News
South Florida Dirt: Inside the first week of broker George Pino's trial
2+ hour, 10+ min ago (558+ words) Pino is facing manslaughter and vessel homicide charges The first week of commercial broker George Pino's criminal trial wrapped up last week." Pino is facing manslaughter and vessel homicide charges in the 2022 boat crash that killed 17-year-old Lucia "Lucy" Fernandez…...
Ken Mattson reverses course, will plead not guilty in Sonoma Ponzi scheme case
1+ day, 22+ hour ago (285+ words) Jury trial is back on Ken Mattson, the embattled Sonoma investor and developer accused of defrauding investors out of $100 million in an alleged Ponzi scheme tied to a real estate empire, will plead not guilty to federal charges, a reversal…...
$17 M in escrow funds gone overnight: Palm Beach law firm sues bank over cyber attack
2+ day, 1+ hour ago (487+ words) Rabideau Klein alleges series of bank failures allowed unauthorized wire transfers In the early morning of a Thursday in January, more than $17 million of funds disappeared from" the escrow account of a prominent real estate law firm in Palm Beach....
Biased and misleading: Florida officials sued over property tax ballot language
2+ day, 20+ hour ago (482+ words) Floridians expected to vote on proposed tax exemption in November A lawsuit challenging the proposed property tax exemption ballot language in Florida was filed against Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Attorney General James Uthmeier." The complaint, filed by…...
Claudio Soifer's endless Park Slope saga faces another setback
3+ day, 2+ hour ago (436+ words) Hanover Capital sues over $22 M mortgage break-up on Fourth Ave An investor with ties to Josh Schuster is dealing with his own set of problems, where pre-pandemic plans for a Park Slope rental project still haven't come to fruition. Hanover…...
Former Chicago Housing Authority official, construction company owner indicted in $4. 8 million "kickback scheme
3+ day, 6+ hour ago (202+ words) Federal prosecutors allege duo steered work to a favored contractor and pocketed more than $421, 000 as CHA turmoil deepens Former Chicago Housing Authority property director Ryan Ross and Vanessa Rhodes of Twenty Eleven Construction were charged in a federal indictment Tuesday…...
Trilogy wins over $1 M in suit over leaking "Frankenstein" roof at luxury auto club
3+ day, 21+ hour ago (783+ words) Judge said the GC isn't entitled to its $2. 5 M contract balance because the property owner had to tap the funds to fix defective construction The developer of a 72-acre luxury motorsports club won $1. 2 million in damages and other awards in…...
Judge tosses Koreins" name-dropping 1 Penn Plaza lawsuit against Vornado
3+ day, 22+ hour ago (507+ words) Family still has another lawsuit active It looks like the Koreins will have to regroup in their rent dispute with Vornado over the 1 Penn Plaza office tower. A Manhattan judge tossed out the lawsuit the Korein family filed in February,…...
Newport Beach financier arrested for $100 M federal bank fraud
3+ day, 23+ hour ago (253+ words) Corona del Mar man allegedly falsified title policies for loans secured by real estate An Orange County financier has been arrested by federal agents on accusations of bank fraud tied to loans secured by real estate." Mahender Makhijani was arrested…...
Co Star claims Zillow needs a "reality check" in MRED listings suit
4+ day, 1+ hour ago (650+ words) Data giant asks court to deny listing platform's motion for a preliminary injunction" Co Star is wading into a simmering battle between the largest residential listing platform and the largest residential brokerage in the country over who controls home listings....