(NOTE: much of the data and researched culled at this post was collected by Lily Miller and Dianna Hill. Much was also lost. I post here as an archivst for the TRUTH-Laura McShane)
Below is information on a DownPaymentAssistance Loan Program that is available for a number of cities in Cuyahaoga County. Call for additional information. 24/7 Info Line 800-686-3600 ext 225 or Contact Tim Bradford[6]
The Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program enables eligible low-and-moderate income homeowners to make repairs and basic home improvements that maintain the quality of their housing and create a positive effect in the surrounding neighborhood.
The Home Weatherization Assistance Program provides free energy efficiency improvements to eligible homeowners and renters in Cuyahoga County, outside the City of Cleveland, at no cost to the household.
Multi-family Housing Bonds are available to nonprofit and for profit developers to purchase, construct, or rehabilitate multi-family housing projects. Housing revenue bonds, if properly structured, are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and, therefore, avoid the costs and time applicable to registration.
The Cuyahoga County Lead Safe Program enables eligible low-and-moderate income homeowners and renters in all 58 Cuyahoga suburbs outside the City of Cleveland to make changes in their homes to provide a lead safe environment for young children.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) was enacted on July 30, 2008 and created the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and appropriated $3.92 billion to be distributed to states and local governments to address the effects of abandoned and foreclosed properties in the nation’s communities. Cuyahoga County received $11.2 million of these funds. The $11.2 million awarded to Cuyahoga County will be used to deal with vacant and foreclosed housing located in 50 suburbs making up the Cuyahoga Urban County. These are the same 50 suburbs in which Development can make housing rehabilitation loans and Municipal Grants.
The Department of Development’s Senior Safety Grant Program was created to assist income eligible senior citizens in preventing slips and falls in the home and to maintain a safe living environment for the aging homeowner.
Resources
Fair Housing
Educational outreach is important for a successful Fair Housing Program. The County conducts and sponsors workshops, training seminars and conferences. The Department contracts with private non-profit agencies to provide the following services: Discrimination Complaint, Insurance Audits, Landlord/Tenant Counseling, Monitors Lending and Local Real Estate Practices, Diversity Opportunity Purchases, and Predatory Lending Prevention.
For individualized assistance we contract with Cleveland Tenants' Organization[13]), Housing Advocates, Inc.[14], and Housing Research and Advocacy Center[15]. For additional Fair Housing services, individuals can call United Way’s First Call for Help at 211.
Don't Borrow Trouble
The goal of the Don't Borrow Trouble[16] campaign is to prevent predatory lending practices by empowering consumers with the knowledge and tools needed to avoid being victimized by predatory lenders.
Down Payment Assistance Program
The Cuyahoga County Down Payment Assistance Program is administered by Neighborhood Housing Services[17] on behalf of the County. Funds are available to income qualified homebuyers for eligible costs including title search, legal fees, and closing costs. Interested individuals can also contact Neighborhood Housing Services directly at 216-458-HOME.
Housing Enhancement Loan Program
County Treasurer Jim Rokakis’s Home Enhancement Loan Program[18] allows homeowners in thirty-three Cuyahoga County communities to borrow money for repairing or remodeling homes at three percentage points below a bank’s market rate for home improvement loans. HELP has no restrictions on a borrower’s income and few limitations on what improvements can be made to a property. Both owner occupied and investment properties are eligible.
Northeast Ohio Coalition for Financial Success
The goal of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for Financial Success[19] is to develop public awareness of financial literacy and advocate for education and participation for all persons in Cuyahoga County through the most effective financial literacy tools and coordination of financial education efforts in order to prevent financial victimization and help people preserve assets, and increase savings to take control of their financial future
Down Payment Assistance Programs
NHSGC provides access to the Cuyahoga County Down Payment Loan Programs that includes the Cuyahoga County Down Payment Assistance Program. The details and qualifications are listed below.
DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE LOAN PROGRAM
(HOME Funds)
Downpayment assistance, in excess of a minimum 3% that a home buyer would be required to provide from their own funds, is available to income qualified first-time home buyers for the purchase of a home in an eligible Cuyahoga County community. The assistance is provided in the form of a deferred mortgage loan (50% forgiven after 5 years of occupancy) that must be used for eligible costs, and it need not be repaid until re-sale or transfer of the property.
The Diversity Opportunity Forgivable Loan provides for the loan to convert into a grant for home buyers that purchase a property in a qualified census tract, in a community that we serve, and who live there for five (5) years. The Vacant/Abandoned Forgivable Loan provides for the loan to convert into a grantfor home buyers that purchase a qualified property, as verified by the local community, in a community that we serve, and who live there for five (5) years. A portion of these funds may be used for repairs
All buyers are required to complete Pre-Purchase Homebuyer Education and Home Maintenance training and counseling from NHS of Greater Cleveland and obtain pre-qualification document, with the certificate of completion dated before any purchase agreement has been signed. Any home sales in process before and/or during the required training and counseling will be deemed ineligible for participation.
Again, please note: if you are under contract and/or have a purchase agreement in place before the dated certificate of completion you are not eligible for this program.
For a printable description of this program click here[20].
Eligible Homes
-Single family, owner-occupied
-Existing houses or new construction
-Property must be occupied by the seller, or vacant for at least 90 days before closing
-Property must be inspected for code violations and for defective paint
-Code violations and defective paint must be corrected before the buyer can take title or occupy the house
Rate, broker fee, origination fee, and points of the first mortgage must not be excessive (not to exceed 2.00% of the first mortgage loan amount) for the type of mortgage obtained by the buyer: conventional, VA or FHA. First mortgage must be fixed with no balloon payment or prepayment penalty allowed.
Maximum Assistance
The maximum amount available is 17% of the sales price or $10,000 whichever is less.
Eligible Households
-Homebuyers may not have owned a home in the past 3 years.
-Homebuyers must occupy the dwelling as their primary residence.
-Homebuyers total household income cannot exceed the limits below and they must be current on all taxes.
Eligible Communities -
Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Bentleyville, Berea, Bratenhal, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Chagrin Falls Township, Cuyahoga Heights, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Gates Mills, Glenwillow, Highland Heights, Highland Hills, Independence, Linndale, Lyndhurst, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Middleburgh Heights, Moreland Hills, Newburgh Heights, North Olmsted, North Randall, North Royalton, Oakwood, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Orange, Parma Heights, Pepper Pike, Richmond Heights, Rocky River, Seven Hills, Shaker Heights, Solon, South Euclid, Strongsville, University Heights, Valley View, Walton Hills, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, Woodmere Village.
Eligible Lenders
3rd Financial Service Corp.
Affordable Mortgage Corp.(LSB)
Allied Home Mortgage, Capital Corp.
American Eagle Mortgage
American Lending Solutions
American Midwest Mortgage
American Mortgage Service
American Mortgage Service Co.
Atlas Mortgage Co.(Schmidt)
Bank of America
Cardinal Community Credit Union
CF Bank
Charter One Mortgage
Citizens Bank
Community Corp. Mortgage Corp.
Concord Mortgage Group
Consolidated Home Mortgage
Consumers Mortgage
Crosscountry Mortgage, Inc.
Dollar Bank
Fairway Independent Mortgage
Fifth Third Mortgage
First Federal Lakewood
FirstMerit Mortgage
First Ohio Banc & Lending
First Place Bank
First Security Mortgage Corp.
First Union Banc Corp
Flagship Mortgage
Gold Medal Mortgage
Hallmark Mortgage Services
Heritage Mortgage Services
Home Savings & Loan of Youngstown
Homestar Mortgage
Hometown Mortgage & Financial Services
Howard Hanna Mortgage Services
Huntington Mortgage
Huntington Mortgage Group
JMH Group Inc.
Key Bank
Loan One Mortgage Co.
Metro Mortgage
Miracle Mortgage
Mortgage Now Inc.
MPS Financial Inc.
NVR Mortgage
PNC Mortgage
Preferred Mortgage Consultants
Professional Lending Solutions (LSB)
Real Estate Mortgage Corp.
Residential Bancorp
Ross Mortgage Corp.
Schmidt Mortgage
Security First Mortgage (LSB)
Strategic Mortgage
Sun Center Federal Credit Union
Third Federal Savings and Loan
Union Capital Mortgage Co.
Union National Mortgage
US Bank Home Mortgage
US Financial Services
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Westfield Bank
Applications will be available at the NHS of Greater Cleveland upon receiving a certificate of completion and the presentation of pre-qualified lender document and submitted through your first mortgage lender.
2010 INCOME GUIDELINES
Household
Income
Household
Income
Size
Limit
Size
Limit
1 person
$36,300
5 person
$56,000
2 person
$41,500
6 person
$60,150
3 person
$46,700
7 person
$64,300
4 person
$51,850
8 person
$68,450
Applications are available at the Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland and submitted through your first mortgage lender, call 216.458.HOME (4663) to register.
Program available for a limited time and only while funds are available. Program may be withdrawn and/or changed at any time, including adding required steps that may not be listed on this website. Call for the most current requirements.
SEE Also--Archived comments--research by Lily Miller:
After I began my investigation into Plymouth Park Tax Services and the thousands of property tax foreclosures filed in Cuyahoga County, I discovered that Plymouth Park Tax Services was delinquent with paying their own property taxes on nearly 100 properties obtained via a delinquent tax foreclosure.
Below is a list of all the property that was owned by Plymouth Park Tax Services and the delinquent property taxes owed at the time of my investigation.
How could this company file thousands of delinquent property tax foreclosures when they were not paying their own taxes on properties in which they foreclosed?
In 2006, in an apparent scheme to expedite the delinquent property tax foreclosure process to possibly benefit Plymouth Park Tax Services, Jim Rokakis initiated an accelerated foreclosure process that expedited the time frame for certain foreclosures - including delinquent property tax foreclosures- reducing the time from several years to only a few months:
Accelerated Foreclosure Cases Filed
The program stems from a new state law that allows counties to bypass the normal court process and carry out a foreclosure administratively, reducing the time it takes to foreclose from two-plus years down to as little as three months. County Treasurer Jim Rokakis says the huge backlog of foreclosure cases causes abandoned homes to sit for many months, attracting crime and driving down the value of neighboring properties.
Rokakis says the program only applies to homes that are tax delinquent, abandoned or vacant.
Is it possible that the former owner of Plymouth Park Tax Services , Jim Florio, had a relative working in the County property tax department?
Unfortunately, in Cuyahoga County anything is possible.
There is an employee in the Cuyahoga County Boards of Revision by the name of Chris Florio. Jim Florio does have a son by the name of Chris Florio.
Chris Florio was apparently up to no good during his employment- which began in 2004 after Florio was appointed to his position by Frank Russo. The same year in which Plymouth Park Tax Services was awarded the no bid contract.
During Chris Florio's employment, the following suspicious transactions occurred:
property assessments to their own members behind closed doors:
• Chris Florio, a board member since 2004, requested a $5,000 decrease on a vacant North Royalton property in 2008. The board decreased the value by $4,900, electronic records show. But paper files for that case have inexplicably disappeared, leaving no way to determine who signed off on the decrease or how quickly the decision was made.
Florio's wife, Sharon, requested a $14,200 decrease on a Parma condo on March 2009. After a closed-door deliberation, a board gave her a $14,000 reduction in 37 days, records show.
Florio's son, Christopher, asked for a decrease for a North Royalton home, valued at $187,400 in April 2007. He received a $19,100 reduction within 17 days, records show. Again, the decision was made without a public hearing.
Plymouth Park Tax Services, aka Xspand, has had other similar cases in Pennsylvania:
Montco Commish Race Set To Explode
This stems from litigation filed by Municipal Revenue Services against Xspand which, on February 24, 2005, won MontCo’s “no-bid” tax collection contract worth at least $600,000. There was neither prior issuance of a Request for Proposal nor any public bidding or negotiation with competing vendors.
MRS claims Xspand—plus other people and companies—engaged in unfair competition; this includes secret communications between Xspand personnel and these two MontCo commissioners. MRS produces evidence that their leak of private, internal data undermined the public trust, is illegal, and allowed a lucrative contract to be steered to the favored, politically-connected Xspand.
MRS charges the conduct that led to outsourcing the functions of MontCo’s internal Tax Collection Bureau violated the Lanham Act, Sunshine Acts, and the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act. Essentially, these laws mandate that governmental business be conducted publicly and fairly.
MRS concluded its court filings thusly: “It is highly improper and a violation of the State Ethics Act for any public official to leak confidential information to vendors …about Montgomery County’s strategies” because such pre-meeting disclosure of “non-public, confidential information…violated the public trust and betrayed the public interest.”
The “Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act”prohibits office-holders from gaining personally from their public service. They are prohibited from releasing confidential information, defined as “Information not obtainable from reviewing a public document or from making inquiry to a publicly available source of information.”
Plymouth Park Tax Services is also being investigated for antitrust and collusion regarding the purchase of tax liens in New Jersey.
JPMorgan Unit Subpoenaed in U.S. Investigation of New Jersey Tax-Lien Bids
A JPMorgan Chase & Co. subsidiary is among at least three companies being investigated as part of a U.S. Justice Department antitrust probe of bidding at municipal tax-lien auctions in New Jersey.
This link [25]details the nightmare that the political sale of property tax liens has created on numerous counties and how our public officials aggravated the foreclosure crisis.
J P Morgan has recently announced that Plymouth Park Tax Services, aka Xspand, will quit tax lien purchases. I wonder why? see story here[26]
JPMorgan Chase has suffered PR headaches in its mortgage servicing business[27] this year. The tax-lien business similarly involves dunning late payers and seizing properties.
"My guess is that there is an image issue," says James Cox, a Duke University School of Law professor who specializes in corporate and securities law. "But I also wonder about the returns. This has not turned out to be a market that produces the returns that they expect to be adequate compensation. … Even investment bankers are worried about their image
GLS Capital filed the following delinquent tax foreclosures:
2001 - 93 foreclosures filed
2002 - 335 foreclosures filed
2003 - 143 foreclosures filed
2004 - 164 foreclosures filed
PLYMOUTH PARK TAX SERVICES filed the following delinquent tax foreclosures:
2005 - 520 foreclosures filed
2006 - 714 foreclosures filed
2007 - 567 foreclosures filed
2008- 629 foreclosures filed
2009 - 129 tax foreclosures filed
Aeon Finanicial fbo CaptialSource Bank filed the following delinquent tax foreclosures:
2009 - 1302 tax foreclosures filed
2010 - 467 tax foreclosures filed
2011 - 795 tax foreclosures filed
Thousands of victims that had to pay 18% interest rates, excessive fees , court costs and attorney fees in order to save their property. The numbers only reflect actual foreclosure filings and does not include property owners that paid the excessive fees to avoid foreclosures.
Hundreds of families lost their properties- some owned mortgage free for decades.
Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, has some very suspicious property transactions in Cuyahoga County.
According to county websites, Gus Frangos purchases property, transfer the property from his name to various self-created LLC's, and then does not pay property taxes. Gus really has a thing for creating LLC's.
Gus is fortunate enough to be able to live in a 12 room house with five bedrooms and four bathrooms in Hudson, Ohio. The property is appraised at $ 503,180 and it's tax value is $ 176,120
An example of the LLC creation: the property located at 8062 RAVENNA ROAD , HUDSON,OH 44236 was purchased by Gus and Christianna Frangos on November 29, 2004.
And on November 4, 2005, Gus Frangos created this LLC:
And on a/9/03, Gus Frangos transferred this property to 6311 St. Clair LLC
Delinquent property taxes owed $2,194.80 Property taxes not paid in years
6311 St. Clair, LLC: The address to which interested parties may direct requests for copies of any operating agreement and any by-laws of the LLC is 8062 Ravenna Road, Hudson, Ohio, Summit County.
U.S.A. Parking Systems , Inc. is mentioned in one transaction and the name U.S.A. Parking Systems, Inc., and their fax number is clearly visible on the top of one of these transactions that were faxed and recorded with the county.
Two of the properties purchased by Gus Frangos were previously owned by Algimantas Dailide[34]. I remember Al and he owned lots of property in Cuyahoga County and was a frequent flier in housing court filing evictions. I often wondered how Al was able to purchase so many properties and own his own real estate company.
It appears that GUS FRANGOS, the President and General Counsel for the County Land Bank, is purchasing property, transferring numerous propeties into LLC names in which Gus Frangos is named the Statutory Agent, and he is NOT PAYING HIS OWN PROPERTY TAXES.
How can the same county officials that were responsible for stealing Freddie's house [35]- owned for 46 years- and stolen for $2,000 in delinquent property taxes not be held to the same standard?
How can Gus Frangos be the President and General Counsel for the County Land Bank - which targets delinquent tax payers- when he or his numerous LLC's are delinquent with paying their own property taxes?
If Ed Fitzgerald wants to crack down on those that owe delinquent property taxes[36], I suggest that he start collecting from Gus Frangos and his numerous LLC's that apear to be above paying their own property taxes.
Gus Frangos is President of the County Land Bank which targets those that owe delinquent property taxes for foreclosure purposes. And Gus and his numerous LLC's do NOT pay their own property taxes.
Lily, do you know what amount these tax liens are being sold? You have an excellent point that these discount tax lien sale offs should be offered to the homeowner first, and I will add, with a reasonable payment plan. To sell for pennies on the dollars to these predators that rape our neighborhoods and leave us with blocks of boarded homes is outrageous.
Submitted by ANGELnWard14 on Fri, 08/19/2011 - 11:54.
Ed Fitzgerald,
I believe it was at the Plain Dealer interviews that I cited something that was statistically analyzed in our country..... & Reported by the PD....
"SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENTS HELP OUR COUNTRY OUT OF THE RECESSIONS...."
Small Business Investors include those people who do start ups in storefronts and do Real Estate Investments (Buy Houses, Rehab them, Rent them & Resell for profit.)
My years of experience in this industry saw several key elements of demise in OUR COUNTY....
First, your predecessors ALLOWED PREDATORY CIRCUMSTANCES B/C THEY BENEFITED WILDLY FROM IT-EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A CRASH WAITING TO HAPPEN.
The Commissioners and the City Leadership of Cleveland FAILED to put protective measures in place for things like:
Fraudulent Appraisals portrayed on low income houses across our city. They benefited from the fraudulent inflation. They lived on false numbers that were "UNSUSTAINABLE".
Leadership had the ability to implement PROTECTIVE MEASURES that took care of our "PEOPLE" and prevented "ABUSIVE PRACTICES"... but they didn't stop it or even try to....
Over the years, I have met with countless middle class Cuyahoga County citizens who worked regular jobs and who wished to become "REAL ESTATE INVESTORS".
The business of buying a house in Cleveland became a joke by the mid 2000's. It was out of control. Lending was out of control, appraisals were overinflated, and inner city houses were used as tools for greedy investors.
There are bad apples in every industry and locally our bad apples sat at the County Administration Building collusively engaging in corruption that hit everyone.
The little investors who bought a double house, rehabbed it, and refinanced it only to rent it out were ending up in unsustainable loans that were more than the rental income to be earned.
Countless times; I advised people not to get caught up in "PREDATORY LOANS" in these scenarios....and to remember that the AVERAGE RESIDENT IN CLEVELAND CANNOT AFFORD RENTS IN EXCESS OF 1/3 OF THEIR INCOME (Average in Cleveland under 20k/yr). (SINCE THE CENSUS BUREAU AND A BACKGROUND CHECK EMPOWER LANDLORDS TO DO DEMOGRAPHIC REVIEWS-COUNTLESS CITIZENS WERE UNSTABLE EVEN THEN.)
Ultimately, when you earn a lot of money-you forget that the average low income (QUOTA) citizens survive all year on what you make in a month or less.
I ASK THAT YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT THAT IDEA.....HOW DO THESE FOLKS SURVIVE ON $689/MONTH.....BECAUSE A GREAT DEAL OF THEM ARE PAYING PROPERTY TAXES, PAYING RENTS, OR ARE HOMELESS BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIND AFFORDABLE RENTS..... ONLY GREED COULD MASTERMIND USING THEM TO KEEP BUILDING MORE PROFITEERING NOT FOR PROFIT AGENCIES....
HOW HARD WOULD IT ALL HAVE BEEN TO PROTECT THESE LOW INCOME PEOPLE WITH REASONABLE RESOLVES???? WE HAVE AN ENTIRE POPULATION OF THEM IN CLEVELAND. (Take Care of Our Own).
SINCE COMMON SENSE DOES NOT PLAY A ROLE IN THIS; I ASK THAT YOU LOBBY AND WORK DIRECLTY WITH THE CITY OF CLEVELAND TO IMPLEMENT RENTAL LAWS THAT PROTECT TENANTS & LANDLORDS.
MY HEAVENS, HOW HARD WOULD IT HAVE BEEN TO MAKE CONCESSIONS FOR SOME OF THESE SENIORS WHO WORKED THEIR LIVES AWAY AND NEEDED A LITTLE CONSIDERATION? (pAYING TAXES).
WITH TECHNOLOGY, YOU ALL COULD HAVE SET UP AUTO PAYS FROM BANK ACCOUNTS AND SO MUCH MORE...AUTO BILL PAY WHERE BILLS GET PAID TO THE COUNTY ON TIME.
LOTS OF LITTLE THINGS COULD HAVE TOTALLY TURNED THESE DYNAMICS TO LEVEL GROUND.... Stabilizing our people in distress early on...instead of sending them into nightmare bureacratic trails leading to no help anyway.
BUT THE REALITY IS THAT COUNTLESS CITIZENS WALKED INTO THAT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND WERE BOGARDED BY DROVES OF CORRUPT JERKS WHO THOUGHT THEY OWNED US ALL!
I hope that you start using the consideration of true demographic data to support future actions in this county...
We do appreciate you "SLING LOADING" LOTS OF THE TRASH!
J.P Morgan Chase and it's subsidaries, Plymouth Park Tax Services and Xspand, recently admitted their guilt [43]in rigging delinquent property tax liens in 33 states- including Ohio.
JPMorgan Chase[44] & Co. has agreed to pay $211 million after admitting one of its divisions rigged dozens of bidding competitions to win business from state and local governments.
Our local government in Cuyahoga County made the bid rigging process very simple for Plymouth Park Tax Services. The NO BID contract was handed to Plymouth Park Tax Services, along with a $50,000 grant to "study" delinquent property tax liens in Cuyahoga County. (full story here[45])
Plymouth Park Tax Services victimized tens of thousands of people in Cuyahoga County by charging 18% interest and numerous fees to release the liens.
Hundreds of properties stolen. Neighborhoods blighted. Victims made homeless.
And after Plymouth Park Tax Services foreclosed and obtained ownership of nearly 100 properties in Cuyahoga County, they DID NOT pay their own property taxes.
** Settlement information for victims and more details will be updated here on Tuesday, 9/6/11**
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Submitted by ANGELnWard14[49] on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:40.
CDC's DEPRIVED CITIZENS OF AVAILABLE HELP TO SAVE THEIR HOMES:
....first you must understand that CDC's work in coordination with the hidden MASTER PLANS regarding neighborhoods and that they have had access to knowing which neighborhoods were slated for development and which were slated for demolition....They were able to definitively tell citizens if they "qualified" for assistance countless times....but instead; they used that information to TARGET distressed homes for future development plans while being 2 faced to owners who lived in them....I have 3 VERIFIABLE examples of this in TREMONT....and many more....
But who cares? These folks are running on their own set of laws! They don't give a hoot about the federal government oversight...they have their pals up in City Hall covering their behinds and empowering them to do this over and over and over.....why??? Because the results make them look good???? (Taste of Tremont?)....
SO: before you waste your time TRUSTING a COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFO; DO YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THEY HAVE HIDDEN PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS LOCATED????
DO YOU REALIZE THAT THEY ARE THE ONES CODE ENFORCING YOU OUT OF YOUR HOME FOR THEIR LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT PLANS???
DO YOU REALIZE THAT THEY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THEY OWN YOUR PROPERTY?????
DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY ARE SENDING YOU ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE-CHASING YOUR TAIL....AND KNOWING THAT YOU CAN'T GET THE HELP IF THEY MAKE A QUICK PHONE CALL BEHIND YOUR BACK TO THE AGENCY'S THAT THEY SEND YOU TO FOR MORE ASSISTANCE???
EXAMPLE: THE ONLY PLACE IN TOWN THAT WAS FUNDED TO HELP WITH PROPERTY TAX ARREARS WAS NHS....AND TREMONT WAS SENDING PEOPLE TO OTHER HOUSING LOCATIONS TO PUT THEM IN TRICK BAGS....KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THE OWNER'S WOULDN'T GET HELP AT THAT LOCATION.... BUT WOULD SERVE AS A QUOTA.... UNREAL.
Submitted by ANGELnWard14[49] on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:30.
Tax Certificates are based on delinquent taxes....
The original property taxes for many parcels used to be based on low valuations such as in the Tremont neighborhood where countless people owned houses that were valued at around $10,000 with annual property taxes...but soon they were paying on excessive valuations of up and over $100,000 for dilpidated houses....which they could no longer afford on assisted incomes.
FRAUDULENT and CONCURRENT FALSE PROPERTY TAX INFLATION of PROPERTY TAX BASES INCLUDED INFLATING TAX RATES WHILE CONCURRENTLY INFLATING VALUTIONS...
If you go back to the era when Jimmy Dimora and the last 10 years of commissioners started taking over Cuyahoga County fiscal management; you will realize that they learned that if they inflated the tax base itself; then they could drive income for the county that empowered them to "live large" and spend more money on things like the MEDICAL MART... (Look at the unreal hiring schemes at the Auditor's office and County Administration during this same period....lots of new (Unnecessary Employees hired by our county who were worthless and corrupt.....violating countless citizens...)
....and moreover the COMMISSIONERS and AUDITOR worked collusively to also control the scheme of manuevers and reject "HELPING" families save their homes. I must have called down there fifty times over the last few years trying to get help with a property tax foreclosure...denied, denied, denied.... And who had the power to fix human errors at the county administration building: the AUDITOR...particularly when the taxes were "WRONG".... then sold as tax certificates...
The auditor's office did not value the 14th Amendment rights of owners for a long time...ILLEGALLY.
When owner's began to realize that their property taxes had went from valuations of $10,000 to nearly a $100,000 in neighborhoods like Tremont due to the development of new housing in those neighborhoods; their attempts at recourse were met with stonewalling and steering....more HUD violations...
The planning and objectives of usage with CDBG funds was abused in collaboration with this tax scheme...These players knew that they were driving out low income lifelong families from mortgage free homes for all too long....but that was their premitated plan. They figured that they could eradicate the blight by depriving those families of help again and again.
This was all part of their "AGENDA"....since the late 90's.....
Their plan has DESTROYED our sense of community and empowered corruption.
JPMorgan Reaches $211 Million Settlement in State and Federal Muni Bond Bid-Rigging Probe
A $65.5 million portion of Thursday's settlement with JPMorgan, which the state AGs say will go toward restitution[56] already looks like it could get similarly bogged down. Michael Hausfeld of Hausfeld LLP told us he planned to bring the settlement to the attention of Manhattan federal district court judge Victor Marrero. "We'll be advising the court that this settlement suffers from some of the same deficiencies as the UBS and Bank of America settlements," he said.
Plaintiffs Lawyers in Muni Bond Bid-Rigging MDL Delay JPMorgan Deal with State Ags
Facing plaintiffs lawyers' arguments that a $211 million deal that JPMorgan[58] reached this month in the giant municipal bond bid-rigging litigation[59] was unfair, the federal judge overseeing the case has agreed to delay part of the settlement.
The system of tax liens is very effective, but make no mistake about it, there's an incentive for those guys to buy the tax liens," said Jim Rokakis, the Cuyahoga County treasurer.
Cuyahoga County - the first in Ohio to sell its tax liens - has canceled its tax-lien sale program to pursue a land-bank program, also a first-ever in the state.
Under the land-bank program, the county would try to use revenue from foreclosed homes to eventually buy the vacant foreclosed properties that some say have ravaged Cleveland's neighborhoods.
While Mr. Rokakis is moving away from the tax-lien program, he defended its goals.
"When somebody doesn't pay them, it means somebody who does pay them is picking up their obligation," Mr. Rokakis said.
And the list above proves that Plymouth Park Tax Services was NOT picking up their obligation. Plymouth Park Tax Services failed to pay their own property taxes- some for well over one year. And no one said one single word.
Plymouth Park Tax Services,aka J.P Morgan, admitted rigging the tax lien purchase process.
Like you said, Dianna, it takes two to tango. Which public official tangoed with Plymouth Park Tax Services?
Who lobbied for the legislation to pass tax lien certificate sales to corrupt companies- who have admitted their guilt?
Tax Lien Certificate Sales
When Jim Rokakis took office in 1997, Cuyahoga County had more delinquent property taxes owed to it than the next five largest counties combined. Some of these delinquencies were more than twenty years old. Because the process to collect these taxes was ineffective Jim lobbied the Ohio legislature to pass a law that would allow County Treasurers to sell delinquent property tax liens to third parties. This legislation (H.B. 371) passed in 1998.
In 1998, Jim Rokakis lobbied for and passed legislation for the sale of delinquent property tax liens in Cuyahoga County. From 1999 thru 2008, the liens were sold to GLS Capital, aka Plymouth Park Tax Services, aka Xspand, minus any bidding process.
Who was picking and choosing select property owners to target?
5721.31 Selecting parcels for tax certificate sales.
(A)(1) After receipt of a duplicate of the delinquent land list compiled under section 5721.011[73] of the Revised Code, or a delinquent land list compiled previously under that section, the county treasurer may select from the list parcels of delinquent land the lien against which the county treasurer may attempt to transfer by the sale of tax certificates under sections 5721.30[74] to 5721.43[75] of the Revised Code.
Submitted by ANGELnWard14[49] on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 23:48.
While I absolutely agree with you, Lily.... I ask one question...What exact law was violated by this big corporate bank specifically targeting these specific areas???
If we MAPPED EVERY SINGLE PARCEL EVER BOUGHT through Tax Certificates by PPTS....Then, we might see that these places are in direct OVERLAYS to Those maps we saw on the Power Point Presentation back in January...I sent a copy of that presentation to JB earlier this year...
I see collusion and HUD violations....but we must annotate them...
Property owners on the East Side of Cleveland, East Cleveland, and minority concentrated Eastern suburbs were hit hard by these thieves. They were sold out by corrupt elected officials.
I filed a complaint with the NAACP, but it was ignored. I met with a councilman for East Cleveland and he agreed with me. He told me that he already felt this way and tried to warn others. The councilman was outraged by my research and drove a copy of my research and complaint to George Forbes' home. I went to the NAACP myself and talked with Stan Miller several times about this issue. I referrred several victims to the NAACP.
I wonder if the NAACP can still ignore my complaint now that J.P. Morgan has admitted rigging tax liens?
Click on this link [80]to view all of the liens owned by Xspand, aka Plymouth Park Tax Services, aka J.P. Morgan. Take a good look at this list of delinquent property tax liens that Plymouth Park Tax Services purchased from Cuyahoga County. Some say West by the street names, but that is mostly an error. There are very few West Side or Western Suburbs on this list.
Read former East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer's words:
Gus Frangoes never called me. I do, however, understand Jim Rokakis' oft-handed comments.
I wrote him a letter in 2006 asking that he not sell anymore properties through third-party tax lien sales to GLS Capital and Plymouth Park Investments out of East Cleveland. Mayor Frank Jackson had also asked him not to sell tax liens from Cleveland.
I was critical of Rokakis pushing this blight-causing deal in 1999 when I hosted a radio show on WERE. I think it's absolutely horrible how he, as an elected official, pushed for a tax lien sale state law that created blight in East Cleveland by letting third party investors sit on vacant properties without cutting the grass, boarding them up, maintaining or rehabilitating them. If Steve Litt wants to write a real story, investigate Rokakis' third party tax lien sales and the impact they've had on school district budgets. He claimed it helps the schools but empty houses don't generate property taxes. Rokakis' policies have done much to decimate the East Cleveland school district's budget and that of every other community in Cuyahoga County where he's been selling tax liens to third party investors. I had some blocks with 37 properties and 25 delapidated vacancies. Every year we had to divert general fund and HUD dollars from other purposes just to take care of abandoned properties. Go to Rokakis' website. He won't update the "tax lien certificate sales" information past 2006 because it will show just how his policies have devasted the county. Through 2006 it shows he sold the tax liens to 22912 properties from East Cleveland, Cleveland and other cities throughout the county. How many tax liens has Rokakis sold over the past four years? That's the number he's hiding from the public. He has refused to allow the individual tax delinquent homeowner to buy their own tax lien at up to a 30 percent discount, but he sells their tax lien to a third-party for that amount. Steve Litt. This is the real story.
Take a look at all of the property owned (at the time of my investigation last year) by Plymouth Park Tax Services. Almost every single property is on the East Side.
** Settlement information for victims and more details will be updated here on Tuesday, 9/6/11**
I notified the attorney that has been working on this case to inform him of the settlement.
As you recall, Dianna, last year this attorney met with a major law firm to discuss a class action case. He was to return to the law firm with documentation detailing the excessive fees, provide a presentation, and the firm would vote on taking on this case. The case was rejected because I could not get enough documentation from victims.
Now that J.P. Morgan has admitted rigging tax lien sales, I have a feeling the law firm just might change their minds about this case. They have already shown interest and are familiar with this case. They have all of our research already.
With funding from the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, the Task Force was formed in December 2007. The Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The director of the Task Force is a Sergeant of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation was led by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Ohio Attorney General's Office, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, Beachwood Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), and the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC).
Contact: Maria (Pinzone) Russo, Public Information Officer, (216) 698-2819, cell (216) 299-9326 or mrusso [at] cuyahogacounty [dot] us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Help stop Wall Street's sweetheart deal on mortgage fraud
Submitted by Lee Batdorff on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 14:24.
I've been reading the book Reckless Endangerment which gives an account of how our economy got into the fix it is in now. Mr. Geithner was one of the "regulators" that allowed the banks to take huge chances, fulling expecting a taxpayer bailout as their back up plan. It is now time to take on the big banks.
The following petition is presented for signing by MoveOn.org:
Subject: Help stop Wall Street's sweetheart deal on mortgage fraud
Hi,
Treasury Secretary Geithner is pushing a sweetheart deal for Wall
Street that lets big banks escape prosecution for widespread mortgage
fraud with a slap on the wrist.
I signed a petition insisting that states be allowed to conduct a full
investigation and prosecution of the firms that crashed the economy. Can
you join me at the link below?
The county taxpayers can not continue to pay for grass cutting, board-ups, maintenance, insurance, repairs, and safeguarding of the 100's of properties in the county landbank.
The landbank was created to keep property out of the hands of irresponsible out-of-state investors. The same irresponsible out of state investors that the county itself invited in the county via delinquent property tax lien purchases- minus any bidding process.
Public officials are responsible for much of the foreclosure crisis in Cuyahoga County by allowing tax lien purchasers to purchase delinquent tax liens and forcing 100's of people from their homes. After forcing folks from their homes, the tax purchasers greatly contributed to blight and vacant homes; however the tax lien companies did not contribute to the property tax collectors since they do not pay their own property taxes.
Property in the land bank also does not generate any property taxes.
Public officials are also responsible for the Afford -a -Home scandal that left behind numerous vacant properties in the county.
Now the same officials responsible for creating the blight and greatly contributing to the foreclosure crisis wants to correct the mess that they themselves created.
The county has issues maintaining the property that they already own.
Tax payers do not want to be responsible for paying for the 100's of properties in the land bank.
Let the free market take over. The less government control over anything-the better.
banneduser August 19, 2011 at 11:16PM
[95]
Thank you Lily for your continued vigilance. This has to stop now.
[96]
countyinsider August 21, 2011 at 2:03AM
The entire tax lien sale to create the land bank was plagued with questions and concerns by people inside as well as outside the government. Early in the process " Bill Day" a laywer and CPA and clearly the brightest mind at the Georgia Tax Lien service identified extreme and improper large amounts of money not quite going to where it was intended to be going. When the well meaning MR.Day relayed his concerns with his superiors, he was immediately fired. This decision was made my jimmy "the creep" Rokakis. Millions of dollars flowed in the coffers of Resouce Title, owned by very large Rokakis contributor Richard Renell. Check out the campaign contribution filings at the Board of Elections. That will give you an idea on how our county is so broke. No raises for us workers for another two years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the impact of this GREED--see:
Submitted by ANGELnWard14 on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 13:09.
This quoted PD Comment below and above is highly significant.....To those who understand the PPTS games...... this is serious....
countyinsider August 21, 2011 at 2:03AM
The entire tax lien sale to create the land bank was plagued with questions and concerns by people inside as well as outside the government.
Early in the process " Bill Day" a laywer and CPA and clearly the brightest mind at the Georgia Tax Lien service identified extreme and improper large amounts of money not quite going to where it was intended to be going. When the well meaning MR.Day relayed his concerns with his superiors, he was immediately fired. This decision was made my jimmy "the creep" Rokakis. Millions of dollars flowed in the coffers of Resouce Title, owned by very large Rokakis contributor Richard Renell. Check out the campaign contribution filings at the Board of Elections. That will give you an idea on how our county is so broke. No raises for us workers for another two years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHERE IS WILLIAM DAY NOW???????
WHY HASN'T The FBI met with this man and gotten the ammunition needed to stop this insane tax certificate sale process in OHIO at large..????? It's totally corrupt....and violates so many consumer protection laws, 14th amendment rights, and there is NO LEGAL AID FOR FAMILIES to fight this process....causing them to lose homes/??????
These two areas in OHIO REVISED CODE of Landbank and Property Tax Lien Certificate Sales were lobbied by Jim Rokakis to steer CDBG Funding and effectuate BLIGHT to file for BILLIONS in FEDERAL GRANTS to demo Cleveland and create a 2020 MASTER Plan that annihilated the low income and less than desirable demographics without any plan or vision for true Economic Development other than to STEER OUT COUNTLESS LOCAL INVESTORS and FAMILIES who didn't PAY TO PLAY.....CORRUPT, CORRUPT, CORRUPT..... No consumer protection, deprivation of public participation, and social unjustices countless times....
Submitted by Gone Fishin on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 23:18.
Dear friend,
Thank you. Your name has been added to the petition and your comments will be delivered to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Another great way to make sure Treasury Secretary Geithner feels a lot of heat on this issue is to spread the word to your friends and family so they know what's going on. You can just forward the sample letter below.
Spreading the word is critical, but please only pass this message along to those who know you -- spam hurts our campaign.
Thanks for all you do.
--The MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Roldo: "If this is reform, I'll take a bit of corruption."
Submitted by dwebb[101] on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 22:05.
Roldo writes on County Executive Fitzgerald's insistence that all of the revenue due to the county from the casino be spent on downtown Cleveland:
Anyone enjoying the near perfection of County Executive Ed Fitzgerald? This guy takes the cake. Smooth as frosting. Goes down ease.
He wants all of the casino tax money due to the state to be spent in downtown Cleveland.
Why? He's currying to the people who don't give a shit about Cleveland outside of that small area. It's pays allegiance to the corporate agenda here. And makes him friends among the bigwigs.
It's the go-along to get-along standard of politics. It works for so many. Not the best either.
What's so amazing about this non-debate debate about the casino cash is that it is being posed by our "reform" county government as a choice between downtown Cleveland and the inner suburbs, which are also hurting.
There are a lot of rackets in this town and they are not getting the scrutiny deserved by the federal authorities. I also can't believe the timing of Bill Mason's crackdown on Internet Cafes --all to serve the already not-so lucrative downtown casino...
And, is Roldo is confused? : On Mason BFF Pat O'Malley [109]mentioned further in this Cleveland Leader post for his WKYC role[110]...to my knowledge Pat O'Malley was County Recorder. I don't recall a stint as County Auditor...but I could be wrong. Wish it was not so hard to go back and reconstruct the past in this town. It helps to have a little institutional memory and, sadly, we can't count on the media for that...
I am all for redemption, but sick of the retreads in this town--please, dear GOD, don't let Patrick O'Malley near any public office or any court room in Northeast Ohio...
Submitted by dwebb[101] on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 13:24.
Roldo has excellent vision but maybe needs a better editor to exchange the word "Auditor" to "Recorder". He also also written at length about the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
It is possible that Roldo does not find Rokakis and Frangos to be corrupt; many people would share that conclusion.
Illegal activity? Where do you draw the line? Making political decisions that benefit friends and family and deprive communities of tax dollars for basic services like road repair, schools, libraries, and rec centers. I would draw the line between "forgiving" taxes for folks like Frangos and NOT forgiving the tax liens for folks like
Does Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank, deserve to be foreclosed upon?
Submitted by dwebb on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 10:09.
Former Cleveland Councilman Gus Frangos is the President of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation.
According to that website[118], Frangos led the charge for change to legislation around "establishing enhanced-capacity County Land Banks, and expedited administrative tax foreclosure policy".
The same site also touts "In September 2004, Mr. Frangos was retained by the Cuyahoga County Treasurer to craft legislation to help expedite the tax foreclosure process, specifically on vacant and abandoned properties."
Additionally "Mr. Frangos is the President and General Counsel of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation".
What a dream job. First, change some laws to expedite foreclosures, then create another entity that "reutilizes" land and then become President of it all.
A number of properties seized under the expidited foreclosure process were not vacant property, but were owner occupied for many years, and taxes were in arrears. The property of Freddie[119] was in arrears for about $2,000, and though he had proof that he was making payments, his home, yes home, was seized under an expedited foreclosure and he was evicted.
How many times has this happened throughout Cuyahoga County? How many times has this happened to people who do not have the ability to fight back?
So is turnabout fair? Should Mr. Frangos have his property seized, under the same rules? Oh, wait, does Mr. Frangos actually own property? According to a former worker of Frangos, he does.
That worker testified to that effect (Judgement entry, Cuyahoga County Court, Juvenile Court, Case no. SU11703939). This is public record. Here is the interesting part:
The Court finds that the Plaintiff testified that he worked as a self-employed agent for Gus Frangous and that he oversaw and collected rentals for his properties. He testified that he worked at the properties at 6311 St. Clair, at 1168 and 1160 East 61st Street, and at two sublots on Queen Court, and that he is not the owner of those properties. He testified that Mr. Frangos did not quit-claim those properties to him nor did he go to Court for evictions proceedings as the owner. He testified that he never had any ownership interest in the properties through an LLC or otherwise. He testified that he did not receive rental income from the properties. He testified that he was no longer working for Mr. Frangous and the last time that he collected rents for him was six months ago. He testified that his last reported income from Mr. Fangous was on his 2010 tax return as part of his self-employment income with his construction company. He testified that he earned $10,000 in 2010 through his construction company and some from Mr. Frangous. He offered his 2010 tax return into evidence which was admitted. He offered copies of deeds of the properties into evidence which were admitted.
So is there a sleight of hand here that will say that Frangos is NOT the owner via the LLC? And that these properties were seriously tax delinquent? And that some still are? Will Cuyahoga County exercise the law to expedited foreclosure of the property purported to belong to the President of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation? Will there be a different type of process than that which Freddie was subjected to in his loss of his family home?
Thanks to the help of a buddy who researched for me, here is what he found:
Parcel No. 105-10-014 6311 St. Clair
Owner’s name 6311 St. Clair, LLC
Previous owner Gus Frangos
Gus Frangos incorporated the LLC Transferred from Frangos to 6311 St. Clair LLC on 1/9/03
Mortgage dated 3/23/05 – Gus Frangos signed mortgage as, “ Gus Frangos, Member 6311 St. Clair, LLC.
Delinquent property taxes $ 4,472.46
No property taxes paid since 2008
Parcel No. 104-13-069
1154 East 61st Street
Owner’s name 1158 East 61St Street, LLC
Previous owner John Stover Revocable Trust ( John Stover is Councilman in Parma)
Gus Frangos incorporated the LLC Transferred from Stover to LLC on 1/9/03
Delinquent property taxes owed $7,604.48 Delinquent since 2006
Parcel No. 104-13-070
1158 East 61st Street
Owner’s name 1158 East 61st Street, LLC
Previous owner John Stover Revocable Trust ( John Stover Councilman Parma)
Gus Frangos incorporated the LLC
Transferred from Stover to LLC on 1/9/03
Delinquent property taxes owed $ 10,405.35 Delinquent since 2007
1160 East 61st is not showing up in county records; a ride is in order!
Parcel No. 1051600
2 905 East 70th Street
aka Quinn Court Property Owner’s name Quinn Court Property
LLC Previous owner Gus Frangos
Gus Frangos incorporated the LLC
Transferred from Frangos to the LLC on 5/30/02
Delinquent property taxes in the amount of $6,341.67 was paid recently after being delinquent since 2009
Parcel No. 10516088
913-917 East 17th Street
aka Quinn Court Property Owner’s name Quinn Court Property LLC
Previous owner Gus Frangos
Gus Frangos incorporated the LLC T
ransferred from Frangos to the LLC on 5/30/02
Delinquent property taxes in the amount of $8,170.16 were recently paid after being delinquent since 2009.
Gus Frangos signed the mortgage as “ Gus Frangos, member Quinn Court Property LLC
Does Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank, deserve to be foreclosed upon?
Copyright 2012. Content and follow up commentary may not be copied in whole or in part without the permission of the author.
Give Gus Frangos equal treatment?
Submitted by dwebb on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 22:54.
There isn't really any way to do this except equal treatment in the process. Other lost homes, not just property.
Gus Frangos' Banking
Submitted by JohnDoe on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 06:02.
Amazing this kind of activity is still on-going in this county.
Despite each property being delinquent and owing thousands in property taxes for years, not one single property mentioned above has ever had a property tax lien issued against the property.
Never been sold out to tax lien companies or by county property tax auction.
It is as if the delinquent property taxes were ignored for years - not only by the owner but by county officials as well.
In order to get rid of some trash posting, I had to delete the below post. It raises a good point.
Gus Frangos' Banking
Submitted by JohnDoe on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 06:02.
Amazing this kind of activity is still on-going in this county.
Despite each property being delinquent and owing thousands in property taxes for years, not one single property mentioned above has ever had a property tax lien issued against the property.
Never been sold out to tax lien companies or by county property tax auction.
It is as if the delinquent property taxes were ignored for years - not only by the owner but by county officials as well.
In theory, the concept of a land bank is laudable. But as a private, not for profit, that takes public money? The Cuyahoga County Land Bank is independent of County oversight, yet at the same time, dependent upon public county funds, as well as other taxpayer based funding.
And to have as President the very person who "crafted" the legislation to put the the LandBank into place smells pretty putrid to many.
The Plain Dealer interviewed Frangos on 9/18/12. To help people understand the layers :
".....Many believe it is a county agency.
In fact, it is a nonprofit community improvement corp., which he describes as a "marriage between good government powers and the flexibilities and powers of a corporation." Like government, it can do nuisance abatement, including demolition. Like a business, it engages in redevelopment, including rehabbing and selling properties."
Again, possibly good concept, but I think that it should not be in the hands of Frangos, and it should not be privately managed, publicly funded, and unaccountable to the taxpayers.
The question is why the deliberate crafting of legislation to keep the Land Banks in Ohio from being under the control of voters?
"A CLRC is created pursuant to the provisions of R.C. 1724 and is, in effect, a different class of Community
Improvement Corporation (CIC); the legal status and rules that govern CLRCs and CICs are largely the same.
The CLRC functions as a typical non-profit corporation and is organized as an independent legal entity separate
and apart from the local government. The CLRC is also subject to the requirements of R.C. 1701, the chapter
that governs non-profits."
Copy of Mortgage Deed signed by Gus Frangos, MEMBER of 6311 St Clair .
Primary Owner of the property located at 6311 St Clair is 6311 St Clair, LLC.
Gus Frangos incorporated 6311 St Clair LLC and named Ladon Ruffin as the agent.
Ladon Ruffin swore under oath that he has no financial connection to this property and only collects rent money and then hands the rent money over to Gus Frangos.
Part of Ruffin's sworn testimony according to the official court's judgment entry:
"The Court finds that the Plaintiff testified that he worked as a self-employed agent for Gus Frangous and that he oversaw and collected rentals for his properties. He testified that he worked at the properties at 6311 St. Clair, at 1168 and 1160 East 61st Street, and at two sublots on Queen Court, and that he is not the owner of those properties. He testified that Mr. Frangos did not quit-claim those properties to him nor did he go to Court for evictions proceedings as the owner. He testified that he never had any ownership interest in the properties through an LLC or otherwise. He testified that he did not receive rental income from the properties. He testified that he was no longer working for Mr. Frangous and the last time that he collected rents for him was six months ago. He testified that his last reported income from Mr. Fangous was on his 2010 tax return as part of his self-employment income with his construction company. He testified that he earned $10,000 in 2010 through his construction company and some from Mr. Frangous. He offered his 2010 tax return into evidence which was admitted. He offered copies of deeds of the properties into evidence which were admitted."
Property Taxes delinquent since 2008
Current property taxes owed $ 4,655.06
Previous owner GUS FRANGOS prior to the transfer to the LLC in 2003. On December 1, 2008, Gus Frangos signed the mortgage deed as being a member of 6311 St Clair LLC.
Is the PRESIDENT OF THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY LAND BANK - GUS FRANGOS - not paying his own property taxes while targeting others for delinquent property tax foreclosures?? !!
Since the schools depend on property taxes, and when people don't pay, the schools (kids, teachers, taxpayers) are hurt.
It is especially painful in the Cleveland area where test scores are poor, the system may go into receivership, the 2013 state budget will cut more funds to the schools, and a huge levy is proposed.
I know many people who are in anguish over this levy. It is a poorly planned levy, without a real cost accounting, that gives a percentage to select charter schools.
People who would normally support a levy are not supporting this one, and they feel terrible.
They also wish that the energy channeled through the "Right Plan, Right Now" organization was focused on enforcing the Ohio Supreme Court ruling that the current method of distribution/funding of schools is unconstitutional.
What was interesting is that "urban development" includes the land bank. Kerr spoke of decades ago, the powers that be, together with George Voinovich, created the County Landbank, with planned blight, by decreasing services to certain parts of the city, to encourage disinvestment of neighborhoods. This allowed the landbank to begin to accumlate land for what they see as the new, revitalized, upper income, white, city.
I invited Roldo, as he had written a review[141] of the book this past spring. If he will agree, I plan to pump his brain for more details as he lived this piece of history.
The Land Bank issue is something that people need to take seriously (and get over the whining). There are areas that get less, or none, code enforcement, less city services, from fire, police, and structural investments, paint programs, weatherization services, and on and on. Encouraged blight.
The targeting of minorities to 'cleanse' certain areas of Cuyahoga County - specifically in the University Circle area and other nearby east side neighborhoods - began years ago with the sale of delinquent property tax liens under a 'no bid' process to select political companies.
From 2004 thru 2008, the majority of delinquent property tax liens in Cuyahoga County were sold in areas which were minority concentrated.
Most of the homes that were lost to these suspicious tax lien companies were located on the east side of Cleveland.
Many minority homeowners lost their homes - some owned for decades mortgage free.
Each and every time the minority homeowner was delinquent paying property taxes, county officials sold them out by selling a delinquent property tax lien immediately.
While other non-minority property owners that were delinquent for years were NEVER targeted with property tax liens.
Greedy banks and local corruption [91]
Thanks for posting this Lee--FitzGerald and the whole Dem machine in town will still not blow the whistle because the chain of command goes right to the top. [92]
Meanwhile, fake Dem Rokakis, the Land Bank, and banks like Wells Fargo continue to get a pretty cover up by the PD and now NPR [93].
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/08/tug-of-war_over_land_bank_boar.html [94]
See comments from REALNEO poster
Kill the Land Bank.
The county taxpayers can not continue to pay for grass cutting, board-ups, maintenance, insurance, repairs, and safeguarding of the 100's of properties in the county landbank.
The landbank was created to keep property out of the hands of irresponsible out-of-state investors. The same irresponsible out of state investors that the county itself invited in the county via delinquent property tax lien purchases- minus any bidding process.
Public officials are responsible for much of the foreclosure crisis in Cuyahoga County by allowing tax lien purchasers to purchase delinquent tax liens and forcing 100's of people from their homes. After forcing folks from their homes, the tax purchasers greatly contributed to blight and vacant homes; however the tax lien companies did not contribute to the property tax collectors since they do not pay their own property taxes.
Property in the land bank also does not generate any property taxes.
Public officials are also responsible for the Afford -a -Home scandal that left behind numerous vacant properties in the county.
Now the same officials responsible for creating the blight and greatly contributing to the foreclosure crisis wants to correct the mess that they themselves created.
The county has issues maintaining the property that they already own.
Tax payers do not want to be responsible for paying for the 100's of properties in the land bank.
Let the free market take over. The less government control over anything-the better.
[95]
Thank you Lily for your continued vigilance. This has to stop now.
[96]
The entire tax lien sale to create the land bank was plagued with questions and concerns by people inside as well as outside the government. Early in the process " Bill Day" a laywer and CPA and clearly the brightest mind at the Georgia Tax Lien service identified extreme and improper large amounts of money not quite going to where it was intended to be going. When the well meaning MR.Day relayed his concerns with his superiors, he was immediately fired. This decision was made my jimmy "the creep" Rokakis. Millions of dollars flowed in the coffers of Resouce Title, owned by very large Rokakis contributor Richard Renell. Check out the campaign contribution filings at the Board of Elections. That will give you an idea on how our county is so broke. No raises for us workers for another two years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the impact of this GREED--see:
http://realneo.us/content/twdc-and-continued-nightmare-residents-giglio-schmitt-bell-redux#comment-31760 [97]
ATTN: FBI: COUNTYINSIDER CITES PROOF....FOLLOW IT! [98]
This quoted PD Comment below and above is highly significant.....To those who understand the PPTS games...... this is serious....
countyinsider August 21, 2011 at 2:03AM
The entire tax lien sale to create the land bank was plagued with questions and concerns by people inside as well as outside the government.
Early in the process " Bill Day" a laywer and CPA and clearly the brightest mind at the Georgia Tax Lien service identified extreme and improper large amounts of money not quite going to where it was intended to be going. When the well meaning MR.Day relayed his concerns with his superiors, he was immediately fired. This decision was made my jimmy "the creep" Rokakis. Millions of dollars flowed in the coffers of Resouce Title, owned by very large Rokakis contributor Richard Renell. Check out the campaign contribution filings at the Board of Elections. That will give you an idea on how our county is so broke. No raises for us workers for another two years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHERE IS WILLIAM DAY NOW???????
WHY HASN'T The FBI met with this man and gotten the ammunition needed to stop this insane tax certificate sale process in OHIO at large..????? It's totally corrupt....and violates so many consumer protection laws, 14th amendment rights, and there is NO LEGAL AID FOR FAMILIES to fight this process....causing them to lose homes/??????
These two areas in OHIO REVISED CODE of Landbank and Property Tax Lien Certificate Sales were lobbied by Jim Rokakis to steer CDBG Funding and effectuate BLIGHT to file for BILLIONS in FEDERAL GRANTS to demo Cleveland and create a 2020 MASTER Plan that annihilated the low income and less than desirable demographics without any plan or vision for true Economic Development other than to STEER OUT COUNTLESS LOCAL INVESTORS and FAMILIES who didn't PAY TO PLAY.....CORRUPT, CORRUPT, CORRUPT..... No consumer protection, deprivation of public participation, and social unjustices countless times....
Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"
Sign the petition [99]
It only takes a moment and the message is important!
petition signed [100]
Dear friend,
Thank you. Your name has been added to the petition and your comments will be delivered to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Another great way to make sure Treasury Secretary Geithner feels a lot of heat on this issue is to spread the word to your friends and family so they know what's going on. You can just forward the sample letter below.
Spreading the word is critical, but please only pass this message along to those who know you -- spam hurts our campaign.
Thanks for all you do.
--The MoveOn.org Political Action Team