Disbarred Lawyer Avalon Betts-Gaston Sentenced to 57 Months for 'Foreclosure Rescue' Scheme That Stripped Homeowners' Equity

Case from 2016–2017 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: April 28, 2016; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Avalon Betts-Gaston, a disbarred Illinois attorney, was sentenced on April 27, 2016, to 57 months in federal prison for a mortgage fraud scheme that cheated lenders and struggling homeowners out of more than $725,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. She was ordered to pay $239,550.48 in restitution. A federal appeals court affirmed her convictions and sentence in 2017 [2].

How the scheme worked

According to prosecutors and the appeals court [1] [2]:

1. The "rescue" company: Betts-Gaston, admitted to the bar in 2000, and loan officer Dimona Ross founded IJCN Investments in Chicago Ridge, which claimed to help distressed homeowners refinance and avoid foreclosure.
2. Signing away the house: Homeowners facing foreclosure were persuaded to sign documents deeding their homes to a trust the defendants controlled.
3. Straw buyers: Instead of refinancing, the pair arranged sales to straw buyers using mortgage applications that inflated incomes and misstated the purpose of the purchase.
4. The result: The defendants ended up with the mortgage proceeds and title. Homeowners lost their legal rights in the properties and all their equity; the appeals court said at least two were eventually evicted. Betts-Gaston and Ross collected fees and the straw buyers were paid thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors cited four Cook County transactions worth more than $725,000. IJCN was dissolved in 2008, and Betts-Gaston was disbarred in 2012.

The people sentenced

Avalon Betts-Gaston, 47 at sentencing, of Naperville, Ill. [1]

• Indictment: 2011, with Ross [2].
• Verdict (2015): a jury convicted her of two counts of wire fraud.
• Sentence (April 27, 2016): 57 months in prison and $239,550.48 in restitution, imposed by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle.
• Appeal: The Seventh Circuit affirmed on June 20, 2017 (No. 16-2034), and denied rehearing on July 31, 2017.

Dimona Ross, former licensed real estate loan officer

• Pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and testified against Betts-Gaston. The appeals court said she was later sentenced to two years of probation.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI.

Red flags

• A "foreclosure rescue" company asks you to sign over your deed, even temporarily or "into a trust."
• Someone else will buy your house and let you stay while you pay them.
• Upfront fees for saving your home from foreclosure.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Never sign over your deed to anyone promising to save your home.
2. Get free help from a HUD-approved housing counselor at 1-888-995-HOPE or through hud.gov.
3. Report foreclosure rescue scams to the Illinois Attorney General and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Avalon Betts-Gaston, Naperville, Ill.	N.D. Ill. (Judge Norgle); 7th Cir. No. 16-2034	Convicted by jury 2015; sentenced April 27, 2016, to 57 months; affirmed June 20, 2017	[1], [2]
Dimona Ross	N.D. Ill. (Judge Norgle)	Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced to 2 years' probation	[1], [2]

We have not found a source on any proceedings after the 2017 appeal.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Disbarred Illinois Attorney Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Deceiving Homeowners in Mortgage Fraud Scheme," April 28, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/disbarred-illinois-attorney-sentenced-more-four-years-prison-deceiving-homeowners
2. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. Betts-Gaston, 860 F.3d 525 (No. 16-2034), June 20, 2017. https://openjurist.org/860/f3d/525/united-states-v-betts-gaston

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