TIMELINE of Mark Stopa Foreclosure Surplus Fraud

Pinellas Case 2022-CC-3018

Subject Property: 4837 Eagle Cove Blvd., Palm Harbor, FL 34685
April 14, 2006: Russell P Layton and his wife Evelyn M Layton purchase the property located at
4837 Eagle Cove Blvd., Palm Harbor, FL 34685 for $157,000 in 1993 and refinance a $295,000
loan with Bank of America.
June 3, 2014: Senior citizens Russell and Evelyn Layton were apparently struggling with serious
health and money problems and stopped paying their mortgage in February 2011. Evelyn later
died on November 23, 2012 at the age of 71 leaving Russell all alone and in foreclosure with no
money. On April 18, 2014, first mortgage lender Everbank, successor in interest to Bank of
America, filed foreclosure against Russell Layton Pinellas Case #: 14-3018-CI seeking to collect
an unpaid principal balance of $292,198.29. Russell Layton (76) was served May 20, 2014 and
hired financial predator fraudster Mark Stopa to defend the foreclosure. Mark Stopa filed a notice
of appearance to defend his new senior citizen widower on June 3, 2014.
November 21, 2014: Not one to ever let the financial misfortune of a new elderly client go to
waste – financial predator Mark Stopa conspires to defraud vulnerable senior citizen widower
Russell Layton by manipulating him into signing over the title to his home. Mr. Layton signed a
Quit Claim Deed to Mark Stopa alter-ego New Mexico shell company “Quest Systems” in Pinellas
OR Book 18598, PG 57. Ever the tightwad cheapskate, Mark Stopa no doubt paid Russell Layton
$0 for the deed – probably concocting a fabricated story that he would retain all funds for the Deed
transfer towards his unpaid attorney fees owed to him by Russell Layton. So in the end – Mark
Stopa lied to his elderly widower foreclosure defense client, paid him nothing and stole his home.
Oh, the diabolical irony… for years Mark Stopa promised all his clients a “free house” but in the
end, MARK STOPA IS THE ONLY ONE who ever got a free house by STEALING homes from
his clients and paying them nothing.
November 24, 2014: On Thanksgiving Day – a day that widower senior citizen Russell Layton
(76) should have been giving thanks and celebrating the holiday with family - he is forced to spend
the day vacating his family homestead of 21 years all so corrupt elder abuse financial predator
Mark Stopa can rent out the home and begin skimming the equity by pocketing the rents. The
Russell Layton story is so very sad. His wife died in 2012 and he had no money and was in
foreclosure and desperately needed HELP. He put his trust in sociopath Mark Stopa who only saw
an opportunity to unjustly enrich himself. Mark Stopa took the only asset Russell Layton had left
– his home. Mark Stopa left Russell Layton a HOMELESS PAUPER forcing him to move in
with his son where he lived the rest of his days until he died on June 17, 2018 at the age of
79.
June 17, 2018: Despite having purloined the Deed from his elderly client Russell Layton on
November 21, 2014, Mark Stopa continued to defend the foreclosure for Russell Layton (for his
own benefit) even though Russell Layton no longer owned the home and was no longer a client.
Russell Layton’s home averaged $3,000 a month in rent at the time. Mark Stopa continued to
DEFEND & DELAY the foreclosure defrauding the lender in the name of Russell Layton so HE
could equity skim the rents and put $3,000 a month in HIS pocket. Russell Layton died on June
17, 2018 at the age of 79. He lived 43 months after signing over the Deed to Mark Stopa on
November 21, 2014. At $3,000 a month that is $129,000 in rents that Mark Stopa STOLE from
poor widower Russell Layton. If Mark Stopa was an honest attorney – he might have advised his
client Russell Layton to keep ownership of the home, move in with his son (which he did anyway
because he was broke) and collect the $3,000 a month renting out his own home. Russell Layton
was an elderly senior citizen struggling financially and $3,000 a month renting out his beautiful
home sure could have helped him live a comfortable life before he died. This is what any ethical
attorney would advise. But NOT fraudster Mark Stopa. Stopa wanted to get the home from his
elderly client and skim the equity rents for himself to feed his opiate-deranged fantasy football
gambling addiction and pay the private school tuition for his three children at St Pete Catholic
High School. As a result, Russell Layton died a homeless pauper while to this day Mark Stopa
continues to collect $3,000 per month renting out the home.

November 2022: When Mark Stopa was disbarred and forced to withdraw from representing
Russell Layton, he had corrupt attorney Jason Clark take his place to continue defending the
foreclosure in the name of deceased Russell Layton (for the benefit of Mark Stopa Quest
Systems) so Mark Stopa could continue to skim the rents. The case is still active with a hearing
set in 2023. Why didn’t Attorney Jason Clark do something to stop the fraud and why is
he still defending this case?
May 9, 2022: Realizing the first mortgage foreclosure was progressing quickly and he was
going to lose the home to foreclosure, Mark Stopa concocted a scheme to defraud the public
using the county court foreclosure system. Using one of his alter-ego shell companies “Uni
Trustee Services LLC” – Stopa hired corrupt attorney Carla Turner-Hahn to file a foreclosure
lawsuit against himself. Plaintiff Mark Stopa company Uni Trustee Services sued Defendant
Mark Stopa title holding company Quest Systems LLC filed in Pinellas Case #: 22-3018-CO
(oddly enough in a diabolical coincidence – having the exact same case number as the first
mortgage lender 14-3018-CI) In the lawsuit, Stopa alleged that he owed himself $29,500 but
he could not provide PROOF of the debt so he sought to establish an equitable lien against
himself in order to foreclose a property he already owned. (Yup… that makes perfect
sense… nothing to see here)
October 12, 2021: In an unrelated case, Mark Stopa signed an affidavit under penalty of
perjury that HE is the manager of Uni Trustee Services LLC. The document is filed in Pinellas
county public records in Book 21758, Page 370. The FDLE already established Quest Systems
LLC is a Mark Stopa alter ego shell company so this is undeniable PROOF that both the Plaintiff
and Defendant in this sham fraudulent case are both alter egos of Mark Stopa.
May 12, 2022: In a pattern that repeats itself across multiple other fraudulent foreclosure
surplus scam cases, Mark Stopa instructs his corrupt attorney Randall Reder to answer the
complaint and quickly stipulate to a Final Jdg so there is no delay in getting the property to a
foreclosure sale BEFORE the first mortgage.
May 13, 2022: County Judge Edwin Jagger is tricked into signing a Final Judgment of
Foreclosure for the phony, fabricated Mark Stopa debt. Sale date set for June 22, 2022.
June 22, 2022: Mark Stopa fraudulent foreclosure surplus scam nets first victim. The home is
worth about $550,000 so inexperienced auction buyer Spiro Naco bids $350,100 on the property
thinking he is “winning” a great deal. His due diligence fails to discover the hidden first
mortgage still in the name of Russell Layton with a total amount due of $588,361.11 Mark
Stopa is well aware of this mortgage balance and that there is no equity in this home. Mark
Stopa was intentionally seeking to trap unsuspecting auction buyers in order to STEAL their
money. By law, Uni Trustee Services LLC is entitled to the judgment amount of $29,500
and the owner of the property – Quest Systems – is entitled to the SURPLUS of $320,600.
Do you see how the SCAM works? It is organized grand FELONY theft using the county
court system.

TOTAL DUE of FIRST MORTGAGE in the name of Russell Layton:

SPIRO NACO bids $350,100 for the property:
June 24, 2022: Fortunately Spiro Naco figures out the FRAUD and DOES NOT pay the
balance due of his bid – forfeiting his 5% deposit of $17,505 to Mark Stopa crime family coffers.
The sale is rescheduled by the clerk to July 27, 2022 to trap another victim.
July 27, 2022: The SECOND sale nets another victim who bids $87,100 for the property
July 28, 2022: Fortunately the second auction bidder discovers the fraud and does not pay the
bid balance due. They forfeit their 5% deposit of $4,355 to Mark Stopa crime family coffers.
The sale is set a THIRD TIME on October 11, 2022.
October 11, 2022: The third time is a charm and the scam sticks. The Mark Stopa fraudulent
foreclosure surplus scam traps a third buyer who paid $106,100 for a $550,000 home with a first
mortgage balance due of $588,361. Mark Stopa knew full well the home had no equity and
fabricated a phony foreclosure debt for the sole purpose of tricking an inexperienced auction
bidder.
October 25, 2022: Certificate of Title issued to Orsola Angelino who was intentionally
SCAMMED by Mark Stopa and stuck paying $106,100 for a negative equity property with a first
mortgage balance of $588,361
October 19, 2022: Mark Stopa engaged another corrupt attorney Vestalia Aylsworth to file a
motion to release surplus funds to finish the Mark Stopa steal.
October 25, 2022: A total of $31,087.36 stolen from three separate auction bidders was
released by the clerk to Mark Stopa Plaintiff Uni Trustee Services for a phony, fabricated
foreclosure debt. A total of $92,251.56 in SURPLUS funds is released to Mark Stopa
Defendant Quest Systems. SEE HOW THE SCAM WORKS? Why rob a bank when Mark
Stopa can just use corrupt proxy attorneys to manipulate the county court foreclosure system to
get the Judge and county clerk doing all the stealing for him.
August 1, 2022: Chief Judge Anthony Rondolino was WARNED about this scam months
earlier and DID NOTHING to stop Mark Stopa from scamming Orsola Angelino. What kind of
dirt does Stopa have on Rondolino that makes him so afraid to do anything?
FINAL SUMMARY: Orsolo Angelino’s money is gone for good and yet another Mark
Stopa foreclosure fraud surplus scam is done & dusted in the books and in the bank – no doubt
deposited in Adrienne Federico’s commingled bank account to shield the illicit funds from
seizure.

This same scheme to defraud is currently being perpetrated in multiple cases across multiple
counties in Florida at the direction of disbarred criminal Mark Stopa with the assistance of Segal &
Schuh Law Group and Deitsch & Deitsch Law Firm. The Mark Stopa crime family proxy gang of
law-licensed thieves are numerous including but not limited to “attorneys”:

Lee Segal
Jill Schuh
Stephen Deitsch
Kerri Wright Deitsch
Ashley Drew
Christopher Hixson
Gregory Mausser
Randall Reder
Carla Turner-Hahn
Jake C. Blanchard
Vestalia Aylsworth

( and numerous paralegals and other bad actors working at the direction of criminal disbarred
attorney Mark Stopa.)

Below is a list of over twenty other very egregious foreclosure fraud surplus scams the Mark
Stopa crime family has perpetrated throughout Florida where innocent foreclosure auction
bidders just like Christopher Dennison had over $2 MILLION stolen from them through the
county court foreclosure system. This is just a small sample. Mark Stopa has numerous
alter ego shell companies he uses to hide his crimes. Stopa continues to run this same
foreclosure fraud scam throughout Florida with absolutely no fear of punishment
emboldened by the fact that FDLE and federal authorities have yet to take any action to stop
him.

Do your own research. See the truth for yourself. In every single one of these cases you have
a negative equity property that is already owned by a Mark Stopa alter ego shell company
which is soon to be lost to foreclosure by a senior mortgage lender with an active foreclosure far
exceeding the value of the property.

Rather than let the home go to foreclosure and get $0 – criminal King of Thieves Mark Stopa
concocted an elaborate scheme to sue himself and use the county court system to unjustly enrich
himself. The scam is pretty slick. He has one of his alter ego shell companies act as Plaintiff to
sue his other alter ego shell company that owns the property claiming there is a dispute and
unpaid “debt” between the two companies. Rather than just cut a check from co-conspirator
Adrienne Federico’s bank account of commingled shell company funds to pay off his sister shell
company – Stopa does the only logical thing any criminal would do – he sues himself.
In the conspiracy where all the parties - including licensed attorneys - are colluding to commit
fraud on the court, Stopa Plaintiff files a lawsuit claiming the debt is owed and because Stopa
cannot provide any EVIDENCE of the debt being REAL (because there is no evidence as the
debt is phony) he seeks the re-establishment of the phony “debt” by seeking an equitable lien
against the property he already owns. His corrupt attorneys quickly stipulate to the entry of a
foreclosure Judgment for the equitable lien and a foreclosure auction sale date is set.

Ask yourself WHY would Mark Stopa need to foreclose against a home he already owns?
And WHY would he spend the time and money to sue himself to foreclose a home when it has
no equity and is already being foreclosed by the first mortgage lender? The answer is FRAUD.
He is doing it to intentionally trick and trap inexperienced auction bidders into overbidding on a
bogus judgment to create a massive surplus that he will collect. This is a massive criminal
conspiracy using the county court system to defraud the public.

Because the mortgage on the property is still in the name of his former law client whom he
purloined the deed from in order to skim the rents – most novice auction bidders do not find the
existing first mortgage in foreclosure and falsely believe the home is free & clear with only the
equitable lien judgment of record. So they wind up bidding 10x the face amount of the Judgment
– thinking they are “winning” a good deal.

When they win the bid – there is a substantial surplus that is created over and above the small
equitable lien judgment and this surplus is then collected by Stopa’s defendant shell company
that owns the property while his Plaintiff shell company collects the judgment amount.

Unbelievable isn’t it?

What a scam.

Why rob a bank when you can manipulate the county court judges and clerk to do the
stealing for you…

The entire scheme is completely fraudulent and authorities know exactly what Mark Stopa and
his crime family are doing. Mark Stopa is NOT fooling anyone.

The FDLE investigation of Dossier 1.0 where Mark Stopa defrauded his own clients and
mortgage lenders out of millions of dollars is still ACTIVE despite Mark Stopa telling everyone
it has been “closed”.

Could this new Mark Stopa Dossier 2.0 scam have triggered an entirely new investigation?

Asking for a friend…

I guess we will see. Soon.

Tick tock Mr. Stopa… Tick tock.

The 21 cases below add up to OVER $2 MILLION
DOLLARS STOLEN BY MARK STOPA over the last several
months using the county court foreclosure system to trick and
trap amateur auction bidders.