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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

RETRACTION

Because of editing errors, there were mistakes in the Oct. 27 Courthouse News story, "Mortgage Fraudsters Sentenced to Prison."

San Diego businessman Michael Nazarinia pleaded guilty to generating a fraudulent lease agreement for a client to defraud the mortgage holder, and to tax charges. He did not plead guilty to defrauding more than 1,000 people of more than $3.5 million.

The error came from misattributing the work of the business for which Nazarinia worked wholly to him.

The U.S. Attorney's Office did report that that business, Haffar & Associates, "told a series of lies to potential clients in order to induce more than 1,000 people to sign up and pay Haffar & Associates' hefty $3,500 fee."

Nazarinia, however, pleaded guilty to fraud involving just one client, and the tax charge.

The article also reported that Nazarinia and his co-defendant Charles Rose "sold similar nothing with similar lies" through a sideline business called REST Report Matters.

Rose, not Nazarinia, pleaded guilty to making false representations to potential clients to induce them to sign up and pay fees at that business.

Nazarinia's attorney says "the REST Report is and remains a bona fide product that can be of great assistance to homeowners considering a loan modification."

According to the U.S. attorney's statement about REST Matters, "They [Rose and Nazarinia] told homeowners that the product was the only available tool that could definitely tell homeowners the modification terms their lenders would provide."

Courthouse News apologizes and retracts those errors.

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