Blog post by John Hoff
It was more than a month ago when somebody contacted me through my blog, telling me some very interesting things about a guy named Robert Serr, who is heavily involved with North Minneapolis real estate through an entity called United Federal Properties LLC. Here is a link to a website, which was turned up by searching a phone number linked to Robert Serr.
http://unitedfederalpropertiesllc.com/For%20Sale.html
The "UK Office" and "US Office" is a nice touch, don't you think? Note that the US office is located in the fictional town of "Minnepolis."
I should point out that both the title of this blog post and the sentence above come, verbatim, from some of expressive emails which have been circulating behind the scenes, discussing Robert Serr and United Federal Properties, and the impact on North Minneapolis...
"Hawthorne Hawkman" Jeff Skrenes--whose eyes light up with delight at the word "spread sheet," it's sick, I tell you--put together a very interesting document with data about the various properties linked to Robert Serr, click here to obtain a copy of that document.
To most people, Robert Serr is best known for his involvement in the "Restaurant Miami," which used to be on Lake Street, and had a Miami Vice theme. The attitude of folks revitalizing Lake Street (God bless 'em!) appeared to be "Good riddance" when it came to Restaurant Miami going away.
Expect more coverage in the future here on Johnny Northside Dot Com about Robert Serr. Hopefully, this coverage will be pushed forward mostly by the Hawthorne Hawkman, who is much better at the spreadsheet...thing. However, in behind-the-blog discussions, the Robert Serr conversation has reached a kind of critical mass (plus we apparently ironed up some data space issues with the PDF support site) and suddenly, on Memorial Day 2010, it was time to let readers know:
Another dubious real estate baron has hit the radar of Johnny Northside Dot Com. Pull up a lawn chair to your laptop, and watch the fun and fireworks as things develop.
To any and all public officials trying to help turn around North Minneapolis: please, examine the data on the spreadsheet. Something very fishy appears to be happening here.
It could be "legitimate flipping," but does it SMELL that way?
http://unitedfederalpropertiesllc.com/For%20Sale.html
The "UK Office" and "US Office" is a nice touch, don't you think? Note that the US office is located in the fictional town of "Minnepolis."
I should point out that both the title of this blog post and the sentence above come, verbatim, from some of expressive emails which have been circulating behind the scenes, discussing Robert Serr and United Federal Properties, and the impact on North Minneapolis...
"Hawthorne Hawkman" Jeff Skrenes--whose eyes light up with delight at the word "spread sheet," it's sick, I tell you--put together a very interesting document with data about the various properties linked to Robert Serr, click here to obtain a copy of that document.
To most people, Robert Serr is best known for his involvement in the "Restaurant Miami," which used to be on Lake Street, and had a Miami Vice theme. The attitude of folks revitalizing Lake Street (God bless 'em!) appeared to be "Good riddance" when it came to Restaurant Miami going away.
Expect more coverage in the future here on Johnny Northside Dot Com about Robert Serr. Hopefully, this coverage will be pushed forward mostly by the Hawthorne Hawkman, who is much better at the spreadsheet...thing. However, in behind-the-blog discussions, the Robert Serr conversation has reached a kind of critical mass (plus we apparently ironed up some data space issues with the PDF support site) and suddenly, on Memorial Day 2010, it was time to let readers know:
Another dubious real estate baron has hit the radar of Johnny Northside Dot Com. Pull up a lawn chair to your laptop, and watch the fun and fireworks as things develop.
To any and all public officials trying to help turn around North Minneapolis: please, examine the data on the spreadsheet. Something very fishy appears to be happening here.
It could be "legitimate flipping," but does it SMELL that way?
36 comments:
Ok when I click that link it takes me to their website with lots of properties for sale/rent. Looks like a possible crime to me. Offering housing in North Minneapolis? Despite what you may think it's not yet a crime to buy property in North Minneapolis and then offer it for resale and rent.
Eat, hungry little Google Bots, eat!
Here are the addresses listed for sale on the United Federal Properties website. I thought it was best to list them so they'd turn up in search engines. Hopefully, future blog posts on this topic will contain live links to the city and/or county website.
Note how properties are listed in the fictional city of "North Minneapolis, Minnesota." Is that like West St. Paul? No, it's not...because WEST ST. PAUL actually EXISTS as a municipal entity.
407 30th Avenue
North Minneapolis, MN
3742 Aldrich Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
2814 Morgan Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3000 Lyndale Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
412 29th Ave
North Minneapolis, MN
3240 Sheridan Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
2920 4th Street N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3411 Bryant Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
807 Logan Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
4025 Lyndale Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3347 Dupont Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
612 39th Ave.
North Minneapolis, MN
3722 Dupont Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
2826 18th Ave
North Minneapolis, MN
14 37th Ave E
North Minneapolis, MN
1812 Vincent Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3618 Dupont Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
5152 Logan Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
1647 Sheridan Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3523 Oliver Ave N.
North Minneapolis, MN
4027 Lyndale Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
3550 Morgan Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
4223 Dupont Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
1418 Sheridan Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
809 Morgan Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
1715 Oliver Ave. N.
North Minneapolis, MN
322 25th Ave. N #1
North Minneapolis, MN
322 25th Ave. N #2
North Minneapolis, MN
324 25th Ave. N #1
North Minneapolis, MN
324 25th Ave. N #2
North Minneapolis, MN
I still don't see any crime here. And while North Minneapolis might not exist as a city it still serves the browser to know for certain the area that the home is located in. Are you crying wolf here? By listing the addresses here I guess you can later see "told you so" should one of those addresses turn up to be the location of a future yet unknown crime? I don't get it.
Nobody is saying there is any crime. We are taking a hard look at this little empire, and looking for the rotten stuff from which the rotten smell is coming. Watch for more coverage in the future. If you know details and have something to say, then say it.
Ok so just so I have this straight. If I take my life savings. Buy 15-20 properties in North Minneapolis, post them for sale and rent on a website I get posted here as if i'm a criminal? It seems this business has not done anything YET but you have created the impression that mr Robert Serr is no good?
So what is the point of this blog post, I agree with Anonymous 3:49.
Thanks for the informative post John. This guy is just waiting to do some slum lording. I'm glad you're here to nip it in the bud.
Here is a PDF to a document where Robert Serr deals with the mess he made of his liquor license at the Restaurant Miami.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2008-meetings/20080808/docs/Restaurant-Miami-Licensing-Settlement-Conference.pdf
But, well, now he's in REAL ESTATE.
Hmmmmm.
big f-ing deal.
I think as long as they don't serve liquor to the tenants everything should be ok.
This looks like he just didn't pay several fees related to his liquor license and thus appropiately lost it. I don't see what this has to do with him buying and renting and selling real estate. If we based our total opinion on whether people paid money owed to the governement there would be a lot of people we'd have to post on the internet.
Robert is a known cocaine addict- making his Restuarant Miami something of an Ironic endeavor.
I don't understand why you are attacking this guy before you gather the facts. What kind of journalism is that?. You are painting him to be a slum lord and, so far, you have nothing to back it up. For all you know he could have wonderful intentions and be a great asset to NoMi. A quick search shows he has owned and rented properties for a few years under various names and entities. I think you just like to trash peoples reputations.
link to the Excel document actually directs to Serr's website. Also, I looked up a couple of the properties and found that a few have sold recently and the taxpayer is noted as Gollywog Properties Llc, 3208 W Lake St # 157, Minneapolis, MN, 55416. I can't find a registered LLC for that name, or even a previously used LLC by that name on the SOS website, which I find interesting. How can an LLC own something when that LLC doesn't seem to exist??
Why exactly should I be outraged about this? I mean I'm on board with the poop brown building and the butt glass and the sign litter and the phone books and chicken wings being sold after midnight and all the other things you are raging against, but I really can't figure out what it is about this that is so upsetting.
Perhaps you'd be willing to clarify and elaborate?
Just to be clear to all the doubters, Robert is a douche. I met him a few years ago when Miami was still open through a mutual friend and he likes drunk girls, cocaine and money. If I remember right, his rich parents live in Britain so that explains the UK Office. Also, he has some friends at a St Paul lawfirm that also like to throw money around, buying new properties and investments. Hanging around with these guys I saw a lot of things that you wouldn't hope to see from someone that had an earnest interst in doing good in a community.
Has anyone mentioned the staff at Restaurant Miami who he failed to provide with paychecks and W2? To whom he owes thousands of dollars? The friends that he used to have and lost because he stole from them? The fradulent marriage that he was involved in to get status in the US? The fraud that he has committed with Minnesota Healthcare? Run this guy's name through the 4th district court web site and see what happens. He is a filthy pig who I certainly hope gets locked up for a long time.
At least one of these rental properties holds no current rental license with the city of Minneapolis. (See "city of Minneapolis" website/property lookup/search by address/rental history.) Guy could get in trouble for that alone.
Trying to find a landlord/caretaker contact for one of these buildings and it's proving more difficult than expected. Can't find hide nor hair of "Gollywog Properties".
Actually, I just found Gollywog Properties as an inactive LLC in Florida, but not registered here in Minnesota as it should be.
Ok who doesn't like drunk girls, cocaine and money. I still don't see anything illegal going on here.
I have a different reason to try to find this landlord and what I'm seeing looks like troubled property: holds no rental license with the city, RE taxes past due, no public contact info for the owner of record (Gollywog Properties), no Minnesota registration for the company, a tenant who doesn't even have a last name or current phone # for their landlord (named "Robert").
For at least the one property I'm looking at, it looks like a landlord who bought properties without knowing what he's doing, is managing badly, and possibly losing it to foreclosure. In fact, this is the web entry I see for United Federal Properties:
http://www.hotfrog.com/Products/Foreclosure-Homes/3
United Federal Properties
Minnepolis, MN
Phone: 1 612 817 3413
United Federal Properties, LLC is in the business of purchasing, renovating, renting and selling We offer foreclosure homes for rent and for sale ...
You can find a record of Minneapolis property foreclosures here:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/foreclosure/
The only thing I can plainly see that could get him in trouble is renting out property without a license with the city.
The alley behind the property at 3347 Dupont Ave. N. was recently the site of a murder.
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/08/charles_kentrel.php
I have read your 'blog' or should I say defamation of character. This started in, what, May of 2010? It is now January of 2011 and you have not posted anything that remotely looks like evidence. Who do you think you are? From all the crap you were writing, I thought you were onto something. However, what it shows is that you are assassinating someone's character for the world to see and it is based on nothing more than hearsay. Who is the douche bag now?
@Anonymous/Robert Serr: I kind of think you took a pretty good running start at ruining your own reputation. I feel well-qualified in my assessment, being one of the people you've tangled with legally. The truth always outs.
Johnny, your focus is on people who won't fight back (people with a business) and people who can't fight back (prosistutes who don't have online access.)
You focused on Robert because he's a publicly known figure and the dirt on people who are known to the public are easy to find.
I don't think you care about the Northside. It appears to me that all you want is attention.
You appear to me to be upset at the fact that you got involved with a woman who left you and is forcing you to pay child support. Maybe you should focus on that system instead.
If you are sincere about fixing problems with the Northside, why don't you focus on rival gangs killing each other (mostly teens and young adults) and what they are doing? Sorry, I forgot. They fight back and don't tolerate people bad mouthing them. That would actually take courage not a cowards way of attacking others who won't fight back.
If you need visual evidence of what a scumbag this guy is take a drive in the alley between Russel and Sheridan Avenues N from 14th to 16th. He owns 1418 Sheridan but you need to see the garage adjacent to the alley. It's been in it's current condition for months and it's a disgrace. He's treating our city like a dump and he should be held accountable. I encourage anyone who doubts this guy is a slum lord to drive that alley and come back to argue in his favor!
robert Serr is an interesting person. He is here in the states illegally. he talked his ex-wife into marrying him and promised her the world then cheated on her and treated her like shit. She still sees him on and off (of course she is remarried)!
But Robert Serr is a scum-BAG! Lets not forget who the real dirt bag is!
If you have some proof that what you are saying is true, please post it.
I'm publishing your comment but I have no proof of what you are saying about Robert Serr.
I used to work with Robert Serr at a hotel. His wife worked there as well. Funny thing is the manager is now the husband of Robert Serr's wife. To think that they are all sleeping together is sort of sick. I hope the poor guy has caught on to what his wife and Robert Serr are up to.
Robert was a lazy worker called in most of the time.
I would suggest not doing business with this guy. I did not know him in that aspect but he did seem a little slimey even though this was 10+ years ago and I was just a co worker.
Johny I love your blogs keep up the good work on pointing the finger at the dirt of society.
Unable to confirm the facts in your comment but I am publishing it. The Robert Serr story has yet to be told and when I return from Afghanistan, it's one of many stories that I need to pursue.
Unless somebody else gets to it first, which is fine with me.
wow! I have known robert about 4 years .haven't talked with him for a while because of some differance's between us and that's where it will stay,between us not on some blog .I'm not why you have a hard on for the guy?did he steel your girl and and do some lines with her or what? the stuff I read seems vandictive.what's the real reason behind this?
Wow, 18 feb@ 12:49 babbles like a bi-polar manic and spells like 3rd grade was their last shot at education. Differance? Vandictive? You should probably "Steel" sum nollij sumware.
3240 sheridan ave n. Was sold to a private party that has no connection to robert. Please stop using this address in your blog. We do not want any of his (robert) bad bussiness conected to our new home. Thank you
I don't go back and change things that were true at the time they where published. This is simply a list of addresses associated with his dealings. Think of it as part of the colorful history of your house. A bonus.
Additional facts in regard to stories on this blog can be added through comments such as yours... completely anonymous, and it may or not be true, etc.
But go back and change? Delete? No, that won't be happening.
I meant to write "they were" not "they where."
Somebody is communicating with me behind the scenes about how the 3240 Sheridan Ave. N. is no longer associated with its former owners. I may end up writing specifically about 3240 Sheridan Ave. N. in a new blog post. But what is written is written, and it's not erroneous.
Thats an amazing story considering they didn't have laptop cameras in 1995.
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