Michigan Prosecutors Charge Fraudster Amanda Escalante-Lopez For Defrauding Latino Immigrants In Land Contract Scam

Michigan prosecutors have charged 28-year-old Amanda Escalante-Lopez with 10 felony charges. The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office says Escalante-Lopez ran a real estate fraud scheme that bilked victims out of nearly $200,000.

Prosecutors allege Escalante-Lopez’s scheme dated back to early 2024. Authorities allege she made multiple verbal agreements for land contracts and titles to homes in Pontiac. However, she had one problem. She didn’t own them. She then collected down payments from victims.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said:

“She had been representing herself as owner of properties she did not own and would fraudulently obtain money from people thinking they were buying the home from her, and had a fake notary person and would give them some kind of fraudulent receipt to something she never owned,” 

24-year-old victim Damne Zavala trusted Escalante-Lopez after renting from her for months following a Facebook listing. Zavala said:

“I was just looking for a home to rent because I wanted to move out and have my own place. I had the possibility of being a homeowner at such a young age, and I was just honestly heartbroken. She just crushed all of our dreams, not just mine but everyone else who was involved.”

After paying rent and living in the home, Escalante-Lopez offered Zavala the opportunity to buy it under a land contract. Zavala gave her $6,000 as a down payment. However, Zavala never received the title.

The scheme unravele when a family friend of Zavala’s had a real estate agent oversee the transaction.

“He wanted to go to the bank and have his real estate agent there to make sure it was legit, and when the real estate agent went through the files to make sure everything was legit, none of the homes were under her name.”

Zavala later learned that the homes were actually owned by one of Escalante-Lopez’s family members. She says she now knows of multiple families who were defrauded my Escalante-Lopez. Escalante-Lopez allegedly stole more than $50,000 from one family. Zavala also stated:

“It was just a lot of families that were involved that gave her a lot of money,” Zavala said. “My hope is that justice is served and we get what we deserve.”

WXYZ-TV in Detroit interviewed Damne Zavala about getting scammed by Amanda Escalante-Lopez. You can see the interview below. Read More About Real Estate Scammers On MFI-Miami.com.