A Beverly Hills woman who dubbed herself the “queen of real estate” has found herself in hot water after being charged with filing dozens of fraudulent multimillion-dollar liens against homeowners in Los Angeles County. Rita Cedeno Ortiz, 58, was taken into custody on February 26 and is facing 25 counts of aggravated felony forgery, as per booking and charging records obtained by Realtor.com.
The case sheds light on the dangers that homeowners face from fake mechanic’s liens, which are legal claims against a property that can be filed by individuals who have done construction or improvement work on the property but were not compensated. In California, mechanic’s liens can be filed against a home with a simple form submitted at the county recorder’s office. Properties with liens attached typically cannot be sold or refinanced, and resolving fraudulent claims can be a lengthy and costly process.
Ortiz is accused of abusing the system by filing a barrage of fraudulent liens alleging that she was owed millions of dollars by homeowners she had never worked for or even met. On social media, Ortiz portrays herself as a “real estate coach” and the “queen of real estate,” also claiming the title of “honorary mayor elect” of Panorama City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. Public records indicate that she is the founder and CEO of Ortiz Consulting LLC, a firm supposedly located on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
An investigation by KABC uncovered that Ortiz Consulting LLC had filed 35 mechanic’s liens since 2023, totaling over $568 million in claims of unpaid work. One victim, Marjorie Josaphat, was shocked to discover multiple liens exceeding $100 million attached to a property she bought in Benedict Canyon last year. The liens, filed by Ortiz Consulting LLC, alleged exorbitant unpaid fees for services such as “cleaning services” and “business consulting services.”
Josaphat, a professional home flipper, had bought the three-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot home for renovation and only learned about the liens when preparing to list the property for sale. She expressed disbelief, stating, “I don’t know who Rita Ortiz is. This place was abandoned. There’s nothing to clean. If she did a job of $24 million, then she owes me money because this place was really a mess.” Ortiz also purportedly filed bogus multimillion-dollar liens for “cleaning services” on two neighboring homes, leaving the residents bewildered as they had never engaged with her.
In text messages to KABC, Ortiz defended herself, claiming to have had business agreements with the homeowners and accusing them of discrimination and non-payment. She alleged that her property had been stolen by neighbors and destroyed multiple times. An arraignment was scheduled for Ortiz, but records do not indicate a plea on her part.
A week after the scandal broke, Ortiz was evicted from her rental unit in Los Angeles, a property she had also filed massive liens against. She was subsequently arrested and is currently held at the Century Regional Detention Facility on a $700,000 bond. Deputy District Attorney Shiho June Miyagishima is handling the case, though the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has not provided a comment. Ortiz has not retained legal representation, and her arraignment hearing did not result in a plea.
