Complaint Review: Corporate Event Planning - Chicago Illinois

The company, Corporate Event Planning, Managing Director James Carlton and his assistant Patty Simms, professed to have their office in Chicago but represented resort properties in Mexico.  CEP was acting as a real estate broker in the transfer of some of the Time Shares in the Costa Sur Resort & Spa complex in Puerto Vallarta when they contacted me.  I have had a Time Share in this resort of many years. and thought I might be interested in selling it as I have not used it in over 30 years, slthough I have exhanged it for some vacation time in Hawaii and Europe through Interval International over these many years.

CEP set the selling price of my Time Share at $20,910, which I thought was high, but they said they had a 'big time' buyer who was buying many units in theTime Share complex so didn't mind paying a price higher than fair market value. They did not mention any costs to sell my Time Share and, having been in reale estate for 40 years in California, my license with HOM Sotheby's International Realty in Newport Beach, I knew the questions to ask.  I was told at the beginning that the buyer was paying all the fees and I would be seeing my money very quickly.

Of course, almost immediately I started being asked to pay costs, that, oh yes, they have forgot to mention.  By the time I complied with paying taxes and closing costs I had wired to their designated bank in Mexico City, Banamex, $11,072.00. They were still asking for more money when I told them that any additional costs needed to be taken out of my closing check.  They said this was not a possibility.  At this point I turned them into the Attorney General, State of Illinois, Lisa Madigan (File # 2015-consc-00394254).

The time frame was fom October-December 2014 and January 2015.  In January 2015, CEP disappered and the Attorney General was unable to located the party.  In Febraury 2015 the web site of Vacation Specialist International came up on the Internet.  I would not have lined the two 'companies' except a gentleman named Raul Gonzalez Velazquez contacted me from Mexico just recently, asking if I would cooperated in the Mexican government's efforts to close down the abundant Time Share fraud business going on in Mexico?  They were working on a Class Action Lawsuit against the people and companies involved.  It was, he said an uncomfortable situation for Mexico as it gave them bad press among the Americans. Of course, I said, "yes."

It seems that some people involbed in these Time Share fraudulent 'sales' work for these resorts and have access to the list of Time Share owners.  They sell these lists (trying to concentrare on Americans) to a group that then set up bogus companies to extort money from the Time Share owners.  Numerous hands are involved: the Time Share people involved in the list of owners, an organization that pays them for this information, and the people who broker the 'sales.'  The money is transfered in Mexico via Banamex. 

I am now going to let the Attorney Generald in Chicago know about this new information from Raul.  I doubt that CEP ever really had a functioning office in Chicagoo, however.  Raul said they worked out of Matatlan and Puerto Vallarts.  I am sure you couldn't walk into their office in Minneapolis either.

Here is the information on Raul Gonzalez Velazques: (((REDACTED))) subprocuraduriagov.mx

Here is the information on Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, Illinois:  Consumer Protection Division  (312) 814-3000

Banamex, Mexico  Escrow payment account:(((REDACTED))) Marios De la Torre Gaxiola