SEATTLE — A woman will be sentenced next week for theft and mortgage fraud. She targeted families from Mexico who spoke limited English, claiming she would refinance their homes, only to pocket their money instead.
An attorney for the victims told KIRO 7 two families lost their homes, and one family lost a commercial property.
According to court documents, Gladdis Griffis was formerly a licensed loan originator in the state of Washington, but that license was canceled in December 2007.
A few years later, the documents state “Griffis engaged in a scheme to deceive Spanish-speaking homeowners into giving money to her in exchange for promises to secure favorable mortgage refinancing for their homes.”
A prosecuting attorney said there are records of at least $40,000 stolen from the victims, plus all the equity they had in the homes and properties lost.
Griffis would charge victims upfront fees, and she advised them to stop paying the bank holding their mortgages, according to the documents.
One victim, Rudolfo DeAnda, said, “I don’t understand why. Every day, my question: Why?”
He said he knows Griffis from their hometown in Mexico and knows her father.
DeAnda and his family lost their Burien house in 2010, after living in it for five years.
He told KIRO 7 they had improved the place with a new kitchen, new windows, new roof, and new walkway.
DeAnda said he loved having barbecues in the backyard.
The current owner, Alexandra McCarthy, bought the house at auction.
McCarthy said it was in much better shape than a typical foreclosed house.
“It was very well taken care of. I could tell that the people lived here – they really loved it, and they put a lot of care in,” she said.
Another victim, Efrain Jasso, lost his commercial property. Jasso said his business has pretty much stopped for three years as a result.
In court, he told a judge through an interpreter, “The worst part is the humiliation and the shame that we've had, that is her fault.”
The victims’ attorney, Vicente Barraza, said there may be more victims afraid to come forward because of a language barrier.
“She preyed on this population because of her perceptions of their status. And that even when people are legal, sometimes they don’t want to create trouble and go to the government,” he said.
Griffis will be sentenced next week, and KIRO 7 will be there.