Will Evans is a freelance investigative reporter who contributes to California Watch. Evans has done work for Salon.com, ABC, CBS, Politico, the LA Times and the Sacramento Bee. So when it appeared that George Bolanos had scammed his parents' housekeeper, Evans started his own investigation. That was the mistake Bolanos made. He finally scammed the wrong victim.
The result is documented in this excellent story by Will Evans writing for California Watch:
(note to Kamala Harris, our new Attorney General: hire this guy! You can contact him at )
The story:
The California Department of Real Estate has opened an investigation into George Bolanos, a Southern California man who advertises on Spanish-language radio and offers to save people from foreclosure with an upfront fee.
The story:
The California Department of Real Estate has opened an investigation into George Bolanos, a Southern California man who advertises on Spanish-language radio and offers to save people from foreclosure with an upfront fee.
In a story for California Watch, I identified Bolanos as the man who appears to have scammed Lydia Prado, my parents' housecleaner. Bolanos had promised to help Lydia save her house, charged an illegal upfront fee, and wouldn't give his last name.
Anyone offering loan modification services needs to have a license from the Department of Real Estate (or be a licensed attorney at law). Bolanos doesn't. (and isn't)
That's George Bolanos in the photo taken at an earlier time when he had something to smile about.
“Based on the information that was in the article, we're investigating,” said department spokesperson Tom Pool.
The most the Department of Real Estate can do is issue a desist-and-refrain order against Bolanos, ordering him to stop his business. If he then continues, a government prosecutor could go after him for breaking the law. The attorney general's office wouldn't say whether it's investigating as well.
Prado has cleaned my parents’ Mission Viejo house every other week since I was about eight years old. She paid Bolanos $450 of the $1,500 fee he'd requested for his services.
It’s illegal to charge up-front fees for help with loan modifications. California outlawed such fees last year as part of a crackdown on the scams. Attorney General Jerry Brown has brought civil and criminal actions against 100 loan modification consultants, while federal agencies and officials in other states have acted against hundreds more.
As I looked into Lydia's case, I found out a lot of things about Bolanos. But I hadn't seen his face until now.
After my story on Bolanos ran last week, I heard from the family of a woman who had a child with Bolanos years ago. They passed me a photo to make sure it was the same Bolanos. Both Lydia and Glenda Herrera – another Southern California homeowner who says she was scammed as well – confirmed it.
Note: An investigation itself, even an arrest, is not evidence that George Bolanos committed any crime or violated any statute. Mr. Bolanos is presumed innocent until the State of California meets its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Note: An investigation itself, even an arrest, is not evidence that George Bolanos committed any crime or violated any statute. Mr. Bolanos is presumed innocent until the State of California meets its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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