Case # 16CF1062
Date: March 24, 2017
MAN DUBBED ASSISTANT COACH BANDIT CONVICTED OF DEFRAUDING OVER $40,000 FROM SIX VICTIMS THROUGH LOAN MODIFICATION SCAM
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man previously dubbed the Assistant Coach Bandit by the FBI for prior bank robberies was convicted yesterday of defrauding over $40,000 from six victims through a loan modification scam. James Allen Ramsdell, 51, Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty to a court offer on March 23, 2017, to six felony counts of grand theft, one felony count of grand theft from an elder, one felony count of foreclosure consultant unlawful advance fee, one misdemeanor count of loan modification unlawful advance, and a sentencing enhancement for a prior prison conviction of a serious and violent felony for bank robbery in 2009 in the San Diego federal court. The defendant faces an indicated sentence of six months in county jail at his sentencing on June 1, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-57, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Between March 1, 2014, and Nov. 1, 2015, Ramsdell offered to provide loan modification services to Jane Doe. The defendant illegally collected an upfront fee of approximately $920, after the victim received a bank notice of default on her mortgage. Ramsdell instructed the victim to write multiple checks to complete the loan modification but never performed any services. Ramsdell operated his fraudulent loan modification/foreclosure consultant firm under the fictitious name of Ramsdell Consulting. The defendant used the fictitious name of Melissa Hurley when communicating with Jane Doe. Ramsdell received multiple checks from the victim and cashed them, defrauding over $10,000 from Jane Doe.
No modifications were made on Jane Doe’s home loan, so the victim submitted a fraud report to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) Bureau of Investigation, who investigated this case and arrested the defendant on April 29, 2016. After further investigation by the OCDA Bureau of Investigation, it was discovered that Ramsdell ran a similar scam against five other victims, defrauding them out of over $30,000 between Sept. 25, 2014, and May 20, 2015.
To watch video of the arrest, please visit the following link: https://youtu.be/z7vsTw1hLHI.
Prior Prison Conviction for Bank Robbery
On July 6, 2009, Ramsdell pleaded guilty to robbing a Washington Mutual bank branch in San Diego County in 2008 and four other banks in Orange County in the Cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Tustin. Ramsdell previously coached youth baseball and soccer in Orange County and the FBI dubbed him the Assistant Coach Bandit.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Pete Pierce of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting this case.