Arizona AG sues duo for alleged real estate scam targeting elderly homeowners

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a lawsuit against Edward Trenton Albarracin and Gretchen Marie Zamjahn, along with more than 50 entities they controlled, accusing them of running a predatory real estate scam targeting elderly homeowners facing foreclosure. Operating under misleading names like "Hands with Hope," the defendants promised to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by temporarily transferring their property deeds into trusts, but instead transferred deeds to shell companies controlled by Albarracin. Albarracin signed the deeds on behalf of these companies, while Zamjahn illegally notarized the transactions despite a conflict of interest as his spouse. The scheme also involved pressuring victims into filing false bankruptcy or probate cases to prolong the scam. Mayes is seeking to void improperly notarized transactions, obtain restitution for victims, impose civil penalties, and secure a permanent ban on the defendants' real estate activities in Arizona. An emergency receivership over their assets has been granted, and Mayes urges anyone targeted by similar scams to contact her office.