by John Hoff
Jerome Lance Kingrussell, who impersonated John Foster to accomplish a mortgage fraud at 1564 Hillside Ave. N. and another property, resulting in one of Minnesota's most high-profile mortgage fraud prosecutions, has finally paid his first restitution check to his victims. Damages in this case were well over $800,000 and against that mighty mountain of money damages Kingrussell recently paid, by check, a grand total of...
...$10.79.
Melony Michaels, the wife of John Foster, recently wrote to me and said (clearly in a sarcastic manner) she is still trying to decide what to "splurge" upon with the unexpected windfall. The payment only happened after Michaels rattled the cages of the county workers in charge of Kingrussell to get some restitution, ANY restitution. One gets the sense Minnesota DOC (click here for a review of their sparkly new website) hardly ever follows up vigorously on restitution for victims.
In fact, this is the first restitution check I've ever laid eyes upon or heard about in half a decade of writing about North Minneapolis crime and criminals. Only the most savvy victims who follow up endlessly and become their own best advocates ever get anything from the system and in this case "anything" is just short of eleven bucks, woo hoo.
Meanwhile, on January 8 an oral hearing took place in front of a 3 judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. First USA Title LLC, which is the "deep pocket" defendant in this case and therefore jointly and severally liable for the other tortfeasors (did that just fly off my keyboard? I guess I've been studying) is fighting the lower court judgment of more than $800,000. First USA Title's insurance company is also reluctant to pay out the money.
Here is what Melony Michaels says about that:
Insurance company is attempting to deny coverage for First USA Title, so perhaps another lawsuit and delay. The fun never stops ;) unfortunately for them I'm stubborn and I missed whatever gene that allows a person to give up. At least it's accumulating 10% interest during their attempts to dodge responsibility.
To which I say: TEN PERCENT INTEREST? I will have to obtain more civil judgments as long-term investments besides the one I have against Jerry Moore, the former JACC executive director who was involved in the mortgage fraud at 1564 Hillside Ave. North.
In regard to how that money should be spent, I would suggest starting a little piggy bank fund toward a private detective license and agency, a dream Michaels has articulated for the past few years. But whatever that money gets spent upon, it should be something symbolic which turns the tables on the criminals like Jerome Kingrussell who intruded into the quiet, productive lives of Michaels and Foster; transforming those lives and creating ripples in the universe which appear to have no end.
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