Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Boston Prosecutor: Local Man Talked Two Elderly Siblings Into Appointing Him As Their Personal Representative, Then Proceeded To Sell Their Longtime Family Home Out From Under Them & Pocket The Loot

In Boston, Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reports:
  • The duplex on Sanford Street in Dorchester is dingy and battered, but it was the prized possession of Andrew and Margaret Williams, and the home the brother and sister inherited when their mother and siblings died.

    But now a 27-year-old Dorchester man is facing charges that he betrayed the siblings’ trust and sold their home to keep almost the entire profit — $117,000 — for himself.

    Kyle Pam pleaded not guilty in Boston Municipal Court Thursday to charges of embezzlement, perjury, larceny over $250 against the elderly or disabled, and money laundering. But his family, who arrived to the courtroom in droves to support him, said the case is a legal misunderstanding and could be resolved in civil court.

    Pam was held on $10,000 cash bail and is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Dec. 3.

    Prosecutor Andrew Doherty said Pam convinced the Williams siblings, who are both 68, to name him the personal representative of their estate after promising to make them a fortune. Doherty alleged that Pam then falsified court documents to sell the Williams’ home to his girlfriend, Jasmin Deangelo, for $140,000. Deangelo then allegedly sold the home for $92,000 more than the original price to a third party.

    Doherty alleged that Deangelo transferred the funds from the second sale to Pam’s bank account, which turned him a $117,000 profit.

    Margaret Williams is now homeless and Edward Williams has moved to Maine, according to court documents. Prosecutors said that Pam offered to give the siblings less than $5,000 in compensation.

    Neither Margaret nor Edward Williams could be reached for comment

    [Pam] didn’t just steal someone’s inheritance, but he stole someone’s home,” Doherty said in court. “This man made a woman homeless and lied about it to the court.”

    Pam’s lawyer, Rudy Miller, disputed the allegations. He said Pam is a graduate of University Massachusetts-Dartmouth with a degree in economics, whose family has worked in Boston real estate for decades.

    Miller said Pam went through the proper process to become the Williams’s legal representative and that he worked with a real estate lawyer throughout the sale of the Dorchester home.

    The case, according to Miller, belonged in civil court.

    “He was the representative of the estate, who now wants more than they received at closing. This is a civil matter,” Miller said. “He disputes any allegations of fraud.”

    Miller also took issue with prosecutors’ request for a $50,000 cash bail.

    Pam turned himself into police immediately after his lawyer learned of the criminal charges, and has no previous criminal record, Miller said.

    “It’s highly inappropriate,” Miller said of Doherty’s bail request.

    Municipal C0urt Judge Peter Coyne eventually decided on a $10,000 bail, with conditions that Pam stay away from the siblings and take no action as their personal representative.

    Pam remains the legal guardian while the case is pending, lawyers said.
    The parties are also involved in a civil dispute regarding the sale of the home.

    Pam’s father, brother, two sisters, a niece, and a nephew attended the hearing. Some wept during the proceedings. “You are innocent until proven guilty and my son is innocent,” said his father, Rolando Pam. “He’s a wonderful young man, he’s the best and brightest.” The father, who has practiced real estate in Boston for 30 years, said he also believes the case belongs in civil court.

    Charise Pam, Kyle’s 23-year-old sister, said she wished people knew a different side of her brother. “He’s goofy, he’s smart, he’s intelligent,” Pam said. “It’s just tough to see him like this.”

    Doherty said Boston police have seized $80,000 in Pam’s bank accounts. In court, Doherty said Pam knew “full well” what he was doing to the Williams.

    A personal representative for an estate has “an extraordinary amount of power and an extraordinary amount of responsibility,” Doherty said.

    Pam’s father said his son knows the business and will fight the charges. “He won’t run from this,” Pam said, regarding his son’s court case. “Only criminals run.”