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Report: #112000

Complaint Review: Thomas Von Behren, - Tom Von Behren, - Fiteck LLC , - Jack Spence - Bloomington Minnesota

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  • Reported By: Fridley Minnesota
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  • Thomas Von Behren, - Tom Von Behren, - Fiteck LLC , - Jack Spence 11521 Zion Road, Bloomington, Minnesota U.S.A.

Thomas Von Behren, Aka Tom Von Behren, Dba Fiteck LLC , Dba, Jack Spence THREE TIME CONVICTED SWINDLER HEADS ORGANIZED CRIME GROUP IN MINNESOTA WHICH SWINDLES HOEMOWNERS, BANKS AND MORTGAGE COMPANIES Bloomington Minnesota

*Consumer Suggestion: over the past 2 1/2 years the District Court has been played like a cheap fiddle by local Attornies Benjamin Houge & Gregory Miller.

*Consumer Comment: Court Revokes Thomas von Behren's Probation, After Finding that von berhen, his sometimes wife and attorney Benjamin Houge Defrauded the Court

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Thomas von Behren a/k/a Tom Von Behren, a con-man who has been convicted one on Federal Felony Bank Fraud and twice of State Theft By Swindle charges between 1999 and 2002, was recently named as the main Defendant in a 24 page Complaint filed by the Minnesota Attorney General, Michael Hatch. Hennepin County District Court Case. No. 04-12164.

The Attorney General accuses von Behren, of "mutiple instances of real estate and financial fraud, violating Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act, Uniform Decpetive Trade Practices Act, by among other things deceptively acting as a real estate Agent or Mortgage Originator". The Attorney General's action stems from von Behren's on going criminal enterprise which he has run even while he was supposed to have been incarcerated for his last swindle.

In addition to von Behren, the action names of other defendants, including his sife, Clarice von Berhen, Real Equity Investments, Inc. Zachspensc Inc. Land Data, Inc. World Wide Data, Inc. Bruce Livinggood and Abdul Baten. The Complaint also names 1-10 John Does, 1-10 Jane Does, and 1-10 ABC Corporations as yet to be named defendants.

The Attorney General rightfully calls von Behren a "financial predator" and the suit is supported by affidavits of at least 22 victims. Mostly vulnerable homeowners who were duped out of the ownership of their homes by von Behren and his named and yet to be named co-conspiritors. The defendant list will get longer as more victims become aware of the action and come forward with their complaints and/or stories.

The Complaint seeks to temporarily and permanantly enjoin von Behren and his various agents, which includes several local attorneys, assigness, affiliates, corporations, partnerships, limited liability corporations, limited lieabilty partnerships, and all other persons in active concert with him from

(1) directly or indirectly participating in any transaction related to real estate, mortgages, or financing,

(2)directly or indirectly assisting in the eviction of a person from a whom where the person had once been fee owner of the home

(3) directly of indirectly assisting or directing the filing or prosecuting of an unlawful detainer action against a tenant who is or has been the fee owner of such real estate

(4)directly of indirectly acquire or receive, or assist any other person in acquiring or reciving, any interest in real estate which is or will be involved in a real esate mortgage foreclosure proceeding or has been directly or indirectly involved in a real esate mortgage foreclosure proceeding, during past three years,

5) directly or indirectly sell, assign, or transfer any interest in real estate, or assist any other person in selling, assigining, or transfering any interest in real estate, where the real estate is or will be involved in a real estate mortgage foreclosure proceeding or has been directly or indirectly involved in a real esate mortgage foreclosure proceeding in the past three years.

The action stems from the highly organized real estate, mortgage foreclosure equity stripping enterprise that von Behren has orchestrated through various corporations, accomplices and attorneys. Duping hundreds of Minnesota residents out of the ownership and equity of their homes.

Von Behren and the others have used the homeowners properties to fraudulently obtained millions of dollars of loans from commerical banks and mortgage companies, by falsely claiming that they owned the properties, when in most cases they were still owned by the victims.

Von Berhen's third felony convicion in November of 2002, for theft by swindle came as the result of his borrowing money from an investor and giving the investor a mortgage on a home von Behren did not own. Incredibly as part of his sentaence von Behren received only a year in jail and 10 years of probation, One of the conditions of his probation was that he was not to continue "self employment" in the area of real estate, mortgages or any financial transactions.

However von Behren cleverly dodged both the self employment prohibition and his incarceration by enlisitng the help of a Minneapolis attorney by the name of Benjamin Houge. Mr. Houge claimed to the Court that von Behren was an "employee" of the Benjamin Houge Law Office" the Court bought this claim hook line and sinker and allowed von Behren to be released 45-55 hours a week during the entire year he was supposed to be serving time in jail. In truth the Benjaimin Houge Law Office, was simply Benjamin Houge, a solo pratitioner, with a meager practice and no employees.

Despite attorney Houge's claim that von Behren was a $750.00 a week employee of his firm, von Behren was driving expensive automobiles including two (2) Hummers and a 2004 BMW 523 and living in a $750,000.00 home in a gated golf course community. It was also reported that von Behren had recently offered to underwrite the entire cost of a european trip for his son's soccer team. Despite the fact he has not paid a red cent of restituion to his last two swindle victims for which he was convicted.

On Friday October 8, 2004, the Attorney general will ask the Court to issue a Temporary Injunction, pending the adjudication of the action.

Other investigations continue.

Kieran
Bloomington, Minnesota
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/07/2004 07:07 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/thomas-von-behren-tom-von-behren-fiteck-llc-jack-spence/bloomington-minnesota-55367/thomas-von-behren-aka-tom-von-behren-dba-fiteck-llc-dba-jack-spence-three-time-convic-112000. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#2 Consumer Suggestion

over the past 2 1/2 years the District Court has been played like a cheap fiddle by local Attornies Benjamin Houge & Gregory Miller.

AUTHOR: Patrick - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, 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 sheriff@co.hennepin.mn.us. Or leave a posting here.

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#1 Consumer Comment

Court Revokes Thomas von Behren's Probation, After Finding that von berhen, his sometimes wife and attorney Benjamin Houge Defrauded the Court

AUTHOR: Robert - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, November 07, 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.

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