Fancy Pups Attorney Gets Five Years for Mortgage Fraud

The lawyer who represented an Avenel pet store in a slew of consumer fraud lawsuits has just gotten slammed by the law himself.

Mark Bellotti, the attorney who defended Fancy Pups in Woodbridge Municipal Court, received five years in prison, a $50,000 fine, and had his license revoked in Monmouth County Superior Court today, Tuesday, September 18.

Bellotti pleaded guilty in February to submitting fraudulent loan applications worth almost $2.7 million. 

“Lawyers take an oath to uphold the law, but this one repeatedly betrayed his oath and broke the law to turn a quick profit,” said Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa in a statement. “We’re aggressively investigating and prosecuting this type of mortgage fraud.”

“This lawyer and his co-conspirators falsified mortgage applications so they could siphon away big closing fees, while leaving behind a trail of foreclosed properties and borrowers with ruined credit,” said Director Stephen J. Taylor of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We urge people to contact us confidentially to report lawyers and other licensed professionals who commit fraud.”

Right before entering his guilty plea in February, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"fancy-pups-attorney-pleads-guilty-in-2-6-million-fraud-cause"} -->, Bellotti represented Rocco Garruto, the owner of Fancy Pups, in Woodbridge Municipal Court, where Garruto himself