Three people arrested in mortgage, foreclosure scam

CARSON CITY — Three people were arrested Thursday in Las Vegas and charged with operating a mortgage and foreclosure scam.

Alex Soria, Sonia Johns and Hans Johns were arrested by officers of the attorney general’s office. They have been charged with two counts of mortgage fraud and two counts of theft of more than $2,500 in the operation of BioGreen, a business which promised the elimination of home mortgages.

The business set up a scam called Zero Mortgage Program, according to the attorney general’s office.

Owners were instructed to file documents with the Clark County recorder’s office that purported to end mortgage obligations, authorities said. But after a few months, lenders would not recognize the legitimacy of this process and would proceed with foreclosures, officials said.

“It is appalling that these individuals would make their livelihood off struggling Nevadans, including victims over 60 years old,” Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement. “We intend to continue to prosecute this illegal conduct to the fullest of the law.”

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.