A lawyer known nationally for pushing a get-rich land investment book while preaching against scammers has been disbarred in Virginia and the District after complaints surfaced claiming he threatened to have people jailed if they didn’t pay for investment materials they say they never received.
Robert J. Abalos has also been disbarred in his home state of Washington, as well as Massachusetts. He claims on his Web site that his book “Investing In Land” is the “number one real estate book in history” and pitches himself as an anti-get-rich-schemer.
Abalos writes on the Web site: “I have long said that the wolf pack of rapid [sic] and foaming-at-the-mouth creative real estate gurus who travel like Willy Lomans on a shoeshine and a smile from real estate club to real estate group … pitching their brand new miracle get-rich-instantly home study course and continuity program mentoring service for just $495 and $79.95 a month are really just a pack of frauds.”
But according to the order revoking Abalos’ Virginia law license, he himself has offered home study courses and lecture tickets, and sometimes didn’t send the materials despite payments being made.
Abalos’ did not return calls from The Washington Examiner seeking comment.
In 2004, a Virginia resident ordered $99 worth of investment materials from Abalos’ Web site. He was one of two commonwealth residents specifically named in the order, although it indicates there were other complaints filed. Abalos then sent his customer an e-mail offering other items. He told the Virginia man “he was soliciting this to give the proceeds to a sick friend.” The customer paid Abalos $795, but when the materials didn’t show, he had his credit card company cancel the charge.
Abalos then sent the man an e-mail, demanding he pay and threatening criminal charges. The Virginia man hired an attorney. When Abalos was told to contact the attorney, he reportedly said “I don’t care if you are represented by the pope. … Pay up or face imminent arrest.” In later correspondence, Abalos called the man’s attorney “stupid.”
The order says Abalos had taken similar action against another Virginia man in 2003. Abalos has not been charged with any crime, but the Virginia bar determined he had violated professional codes of conduct.
Abalos’ “repeated criminal threats, threats of civil sanctions and improper and deliberately misleading demands and his deliberate misrepresentations and lies to [victim’s name removed] reflects adversely on his honesty, trustworthiness and fitness to practice law,” the order says.
