Trust your gut at all times.

I am sitting here, stunned and with a huge knot in my stomach. It's the kind of knot that is down low in your abdomen and  makes you catch your breath. The kind of knot that comes with the full realization  your fears have come true. No use trying to deny it, the cold hard fact is looming over you. I am beating myself up because I denied my initial gut instincts and that is never a good thing! I stupidly believed and trusted the star of late night informericals, the self-proclaimed "savior of homeowners"  James Parsa, an attorney with a past as a scumbag and  with any luck a new home as a  future  inmate in county jail.

I dial the phone number to his office over and over again, getting the same lame recorded message "due to increased call volume we are experiencing extended time in which to return your calls. We are unable to speak with you by telephone, but rest assured your case is important to us and we are diligently working to resolve your loan modification. Please direct all inquiries to clientservices@blowme.com, we will respond in 14-21 business days". WTF?

My hand is shaking and in it I hold a Certified letter from the bank saying foreclosure proceedings will commence in 30 days if I don't bring my mortgage current. What? But I retained an attorney, I paid him $3,300 up front. He assured me verbally that my loan modification was a "slam dunk". He also told me "don't pay your mortgage, the companies don't work with us if you are current, you need to be at least 3-4 months behind".

 I frantically dial the number again--same recording. It's not going to change.

Reluctantly, I call my mortgage company. They tell me (as I suspected) they have never heard of my attorney. Never did they received any of the voluminous paperwork I spent days getting together and a small fortune faxing to my attorney. I learn I can re-send everything to my lender, but foreclosure will not stop. I say " But I was told by my attorney if I were negotiating a modification foreclosure would be stopped" I am told "oh no that's not true". Why should I be surprised.

I call the State Bar of California. I am told to file a formal written complaint and that "Attorney Parsa is being investigated and suspension of his license is imminent". My hand shakes more, my neck tightens and immediately I feel my head hurt. Why is this happening?

I dial the attorney's phone number again. I still can't believe there's no "live" person to answer.


I google the attorney's name, suddenly there are several "hits" leading me to posts about this attorney and all are negative. Where was all this information months ago when I researched James Parsa?

I visit one of the many complaint sites and learn I am not the only one scammed by the Parsa Law Group. Introduced through mutual suffering, I meet Scott from Irvine. Poor man was duped worse than me. I learn Scott retained the firm to have his first and second mortgages modified. I almost did that too, but decided to see how it went with just getting the primary modified. Scott's experience was the same as mine. He too was told by the Parsa Law Group that his loan modification was a "slam dunk" and his completing of paperwork only a "formality".

I also learn about Gilbert, an elderly man with 2 dogs he adores, worried that he will be kicked out of his home, with no where to go and frightened to lose the dogs he loves so much. I feel for the guy but I am not sure what I can do to help him.  I email him and offer to help him get his paperwork together to fax his mortgage lender.  He emails back that he is so thankful and will let me know.

Attorneys (and anyone else for that matter),  who prey on helpless elderly people and children are the scum of the earth.  Coincidently, I find in my research that James Parsa is just such an attorney--the kind that preys on children.  Interesting and distrubing information was found at the calbar.org site advising the public Mr. Parsa was convicted on a moral/ethical charges (having sex with a minor).  The information is of public record and is found at calbar.org.  If only those charges were listed prior to my retaining James Parsa! http://members.calbar.ca.gov/courtDocs/09-C-12545.pdf.)

I dial the attorney's phone number again. I can't even leave a nasty message. So I decide to send an email and unload my anger. Better to vent on them than keep it bottled up.

Scott sends me an email saying someone showed up at the Parsa Law Group threatening them with a gun and the entire office has been shut down, no one there. I don't condone violence but that's one way to get your point across for sure. Too bad in situations where people take the law into their own hands, all to often it's innocent people who are hurt, not scumbags like James Parsa who really deserve it.

I am lost and that's where I was before hiring the lord and savior of homeowners, except now I have $3,300 less in my pocket. I struggled to keep my agreement with Mr. Parsa. I kept my part of the deal, that's more than I can say about Attorney Parsa. Always trust your gut!