Share this article!

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit that accused multiple companies and individuals coordinating a scheme to defraud homeowners facing foreclosure.

The lawsuit alleged Cameron Jones and his company Gazelle Investors, and Samuel Sutton through his company Magnum Financial, of running an operation that targeted homeowners by tracking foreclosure notices on county recorder websites. Once foreclosure notices were posted, so-called “door knockers” recruited by the defendants were dispatched within minutes to approach homeowners posing as either foreclosure relief specialists or representatives of charitable organizations such as the nonexistent “Arizona’s Helping Hands.”

After entering the homes, the defendants used high-pressure tactics and deceptive contracts to strip homeowners of their equity. The contracts, which are often invalid under Arizona law, allowed the fraudsters to acquire properties at far below their market value while retaining broad rights to cancel transactions and flip the homes for significant profit. In some cases, fraudulent bankruptcy and probate filings were used to delay foreclosure auctions and maintain control over properties without homeowners’ knowledge.

The lawsuit also named title companies and law firms that allegedly facilitated the fraudulent scheme by processing sales, notarizing and approving deeds even when homeowners received far below market value, thus allowing rapid flips between shell companies to conceal the fraud, and then filed lawsuits against victims to force completion of transactions and evict defrauded homeowners.

The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleged violations of Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act and Racketeering Act.

“For far too long, these bad actors have preyed on Arizonans in distress, stealing the hard-earned equity in their homes through deception and fraud,” said Mayes. “These homeowners didn’t just lose their homes—they lost their best chance to rebuild their lives. Let me be clear: if you exploit homeowners in their most vulnerable moments, my office will find you, hold you accountable, and ensure justice is served.”

Mayes added, “This scheme relied on an entire ecosystem of supposedly legitimate businesses to put a veneer of legality on blatant consumer fraud. Title companies and law firms knew what they were doing, but they kept going because this scam generated millions of dollars—and they wanted their share.”

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of $10,000 for each instance of consumer fraud, the dissolution of companies used as fronts for the fraud, and a permanent ban on the defendants engaging in real estate transactions in Arizona.