$1.9M Judgment Secured From Family With Camden, Burlington Co Ties For Scam

NEWARK, NJ — The State of New Jersey has obtained a judgment totaling more than $1.9 million in a lawsuit against a Garden State family that "defrauded financially struggling homeowners," state officials said.

Husband and wife Neal J. Vanderpoel II and Eileen P. Vanderpoel of Medford, and their sons Ryan Vanderpoel of Medford, and Neal J. Vanderpoel IV, of Magnolia, "offered for sale, and sold worthless loan modification and other debt adjustment services to New Jersey consumers through a web of corporate entities," according to acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) Commissioner Marlene Caride.

The defendants had charged "excessive fees" to at least 1,883 consumers, and had collected more than $4.6 million in "improper fees" since the first part of 2015, officials said.

The judgment orders the defendants to pay $1.88 million in statutory civil penalties, as well as to give up all funds and property acquired or retained as a result of the scheme and to pay restitution to consumers who were harmed by the defendants’ wrongful conduct, according to officials.

The defendants will also have to cover the costs involved with "appointing a receiver to assume full control over defendants’ accounts, render a full accounting and make restitution, officials said.

In addition, the defendants "sham companies" are forever closed and the defendants are forever prohibited from conducting any services involving loan modification, debt adjustment and mortgage compliance in New Jersey," according to officials.

Got a news tip? Story idea? Send me an email with the details at janel.miller@patch.com.