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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Dennis Christ And Kevin Christ Face Lawsuit Over Housing Assistance Funds, Government Intervenes...

Kevin Christ, I am writing you in regards to the Home Service Plus plan I have been paying you for since I have rented from you. I am requesting that you please pay me back the money I have invested because I feel you have misrepresented exactly what I was paying for.
USA et al v. Dennis Christ and Kevin Christ, Plaintiff's Exhibit 12
(Public record court filing, thus public domain)
GUEST POST BY CAMDEN CANARY

In July 2012, a tenant at 3821 Russell Ave N brought a civil suit against Dennis Christ and Kevin Christ. But this isn’t any ol’ lawsuit, it’s a qui tam action wherein the tenant (via their attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid) asks the federal government to intervene on allegations that the landlords made fraudulent claims and demands relating to housing assistance payments. The Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota agreed to intervene, and one of the Christs was finally served the evening of December 18, 2013.

According to the original complaint and exhibits, a tenant was living in a subsidized housing unit that provided a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher at the end of her first year of tenancy. She started searching for apartments at the end of that period, and found 3821 Russell Ave N. She was allegedly told that rent was $1,050 per month, but that there was an additional $35 “laundry charge” for the washer and gas dryer. However, according to the tenant, that additional charge was not optional...


...She says she submitted a “Request for Tenancy Approval” as required by the government, and the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority purportedly sent Dennis Christ a packet of documents to complete to schedule an inspection of the property and complete the rental process. She eventually moved in on October 1, 2010. Fast forward a few months, and it appears the tenant found out that Mr. Christ had apparently executed documents with MPHA showing the rent was $1,050 a month (instead of $1,085).

Again according to the complaint, Christ allegedly continued to demand $35 a month for this “laundry charge” from the tenant, and then additionally demanded she pay $20.90 per month for a CenterPoint Home Service Plus repair plan for the landlord-owned appliances.

Plaintiff's Exhibit 10
(Public record court filing, thus public domain)
But almost immediately after moving in, the tenant says she reported to the landlords that the gas stove needed repair. Dennis and/or Kevin Christ allegedly didn’t repair it, so she called CenterPoint herself to request repair under the Home Service Plus plan, only to find out that there purportedly never was a Home Service Plus plan. When the tenant asked Kevin Christ about the plan she had been billed for, he allegedly said “I’m your Service Plus.”

She vacated the following summer, and there were apparently additional disputes as to payment of utilities. According to the tenant, the move-out walk-through indicated no damage, cleaning, nor repairs would be necessary, yet she was charged for cleaning and damages, additional rent, and payment of utilities, which appears to have wiped out the entirety of the deposit.

According to the Housing Assistance Program contract (which is in the included exhibits above), the defendants allegedly agreed that, "[e]xcept for the rent to owner, the owner has not received payments or other consideration . . . from the family . . . for Defendants certified that and will not receive any rental of the contract unit during the HAP Contract term.” Defendants further agreed, according to the Complaint, to "not charge or accept from the family or from any other course, any payment for rent of the unit in addition to the rent to owner."

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid filed the original complaint on behalf of the ex rel plaintiff tenant on July 25, 2012, which again is basically a request that the federal government bring the complaint on the plaintiffs’ behalf; the United States of America becomes the plaintiff.

The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, did elect to intervene on or about April 2, 2013, which effectively sealed the details of the case until the federal government could investigate and write up their own version of the complaint.

The United States filed their Complaint in Intervention on August 21, 2013, essentially re-writing the pleading for clarity, and bringing causes of action for presentment of false claims, reverse false claims, unjust enrichment, and payment by mistake. The federal government made a demand for relief in the amount of $34,884 for treble damages, and a penalty of $11,500 for each of the “twelve false claims,” or for other restitution.

The summons was finally served upon one of the defendants on December 18, 2013. Expect this case to get going a bit more quickly now. In fairness, recognize that the entirety of this post is based on the allegations in the complaint and included exhibits, and the Christs haven’t filed any answer or defenses… yet.

According to property records, the following are the North Minneapolis properties under their ownership or control.

DENNIS CHRIST (10984 228th St, Scandia, MN)

3906 Girard Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2008, and there’s a reference in the Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization minutes and on the 4th Precinct CARE Task Force website of car repairs being done at the property, and cars being parked at the neighboring vacant lot.

3747 Oliver Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009, and JNS highlighted in a previous post a search warrant being executed relating to DeWayne Day. MPD allegedly recovered 57.19 grams of crack cocaine, 6.6 grams of cocaine, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, a confirmed stolen Redhawk .44 Magnum, a rack of cash, and a digital scale.

3647 Aldrich Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. When Malcolm Dashuan Peoples a/k/a Malcolm Dashuan Peoples was arrested on 10/12/2011 and 8/29/2011, he told police he resided there. He has convictions for assault, tampering with a motor vehicle, giving a peace officer a false name, and disorderly conduct. Also, when Wilmon Bryant was arrested on 7/31/2011, he gave the address as his home, too. His convictions include interference with an emergency call and domestic assault-fear, domestic assault-fear again, disorderly conduct, felony domestic assault that was reduced to a misdemeanor under a stay of imposition, and a felony violation of a no contact order, again a stay of imposition until his probation ends in October 2014.

3547 Girard Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. When James Mario Beard and Bobbie Joe Wagner were arrested, they gave this address as their home. Beard has convictions for disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, domestic abuse, and driving after revocation. Wagner has convictions for obstructing legal force, disorderly conduct, and assault.

4000 Bryant Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. When Kynion Malik Love was arrested he provided the address as his home. He’s got convictions for *sigh* felony attempted aggravated robbery in the first degree, feeling a police officer, something relating to registration of predatory offenders, and domestic assault. He’s currently incarcerated.

3821 Russell Ave N shows Dennis as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. It's the property involved in the lawsuit above.

KEVIN G. CHRIST (5269 St. Mary’s Road, Minnetrista, MN)

3615 Emerson Ave N shows Kevin as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009.

4135 Fremont Ave N shows Kevin as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. I found the home was advertised for rental on GoSection8.com at one point.

(And the following two are under the names Kevin Christ and DeeAnn Christ.)

4610 Bryant Ave N shows Kevin as the rental license contact since at least 2009.

3543 Dupont Ave N shows Kevin as the owner and rental license contact since at least 2009. There might be a business operating here called “God’s Garments of Praise.” Last month Finance & Commerce listed a public notice for someone at the address, although it’s not a court issue and I didn’t find any criminal charges. Interestingly, I recognized the address of the former rental license contact "3101 Old Highway 8 #101, Roseville, MN 55113” and… it was Ronnie C. Franklin, property manager for the slumlord-mortgage fraud TJ Waconia operation. I’m not saying there’s any negative connection, but I think it’s important to note when a home was a former TJ Waconia home. Which it is.

Sometimes Kevin is cited as Kevin Chirst [sic] during eviction proceedings.

Kevin also uses/used the business name “D K CUSTOM BUILDERS, INC.” at one point, bearing the same principal executive office as his home, but listing an additional office of 2815 Weston Ln N in Plymouth.

I couldn’t track down anything directly awful about Kevin’s homes or his tenants. Maybe he does a better job than Dennis does when it comes to picking tenants, eh?

12 comments:

  1. North Mpls. slumlords need to be strung up. How is it that their ghetto crap houses can get that much for rent? Also, why are our tax dollars, via sec. 8, being used to finance this behavior and continued squalor? Who is in charge up there in North and why are they not cracking down on these slumlords?

    ReplyDelete
  2. How about you pick apart these guys and find ANY kind of criminal record and their personal pictures and post them on your "blog".
    In the interest of fairness you do it to all of the other scumbags and these are the cocksuckers who really need their info posted and advertised and annihilated. Put an end to these assholes, John, you are the man to do it. POST PICS!!! Post Past's!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The same people who are in charge in the South, East, or West!

    Why isn't anything being done? --Great question!

    Maybe some people think it is contained to the North Side and don't realize what an impact this has on their communities also.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Anon 12:11, you're absolutely right. North Minneapolis by far seems to have it the worst, but I've seen landlords with holdings on the Southside, in suburbs, and even other states. It's a bit easier to wrangle together eyes to watch North Minneapolis than it is for an entire region -- although, clearly that's not working. But the more information that government makes available about businesses, properties, deeds, and court cases the more easily the information can be shared with others to get more attention (regardless of where the landlord is acting).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dennis Lee Christ DOB 6/3/1955 has one conviction for doing 40 in a 30.

    Kind of anti-climactic, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. The rap sheet of Kevin Christ (if you can call it that) also doesn't contain diddly-doo for charges.


    Officer

    Type/Status

    Charge(s)


    82-K4-93-004936
    SW 144696

    CHRIST, KEVIN

    05/26/1947

    10/14/1993

    - Washington-Stillwater


    Misdemeanor

    Converted Closed

    EXPIRED REGISTRATION

    25-T3-97-006471
    FC97006471

    CHRIST, KEVIN GERALD

    06/25/1970

    11/05/1997

    Goodhue


    Non- Traffic Misdemeanor

    Closed-Physical File Destroyed

    NO WAKE VIOALTION

    27-CR-08-35779
    CHRIST, KEVIN GERALD

    06/25/1970

    07/21/2008

    Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Ridgedale


    Crim/Traf Mandatory

    Under Court Jurisdiction

    Careless Operation of Watercraft

    Quiet Waters

    ReplyDelete
  7. There is a bunch of eviction actions as one might expect of a slumlord.


    Case Number

    Style

    Filed/Location/Judicial Officer

    Type/Status

    27-CV-HC-09-8458 Kevin Christ vs Cindy Woodson, John Doe, Jane Doe
    11/09/2009

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-10-2979 Kevin Christ vs Yashica Pullins, John Doe and Jane Doe
    05/14/2010

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-10-5275 Kevin Christ vs Cynthia Mackerson, Tevin Barnett, Thomas Jenkins, John Doe, Jane Doe
    08/12/2010

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-11-2511 Kevin Christ vs Pamela Watson, Jeremiah M Bosire, John Doe, Jane Doe
    04/19/2011

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-11-2518 KEVIN CHRIST vs La'Shawn Denham aka Leshawn Denham, John Doe, Jane Doe
    04/19/2011

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-11-5410 Kevin Christ vs Linda Tollifson, Melanie Wells, Tim Wells, Daverius Moore, Jaime Poole, Dwayne Poole, John Doe, Jane Doe
    08/16/2011

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CO-11-7531 LaShawn Denham vs Dennis Christ, Kevin Christ
    09/22/2011

    - Hennepin Civil


    Conciliation

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-12-903 Kevin Christ vs Cindy L Stone, John Doe, Jane Doe
    02/10/2012

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-12-2168 Kevin Chirst vs Dawn Hayes, Robert Hayes, Dillion Howard, John Doe, Jane Doe
    04/17/2012

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-12-4650 Kevin Chirst vs BOBBIE WAGNER, JASMINE Wagner, MARIO BEARD, John Doe, Jane Doe
    07/31/2012

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-12-2244 Kevin Christ vs Tawanda Johnson, Ronnie Johnson, John Doe, Mary Roe
    08/01/2012

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-12-2600 Kevin Christ vs William J Nelson, Cheryl R Nelson, John Doe, Mary Roe
    08/30/2012

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    ReplyDelete
  8. With Kevin there's a divorce in 1988, some minor cases, and then all the eviction actions you can expect of a slumlord.

    82-F4-88-000239 Linda Kay Christ vs. Dennis Lee Christ (9/27/88-20 PGS) KJM
    01/15/1988

    - Washington-Stillwater


    Dissolution with Child

    Converted Closed

    19-C0-93-012674 FLOOR DESIGN INC. vs. DENNIS CHRIST et al.
    03/04/1993

    - Dakota-Apple Valley


    Transcript Judgment

    Converted Closed

    19-S5-98-003231 DENNIS L. CHRIST, vs. AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS
    04/27/1998

    - Dakota-West St. Paul


    Conciliation

    Converted Closed

    19-CX-98-002558 DENNIS L. CHRIST, et al. vs. AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS et al.
    07/06/1998

    - Dakota-West St. Paul


    Conciliation Appeal

    Converted Closed

    19-C7-98-010519 DENNIS LEE CHRIST vs. JENNIFER BROWN et al.
    12/24/1998

    Dakota-Hastings - Non-Criminal


    Minor Settlement

    Closed-Physical File Destroyed

    62-HG-CV-08-4357 DENNIS LEE CHRIST vs Maxine Kelly et al
    11/18/2008

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-CO-08-5298 Dennis Christ vs Maxine Kelly
    12/03/2008

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Conciliation

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-09-447 Dennis Christ vs Serita Green, et al
    02/02/2009

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-10-392 Dennis Christ vs Mary Lowe et al
    02/10/2010

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-10-1165 Dennis Christ vs Yvonne White, John Doe and Jane Doe
    02/17/2010

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CO-10-4737 Dennis Christ vs Venus Jones, Termayne Allen
    06/15/2010

    - Hennepin Civil


    Conciliation - Housing

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-10-3769 Dennis Christ vs Venus Jones, John Doe, Mary Roe
    06/15/2010

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    27-CO-11-7531 LaShawn Denham vs Dennis Christ, Kevin Christ
    09/22/2011

    - Hennepin Civil


    Conciliation

    Closed

    27-CV-HC-13-1921 Dennis Christ vs Brettena Angeline aka Tina Angeline, Will Smith, John Doe, Jane Doe
    04/08/2013

    - Hennepin Housing


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-13-1463 Dennis Christ vs Tammy Gipson, Chanessa R Gipson, Joella L Gipson, Jaivaun L Brigham, Christopher S Brigham, Trey S Clark, John Doe, Mary Roe
    05/31/2013

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-CO-13-2553 Dennis Christ vs Cheryl R Nelson, William J Nelson
    06/19/2013

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Conciliation

    Closed

    62-CV-13-4710 Dennis Christ vs Maxine Kelly
    06/19/2013

    Ramsey Civil


    Transcript Judgment

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-13-1718 Dennis Christ vs William J Nelson, Cheryl R Nelson, et al
    06/19/2013

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    62-CO-13-3235 Dennis Christ vs Daniel Allenson
    08/14/2013

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Conciliation

    Closed

    62-HG-CV-13-2343 Dennis Christ vs Daniel Allenson et al
    08/14/2013

    Ramsey Housing Conciliation


    Eviction (UD)

    Closed

    82-CO-13-1507 Michael Hunter vs Dennis Chirst
    08/28/2013

    - Washington-Stillwater


    Conciliation

    Open

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anon 8:36, I think what is happening is the slummies put the rent value at the ceiling set by Section 8, and then of course do what ever means possible to increase THAT by converting dining areas and porches into bedrooms and use the Section 8 money that should maintain appliances for vacations, luxury goods, etc. Perhaps Camden Canary can clarify my assumptions here, but this is why places like the Proton houses feature on the JNS have laundry spilling out of fences--there's no dryer for the tenants to use, but we as tax payers are all paying for Proton to provide one, they just choose to steal that money for themselves instead.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Section 8 is the biggest waste of taxpayer money that there is these days. Their inspectors are idiots and the none of the people that work there are even remotely competent! They should keep it simple and just give poor people "rent stamps", just like "food stamps" based on their income etc.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sec 8 housing drives the price of rentals ALL over the country. This is not a Nomi problem nor is sec 8 a local program. Any changes to the sec 8 program would need to come from the government and scumlords will always find a way to milk the system, just as much as those who use it do. MANY of the sec 8 properties have the the max rent allowed and then the landlord has the renert pay 100 or so on the side. They always do it because they need a place to live and someone to rent to them. using a persons arrest record only shows how dumb they are or how many times they've been caught. GOOD criminals may have broken the law a hundred times but have never been caught.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kevin Christ also owns a property at 2623 York avenue north, Robbinsdale.

    ReplyDelete

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