PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Vira Lynn Jones, Property Owner in Clinton Hill
1:54:53
·
7 min
Vira Lynn Jones, a property owner in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, shares her harrowing experience with deed theft and predatory lending. She describes how her home was fraudulently sold without her knowledge through a deceptive foreclosure process, and the subsequent psychological and physical harassment she has endured while trying to reclaim her property.
- Jones highlights the involvement of specific individuals and entities in what she calls a "well-organized criminal enterprise" targeting seniors and homeowners.
- She details the difficulties in getting help from agencies and the court system, which often dismiss her case due to the foreclosure label.
- The testimony underscores the severe emotional, physical, and financial toll that deed theft and related harassment can have on victims, particularly senior citizens.
Vira Lynn Jones
1:54:53
Thank you, Councilwoman Hudson for letting me speak today.
1:54:57
She invited me to come and speak.
1:54:59
My name is Viralyn Jones, and I own a property in Clinton Hill, near the Barclays, Sport, Arena, about a 10 minute walk to downtown Brooklyn and the Atlantic Avenue Terminal.
1:55:12
I've done everything right in my life.
1:55:15
I've never been in trouble with the law except getting a few parking tickets, graduate degree from Columbia, Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, United Nations teacher in the People's Republic of China.
1:55:26
The only mistake I ever made in my life, was I bought this brownstone in Clinton Hill in 1996.
1:55:36
I've been getting refinance on the property since then, but the biggest mistake I made in my life was to get a refinance with one of these predatory private lenders.
1:55:51
Okay.
1:55:52
And I'm gonna I'm gonna say a lot of names today.
1:55:56
I got the loan from, Majestic.
1:55:59
His attorney is Allen Weintraub in 2, 2019.
1:56:07
In 2022 November, I decided to refinance the property.
1:56:13
Of course, the Citibanks, the Chase Banks would not give me a refinance on the house.
1:56:18
And a person I trusted told me to see Alan Weintraub's client, Majestic Crown, that they would give me a refinance.
1:56:33
And what happened was, they sold my house in October 6th 2022 without my knowledge.
1:56:40
And what they did is they used my neighbor's house next door.
1:56:44
They put my address on his property.
1:56:48
Because usually, you know, when you're in foreclosure, you get lots of investors coming to your house, knocking on the door.
1:56:56
Well, I didn't get any of this because he got all of those calls.
1:57:00
So they sold the house behind my back, a fraudulent foreclosure sale, and there and it's very difficult for me because when you hear foreclosure, all these agencies that were here today told me it's over.
1:57:13
But I have somebody that's done some investigation on my deed.
1:57:17
It was a fraudulent deed.
1:57:18
And the reason I'm fighting this is because I had money, for my refinance in November 2022 and the the title company who was going to refinance with them, Once they sold the property, they told me to fight this and I didn't know they had sold our property till I got that letter from the finance department the 1st week of November.
1:57:42
It said, there has been a change in your deed.
1:57:46
If you didn't make these changes, fill out this form.
1:57:49
Okay.
1:57:49
I filled out the form, I've called people, nobody gets back to you.
1:57:57
So, since then, let me somebody had asked, well what do the seniors go through?
1:58:05
We also have to mention, Lawrence Neipel and the Supreme Court has signed all their fraudulent documents.
1:58:15
They're trying to evict me from the house.
1:58:18
What do you go through?
1:58:20
They Since they can't get you out of the house, because they told me in December I had 30 days to move in 2022, December 2022.
1:58:28
So since then, they have performed, I call it mental and psychological terrorism type of activities.
1:58:35
They've they put my boiler out in February of 2024.
1:58:39
Luckily, I'm a a contractor, so I didn't freak out.
1:58:42
I found the 6,000 to put a new boiler in.
1:58:44
I froze for a whole week until I put the money together.
1:58:48
The next thing they did is they put holes from the bottom from the ground floor up to the 4th floor, big holes like you're getting ready to renovate the house.
1:58:56
This creates vermin infestation.
1:58:59
They came all hours of the day and night.
1:59:03
They've done things that just drive you crazy.
1:59:05
Okay.
1:59:05
Yes.
1:59:06
I had high blood pressure, high sugar, I gained £20.
1:59:09
My doctors asked me what was going on.
1:59:11
I didn't tell her.
1:59:12
I just said I got a lot going on.
1:59:15
So I'm telling you, these people do not observe the law.
1:59:19
There is no law.
1:59:19
It's their law and it's and I can't get any.
1:59:23
I've asked for a temporary restraining order from Lawrence Neipel in Superior Court, but he he rules in their favor every single time.
1:59:33
Now, they have put security cameras in my hallway and they keep they put chains on the 3rd and 4th floor because I have a 4 legal 4 family brownstone.
1:59:43
They tore up apartment number 3.
1:59:45
They ripped out the the toilet, the vanity, the doors on their fridges disappeared.
1:59:52
They did it on the 3rd and 4th floor, about $25,000 more of damage.
1:59:57
And now, they've put holes in the doors on the 3rd floor and put heavy chains and and, locks so I can't rent the apartments.
2:00:07
So it's more than this deed theft.
2:00:10
These people who does do not observe any law are doing the same people who are doing this to me, Alan Weintraub, Eon Eon Cohen.
2:00:22
I see their their names on other seniors' property.
2:00:26
So this is a well organized, well oiled criminal enterprise and I want my property back because they have a deed from the they call it the, foreclosure auction.
2:00:42
It is not a legitimate deed because when they they continue to call the cops on me, they're trying to get me arrested, some of these people I'm telling you about, the senior citizens, they go back in their house and these people have them arrested.
2:00:55
I know because I could've been arrested with them if I had spent the night with one woman who has Allen Weintraub's name all over her document.
2:01:03
She said, please stay with me.
2:01:04
I left that Saturday night.
2:01:06
They all got arrested the next morning, 70 year old woman, and she spent 3 days in jail.
2:01:11
They tried to criminalize you.
2:01:13
Yeah.
2:01:14
Like, I came out of court November 20, 23rd and one of the thugs ran up behind me, was screaming at my back on J Street.
2:01:22
And everybody said, just turn around.
2:01:23
You should've kicked him in the balls.
2:01:25
I said, that's what they wanted because he probably would've gone back to court and said she assaulted me and given me 60 days in jail like they did the black woman in the Bronx.
2:01:35
It was a lie and she spent 60 days in jail, enough time for them to take her house.
2:01:40
And that's what they're trying to do to me.
2:01:42
So all this kumbaya things we have with all these agencies, when they look at me and it says foreclosure, they don't do anything.
2:01:50
Sorry.
2:01:51
We can't help you.
2:01:52
They don't so I'm saying that I'm fighting.
2:01:54
They're not getting my house.
2:01:55
I'm still in there three and a half years later, so you gotta hear the mental and psychological terrorism that is being met out to seniors and they know you don't care.
2:02:09
Thank you, councilwoman.
