Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Greensboro Cops Investigate Local Minister/Self-Proclaimed Homeless Advocate/Ex-Con For Allegedly Running Rent Scams
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Yes! Weekly reports:
A minister and self-professed advocate for the homeless has been accused of defrauding at risk individuals for personal gain, including by two people who said he still owes them money in Greensboro.
Ronnie Lee Chrisp, 48, allegedly posed as a property manager, collecting security deposits and rent from people who trusted him as an advocate. Greensboro police are actively investigating Chrisp, spokesperson Susan Danielsen said.
Chrisp once worked at Urban Ministry and has recently filed for bankruptcy twice.
Roger Fitzgerald, who collects disability, was looking for a new place to live after the house he was living in went into foreclosure. A friend put him in touch with Chrisp, whom he recognized from Urban Ministry. After seeing the apartment Chrisp was offering on Huffman Street, Fitzgerald said he provided proof of income showing how much disability assistance he received monthly, then gave a $200 cash deposit and $675 in rent.
When it came time to move in June 1, Fitzgerald said he couldn’t reach Chrisp. After several excuses from Chrisp, Fitzgerald said he looked up the property owner and found out Chrisp wasn’t authorized to lease the apartment.
After contacting the police, Fitzgerald said Chrisp began to pay him in small amounts of anywhere from $10 to $100. Fitzgerald filed fraud charges and continues to periodically meet Chrisp to receive small payments, which he said totaled less than $300 of the $875 he is owed.
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Jenny Hudson, the office manager at the Interactive Resource Center, a homeless day center, said “quite a few” of the homeless people they serve have had problems with Chrisp.
“Unfortunately he thrived on folks that were at the bottom of the barrel,” Hudson said. “He should be ashamed of himself. It really sickens me to know that there are people out there that will take advantage of somebody so quickly and not even think about the crisis that you’re putting them in.”
Greensboro police are investigating but there are no warrants for his arrest. Danielsen said Chrisp had a lengthy arrest history but that her records didn’t show if he was convicted and said the charges were unrelated to fraud.
Chrisp’s most recent bankruptcy filing was dismissed Aug. 13. His standing trustee Anita Troxler recommended his Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing be dismissed after “the debtor failed to appear at the meeting of creditors on July 23, 2012, and has defaulted in required plan payments as of July 23, 2012,” court documents show.
In 1999, Chrisp was released after a nearly four year prison term for common-law robbery, conspiracy and possession of a firearm by a felon. He had previously served time after being convicted for larceny in 1995.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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