Land fraud scheme
hits immigrants hard
~ Man accused of $M land fraud on trial today ~
PHILIPSBURG--The apparent scheme started with a series of classified ads appearing in local newspapers late last year announcing the sale of land in St. Maarten through a seemingly reputable real estate firm.
Then, a group of more than half a dozen Haitian expatriates reportedly had separate meetings with the company’s managing director F. L. Sr. to make preparations to buy, each giving the company in excess of US $10,000 in deposits before February 2008 to secure the Hope Estate property they expected to own within 20 years.
Now, F.L. stands accused of fraud to the tune of more than US $1 million and an estimated 50 people want to know how they will get their money back. One attorney represents seven victims who have lost close to $250,000.
F.L. is expected to face a judge in a first criminal hearing today. He was arrested in early March, but released after a few weeks’ detention pending a criminal trial.
In a recent meeting with attorney-at-law Denicio Brison, the facts were laid out to some of the victims, including a couple who had sold their home in Haiti and men who had borrowed money from relatives to pay for land ostensibly sold to them by F.L.’s company. They allegedly never received certificates of admeasurement they had been promised on February 15, 2008.
Brison discussed the issues involved with his clients at a recent meeting at which The Daily Herald was allowed to sit in. He said the victims’ prospects of recouping their losses “are very poor.”
This is bad news for C.D. (full name withheld on request) and her husband, who sold their home and other property in Haiti to afford the $61,000 cash deposit that F.L. had requested for an 800m2 property in Hope Estate.
C.D. was in utter shock when she heard F.L. had been arrested for fraud. And when she confronted him after his release, seeking a refund of her money, F.L. reportedly told her he had no money to give her.
“I say, ‘What you do with the money? He say he don’t have any money,’” an anguished D. told this newspaper. “He played games with my money,” she added.
Bus driver C.D. scrimped and saved to afford much of his $23,000 deposit, borrowing a portion from his brother to pay F.L. for property – also supposedly in Hope Estate.
“He says he wants to pay everybody, but he can’t pay anybody,” said the bus driver, who also manages a business on the island and works as a mason. “When I heard he was arrested, I went to his office and his office was closed.”
The other clients, including a couple from the United Kingdom, told similar stories.
When contacted for comment about the matter, F.L acknowledged that he was set to face court today, but declined to discuss any of the individual cases or the number of persons involved in bringing claims against him. “I would rather deal with that after the court case,” was his response to prodding about the claims brought against him.
The victim from the U.K. told her lawyer F.L. had crushed her hopes of owning property here. “Really, he has shattered our dreams of moving to the warm sunshine and friendly people,” the woman explained by email.
Sudden subpoenas
A letter requesting the victims still residing in St. Maarten to appear at the Court of First Instance at 9:00am today had come as a surprise to all of them, but there was no mistaking the official seal of the Netherlands Antilles. “They just send the letter and I don’t know nothing,” said E. of the subpoena to appear in the court session.
Brison is certain that trying to get the victims’ money back in civil cases would be meaningless. The only solace he was able to offer the group of residents was to suggest that they file complaints with the police (many have) and appear in court to show the extent of their claims of fraud.
“They should go ahead with the civil (suit) situation as it is right now and try to get this guy locked up,” he said.
Brison’s suggestion to his clients, whose total loss was put at US$249,000, offered them no comfort.
“So, he go with our money, take jail for [a few years] and then he out,” one of the victims complained bitterly.
