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Category Archives: QFCA
Another HOA Crime in Vegas
And this one, my friends, is being committed by a Federal Judge and a US Attorney. The hundred million dollar HOA scam that led to 43 federal convictions in Las Vegas is over. But the judge has ordered all the records from that scam and prosecution to be sealed.
As a reporter I spent a lifetime getting official records unsealed. When things are sealed, there are usually some dirty secrets in those records that make public officials not want to be accountable to the public they serve. This particular sealing of records is incredibly suspicious because of all the public officials who were involved. In the beginning of this investigation there were plenty of hints that one or more Nevada judges was involved. There was also suspicion about a ‘high up’ national political figure who had his fingers in the pie.
As long as these records remain sealed, there will be suspicions that U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. is intentionally covering up something in his own ranks or his fellow judges. Too many people were hurt by this scam. Too many people lost their life savings and their homes. They absolutely deserve to know every detail of this investigation just to see how far the stench of corruption traveled. Nevada has a long history of being run by the mob. The voters deserve to know the truth. ALL of the truth.
Once again, kudos for the Las Vegas Review Journal. While the rest of the news media across America decided this story was too complicated to cover, reporter Jeff German published every possible detail. He deserves the Pulitzer!
(link to story of sealed records in the Review-Journal)
HOA Heroine In Massachusetts
I’ve only met her once during a brief luncheon in Denver, but Molly Dunn is one of a growing number of brave people trying to stand up for the rights of homeowners across America.
She testified before the Massachusetts Legislature to try to plead for more help for homeowners who run afoul of their HOAs. She worked with the staff of Massachusetts Senator Dan Wolf. Wolf has been trying to put some teeth into the law that supposedly requires HOA boards and management companies to let homeowners see the books. But many HOA boards and management companies are very reluctant to do so. A possible reason, Molly says, “is that homeowners might recognize inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the records.”
Molly says Senator Wolf and his staff who supported her through her struggle. And Senator Wolf was tenacious. He introduced pro-homeowner legislation four separate times. Molly says he’s retiring next year which is sad because a politician of his good character is rare these days. She asks that people drop him a short thank you note. (Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov)
And here’s the link to the story about the Massachusetts Senate hearing.
‘Diverted’ Money in Colorado Management Company
This one happened right under my nose here in the Denver area. The Denver vicinity, as some of you know, is home to one of the biggest HOA embezzling cases in the country. A management company stole homeowners blind in a largely minority community. But these homeowners were smart enough to catch this jerk. The bitterness, though, never really goes away.
Now there’s another incident, this one in the same part of town. David W. Martin, PMG Enterprises Inc., has had to surrender his state license to manage Homeowners Associations. He may be the first to do so under Colorado’s new licensing law. The law isn’t perfect. It has very few teeth and some appointed state officials who are really out of their league.
For the record, here’s a link to the story in the Denver Business Journal.
(story on David W. Martin allegedly ‘misdirecting’ a few tens of thousands of dollars)
Fight Over Window Blinds In An HOA! Awful!
The daughter of a Nashville family nearly died after accidentally getting a window blind cord wrapped around her neck. But their HOA won’t let them put up safer blinds.
This one is personal to me because a close friend had this happen to his child. His son was playing in the basement standing on a chair pretending the window blind cord was a lasso. My friend heard things suddenly go quiet and went downstairs to check. His son was hanging by the neck, the cord wrapped around his throat. He saved his son and the paramedics took the child to the hospital. He lived. But many others across the country have died.
How does an HOA board have the gall to forbid the use of safer blinds?
(link to Nashville story about the window blind fight)
