Armando Montelongo, a Hispanic real estate entrepreneur, is most notable for his role in A&E’s “Flip This House.” Since 2001, Montelongo’s small real estate business has grown into a multi-million dollar empire. In 2008, the former reality show star went from investing in real estate to offering paid house-flipping seminars. While the three-day seminars are free, the house-flipping details cost $1,497.

Montelongo also offers in-person training workshops for $25,000, bus tours for $40,000, week-long seminars for $30,000..

Racketeering Allegations

In 2011, the Texas state attorney launched an investigation into Armando Montelongo Seminars after deceptive practice allegations surfaced. The case was later closed after Montelongo agreed to sign an “Assurance of Voluntary Compliance.”

The allegations out of the way, Montelongo continued offering his real estate education seminars to consumers. In 2016, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California. The lawsuit alleged Armando Montelongo Seminars made false claims regarding the American real estate market. Montelongo’s system guaranteed profits, “no matter what the state of the real estate market.”

The 164 plaintiffs, all former students of Montelongo, claimed Montelongo’s real estate “system” which involved purchasing, repairing, and selling dilapidated houses did not work.

The Better Business Bureau received so many complaints that it tagged the house-flipping education program as a “Scam Alert.”

Armando Montelongo Scam

More than 1.5 million people have attended Montelongo’s seminars even though it is impossible to validate his real estate success claims. There are no risks in attending the seminar because it is free. But, that is as far as it should go without extensive research into Montelongo’s real estate background.