Unfortunately, we had last-minute commitments, so we were unable to make the forum meeting on Saturday…

Natiah Arrick, left, and Evangeline St. Rose hold up signs at the real estate forum at East Stroudsburg University on Saturday. Jason Farmer/Pocono Record

However… just like the last time you opened the doors to so many victims, there was a hot time in the old town tonight!

Tempers flare as forum hits nerves
By DAVID PIERCE
Pocono Record Writer
dpierce@poconorecord.com

EAST STROUDSBURG ? A 12-member panel and audience of 200 rarely agreed Saturday on the scope of the Poconos real estate fraud problem, nor on what has been or should be done about it.

They might all agree that it was an emotional two-plus hour exchange on everything FROM alleged inflated appraisals, to what cases can be successfully criminally prosecuted, to what agency is best equipped to do the prosecuting, to what the statistics on rising Monroe County foreclosures actually mean.

Elected and appointed officials and attorneys in private practice passionately defended their turfs. Alleged victims passionately spoke about how real estate deals ruined their lives and pleaded for justice.

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Hundreds of furious people leave New York City, to pay almost 200K for homes, which were later appraised at $75,000 or less… encouraged not to use attorneys… hit with astronomical mortgages after they moved in… to lose their homes, credit destroyed…

Quite frankly, these folks are out for blood.
Imagine that.

My favorite lines in the article comes FROM District Attorney Mark Pazuhanich (mostly famous for sensationalistic headline-grabbing cases, and his zeal for putting the innocent behind bars – Not to worry, Michael Manning’s case is being re-tried, and he’s home now. )

“The vast majority of the complaints we received, the buyer knew he wasn’t putting the right money down,” Pazuhanich said of alleged phony financing used to support larger down payments once builders told buyers they needed additional financing to complete a transaction. “We can’t proceed where the buyer participates in the fraud.”

Retorted fellow panelist Wieslaw Niemoczynski, an attorney who has represented alleged real estate fraud victims and is a Libertarian candidate for district attorney, “That’s a crock.”

Hee hee… ya gotta love Wes (Wieslaw). Wes was defense attorney in quite a few, uhm, “close to home cases” involving a certain person I’m married to and saved her skin many, many times…

Wes is sharp as a tack, doesn’t miss a beat, and you can’t get a better public defender. He’s gonna rock as the new district attorney in November. He also tells it like it is.

Another diddy for “Pazuhanich’s greatest hits”…

Dissatisfied homebuyers took turns at the microphone discussing their personal stories of alleged home fraud and the continuing strain the ordeal is HAVING on family finances.

“My credit is twisted now. I can’t even rent an apartment,” said one.

“I came FROM New York and thought I was slick, but there are some pretty slick people here,” said another.

“We want some justice done!” Maria Yagual yelled INTO the microphone as others applauded. “The builders defrauded me and all of us. What are you going to do about it?”

Replied Pazuhanich: “Where there is clearcut criminal fraud presented to our office, we will prosecute.”

*Sits there… slackjawed*
And he’s running for JUDGE THIS YEAR????

God help us all here in the Poconos (as well as you New Yorkers moving up here). I can think of a certain woman who was an ex-New Yorker, swindled INTO buying a bad business… and his office THREW THE BOOKS AT HER as she struggled to make good on all of the checks bouncing, as the bank account was being cleaned out FROM the outside by a con artist!!!

There’s also the case of Michelle Landolfa, currently spending 10 years in prison for “wishing someone was dead” when she was a teenager. But I digress here….

Diddy #3 (Remember, he’s admitting there’s not much the district attorney’s office is willing to can do about this. So, of course, I question why he was there in the first place.)

Pazuhanich also rebutted criticism ? some of it, he said, politically motivated ? of his office’s decision to turn over the criminal and the civil cases to the state. He said the question came FROM a key supporter of opponent Art Zulick, one of two candidates Pazuhanich is running against for judge.

“Let me say right now this issue is too important to play politics with,” said Pazuhanich.

*RIIING RIIING*
Hello Kettle. This is Pot.
You’re black.

Basically, while it sounds like Al Wilson put together one ass-kicking forum, our politicians will do what they do best….

Pretend to listen.
The victims of predatory lending are screwed, and now they know it.

EricBrooks.Com® – This post brought to you by the letter “C” for “Corruption” and “Con Jobs”, and the letter “G” for “Grandstanding”.