debt on it, he said.
Parsa’s contract says it will refund $975 if it fails to get a mod, Gilliam said.
But now Gilliam can’t reach anyone to get his money back, he said.
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lol…glad I quit working there in August. Whole can of worms over there now.
Quit working there??? I think you mean you were fired.
No, I wasnt fired. I left a few weeks before this whole thing came out and everyone was laid off.
i once applied there and have tons of experience. he would not give me time for an interview, but hired far less experienced people. i’ve worked for 3 different loan mod companies, and as far as i’m concerned, they’re all fake and doing fraud, if not all, most. taking advantage of people who already have money problems, and they want $2400 or more! lol. i quit all 3 companies. i heard them lie on the phone, lie in their sales pitch, lying, lying, lying, fake, fraud, a bunch of b.s. i saw guys go on break, get off the phone, grab a marijuana pipe and weed, and go blaze it outside during working hours at one company. lying on the phone. before i left, i made sure all of my potential clients knew this was a scammy company, and scared them away… i’m speaking of another company i worked for, not this parsa one. i never worked for parsa, but after 18 yrs. in mortgage, i’ve seen plenty of scammy, greasey, oily, snake oil salesmen, lying lawyers, lying mortgage people. it’s filled with liars. that’s why i quit. i don’t even want to work in mortgage anymore. anyone who has worked in mortgage, knows there are plenty of lying scammers. fake, fraud, forging signatures, using white out, back dating, fake docs, etc. not all are bad, but too many are, that i’m sick and tired of the biz. all these little young lying hip-hop guys with the baseball caps on sideways, tatooes, white DC tennis shoes, fancy graphic tee-shirts, jeans, piercings, driving around in BMWs, ferraris, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, QuickLoanFunding, Emerald Mortgage, Feldman Law Firm, Telecor Direct, ModifyLoansNow, ConsumerCreditFoundation, etc. We used to wear dress shirts, suits and ties and black shiney shoes in banking. Now you got these Emenem hip-hopping liars trying to get rich or dying while trying - lil 50 cents rapper mortgage guys. Sick of it. Fakes. Liars… One boss said, It’s ok to lie a lil bit. That was at World Savings. He’s still a lil liar going on over 30 yrs. of lying his way thru a career. Can’t believe the lil liar is still a manager at some bank. he was worthless. sucking down the corporate milk. lying. greedy. and, that’s why we got this big mortgage mess. hard to believe the same guys that caused the collapse and put people in bad loans so they could make big commissions, are also the ones saying they are gonna rescue the people like Robinhood, using loan mods. Crooks. If you can’t get your bank to help or a lawyer, and if once you get a loan mod and you still can’t afford your payments, well, you probably never belonged in the house in the first place. You can thank the liar who faked your loan app. and thank yourself for faking your income - that got you into this mess. You’re better off to just lose your house - since you never qualified for it to begin with. Stop throwing good money after bad, and just let the house go. Live in yr. car or van like someone else I know does. Live within yr. means. Living large is over. Good night.
I don’t know about the living in your van or car thing but I tend to agree with what you’ve written.
Well said….well done….. Hopefully Jerry Brown - CA State attorney - will listen to you too and puts all these ex- subprime loan officers with their rent a license attorneys OUT OF BUSINESS……
RELAX. OBAMA is in the house and is going to fix everything…
if you had ton of experience …why are you doing mods?
Wow! I never heard anything so honest and trued. The government gave these blood suckers our money to bail them out, no questions asked. They promise all kinds of relief and then do nothing. It’s really sad. We bailed them out and then they continue defrauding us! Wow, what has this world come to! Who is overseeing all this federal relief money to make sure banks are helping out the very folks that bailed them out?
I thought coal miners were tough enough to take care of themselves… oh… that kind of minor…. never mind.
In addition to the rest of society, both potential clients and the poor, young underpaid contract attorneys ($18/hr with over $60K in Law School loan debts) are the main victims here.These folks would have known that this Parsa character was a rat if only they’d have performed a simple Google search for “Parsa Law Group” where mostly negative reviews are written about him. If they had taken the time to do that, they would have learned that he was, and is in the end, what the search results warned that he was: a convicted sexual deviate with a very questionable business history who has made a living preying on people who are losing their homes and are desperately trying to save them in the 11th hour by grasping at straws paying Parsa and his cronies over $4K per case with no guaranteed positive results. Men like this Parsa character need to be where they belong: behind bars. If only other media outlets would have the guts to publish his long list of crimes. Kudos to Mathew Padilla and the OC Register for breaking this very important story. Perhaps they will save countless thousands of people tremendous grief and the last of their money.
Poor Jimmy Boy…did you ever listen to his radio ads? - he sure didn’t know what was around the corner. This snake oil salesman made out like he was the second coming of Thurgood Marshall. Jimmy won’t be practicing law for a long time. For those of you who got hosed, go after this slime in small claims court. You can serve him at his home address which you can find through county records.
Well, on the bright side we won’t have to see anymore of his awful commercials (you know, the ones where he says he is a member in “good standing with the CA State Bar”).
Ghost Rider,
This man deserves your penance stare so he can feel the pain he’s inflicted on his many victims, including the rape of a minor.
Title should be “Bottom feeder gets what is due”
I cant believe I saw his TV ADDS at Angel stadium on the big screen.
My Husband and I paid Parsa Law Group $4K on September 14th of this year. Despite repeated calls and messages and never heard back from one person from this company. We are not in foreclosure nor have we ever been late on a mortgage payment d/t working a lot of hours of OT. Our aim was to modify our loan and thought because of our good standing we would have a chance. Now we lost our savings. I feel sick and sad and will make a formal complaint and move on, but I hope James Parsa gets his in the end.
You’re less of a victim than you think. Pay your mortgage.
How is she not a victim? She paid $4k for a service that she DID NOT receive. She has the right to her money back and Parsa deserves to be locked up!!! You sound like you have some guilt your hiding behind-feeling sorry for Parsa?
Savings? It wasn’t savings, you were trying to save ur @ss in a gamble. Didn’t you get a HAMP or HASP refinance from your lender? What about a sweet 3% interest rate? I did.
Lee in Irvine….Bite me.!! These are honest people reamed by another dirt bag Lawyer. I am no exception. I dont get mad I get even!! James Parsa ,,,We’ll bve seeing you real soooooooon!!!
Lee has a point. There are many homeowners out there today who miss their payments on purpose because they think it will make them eligible for a mod. They are just trying to take advantage of the system. I’ve lost count of how many bwrs I’ve seen who have $1,000+ of surplus income…but still feel they are entitled to a modification just because they have a high rate.
Did you read what she wrote??? She has not been late on her payments. She was just trying to modify her existing loan. Again, she paid for a service that she DID NOT receive. End of story.
I went to Parsa first because their office was close and felt like I was getting the bum’s rush. I heard a Feldman Law Center radio ad as I drove out of the parking lot and went straight there. Signed up on the spot with Chris (I think) and got my mortgage with Saxon modified to where I’m saving $900+ a month. Feldman was definitely worth the drive and the money.
OH REALLY ? FELDMAN’S FIRM HAS A ” D ” RATING FROM THE BBB AND BESIDES THEY’RE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE BAR….SO WHAT’S REALLY YOUR POINT HERE ? YOU’RE SOMEHOW IN ” BED ” WITH THESE GUYS ? OR WHY DON’T YOU DO YOUR HOME WORK BEFORE MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT THIS LAW FIRM ?
With regard to your comment about Feldman Law Center and the BBB D rating, I find it funny you consider the BBB a credible source. Hell, Nieman Marcus, United Airlines and Disneyland have F BBB ratings. The BBB is the oldest organized crime ring in the country. The truth is the Ca State Bar tried to flaten their tires by putting them in a press release. Feldman has NO PENDING ACTIONS and is currently helping several ex Parsa and Lucas clients get their loans modified. Read between the lines moron… the banks don’t want aggresive law firms helping homeowners. Stop by the Feldman Law Center and see for yourself. These guys are the real deal and Feldman’s been an attorney for 30 years. Get a life!
Parsa Law Group is a bunch of crooks. Over promising and not delivering. Karma will come back to bite them all. Don’t let this story misdirect you to the true master minds behind this crooked business.I truly feel bad for all those who got ripped off including the employees who were brain washed to think they were actually helping distress homeowners. Those who received mods you could have done it yourself! I am glad to hear that Parsa will no longer prey on distressed homeowners and pull in good people with integrity to work for them and turning them into the crooks they never thought they would be in these togh economic times.
Here is the information we emailed to you THREE TIMES begging you to write about it to save 1000s of consumers from being scammed and you blatantly ignored it. So, in the past 6 months (due to your neglect) you and your paper are also negligent in the criminal fraud against victims of James Parsa and Parsa Law Group.
JAMES PARSA’S CRIMINAL PAST IS REVEALED
April 21, 2009 — badbizfinder | Edit
Well, well, well … now it’s all coming together, isn’t it? The Parsa Law Group website states: “James Parsa has dedicated his life protecting the lives of everyday Americans … He stands behind the words: Advocates for the American Dream.” Unless you’re a child.
On April 6, 2000
James Mazi Parsa was charged with EIGHT COUNTS of:
Unlawful Sexual Intercourse;
Sexual penetration by foreign object of a victim under 18 years old; and
Oral copulation of person under 18 years old.
He pled GUILTY TO TWO CHARGES. Parsa must have had a great attorney because he was found not guilty on the other six.
Orange County Superior Court Case No. 00HM06291
http://visionweb.occourts.org/Vision_Public/DisplayCaseInfo.do
(Just like on the civil cases; click on this link, accept the terms, and type in the case number.)
On February 11, 2007
James Mazi Parsa was charged with “LEAVING A CHILD 6 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER UNATTENDED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE” (Vehicle Code 15620(a))
Orange County Superior Court Case No. OR1000938
http://visionweb.occourts.org/Vision_Public/DisplayCaseInfo.do
(Just like on the civil cases; click on this link, accept the terms, and type in the case number.)
Do you think the American Dream is in store for you with this guy?
Bad Biz Finder
Sadly, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of alleged bad actors in the loan mod business.
I researched loan mod companies for months and did a story on some questionable companies and attorneys on July 13:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/loan-barter-debt-2489411-department-company
Parsa was not in the story because consumers did not complain about him or his firm to me. I do not recall your email, but then again, I get emails and phone calls daily from folks complaining about this or that loan mod company or lawyer.
In fact, until Parsa cut off communications with his clients I think his firm was actually doing some work for clients — as opposed to the pure thieves who took money and did nothing.
For example, I quote Wade Gilliam in the story, and he says Parsa did submit a packet to his lender, and he later got a letter from his lender saying the loan mod was denied, so he knows Parsa’s firm did some work. Gilliam can afford his mortgage, which could explain why he was denied — he’s worried he won’t be able to afford it in the future, but his loan doesn’t reset until 2011. Doesn’t sound like a high priority case from lender’s perspective.
If I just wrote about alleged bad actors in the loan mod businesses, I would do nothing else all day everyday.
There has to be more to the story. What do you know about the mastermind behind all this? Parsa is another scum bag puppet carrying out someone elses work just like all the other mod shops out there. Who ever it is ..they are really smart and must of known about Parsa’s past and what they were getting into.
he got out with no jail time——-
Parsa law group took my money since March and it was hell to try to get my loan mod. After all that, it never happened. They told me to stop paying my mortgage and bills so my hardship looks worse! I can go on and on about my experience, I just hope that this guy is locked behind bars for years along with all the the other lawyers that were participating in this scam with a sickening child rapist!
So all this aside who is actually going to do anything about all these frauds? Why does the govt always step in when is to late. I think the govt should step in and actually start helping people. Under our new president relief for homeowners you really need to live outside of CA to be qualified since most houses cost on avg more than $729,000. For the bar to step in and disbar J Parsa are they actually thinking about what is going to happen with all the clients he needs to finish their cases. Mod service is a very time sensitive service for all of people and someone needs to step in and help. Any suggestions.
As a victim, who thought she’d done her due diligence to insure signing with Parsa was not a mistake, I don’t appreciate former workers at Parsa or from other slimy rip off loan mod companies, posting on this board chastising all of us. YOU HAVE NO IDEA why any of us is in this position. Not all of us need a loan mod because we “lived above our means”. Myself I had a 30 yr fixed at 5%. I also had several rental properties in Orange County. I re-fi into an adjustable to take money out to buy more rental properties and to for cash to purchase an ice cream franchise. I didn’t spend my money on stupid things. I used one investment to invest in other things. So shut up you stupid A-holes who used to work at Parsa. IF you knew a scam was going on, you had a duty to let the unsuspecting consumer know. As far as I am concerned, you should be sharing a cell with Parsa.
As a Realtor and investor, I do not buy when the market is highly over priced.
It has been that way for over 5 years, same with the stock market.
Keep a years worth of cash in the bank to live off in case of an emergency.
If you can’t afford your primary home, sell it and move out. It is only 4 walls.
Also keep your rentals to a break even and then they will pay for themselves.
And do not take money from your primary home. You need a place to live.
Try not being greedy, and taking the bank to blame. You signed the loan notes.
I take care of a sick person in my family, and I don’t live very well, never above my means. And real estate investing is the best, but CAUTION with any investments. You need a good Realtor to give you straight, honest advice.
Never has a client of mine lost their home to a foreclosure. I don’t over sell.
Being in the business for 27 years and a buyer for 40 years.
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.
If anyone has paid for loan modification services (which were not provided as promised) with their credit card, most credit card issuers have policies which provide the holder a 100% refund to their card if the charge was fraudulent.
There are usually time limits for “chargebacks,” but the issuer can make exceptions, even for untimely refund requests, if you make yourself a squeaky wheel and refuse to take no for an answer.
R O’Reilly Boyle- You’re not too bright are you? No one on this board is a former Parsa employee. In fact, the person that offended you went out of his way to make clear that he never worked for Parsa. Clearly Mr Parsa commited a crime. And for that, disbarment is a reality. However, he was not disbarred for ripping people off. In fact, the state bar is investigating 16 loan mod companies, 11 in OC. Guess what? None are Parsa. He is on their radar, no doubt. But not for ripping people off……… As for your problem, you took a calculated risk when everyone knew a recession was coming. Youre arss is in a sling and it is no ones fault but your own. Gamblers sometimes win. Because they sometimes win, they sometimes deserve to lose. It’s part of gambling. You effed up, no its time for you to pay the fiddler. Just like Parsa.
I’m a former employee…and my only point was that alot of homeowners I ran across working there had no business applying for mods to begin with because they had no hardship. They were only applying in an attempt to take advantage of the system that was put in place to help people who really needed it. I never heard nor saw anything shady or illegal going on there…so I hardly think “sharing a cell” with Parsa is a fair statement. I saved alot of homes from FC during my time there. My comment wasnt directed at your specific situation O’Reilly Boyle. That being said…Rick has a point too…you didnt lose your money because Parsa was a scam. You lost your money because he was shut down for being a perv.
His father was coming on to me sexually in the 1980’s
His name was Jim Parsa (James Parsa is the son)
All rite people calm down James Parsa resigned from the bar 2 weeks ago because of an inability to service his clients , due to the fact all merchant accounts were frozen , IE no money no pay role. ( nice little mess you created state bar) . As for the other, misdemeanour have you ever thought why it was a misdemeanour? may be the alleged gal was just shy of being 18, an office temp and part time stripper with a fake ID, who may have tried to blackmail him 10 years ago hmmmm food for thought . And may be just maybe the DA and the judge deemed it wasn’t moral turp so no need to report it. As a person that worked for James I suppose I am biased, he was a fine person, I see him as a pawn worn on the belt of the state bar now. Foolish he is but child molester no. There are no winners in this situation.
I know who Mazi (Parsa) is and the girl was 16. Maybe he’s no “child” molester, but he’s shady. You know the type. And a serial cheater. Sad for his wife and kids.
glad you know what your talking about , I wish I knew it all like you . lol