Either that, or the paper is announcing the pending demise of its circulation.
Since the article failed to define the legal term of a squatter, and instead, resorted to poverty shaming, I felt the obligation as being the scribe of this entire tale, that I must preserve the record.
To begin, before you can call someone a squatter, there must be a judicial determination, like that stuff called due process.
1. HB 5069/PA 223 amends the revised judicature act to allow a landlord to use force (but not including assault) and self-help when recovering possession of premises from a person who came into possession by trespass (squatting).
2. HB 5070/PA 224 makes squatting in a single family house or a duplex a misdemeanor for the first offense, with a $5,000 maximum fine and 180 day maximum sentence; and a felony for second and subsequent offenses, with a $10,000 maximum fine and a 2 year maximum sentence.
3. HB 5071/PA 225 identifies the felony for second and subsequent squatting offenses as a class G felony with a 2 year maximum sentence.
In essence, the Detroit Free Press, obviously, set this article up to become a hit piece (on a certain Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed) to go along with all the throwing of money to the people in hopes they and divert attention to bide time to generate another narrative to counter the stuff that is about to come out of D.C.
As I am a strong advocate in the practice of illuminating all iterations of a predictive model, just because I am the one who came up with it in constructing spline models that can be used to sniff out stealin' , I would like to share some of the horrific experiences I have suffered by being called on of "Those Squatters" (said with disdain) since May 26, 2016.
Just say no to drugs.
I reported to those people over there at that work group going by the name of Detroit Land Bank Authority, the City of Detroit Inspector General, Detroit Police Department, Office of the Mayor, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, and multiple federal authorities, and have yet to hear anything, well, actually, the matter is pending before the court.
I patiently await the opinion of the U.S. Attorney General.
I do not believe the legal mechanism of the U.S. Attorney General having to answer for its failure to intervene in stealin' has ever been done before, since the False Claims Act was updated a few years ago.
Now, in the spirit of fuchsia...
Evictions, flipping tarnish effort to turn squatters into homeowners
A politically connected charity that was
supposed to help people living in properties owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority wrongly evicted some of them and flipped houses to
developers with markups of thousands of dollars.
So, why would the Detroit Land Bank Authority use the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan to "turn squatters into homeowners"?
What better way of shifting the blame...the Corporate Shape Shifter Way!
The Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan was originally incorporated as Drug Free Youth In Detroit in 1987 which was probably one of those back pocket non profits people create and sit on when they want to launder money for political campaigns like Raymond Wojtowicz used to do because it only costs $25 to set up to sell for $250,000, but that is just a rumor I heard from a former Auditor General.
Anyway, the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan is under the aegis of the Detroit Development Fund, where, it just so happened to use a fake corporation called Detroit Land Bank Authority as its UCC lien, through a patent.
So, why would the Detroit Land Bank Authority use the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan to "turn squatters into homeowners"?
What better way of shifting the blame...the Corporate Shape Shifter Way!
The Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan was originally incorporated as Drug Free Youth In Detroit in 1987 which was probably one of those back pocket non profits people create and sit on when they want to launder money for political campaigns like Raymond Wojtowicz used to do because it only costs $25 to set up to sell for $250,000, but that is just a rumor I heard from a former Auditor General.
Anyway, the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan is under the aegis of the Detroit Development Fund, where, it just so happened to use a fake corporation called Detroit Land Bank Authority as its UCC lien, through a patent.
In
early 2016, the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan promised it would
convert squatters into homeowners if the Detroit City Council allowed it
to buy up to 200 occupied houses from the land bank.
By what powers does the Detroit City Council have "to allow"....what the heck is "allow"....to purchase 200 occupied houses from the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which is not part of the City of Detroit because it is fake and is using Hardest Hit Funds for something other than what the TARP funds were supposed to be used?
Hold up, I want to know how the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan purchased these houses because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is not incorporated, which means they have no bank account, which means they used another corporate entity to cash the checks.
To whom were these checks written out to and where is the contract...or was it just one of those Detroit City Council Resolutions where folks got political "guidance" in their political careers, being advised by all those "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) from New York, and stuff.
I know a few State of Michigan elected officials who bought right into this Detroit Land Bank Authority fraud scheme, just to get elected or to keep a job.
There are a lot of questions here, so I am going to just leave them here for the moment and thank the Detroit Free Press by making a public notice that I request this article to be entered into the formal record, just like what is going on in D.C. with its issues of media propaganda.
By what powers does the Detroit City Council have "to allow"....what the heck is "allow"....to purchase 200 occupied houses from the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which is not part of the City of Detroit because it is fake and is using Hardest Hit Funds for something other than what the TARP funds were supposed to be used?
Hold up, I want to know how the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan purchased these houses because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is not incorporated, which means they have no bank account, which means they used another corporate entity to cash the checks.
To whom were these checks written out to and where is the contract...or was it just one of those Detroit City Council Resolutions where folks got political "guidance" in their political careers, being advised by all those "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) from New York, and stuff.
I know a few State of Michigan elected officials who bought right into this Detroit Land Bank Authority fraud scheme, just to get elected or to keep a job.
There are a lot of questions here, so I am going to just leave them here for the moment and thank the Detroit Free Press by making a public notice that I request this article to be entered into the formal record, just like what is going on in D.C. with its issues of media propaganda.
Instead, the plan is sputtering along, with finger-pointing all around.
Squatters,
people who live illegally in houses they don't own, are a most vexing
problem in Detroit. There are more than 3,600 houses owned by the land
bank and occupied by such people, many of whom lost their homes to
foreclosure. Evict them and the land bank could add to the city's
homeless population and its enormous stock of vacant and blighted
buildings. Land bank officials have said an occupied property is better
for a neighborhood than an empty building.
Squatters are people who have been determined by a court of law to have violated state laws, after a case is adjudicated.
Remember, the Detroit Land Bank Authority never incorporated which means it has no legal standing in a court of law, unless it is specially created court of law, like Columbo's court of running fake quiet title cases on property addresses, and not the owners, or even the occupants, oops, I meant squatters.
Squatters are people who have been determined by a court of law to have violated state laws, after a case is adjudicated.
Remember, the Detroit Land Bank Authority never incorporated which means it has no legal standing in a court of law, unless it is specially created court of law, like Columbo's court of running fake quiet title cases on property addresses, and not the owners, or even the occupants, oops, I meant squatters.
The Black Caucus told council it would, at its
expense, "rehabilitate and affordably sell the fully renovated homes by
land contract to the properties' qualified occupants." To run the
operation, the caucus formed a subsidiary, Bridges to Homeownership.
They were too busy running to the casino.
They were too busy running to the casino.
The
plan included providing "wraparound" services to squatters, such as
educating them on the responsibilities of home ownership, financial
literacy and job advancement.
If things didn't
work out for the squatters, the foundation would try to find buyers
among first responders and skilled craftsmen.
"The Squatters" (said with disdain), as I have now officially adopted this term, had no legal chance in hell of following through with the plan of ownership because the titles were all jacked up, and still are jacked up.
Heck, those titles are so jacked up many do not even have the proper address on them.
Those titles are so jacked up...
How jacked up are they?
They are so jacked up, that they have been bundled through intellectual property and complex fraud schemes that reconveyance will go to some foreign corporation like, perhaps...just pulling a corporate name out the blue...in example only....not making any inference of being a Meanie...like Bill Clinton, inc.
"The Squatters" (said with disdain), as I have now officially adopted this term, had no legal chance in hell of following through with the plan of ownership because the titles were all jacked up, and still are jacked up.
Heck, those titles are so jacked up many do not even have the proper address on them.
Those titles are so jacked up...
How jacked up are they?
They are so jacked up, that they have been bundled through intellectual property and complex fraud schemes that reconveyance will go to some foreign corporation like, perhaps...just pulling a corporate name out the blue...in example only....not making any inference of being a Meanie...like Bill Clinton, inc.
But after council gave its blessing to the Black Caucus, that's not exactly what happened.
- Bridges, the subsidiary, evicted some squatters before it had the deeds to the houses. Land bank officials say the evictions were improper. Nice covering of thyne arse!
- Bridges or the Black Caucus paid $1,000 each for 29 houses, as of mid-February, then flipped eight of them to investors for thousands of dollars more. It sold a two-story brick colonial on Detroit's east side to a Miami company for $30,000 while it was still occupied. A Southfield man paid $12,500 for a Bridges house and resold it within days for $19,000. Did someone say Adam Hollier?
- Of those 29 houses, only three have been sold to the squatters, far below the group's stated goal of buying and selling up to 1,800 houses a year. Another three have been rented to the squatters. The plan was to go to the casino. Duh.
“It has been a complete nightmare,” said Rachel
Yancey, who was evicted from a house she lost to tax foreclosure after
she decided against buying the property from Bridges to Homeownership.
She said Bridges didn't fix a mice infestation and sewage backups in the
basement. She's now living with her children in a friend’s basement.
Wanna bet there were no taxes on that property? See, it seems this is the part where the "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) did not get their fake quiet title judgment certifications from the court, but you know darn well they billed the Hardest Hit Fund for it. Not getting the judgments of quiet title means the property taxes were never legally wiped from the books because there was no property tax foreclosure hearing, which means Detroit wiped its books but Wayne County did not, because that certificate of judgment was never filed, which is what we here in the community of whom are not "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending), like to call stealin' property taxes.
Again, I would like to thank the Editorial Staff at the Detroit Free Press for bringing this special edition for the closing of Child Abuse Propaganda Month by memorializing a pervasive fraud federal fraud scheme in the form of propaganda by demonizing "The Poors" (always said with clinched teeth) or in this instance, "The Squatters" (said with disdain).
Wanna bet there were no taxes on that property? See, it seems this is the part where the "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) did not get their fake quiet title judgment certifications from the court, but you know darn well they billed the Hardest Hit Fund for it. Not getting the judgments of quiet title means the property taxes were never legally wiped from the books because there was no property tax foreclosure hearing, which means Detroit wiped its books but Wayne County did not, because that certificate of judgment was never filed, which is what we here in the community of whom are not "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending), like to call stealin' property taxes.
Again, I would like to thank the Editorial Staff at the Detroit Free Press for bringing this special edition for the closing of Child Abuse Propaganda Month by memorializing a pervasive fraud federal fraud scheme in the form of propaganda by demonizing "The Poors" (always said with clinched teeth) or in this instance, "The Squatters" (said with disdain).
Even
as these issues unfolded, the Detroit Land Bank asked City Council in
June 2017 for permission to sell Bridges up to 200 additional houses, in
batches. The land bank said the foundation had "demonstrated its
ability ... to successfully renovate occupied residential structures in
the City of Detroit." Council agreed, unanimously.
I wonder how many City Council members got houses, or their property taxes wiped, or campaigns funded?
I wonder how many City Council members got houses, or their property taxes wiped, or campaigns funded?
Erica Ward Gerson, chair of the land bank's board, defended Bridges.
"I
believe that they’re succeeding in our goal, which is to allow these
people to stay in their homes or at least to put the homes back into
productive use," she said in an interview.
You know girlfriend was out there front and center defending Bridges, because they were the ones who set it up, because, you know, the board was too busy at the casino, oh, and there is a well documented trail of corporate shape shifting which leads right back to the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
You know girlfriend was out there front and center defending Bridges, because they were the ones who set it up, because, you know, the board was too busy at the casino, oh, and there is a well documented trail of corporate shape shifting which leads right back to the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
Squatter problem to rival them all
In 2013, Mike Duggan campaigned for mayor on a promise to demolish thousands of blighted buildings across Detroit.
Whatever.
Whatever.
After
he took office, he turned to the land bank to help make that happen.
The city transferred thousands of properties in its inventory to the
land bank to clear title issues, sell the houses or demolish them.
"Granpa, what's a city transfer?"
"Why it's special privatization language used by Legal Geniuses (trademark pending) who set up fake authorities, when executing the final stages of a highly sophisticated complex fraud scheme called Public Private Partnerships that has been in the years making to take over the children, the land and the vote, like they did with those Type III transfers under Engler.
Think of a city transfer like a termination of parental rights, same concept...kids, land, votes...it is all fungible because we have were the ones who transferred governmental authority over to ourselves by buying out these cheap ass, washed up politicians who would do anything to get back down to the casino...or who would stab one of their relatives in the back just for the opportunity to help us do more pilfering of the national treasury.
Any other questions, my Grandson?"
"Granpa, what's a city transfer?"
"Why it's special privatization language used by Legal Geniuses (trademark pending) who set up fake authorities, when executing the final stages of a highly sophisticated complex fraud scheme called Public Private Partnerships that has been in the years making to take over the children, the land and the vote, like they did with those Type III transfers under Engler.
Think of a city transfer like a termination of parental rights, same concept...kids, land, votes...it is all fungible because we have were the ones who transferred governmental authority over to ourselves by buying out these cheap ass, washed up politicians who would do anything to get back down to the casino...or who would stab one of their relatives in the back just for the opportunity to help us do more pilfering of the national treasury.
Any other questions, my Grandson?"
The Wayne County treasurer also began transferring tax-foreclosed properties to the land bank.
Detroit Home showing up for court |
As of late March, the land bank estimated it owned more than 3,600 structures with people living inside. Overall, including vacant houses, the land bank owns more than 31,000 structures across the city.
You know why there are still people residing in these homes? "The Squatters" (said with disdain) probably grew up in these homes and had no idea their homes were being "city transferred" to the Wayne County Treasurer because there is a strong probability the Detroit Land Bank Authority in that special Columbo court, just rubber stamped defaults to quiet title actions because the house, I mean the actual brick and mortar building, itself, was served and never showed up for court because the occupants were never notified.
I have always wanted to see a house walk into a court room!
Officials
who work with land banks say Detroit's squatter problem could be
the biggest in the country. The land bank's inventory of occupied
properties is likely the largest, in part because many land banks do not
take occupied structures.
That is a blatant lie. ^^^^ documented!
That is a blatant lie. ^^^^ documented!
So Gerson said the land
bank drew up its plan for occupied structures "out of whole cloth" and
"shopped it to a bunch of different nonprofits."
The "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) from the Detroit Land Bank Authority, more than likely Perkins Coie, which sucks, if I have not recently reminded my audiences, came up with this fake tax crap.
Who they hell gave them blanket authority to come up with some crap like this that is sponsored by a few of "The Elected Ones" of Detroit, to transfer authority to levy taxes without a damn vote to a fake, unincorporated, authority, that is private, with no oversight and no civil rights?
You know darn well the Board of the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan Members were too busy at the casinos to even come up with this stuff.
Girl, you really need to get an attorney when it comes to making public statements like this.
The "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) from the Detroit Land Bank Authority, more than likely Perkins Coie, which sucks, if I have not recently reminded my audiences, came up with this fake tax crap.
Who they hell gave them blanket authority to come up with some crap like this that is sponsored by a few of "The Elected Ones" of Detroit, to transfer authority to levy taxes without a damn vote to a fake, unincorporated, authority, that is private, with no oversight and no civil rights?
You know darn well the Board of the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan Members were too busy at the casinos to even come up with this stuff.
Girl, you really need to get an attorney when it comes to making public statements like this.
"They
all said, 'this is too hard. This is too heavy a lift. We don’t see
that this is something we can take on,' " Gerson said.
They all saw the massive fraud scheme. Keep it real, girl.
They all saw the massive fraud scheme. Keep it real, girl.
Not the Black Caucus. In 2015, the foundation and land
bank signed the first of several agreements that allowed its
subsidiary, Bridges to Homeownership, to buy occupied properties for
$1,000 each (and later, $1,500).
Because you knew they did not have a freaking clue of what was going on. I should know. One of them asked me for advice. Guess who.
Because you knew they did not have a freaking clue of what was going on. I should know. One of them asked me for advice. Guess who.
A for-profit
company, Realty Services, has a contract to run day-to-day operations
for the program. It pays the Black Caucus Foundation a fee "per sale
transaction," according to documents Bridges filed in an eviction case
in 36th District Court.
"We are not aware of the
details of any business arrangements between the Black Caucus Foundation
and RSC, nor do we need to be," Gerson said in an e-mail. "Our
agreement is with the Black Caucus Foundation/Bridges to Homeownership."
^^^^^ Statement duly noted into the record that you just contradicted yourself in this article. Thank you, again, Editorial Staff of the Detroit Free Press.
^^^^^ Statement duly noted into the record that you just contradicted yourself in this article. Thank you, again, Editorial Staff of the Detroit Free Press.
Black caucus makes a pitch
I am going to intentionally skip over this entire section, detailing one property ratline of the fraud scheme for the simple fact that former Michigan Senator Bert Johnson more than likely sang like a canary, with Adam Hollier following close behind.
FUN FACT! TWO BLOCKS OF MCCLEAN IN HIGHLAND PARK HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE WAYNE COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS.
Andrew Munro, a lawyer from Birmingham and chairman of Realty Services, helped create Bridges to Homeownership, which was incorporated with the managing director of the Black Caucus after the nonprofit signed its first deal with the land bank.
FUN FACT! TWO BLOCKS OF MCCLEAN IN HIGHLAND PARK HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE WAYNE COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS.
Andrew Munro, a lawyer from Birmingham and chairman of Realty Services, helped create Bridges to Homeownership, which was incorporated with the managing director of the Black Caucus after the nonprofit signed its first deal with the land bank.
After
spending a couple of years handling mortgage foreclosures in the
private sector, Munro said he designed the program to help
Detroiters struggling with affordable housing. Bridges spends about
$48,000 to $55,000 per house when it does the renovations, a figure that
does not include administrative costs, he said.
The
land bank has more than 200 "community partners" who can buy up to nine
houses a year without City Council approval. But none has access to 400
houses like the politically connected foundation.
Former
state Rep. Alma Stallworth founded the group. One of her two sons, K.B.
Stallworth, was managing director but recently retired after inquiries
from the Free Press for this article. His wife, Nicole Stallworth, is
executive director.
K.B. Stallworth also served in the Legislature — but
at that time went by Keith Stallworth. K.B. is also the Keith Stallworth
who pleaded guilty to a felony in federal court in 2003. He was accused
of helping a gang launder money through a Detroit strip club he owned,
according to Free Press reports at the time.
The
Black Caucus website lists state Sen. Virgil Smith and state Reps. Brian
Banks and Bert Johnson as board members. None is still in the
Legislature and all have felony convictions.
The
Black Caucus told City Council it is a nonprofit dedicated to public
policy analysis and direct service that "focuses on life quality
advances for urban, disadvantaged, poor and minority constituencies."
Okay, just one small comment. Have you seen their privatization policies?
Okay, just one small comment. Have you seen their privatization policies?
According
to its 2015 federal tax return, the most recent available, the
foundation's mission is to "decrease usage of drugs and alcohol among
youth." That year, Alma Stallworth earned $18,000, Nicole Stallworth,
$47,294.
The Black Caucus did not mention any
experience in real estate or development in its letter seeking council
approval to buy occupied houses from the land bank. But that wasn't a
deal breaker.
"We were less worried about that
because this is a different deal," Gerson said. "There are people around
here who are very successful in real estate who could never handle an
occupied property. So what we did was we ran a test. We gave them four
properties and said you have to prove to us that the renovation is going
to be quality, that you don’t fall down on the finances, that you
provide the housing counseling we required. ... And that was the way we
due-diligenced them."
And the result of that small
experiment? The occupants of two of the houses moved out. The occupants
of the other two are buying the properties on land contracts. One is
paying $57,000; the other $72,000.
"I know that we do everything we possibly can to keep people in" the houses, Munro said. "Our success rate is fairly high."
Land
contracts may be used to sell property to buyers with less than good
credit who wouldn't qualify for a conventional mortgage and when the
seller does not need the entire purchase price up front.
Under
a land contract, the buyer can occupy the property as long as the
required payments are made.
After the last payment, the buyer gets the deed and holds legal title to the property. If the buyer fails to pay, the seller can take back the house.
After the last payment, the buyer gets the deed and holds legal title to the property. If the buyer fails to pay, the seller can take back the house.
In five cases,
the Free Press found, Bridges began evictions against the occupants
before it had the deed to the houses, according to records from 36th
District Court and the Wayne County Register of Deeds.
The
occupants of all five are gone, land bank records show. Bridges sold
two of those houses to developers and a third to a man in New York.
Who is this mysterious New York man? Did he, perhaps, go through the New York Bank of Mellon?
Who is this mysterious New York man? Did he, perhaps, go through the New York Bank of Mellon?
The land bank's Gerson said the evictions should not have happened that way.
They should not have happened at all; they were fraudulent.
They should not have happened at all; they were fraudulent.
"Our
view is that legally, you are not permitted to evict from property that
we own. They didn’t have the property. ... Our view is that we don’t
allow anyone to evict anyone until after they have legal title and by
the way, we made that explicitly clear" in a December 2017 agreement
with Bridges, Gerson said. Bridges has not filed to evict since signing
the agreement.
You do not own anything. The Detroit Land Bank Authority, which was dissolved in the Michigan Court of Claims as an LLC, was the only legal authority that could enter into any agreement be it financial or legal, and I got the certificate of judgment to prove it.
Thanks Bill Schuette. Smooches...
You do not own anything. The Detroit Land Bank Authority, which was dissolved in the Michigan Court of Claims as an LLC, was the only legal authority that could enter into any agreement be it financial or legal, and I got the certificate of judgment to prove it.
Thanks Bill Schuette. Smooches...
Monologue, no questions
The
Free Press spoke with Black Caucus and Realty Services officials in
February at a Realty Services building on West 7 Mile in Detroit. Alma
Stallworth opened the meeting by reading a prepared statement that
touched on her 21 years in the Legislature, and various programs that
serve children and the community.
As she finished, K.B. Stallworth addressed her.
"Permission
to speak, Queen Mother?" he asked. He then launched into a
20-minute monologue about the foundation's many contributions to the
world, including teaching life skills to children.
Child welfare fraud schemes.
Child welfare fraud schemes.
"I wish the rowing was not so difficult," Stallworth said. Then, he left the building, without taking questions.
Foundation President Michael Aaron did not respond to later requests for comment.
Munro,
in a separate interview, defended the actions, pointing to Bridges'
agreement with the land bank that allowed it to use "any and all legal
methods" to evict occupants. But Bridges was not supposed to remove
occupants without first giving the land bank five days advance notice in
writing.
The land bank said written notice was not provided in those five evictions and two others.
Munro said the evictions were discussed in meetings and noted in spreadsheets shared by Bridges and the land bank.
"Oral
notification is OK because they knew about all of these and they've
never objected until you got involved," Munro told the Free Press. "My
understanding is that there were spreadsheets that went back and forth
that indicated the status of all of the addresses."
TRANSLATION: THEY DID NOT HAVE A CLUE ON WHAT WAS GOING ON...Blackjack...we have a winner!
TRANSLATION: THEY DID NOT HAVE A CLUE ON WHAT WAS GOING ON...Blackjack...we have a winner!
Some houses flipped
Bridges
also flipped eight properties for thousands of dollars more than it
paid for the houses, according to records from the Wayne County Register
of Deeds.
Take a house on Bishop on Detroit's east
side. Bridges bought the two-story colonial with a sagging gutter and
damage to the brick exterior in August 2017 for $1,000. It sold the
property last November for $30,000 to IDG Holdings of Miami.
Who financed this and have they filed for quiet title to wipe the mortgage, yet?
Who financed this and have they filed for quiet title to wipe the mortgage, yet?
IDG began evicting the occupant in January. On
a recent day, she told the Free Press no repairs had been done to the
house, and that she has agreed to move. She declined additional
comment.
Then
there's a house on Murray Hill. Bridges bought it for $1,000 in March
2017. Two months later, Realty Services Company, on behalf of the Black
Caucus and Bridges, sold the house to Talfred Waire of Southfield for
$12,500. Within days, Waire sold the house for $19,000.
Tasha
Hervey, who lived nearby, said she had asked the land bank whether she
could buy the house for herself and her two children, but was told it
wasn't for sale.
The Detroit Land Bank Authority does this all the time. They always give first pick of the best to their friends and investors, just ask Adam Hollier and those other individuals on the Board of the Boston-Edson-Arden Park Association.
"I
saved it from getting broken into," she said. "They promised me they
would give me a chance to buy it but they never gave me the chance."
This week, the house sat vacant.
In another case, Bridges bought a house on St Marys
from the land bank in March 2017 for $1,000, then sold it to a company
called Invest Detroit in July for $26,000. Five months later, Invest
Detroit sold the house for $53,596 to a company called Investuru.
Both
companies that bought that house share the same suite with IDG Holdings
on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. An official reached by phone declined
comment.
I believe you might want to talk to Debbie Wasserman Schultz & Donna Shalala about this one.
I believe you might want to talk to Debbie Wasserman Schultz & Donna Shalala about this one.
Gerson said Bridges described its buyers as “partners that are providing services like contractors."
A house that Bridges sold to a developer for $33,000 was resold earlier this year to a California couple for $110,000.
You may want to talk to Nancy Pelosi about this issue.
You may want to talk to Nancy Pelosi about this issue.
Munro
did not answer questions about how much money Bridges put into specific
homes the Free Press inquired about, but said: "As a company, we have
lost money every year of operation."
In December,
the land bank began prohibiting Bridges from selling houses to third
parties until the houses had been rehabilitated. Regarding the houses
that already had been flipped, Gerson said the buyers are
successfully completing the required repairs.
But safely? Not always, the Free Press found.
On a warm February afternoon, the Free Press found a
crew working on a two-story house on St Marys that IDG purchased from
Bridges for $25,500. Two men were on the roof, prying off the shingles.
They had no fall protection.
The workers had no fall protections which means they were not licensed contractors and did not pull permits.
You know Pookie and Ray Ray needed some side work and it was a good cover up to submit some fraudulent billing so they could scrape a few bucks to go to the casino.
(Pookie and Ray Ray are based on your local handyman lovable characters who are just trying to keep a roof over their head because they are probably hit with child support and lots of legal fines that stop them from getting a job, of which there are no jobs in Detroit for them.)
The workers had no fall protections which means they were not licensed contractors and did not pull permits.
You know Pookie and Ray Ray needed some side work and it was a good cover up to submit some fraudulent billing so they could scrape a few bucks to go to the casino.
(Pookie and Ray Ray are based on your local handyman lovable characters who are just trying to keep a roof over their head because they are probably hit with child support and lots of legal fines that stop them from getting a job, of which there are no jobs in Detroit for them.)
"That's an injury or
fatality waiting to happen," said Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, a professor of
medicine at Michigan State University who studies occupational and
environmental injuries. Falls are a leading cause of death among
construction workers and can be prevented with safety equipment.
The workers declined to speak to the Free Press.
No one was bonded and everyone had Medicaid.
No one was bonded and everyone had Medicaid.
On
Fairmount, a house that IDG Holdings bought from Bridges in December
for $14,500 has a broken front window, a little lion statue in the front
yard and an occupant — Reginal Murphy.
Murphy was sitting on his front porch when the Free Press stopped by.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked.
A Free Press reporter told him the house had changed hands several times.
"That's way out of my jurisdiction," he said.
Murphy
said he thought his sister owned the house. He said he is on Social
Security and suffered a head injury in a car accident. He asked whether
he could pose for a Free Press photographer.
Standing on the front lawn, he declared: "Olympics. Korea. Karate." Then he did a little dance.
What was the purpose of these two sentences? Are we engaging in more squatter-shaming behaviors Editorial Staff of the Detroit Free Press? When one is a victim of fraud, where everything thing, including a legacy, has been snatched from a dream, life becomes much more precious by just living in the moment, right before they treat you like one of "Those Squatters" (said with disdain) right before they start calling you homeless.
What was the purpose of these two sentences? Are we engaging in more squatter-shaming behaviors Editorial Staff of the Detroit Free Press? When one is a victim of fraud, where everything thing, including a legacy, has been snatched from a dream, life becomes much more precious by just living in the moment, right before they treat you like one of "Those Squatters" (said with disdain) right before they start calling you homeless.
Land Bank catches criticism
The land bank shares the blame for its squatters' troubles.
Because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is a fake corporation that stole these properties.
Because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is a fake corporation that stole these properties.
Under
a second program known as Buyback, certain squatters can purchase their
properties, as is, for $1,000. The land bank admits it failed to inform
some of them, including the occupants of the first houses sold to
Bridges, that Bridges wasn't their only option.
The
land bank said it has no record of successfully contacting the
occupants of 13 houses sold to Bridges. The land bank changed its
procedures in May 2017 to require that squatters be contacted about the
buyback option before their houses are sold to Bridges.
I told you, they contact the property, not the occupants. Duh.
I told you, they contact the property, not the occupants. Duh.
Carl Payne and Rachel Yancey were among those who missed out.
No, they were crossed off.
No, they were crossed off.
The
couple bought their house on Ilene in 2010 at the Wayne County
treasurer's tax-foreclosure auction for $3,005. But they were unable to
pay the taxes and lost the home in 2014. They remained in the house.
Oh, "Those Squatters" (said with disdain)!
Oh, "Those Squatters" (said with disdain)!
In
late 2015, Payne said he noticed someone taking photos of the house.
K.B. Stallworth introduced himself and "said he worked for some
organization that helps people in the community save their homes."
Payne
said Stallworth's pitch sounded good. The house needed repairs,
including a new roof. Yancey said Bridges gave them two options:
leave and they would get $900 toward their moving expenses
— cash-for-keys — or stay and let Bridges do the repairs and sell them
the house.
These cash-for-keys signs are all over the off ramps of freeways, Livernois, Seven Mile, Gratiot, etc.
These cash-for-keys signs are all over the off ramps of freeways, Livernois, Seven Mile, Gratiot, etc.
In January 2016, they signed a lease and
began paying $850 a month in rent as Bridges began renovations. That
June, a lawyer working with Realty Services sought to close the sale to
Payne and Yancey.
Oooooo....casino money!
Oooooo....casino money!
According to the purchase
agreement, Bridges would sell the house for $57,000 on a land contract
with an 8.5% interest rate and monthly payments of about $830. Munro
said Bridges had put $63,000 into the house.
On paper, that is (giggles).
On paper, that is (giggles).
Yancey
said she and her husband didn't go through with the purchase because
the house had a mice infestation and plumbing problems that caused raw
sewage to bubble up in the basement. They stopped paying rent and were
evicted that September.
Their marriage, they said, crumbled under the stress.
"We separated," Payne said. "I was living with a friend, homeless for a while. It was crazy."
"Having to vacate the home, we eventually just had to go our separate ways because we had nowhere to go together," Yancey said.
Since
the eviction, Yancey said, she and her children, who now attend a new
school, are living in the basement of a family friend's home.
"Those Squatters" (said with disdain) get what they deserve, right, U.S. Department of Justice?
"Those Squatters" (said with disdain) get what they deserve, right, U.S. Department of Justice?
Yancey and Payne said no one from the land bank told them about the buyback option.
Gerson,
the land bank's chair, said the program was developed in late 2015 and
was initially offered only to "people ... who called us up."
Ssssshhhh....it never existed......
Ssssshhhh....it never existed......
Land bank records show that Yancey did
contact the land bank in 2015 asking how she could stay in the house.
She was told there were no guarantees but "it will be taken into
consideration that she's been living there."
But in May 2016, the land bank sold the house to Bridges.
Someone must have hit that night at the casino because the Detroit Land Bank Authority does not have a bank account to cash any checks. I wonder if they take casino chips for homes. (Bookmark that for a new program to pitch.)
Someone must have hit that night at the casino because the Detroit Land Bank Authority does not have a bank account to cash any checks. I wonder if they take casino chips for homes. (Bookmark that for a new program to pitch.)
"I definitely feel betrayed," Payne said.
Yancey
recalled Stallworth's visit to the home, when Stallworth talked about
helping to revitalize the tree-lined neighborhood of brick houses.
"I
kind of feel like they sent the African-American guy because we’re like
an urban community so I felt like they sent him out to communicate with
us first just because we would take to him easier and really not ask a
lot of questions because, you know, the way he talked and presented
himself, we thought it was a reputable organization. So because we
couldn’t contact the land bank, or we tried to and weren’t getting any
feedback, you know, we’re like OK, the Black Caucus organization, we’re
assuming he’s trying to help, so that’s what we went with."
The proper terminology for this particular planned event is called "throwing the casino token under the bus" by keeping them "Fat, Dumb. and Happy" while the fraud scheme evolved.
The proper terminology for this particular planned event is called "throwing the casino token under the bus" by keeping them "Fat, Dumb. and Happy" while the fraud scheme evolved.
Relationships strained
Bridges,
in turn, has accused the land bank of undercutting its efforts by not
selling it enough houses, according to e-mails obtained by the Free
Press between Munro, Gerson, Stallworth and a land bank lawyer.
Hey Free Press, how did you "obtain" these emails? Care to share with the DOJ?
Hey Free Press, how did you "obtain" these emails? Care to share with the DOJ?
In
an August 2016 court filing in the Payne-Yancey eviction, Bridges
predicted it would acquire 200 houses in its first year and at "full
scale, the program will seek to acquire and sell up to 1,800 homes
annually."
But privately, three months earlier,
Munro had complained in a series of e-mails to the land bank that it was
not living up to the terms of their deal.
He
requested a meeting and wrote that the land bank had not transferred any
homes to Bridges in more than seven months, according to e-mail
exchanges with Gerson and the land bank lawyer.
"The viability of BTHO is being jeopardized by our inability to get homes," he wrote.
In
another e-mail that day, he added: "The financial consequences of the
DLBA's nonfeasance are not yet irreparable, but are on the verge of
becoming so. If consequences become irreparable, our conversation
becomes very different."
Hey, wait a minute, I had Michigan LARA certification to operate under the name DLBA, not them. Oooooo, I'm telling.....oh, wait, I already did.
Hey, wait a minute, I had Michigan LARA certification to operate under the name DLBA, not them. Oooooo, I'm telling.....oh, wait, I already did.
Gerson replied: Munro's "hostile demand" was endangering the land bank's relationship with K.B. Stallworth.
"I
would be personally very distressed to see your attempted intimidation
tactics destroy what he and I have worked so hard to build."
In
a follow-up e-mail, Munro said he had raised capital from investors to
buy and renovate houses based on his agreement with the land bank, but
the land bank hadn't even given him a list of available properties.
"Today, I began laying off employees and am faced with the decision to return investors' money," he told Gerson.
K.B.
Stallworth also weighed in, writing to the land bank that Bridges was
having trouble getting a "good list" of occupied properties it could
purchase. The land bank's lists had properties it didn't even own, that
were not occupied, or didn't have a structure on them.
Stallworth said the land bank needed to make his program "a high enough priority to get us properties to work on."
Stallworth added that he had asked Munro to "stand down" from additional communication.
He's happy, others aren't
Since
signing its first agreement with the land bank in 2015, Bridges has
reached additional deals that have allowed it to purchase vacant
properties and rehab them. In all, Bridges has purchased 46 vacant and
occupied houses from the land bank and one side lot.
Of
that total, it sold seven houses to couples and individuals at prices
ranging from $69,000 to $92,500. It sold another house to a man living
in New York for $15,000 who handled the repairs and said he plans to
live there when his family comes from Yemen.
According to Bridges, renovations have been completed at 15 houses and work is under way at two others.
Word on the streets are that the renovations done by cousin Pookie and Ray Ray are quite shoddy, and probably not even up to code.
Word on the streets are that the renovations done by cousin Pookie and Ray Ray are quite shoddy, and probably not even up to code.
For Muhtasib Dirul-Islam, Bridges was a lifesaver. He
and his wife lost their home on Ohio Street to tax foreclosure in 2014.
At the time, they were divorcing and money was tight after he lost his
job cooking for an Oakland County country club. He couldn't keep up with
the repairs, including a leaky roof.
After the divorce, she moved out and he stayed, becoming a squatter.
Oh, "Those Squatters, (said with disdain), such pesky creatures.
Oh, "Those Squatters, (said with disdain), such pesky creatures.
Things
were so dire then that Chef Taz, as he's known, was catering out of his
house and delivering food from the trunk of his car. His credit was
shot.
"It was a rough time in my life," he said on a
recent afternoon in the building on Fenkell where he runs his
restaurant, SumThingGood, alongside a mobile phone shop, a check-cashing
business and an insurance agency.
Bridges gave his two-story brick house a new roof, windows, kitchen, central heating — a complete makeover.
"My house looks amazing," he said. "It's one of the nicest houses on the block now."
Dirul-Islam is buying the house on a land contract for $72,000. He's paying 8.5% interest and has monthly payments of $1,000.
"For
me, it lined up perfectly," said Chef Taz, who bills his restaurant
as the King of the Turkey Chop. "I was looking to earn something off the
sweat of my brow."
But two other families who bought vacant houses from Bridges had a very different experience.
Lori and Levan Adams said they decided to buy their house from Bridges
partly because it was affiliated with the Black Caucus Foundation.
"When I saw it on the website, I’m like, 'it’s gotta be reputable,' " Lori said.
They bought it, hook, line and sinker. Nowadays, all you need is a website, an email, a cute poor kid and you are off an running a fraud scheme, and I bet there are some deeper, more nefarious fraud schemes dealing with political campaign finance and other stuff like that.
They bought it, hook, line and sinker. Nowadays, all you need is a website, an email, a cute poor kid and you are off an running a fraud scheme, and I bet there are some deeper, more nefarious fraud schemes dealing with political campaign finance and other stuff like that.
She's
buying the two-story house for $92,500 on a land contract. She said
that for that price, she was supposed to get a vinyl privacy fence so
they could let their dog, Chance (as in Chance the Rapper), run around
unleashed. Bridges offered the couple $3,500 toward the fence, but Levan
Adams said it could cost twice that.
"I'm very
pissed off," said Levan Adams, standing next to his Silverado pickup,
wearing a Detroit Bad Boys cap and smoking a cigar.
"I got a big ol' Rottweiler in the basement," he said. "I'm pissed. My wife is pissed. You feel like you got shafted."
Another
issue: Bridges built a railing around a second-story balcony and
encased the railing with flimsy wooden lattice panels more often seen
around deck foundations, they said. One of the panels has fallen.
Lori Adams said she won't allow their daughters on the balcony because she doesn't think it's safe.
The
couple moved to Detroit from Roseville because they wanted to be a part
of the city's comeback.
She works at MotorCity Casino; he is a detective with the Detroit Police Department.
Someone was hustling at the casino, must have been a bad night at the blackjack table. They used their elected offices for personal inurement,
She works at MotorCity Casino; he is a detective with the Detroit Police Department.
Someone was hustling at the casino, must have been a bad night at the blackjack table. They used their elected offices for personal inurement,
"We could have stayed in the suburbs," Levan said. "But I'm a firm believer that you should police where you live."
Lori said her family could have helped promote Bridges. But not now.
"If
this program ran smoothly it would be a good program ... for people
like me and my husband, who are working people, who are trying to
rebuild credit and live in a home in the city."
They hustled a Detroit Police Officer. That is just out cold.
They hustled a Detroit Police Officer. That is just out cold.
Ricky and Denise Sailes are also buying their house on
Robson from Bridges on a land contract. Bridges got it for $1,000.
County records indicate the couple is paying $70,000 but they say their
cost is actually $72,000.
The newlyweds (they were
married in June 2017) say they can't use their master bedroom because
there's no heat on the second floor. The garage has a new door, but
the walls are rotted and when he touches the garage, Ricky said, "it
actually moves."
"I ain’t going to say a strong gust of wind is going to bring it down but I could push it down," Ricky said.
The
couple said they moved into the house in March 2017 and, at first,
it looked great. But it wasn't long before doors started coming off
the hinges and the basement flooded with sewage.
They said Bridges told them it would put a bathroom in the basement but ran out of money to build it.
Ricky
and Denise share the home with three dogs named after high-fashion
houses — Prada, Fendi and Chanel. Denise said she worries she and Ricky
made a bad decision. She's not sure how much money Bridges put into the
house.
"But to sell it to us for $72,000 with one
bathroom, no heat upstairs. It’s a lot," Denise said. "They keep
spinning me. I’ve called Mr. Stallworth; he hasn’t returned my calls. I
just want to know, 'is this legit, is we going to be in this house until
we pay it off or is this some scam going on where in five years we
going to be homeless, lose all our money?' That’s all we want to know.
Is it legit?"
To my most dearest #Superfans, please make it stop. Please.
To my most dearest #Superfans, please make it stop. Please.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
5 comments:
Meet my newest, brave trollie troll. Her cognitive abilities are challenged, so be kind. https://www.youtube.com/user/loraliesmith
I pinned and hearted her comment.
"Why would this person think she can get away with this? Like the World owes her a free house to live in. What a piece of crap."
Feel free to jump into the chat and make her a superstar!
https://youtu.be/KBVnFtdrnz0
FUN FACT!A squatter cannot vote because they legally do not live there. The vote is not tallied because it is disqualified in the absentee application process, but the City clerk will never tell you because she is probably at the casino, but, hey, what do I know?
March 6, 2003
CONTACT: GINA BALAYA (313) 226-9758
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
A former State Representative and current Wayne County Commissioner, who once owned and operated an adult entertainment establishment, pleaded guilty today to deliberately causing the filing of a false currency transaction report with the Internal Revenue Service, announced Acting United States Attorney Alan Gershel.
Keith Stallworth, 46, of Detroit, entered his guilty plea to a one-count federal Information alleging he structured a financial transaction to evade federal currency reporting requirements. The plea was entered before United States District Judge John Corbett O'Meara.
Gershel was joined in today's announcement by Mark Kroczynski, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.
According to the Superseding Information, on or about March 16, 1998, Keith Stallworth caused Michigan National Bank to file with the Internal Revenue Service a currency transaction report which contained a misrepresentation of material facts. Specifically, the currency transaction report failed to disclose the true source of $20,000 in United States Currency that was used to purchase four cashier's checks, but instead falsely identified another individual as the owner of the currency.
Defendant Stallworth was indicted on June 27, 2001, along with 13 other individuals on charges of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances and with Money Laundering. In exchange for his guilty plea to the felony currency transaction offense the government has agreed to dismiss the more serious offense to which Mr. Stallworth was charged.
Stallworth will be sentenced by Judge O'Meara on a date set by the court. He will remain free on bond pending sentencing.
Stallworth faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Under the terms of the plea agreement Stallworth is looking at a possible 7 month term of imprisonment a term of supervised release, a fine and a $100 special assessment.
The sentence will be imposed under the United States Sentence Guidelines according to the nature of the offense and the criminal background, if any, of the defendant.
Special Agent Kroczynski stated, "Mr. Stallworth knowingly, willfully, and for the purposes of evading the reporting requirements of Michigan National Bank caused a Currency Transaction Report, which contained misrepresentations on who actually owned the currency, to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service. This is not a technical violation, but an intentional criminal violation of federal law, ment to hide the identity of the owner, who obtained the money through illegal activities, from the Internal Revenue Service. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation does not refer technical violations for criminal prosecutions."
Gershel commended the agents of the IRS, FBI, DEA and Detroit Police Department.
Andrew Munro
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-j-munro-6772aa9
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