Approximately ten years ago, Wanda Murray and others exposed a scheme that was designed to defraud and take control over multiple homeowners’ associations. According to Murray, she was intimidated and harassed by the people who were involved in the fraudulent activity. Other individuals within her group of condominium owners were also targeted for harassment after they became aware of the improper conduct of those involved in the scheme.
Intimidation is at the heart of this whistleblower case, where some individuals were singled out for public mistreatment as examples of what could happen to any others who dared to speak out. Homeowners’ association meetings were essentially controlled by those involved in the scheme, and armed individuals attended meetings to send a clear message of intimidation. Homeowners who wished to speak out on important issues like the repair of construction defects that were present in their homes did not dare to do so under those circumstances. Construction defect repair and other issues were addressed however the controlling group decided they would be handled. Money from construction defect settlements was stolen by at least one company that was owned by an individual within the controlling group. Badly needed repair work was not done on many of the affected properties and improperly or partially done at others. As a result, homes in the developments that were targeted by the scheme lost value, causing economic damage to the homeowners which totaled in the millions of dollars.
The homeowners’ association control scheme was quite involved, with one of the defendants recruiting straw buyers to purchase properties in condominium developments. He then got those individuals onto the homeowners’ association boards by rigging the elections. With people hand-picked by this defendant in powerful decision making positions, his company secured profitable construction defect repair contracts that were worth over seven million dollars, and then performed minimal work under those contracts. The actual work that was performed was valued at about a million and a half dollars. Subcontractors were also defrauded as part of the scheme. When the scheme was brought down, some homeowners had already lost money. Others just barely escaped from sustaining losses of their own because authorities had been informed of the scheme and stepped in just in time.
Barrett Law PLLC: Representing Whistleblowers throughout Mississippi
It can be difficult to come forward and expose improper corporate conduct, especially if you have been harassed or intimidated. However, it is important that wrongdoing be exposed so that further fraud does not occur, and so that those who have already been affected can be compensated for their losses. If you would like to learn more about whistleblower lawsuits, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC can help you. Our attorneys understand the whistleblower claims process and we can provide you with the information that you are looking for. To learn more, call our office, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.