Patrick
Minneapolis,#2Consumer Suggestion
Mon, November 29, 2004
Please be advised that the Hennepin County Attorney recently proved what many already ready knew. That over the past 2 1/2 years the District Court has been played like a cheap fiddle by local Attornies Benjamin Houge & Gregory Miller. Since mid 2002, as Officers of the Court, Mssrs. Houge and Miller have fronted for an organized ciminal enterprise headed by three time convicted swindler/con-man Thomas von Behren and his various cronies, shills and sham entities. For his part, Attorney Houge not only ran cover for the von Behren and his highly organized criminal enterprise, but Houge actually defrauded the Court into releasing Von Behren from 12 months of incarceration by falsely claiming to the Court that von Behren was employed at Houge's law firm. The Court taking Houge at his word released von Behren under work release. This falsehood was reported to the Court in early 2003, but the Court took no action on this work relase hoax. Von Behren was allowed to remain free during the entire period he was supposed to be incarcerated. Attorney Gregory Miller, law partner of Attorney Mark Levine convicted of mortgage fraud,in 2001, has been instrumental in aiding and assisting von Behren in defrauding banks, mortgage companies, and individual investors over the last 2 1/2 years by amongst other things drafting fruadulent documents including mortgages and deeds wherein von Behren or his shills have falsely obtained loans by using properties they do not own as security for loans. In one case Von Behren's sometimes wife obtained over $700,000.00 in loans from Alliance Bank, using mortgages drafted by attorney Miller. These mortgages falsely claimed that Ms. Clarice von Behren was the fee owner of the property, when she was not, that she was married, when she was not, and that the property was free and clear of all liens and other encumbrances, when it was not. The property was owned by Michael and Mary Dupont and was in in foreclosure under at least two mortgages totalling over $350,000.00 dollars. In addtion there was another mortgage in the amount of $99,000.00 against the property. Attorney Miller also aided von Behren in defrauding a local busienssman out of $860,000.00 by preparing mortgages and loan documents relating to properties Von Behren or his various eneties did not own. Attorney Miller went so far as personally borrowing money from a mortgage company using a property that had been "flipped" to him by Von Behren's company Fiteck LLC. Incredibly attorney Miller borrowed the money under the false pretense that he would owner occupy the home. Allowing him to borrow more money than if he had truthfully claimed that it was for investment. Von Behren is now a fugitive from justice. A warrent having been recently issued for his arrest do to his obvious probation violations. The big question remains, what,if anything, will the authorities do to the Officers of the Court Attornies Benajamin Houge and Gregory Miller as accomplices of Von Behren???? If you have any information relating to these three men, including the where abouts of Thomas A. von Behren please email this information to [email protected]. Or leave a posting here.
Robert
Saint Paul,#3Consumer Comment
Mon, November 08, 2004
On November 4, 2004, Hennepin County District Court Judge Philip Bush, found that career con-man, Thomas von Behren, had violated his probation by facilitating "deals" in the area of real estate, mortgage foreclosures, buying financial paper and borrowing large sums of money. All in violation of the conditions of his 10 years of probation in connection with his November 2002 conviction for theft by swindle. The Court found that von Behren, his ex-wife Clarice von Behren and Minneapolis attorney Benjamin Houge foisted a fraud upon the Court by pretending that von Behren was employed first by the Benjamin Houge Law Office and later by Fiteck LLC, a company incorproated by attorney Houge and described by the Court as a sham. By this ruse Attorney Houge obtianed von Behren's "work-release" from jail and von Behren was allowed to continue swindling numerous individuals while he was supposedly employed by attorney Houge. By agreement Houge and Clarice von Behren shared in the illgotten gains from these new series of post conviction swindles. One victim testified that von Behren borrowed $860,000.00 from him under the false pretense that the loans were secured by real estate. Only to lated find out that neither von Behren nor Fiteck LLC had any ownership interest in the properties. The Court issued a Warrent for von Behren's arrest and suggested that new charges against von Behren, Clarice von Behren and attorney Benjamin Houge were clearly supported by the evidence abduced at von Behren's 4 day probation revocation hearing. Judge Philip Bush also noted that he was going to report attorney Benjamin Houge to the lawyers board for ethics violations. Several other Minnesotans were implicated in von Behren's criminal enterprise by the testimoney of several victims and attorney Benjamin Houge. Including attorney Gregory Miller, whose former law partner Mark Lavine was convicted of multiple counts for defrauding mortgage companies through "flipping" schemes in 2002. This appears to be just the begining of what might become a significant organized crime bust relating to foreclosure rescue fraud, which has run rampant in Minnesota for a number of years. Other victims should report their stories here and to local authorities.