Accusers rake businessman in fraud trial

Victims say Maurice Goring wrecked their credit in foreclosure scheme.

By PATRICK MALONE
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Maybe they gave him too much credit.

Accusers of charismatic businessman Maurice Goring testified on Tuesday at his trial that he used their good credit to buy distressed properties that he allowed to lapse into foreclosure, wrecking their financial futures.

Goring, 42, is acting as his own lawyer in a court trial before District Judge Rosalie Vigna. A grand jury indicted Goring on charges of theft, fraud and forgery under the Colorado Organized Crime Act.

Workaday Puebloans have said the credit ratings they spent their adult lives building were Goring's mechanism to snatch up homes that were in foreclosure. When Goring defaulted on the loans, his accusers say they were left with irreparably damaged credit ratings that have severely hampered their financial prospects for the future.

“His statement in the beginning was 'credit is king,' ” said Debra Cortez, one of Goring's accusers. “I had excellent credit at the time. Now I have no credit. I believe (Goring was paying) for my good credit.”

Goring's offers initially sounded like sweetheart deals. The people he enlisted, like Cortez, would be owners of the homes in name only. Goring promised to manage the properties through his business, Trinity Benefits Group, and to make the mortgage payments on the homes without monetary contributions from the registered owners. Tenants, he told them, would shoulder that load.

The dapper Goring was easy to trust, according to Cortez. He had the outward appearance of success - flashy cars, a fancy home and business interests in insurance, real estate and a restaurant. Plus, Cortez had met Goring at church.

“He called himself a Christian,” Cortez said. “I believe Christians are called to a higher standard and should be trustworthy.”

Cortez testified that Goring agreed to pay her between $500 and $1,500 for each home that was purchased by him in her name. She recalled completing paperwork for the purchases of three homes.

So it came as a surprise to her when she learned that 14 homes in her name were facing foreclosure, and her credit was wrecked. She claimed that her name was forged on documents to list her as the owner of at least 10 more homes.

Cortez said it turned her life upside-down. She planned to study to become a respiratory therapist, but a credit check dashed her hopes.

She said she's no real estate mogul. She works at a low-paying job at a Pueblo West Laundromat.

Hector Martinez, a county employee, also testified that he was ensnared by the lure of Goring's promises. Martinez and his wife, Patricia, also met Goring at church. They were the listed owners of nine homes at one time. All but one were foreclosed on by lenders.

Goring allegedly promised to make the mortgage payments by renting the properties, Martinez testified. Martinez admitted he's still making a meager profit each month by renting out the one home that hasn't been lost to foreclosure.

Jerry and Laura Griego were on the other end of the alleged scam. They moved into a home managed by Goring's company, Trinity Benefits Group, on a lease-to-own basis. Griego testified that the home they had been renting with the intent of buying changed hands at least twice between Goring's relatives and business associates while they lived there, and the price they were promised was hiked by more than $30,000. Ultimately, the Griegos were evicted.

Goring acting as his own lawyer lent itself to unique courtroom exchanges, particularly when he questioned witnesses who were obviously angry about what he'd allegedly put them through.

“I trusted you, Mr. Goring. I trusted you,” Cortez said in response to Goring's line of questions. “Toward the end (of their business relationship) I felt pressured. I felt cornered.”

Griego and Goring squared off when Griego learned for the first time Tuesday that the home he was leasing with the intent to buy had been lost to a lender.

“So what you're telling me is that this house was going into foreclosure while we were living there,” Griego said.

“Yes, because you didn't pay your rent,” Goring snapped back.

Vigna halted the banter there.

Testimony resumes this morning.

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