Local woman sentenced in foreclosure rescue scam

HOLLY (AP) -- A 38-year-old Michigan woman has been sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for a foreclosure rescue scam that bilked at least 60 people in eight counties out of more than $250,000. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said last Friday that Tashia Winstanley of Oakland County's Holly also is ordered to pay more than $243,000 in restitution. She was sentenced in Grand Traverse County Circuit Court. Schuette says Winstanley pleaded guilty in August to three felonies for collecting upfront fees while impersonating a mortgage modification company. Between September 2009 and January 2012 prospective clients were charged a fee for loan modifications through Winstanley's TLW Mortgage Solutions. Schuette says no efforts were made to secure loan modifications for many of the victims. Some mortgage payments sent to Winstanley also were pocketed. Published: Tue, Sep 18, 2012