A Woodbridge, Virginia man has been handed a 60-month prison sentence for his role in a scam that targeted vulnerable homeowners across the country. Terrylle Blackstone, 37, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as revealed by an announcement from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, along with FBI Special Agent in Charge David Geist, and IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter. Court documents say the scam promised legal aid for avoiding foreclosure but instead filched at least $15 million.
Working alongside David Maresca of Virginia, Scott Marinelli of New Jersey, and Sam Babbs of Florida, Blackstone was part of a conspiracy that masqueraded as a "national law firm". The group lured homeowners with the promise that their cases would be reviewed and represented by attorneys, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release. Even with Marinelli behind bars in Pennsylvania, they persistently continued their operations.
The scheme involved two bogus law firms, Synergy Law and Themis Law, who marketed themselves through television and internet ads, reassuring homeowners that assistance was just around the corner. These firms did not have qualified attorneys reviewing cases or contacting lenders to negotiate mortgage resolutions. Judge Randolph D. Moss, who sentenced Blackstone, also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $159,145.35 in restitution, matching the amount he netted directly from the fraudulent firms.
Court appearances by Blackstone involved providing false statements about the firms' operations under the banner of Synergy Law, which at one point did not employ any lawyers qualified to practice. When homeowners with Themis Law succumbed to the threat of imminent foreclosure, they were diverted to Babbs at the Babbs Law Firm, where again they shelled out more money for supposed legal aid, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
