Beverly Hills Queen of Real Estate filed $568 million in phony liens

A Beverly Hills woman who proclaimed herself the “queen of real estate” has been charged with filing dozens of fraudulent multimillion dollar liens against homeowners throughout Los Angeles County.Rita Cedeno Ortiz, 58, was arrested Feb.26 and hit with 25 counts of aggravated felony forgery, according to booking and charging records obtained by Realtor.com.The bizarre case highlights the risks homeowners face from phony mechanic’s liens, which are legal claims against a property that can be filed by someone who did construction or improvement work on the property and was not paid.In California, mechanic’s liens can be filed against a home through a simple form handed in at the county recorder’s office.

The home typically can’t be sold or refinanced with liens attached, and resolving fraudulent claims can be time-consuming and expensive.Prosecutors say that Ortiz abused the process by filing a flurry of fraudulent liens claiming she was owed tens of millions of dollars by homeowners she had never worked for, or even met.On social media, Ortiz describes herself as a “real estate coach” and the “queen of real estate,” as well as claiming the title of “honorary mayor elect” of Panorama City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles.Public records show that she is the founder and CEO of Ortiz Consulting LLC, a firm that purports to be headquartered on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.Get the perfect blend of news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Last month, an exposé from KABC revealed that Ortiz Consulting LLC has filed 35 mechanic’s liens since 2023, totaling more than $568 million worth of claims of unpaid work.One of the victims, Marjorie Josaphat, says she was recently blindsided by multiple liens totaling more than $100 million attached to ...