Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Straw Buyer Sues Tax Preparer For Leaving Her Holding The Bag On Pair Of $2M Homes

In Hamilton County, Ohio, The Enquirer reports:
  • Francisca Webster owns two multi-million dollar Homearama houses in Mason and a third expensive house in Maineville, but she’s never lived in them and can’t afford to pay one month’s mortgage, much less the 40-year loans she got for the houses. So, how does a middle-class woman – who is so broke she can barely afford the Westwood house she really lives in – wind up owning $5 million in houses? Lies, fraud and scams, Webster claims.

  • In a lawsuit in Hamilton County, she insists she was scammed into helping her tax preparer in a scheme that left him with lots of money and her fighting for her financial life. Webster had her taxes done for years by Eric Duke. As he prepared her 2006 taxes, Webster’s suit alleges, she mentioned how her job was being eliminated and she had $70,000 in debt. Duke told her he could help her eliminate that debt if she went into business with him.

For the rest of the story, see Three top-end houses, no money.