Monday, October 31, 2011

Cobb County Cops Ramp Up Heat In Probe Into Suspected Vacant Foreclosed Home Hijacking Racket; Say There Could Be Hundreds Of Victims

In Cobb County, Georgia, WSB-TV Channel 2 reports:
  • Cobb County police say there could be hundreds of victims involved in a foreclosure leasing business first uncovered by Channel 2 Action News. Investigators said John Harris broke into homes across metro Atlanta, changed the locks and then leased them.


  • Channel 2's Craig Lucie broke the story and detectives told him this could be a massive investigation. Lucie has tracked down 12 victims, including Kimber Taylor of Austell. Taylor told Lucie she just found out about Harris' arrest and said things seem odd from the beginning.

***

  • Cobb County police said that's how many people who have done business with New Life Granted find out they're not a customer, but a victim. Investigators said Harris and New Life's staff would find homes before they went into foreclosure, change the locks, lease them, pocket thousands and they have been doing it for months.


  • "We believe that there are going to be possibly hundreds of victims," Sgt. Larry White with the Cobb County Police Department told Lucie. The victims are in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Fulton, Cobb, Clayton and Carol counties.

For more, see Police: Man renting foreclosed home could have hundreds of victims.