LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Rita Ortiz, the woman dubbed the “Lien Queen,” pleaded not guilty Monday after being charged with 25 counts of filing a false document.
Her arraignment comes after weeks of reporting from the 7 On Your Side Investigates team on massive multimillion-dollar liens she hit against homeowners in Southern California.
But on Monday, we learned from prosecutors that their concerns extend beyond just those liens.
In the courtroom we saw Ortiz behind Plexiglass, as prosecutors called her both a “financial” and a “physical” threat to the public.
They say Ortiz has been trying to break into a home where a family with a small child is living.
Prosecutors say that family is now afraid every day to be in their own home.
The district attorney’s office also told the court that right after Ortiz was evicted from a home two weeks ago where prosecutors say she was “squatting,” she filed a deed claiming that property was hers.
Prosecutors say that further clouded the title of the rightful owner.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman spoke about this case when he spoke on Eyewitness News Monday.
“This individual went ahead and filed a whole variety of these liens, multimillion-dollar liens that we will prove in court are false and she will now be held criminally responsible for them – looking potentially going to state prison as a result,” Hochman said.
All of this comes after we shared the stories of homeowners in the Beverly Hills area who say Ortiz slapped them with $24 million liens for unpaid cleaning and consulting work.
Those owners say they never hired Ortiz to do any work.
After a prosecutor successfully argued to keep her bond at $700,000, Ortiz responded with, “Everything you are saying is a lie.”
Her next court date is set for March 12.
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