Friday, February 6, 2015

An Odd Little Rental Property Footnote To Recent "Tax Fraud" Charges Filed By Hennepin County Attorney Against North Minneapolis Resident Rona E. Griffin...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff


Ah, Some Nice Variety In North Minneapolis Crime! 

The Hennepin County Attorney recently announced charges against a tax preparer who allegedly defrauded the state out of $1.7 million in taxes, reportedly cooking up elaborate false returns for others while neglecting to file any herself. 

The woman, Rona Estelle Griffin, 51, ran a company called "H & H Broker" at 4646 Aldrich Avenue North, according to the...

...long and detailed criminal complaint, posted on the Hennepin County Attorney's website. 

Mainstream media are all over this story, and I don't make a habit of treading in the dirty snow where they've already trod. I only have two things to add: 

1.) It's a rental? What the heck? 

The house at 4646 Aldrich Ave. N. is a RENTAL PROPERTY owned by somebody named Manoj Moorjani of Eden Prairie. And I just find that odd. I mean, if somebody had a lot of money--even money acquired, allegedly, by dishonest means--why wouldn't that person own his/her own home instead of throwing away tens of thousands in potential equity on monthly RENT? 

Or, as I like to call rent, TITHING TO SATAN.

The lack of home ownership, right there, would have been my first clue something didn't add up with the tax preparer, who reportedly duped clients who thought she was just exceptionally skilled at getting them tax returns. 

2.) So many court cases, so many trees! 

Some media are mentioning how Griffin had a lot of civil suits in addition to some worrisome criminal convictions. Here is a copy of what MNCIS shows for civil suits:

73-SX-99-001495EZ OWN TV & APPLIANCE INC vs. RONA GRIFFIN
12/08/1999
Stearns
Conciliation
Closed-Physical File Destroyed
27-CO-00-0424078PROFESSIONAL RECOVERIES PERSONNEL INC ASSIGNEE OF BROOKLYN PET HOSPITAL vs RONA E BROWN
04/24/2000
- Hennepin Civil
Conciliation
Closed
73-S7-00-000988CHECKRITE et al. vs. FRESH START FINANCIAL et al.
08/01/2000
Stearns
Conciliation
Closed-Physical File Destroyed
73-C8-02-004150FORD MOTOR CREDIT COMPANY vs. HEIDI A WESLEY et al.
08/23/2002
Stearns
Civil Other/Misc.
Closed-Physical File Destroyed
73-F3-04-000169RONA ESTELLE GRIFFIN vs. AMY GARNETT BROWN
01/12/2004
Stearns
Expedited Process
Closed
73-S0-04-000033COLLECTION RESOURCES vs. RONA E. GRIFFIN
01/14/2004
Stearns
Conciliation
Converted Closed
71-CX-04-001950STATE OF MINNESOTA vs. RONA ESTELLE GRIFFIN
08/30/2004
Sherburne
Restitution Judgment
Converted Closed
05-FA-05-23RONA E & RICHARD A GRIFFIN VS MELISSA ROSEMARIE HAGEN
01/05/2005
Benton
Jesse,Michael S. ,
Custody
Closed
27-FA-000297199GRIFFIN,RONA,ESTELLE VS BROWN,AMY,GARNETT
01/28/2005
- Hennepin Family
Aldrich, Stephen C.
Family Other
Closed
73-C1-06-002118COLLECTION RESOURCES vs. RONA E GRIFFIN
04/28/2006
Stearns
Transcript Judgment
Converted Closed
73-CX-06-002117COLLECTION RESOURCES vs. RONA E GRIFFIN
04/28/2006
Stearns
Transcript Judgment
Converted Closed
27-FA-06-3167In the Marriage of RONA ESTELLE GRIFFIN vs Richard Allen Griffin
05/10/2006
- Hennepin Family
Karasov, Patricia Kerr
Dissolution with Child
Closed
27-CV-07-21508MCR Receivables Corporation as successor in interest to Household Bank vs Rona Griffin a/k/a Rona Schultz a/k/a Rona E Pendzimas a/k/a Piona Estelle Griffin
10/09/2007
- Hennepin Civil
Default Judgment
Closed
27-FA-09-4777In the Marriage of RICHARD ALLEN GRIFFIN and RONA ESTELLE GRIFFIN
07/08/2009
- Hennepin Family
Quam, Jay
Dissolution with Child
Closed
27-FA-10-6497Hennepin County, Rona E. Griffin vs Amy G. Brown
08/25/2010
- Hennepin Family
Support
Closed
27-CO-13-8271Pro Courier Inc vs Rona E Griffin
11/01/2013
- Hennepin Civil
Conciliation
Closed
27-FA-14-2684In Re the Marriage of: Adetayo Michael Osinowo and Rona Estelle Griffin
04/25/2014
- Hennepin Family
Burke, Kevin S.
Dissolution without Child
Closed
27-CV-HC-14-5691Dolores Fischer vs Rona Griffin
10/20/2014
- Hennepin Housing
Eviction (UD)
Closed
27-CO-14-8669Robert Zellers Hall, Kimberly Hall vs Rona Griffin, HAH Broker Inc
11/19/2014
- Hennepin Civil
Conciliation
Closed

As for the various criminal charges, here's all THAT. Keep in mind these may not all represent convictions:

27-CR-97-013817
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
02/18/1997
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
ASSAULT 5TH DEGREE (DOMESTIC)
27-CR-97-027482
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
05/13/1997
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
THEFT OVER $500 Not applicable - GOC
05-K4-99-001364
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
11/23/1999
Benton
Hoolihan, James W.
Felony
Closed
CHECK FORGERY Not applicable - GOC
OFFER FORGEC CHECK Not applicable - GOC
73-T0-02-010623
ST 313420
ST 313420
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
08/23/2002
Stearns
Non- Traffic Misdemeanor
Converted Closed
BARKING DOGS
OVER 2 DOGS PER RESIDENCE
49-T3-03-003244
MC 015435
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
08/04/2003
Morrison
Speeding-Petty Misd
Converted Closed
SPEEDING 80/65
71-K0-03-001915
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
08/15/2003
Sherburne
Galler, Gregory G.
Felony
Closed
THEFT BY SWINDLE Not applicable - GOC
Theft-Take/Use/Transfer Movable Prop-No Consent
02-T5-04-018406
X 727734
X 727734
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
06/15/2004
Anoka
Moving - Petty Misd
Closed-Physical File Destroyed
IATT DRIVING P $107
NO PRF INS/OWNER M
71-TX-06-006344
BPD 012164
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
07/11/2006
Sherburne
Speeding-Petty Misd
Converted Closed
075/65
71-VB-07-2322
SC165814
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
04/23/2007
Sherburne
Crim/Traf Non-Mand
Closed-Physical File Destroyed
Traffic - Speeding - Exceed Limit
34-VB-09-1081
SO 91665
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
05/26/2009
Kandiyohi
Crim/Traf Non-Mand
Under Court Jurisdiction
Traffic - Speeding - Exceed Limit 55 mph Where Appropriate 65/55
02-CR-14-7619
020414050384
020414050384
GRIFFIN, RONA ESTELLE
07/08/1963
12/02/2014
Anoka
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
CH TOW AUTHORITY - SNOW
EXPIRED REGISTRATION LESS THAN 6 MONTHS

There is a part of me that finds this case especially irritating. The company in question was started outside of North Minneapolis, but then moved to my neighborhood. What's up with THAT? Is there a general belief if you want to be a criminal, this is where you should live?

On the other hand...white collar crime instead of drug dealing and shootings may represent a kind of...

Odd social progress in the neighborhood! 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

White color crime? Surely you mean 'white collar' crime...

Johnny Northside! said...

I did mean to write "white collar" crime. Thank you for pointing out that spelling error. I have corrected it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Johnny thank you for your support


Rona Estelle Griffin