In the rough economic times we’re in, it’s always heartwarming when you see the story of an NFL player and a pastor joining forces to rip off a bunch of people facing foreclosure.

(should we be encouraged that NFL crimes are getting more cerebral?)

That’s what Ravens cornerback Anwar Phillips is accused of doing. The former Penn State star and the as-yet unidentified pastor were allegedly telling homeowners in the San Diego area that they could avoid foreclosure by letting them put someone else on the title temporarily. But instead of helping out, they were just interested in gaining ownership of the house so they could take out a new mortgage and cash out the equity.

The whole plot’s a bit confusing (to me, anyway) and some red flags should have been showing up for the scammed homeowners, but it goes to show how desperate people can be to get out of financial trouble these days.

10 NEWS in San Diego is trying to piece the details together. Phillips and the pastor (a good ’70s buddy cop title, by the way) are apparently part of a larger group carrying this out:

“This group promised to save these people’s house by temporarily putting someone on the title, and they would be able to get the house back in a couple of months,” said Vallee. However, their prayers were left unanswered, and Vallee said the Taylors are victims of an equity draining scam. In the alleged scheme, a troubled homeowner transfers the title of the home to so-called rescuers, who then take out a new mortgage and pocket the equity. “What they ended up doing is stripping out somewhere between $90,000 to $120,000 of equity, quit paying the loan and now the people are facing foreclosure again,” said Vallee.

What I can’t figure out is how the original owners are getting stuck with the responsibility for the mortgage, unless the problem is just that the new “owner” stop paying, and thus the original owners get kicked out of the house. And who are the people who are getting the new mortgages? If they stop paying, doesn’t that mean that a) they can’t get more mortgages with which to pull off this scam, and b) it might mess with the status of their own home loan?

No criminal charges have been filed in the case, and there’s just this one civil complaint so far. So maybe this isn’t what it seems? The Ravens have not responded to 10 NEWS’ phone calls, and Phillips has not been reached for comment.

Phillips isn’t exactly an NFL star. He was undrafted out of Penn State in 2006, then spent a couple of years with the Saints’ practice squad before catching on with the Ravens. So I understand that he’s not some incredibly rich dude, but it’s still pretty low to prey on desperate homeowners.

If this is all true (and I guess that’s still a pretty big “if”), then it’s pretty scummy. Not make-it-rain-and-shoot-someone scummy, but certainly not something he should be allowed to get away with. Luckily for Phillips, he would have his pastor right there with him in prison if he needed any spiritual guidance.