Menu
Login
Investors, Tenants, Potential Tenants, Contractors - BEWARE - this company and it's ownership should be avoided if you value your investments, good credit and personal or business security. Here are a few reasons, please feel free to do your own research - JUST BE SURE YOU DO - Lance Puig and York Street Properties, York Street Homes, York Street Investments and the numerous LLC's this organization operates under have caused 100's thousands of dollars of loss, 100's of wasted hours and countless heartaches for good people:
1) Debts and returns on investment are not honored in a timely fashion, if at all.
2) If you're tenant don't believe if you rent a home expecting to buy it that you ever will. It's a false promise - ask existing tenants.
3) If you're an investor; don't believe you are getting a safe, reliable, well maintained investment - ask past investors.
4) If you're a contractor; don't give this company or Lance Puig any credit - he does not pay.
5) Don't believe what you read on the website(s), in blogs or on radio shows. Icons are unauthorized, statements are false & exaggerated.
6) Don't believe mortgages (in your name) will be paid or debts for services will be paid - they won't be.
Here's a few examples of fact:
a) There are numerous lien filings, small claims filings and court filings against this company and Lance Puig. The subjects are wide
ranging (non-payment, fraud, etc). He gets contractors to remodel houses, then doesn't pay them - $1 Mil of examples cab be given
b) Investors have lost their investments due to non-payment of mortgages.
c) The BBB has not been paid and the "Online Accredited Business" icon is misleading at best.
d) The numerous bank links on the website are being used without authorization.
e) The claim that Lance Puig comes from 3 generations of real estate investors is pure embellishment.
f) Lance Puig hires people in the Philippines to write comments and compliments in blogs. They are not real.
g) An leading figurehead of the company and personal advisor to Lance Puig is an federal ex-con:
http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=MICHAEL+& Middle=&LastName=BACHER&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=79&y=8. This shows in everything they do, Lance Puig just hasn't been
imprisoned - yet.
h) Lance Puig/York Street Properties is not a member of the TAA or local apartment assoc. That makes all leases signed with the TAA
lease agreements invalid. According to law, the tenant has a right not to honor agreement/no legal protection for investor.
i) A majority of properties remain vacant because they're in bad, un-leasable condition. The company is broke.
j) Houses are purchased at REO prices (50%), then sold to investors for 90% with minimum remodeling to justify that price.
k) Resale, should the investor be faced with that, is impossible at 90% - not to mention the probable liens on the property.
l) The 40% profit (j, above) is used to support Lance Puig's unjustified lifestyle and foreign online labor (paid at $5/hour).
There are many cases of fraudulent and/or misleading business practices utilized by Lance Puig and York Street Properties, et al. Do you homework before doing any sort of business with this man or his companies. Better yet, why take the risk? In today's economy it's difficult enough to make your hard earned dollars and credit work for you - why add dealing with a broke, unscrupulous and unethical partner to the mix? Don't believe what you read - Lance Puig is a professional at making things look one way, when his representations don't paint the real picture. Last reports have he and his family hiding in their house to avoid process servers.
Do your homework - there's too much to list here - don't leave any stone unturned if you need to prove to yourself that investing with Lance Puig/York Street Properties is a bad move. Don't leave any stone unturned before deciding to do business of any sort with this man and his companies - and if you do; get your money in advance - get your own attorney to verify all contracts - be sure you are protected to minimize loss when the "good faith agreements" are inevitably broken.
I am a Dallas based investor who also works full-time to support my family. I see opportunities all over town and began looking into companies/persons that I could partner with. In my initial searches; Lance Puig, York Street Properties and York Street Homes came up frequently. So I started looking into the company.
My research included the BBB, banks, appraisers, court filings, looking at York Street Properties houses for rent, talking to a couple of renters/aspiring buyers, company employees (they like to talk - disgruntled, earnest or otherwise), County Sheriff's (process servers), a few of the individuals that had posted complaints on the internet, amongst others.
What I discovered motivated me to publish a few of the things I found out. Perhaps then, any hard working investor or company thinking about providing services to Lance Puig and companies would have a place to start their own research (so that an informed opinion and decision could be made on their own). The facts are easily verifiable.
Would I like to reveal my name in this forum? NO THANK YOU. After my first posting I was able to confirm that Lance Puig had allowed homes and investments of friends, business colleagues and family (including his mother) to be foreclosed on due to non-payment of mortgages. That's in addition to the numerous people he has already destroyed. Disregard for the lives, security and well being of people doing business with Lance Puig seems to be a recurring theme. Would I like to subject my family, home personal security to potential harm needlessly - NO! - my finding do not warrant that sort of trust in Mr. Puig. What I found was chilling.
Perhaps an earlier poster, Reidar Klaumann, has a good idea. It's possible that the State Attorney General would be interested in the financial affairs of Mr. Puig. I, however, do not have an actionable claim as I made a decision to stay away from his dealings. Here's contact information for those interested. There seems to be a lot of people harmed or mislead, perhaps a group effort would offer some protections or satisfactions:
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/
Attorney General Greg Abbott: greg.abbott@oag.state.tx.us
Main agency switchboard [protected]
Consumer Protection Hotline [protected]
I'm an above average earner, family man and hard working person trying my best to cope (if not profit from) the bad economy our nation, state and community faces. It's a time to work together, not work against one another. This also includes sharing information that could help fellow community members avoid a potentially hurtful situation. There are numerous credible facts available (as stated in my first post) and the focus of attention should be on those facts, not attacks on yours truly - which is what several of the above posters have decided to do (or perhaps one poster - Lance Puig using different names). Check the facts; check with BBB, check with TAA, talk to numerous service suppliers, contact tenants in York Street Properties homes, verify county records, speak with banks, there are many channels for credible information.
Our country is a beautiful place; we can express our opinions and make decisions freely. The internet and regulatory agencies make it possible to discuss, interact and take appropriate action. For me, I am walking away from Lance Puig and companies. For the parties already harmed, they may like to "band together" and act as they see fit. I hope this forum and my postings help somebody.
Good Luck and Best Regards,
Dallas Investor
READERS HAVE ASK "WHAT IS A PONZIE SCAM ?"
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned. The Ponzi scheme usually offers returns that other investments cannot guarantee in order to entice new investors, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors in order to keep the scheme going.
The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments. Usually, the scheme is interrupted by legal authorities before it collapses because a Ponzi scheme is suspected or because the promoter is selling unregistered securities. As more investors become involved, the likelihood of the scheme coming to the attention of authorities increases.
Amigo Air can count themselves as one of the very fortunate ones. That leaves more than $600, 000 to go, just with debts to contractors!
Got questions on how HVAC contractors are paid? Contact Mr. Cool, American Mechanical, United Mechanical and many others that have registered complaints with various court systems in the Dallas Metroplex. Their contact information and complaints are readily available... better yet, contact York Street Properties for that information - they have 100's of pieces of correspondence from these companies... though probably discarded, just like investor, tenant and aspiring buyer complaints.
I was asked to re-post the prison record link of Michael Bacher. I hope this works for you:
http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=MICHAEL+&Middle=&LastName=BACHER&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=79&y=8
For all who don't know, Michael Bacher is a long time employee and adviser to Lance Puig.
A BLOG POSTED BY SCOTT LEONARD ON http://themaxonshow.com/2009/01/13/lance-puig/:
QUOTE...
Scott Leonard
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:32 pm
BM,
That’s very nice that you would stick-up for your boss. Fact is, however, the man is crooked and these statements are about the VERY REAL sums of money that he’s swindled. These aren’t empty accusations, these are facts.
If you’ve been a party to the scam of York Street Properties, you and your family should know that you/they are eating while others are suffering and not eating because of the actions of the company you work for.
I know, you must think we’re rich Americans and can afford it. But we can’t. We also cannot survive and prosper when our credit ratings have been ruined by you scam.
As far as talking is concerned – that’s a joke – victims of the scam including investors, tenants and service providers have send 100’s of emails and left countless telephone messages, which have never been returned.
If the company you work for is honorable it will pay its bills. It’s as simple as that. Touting what a great company this is and what a successful business plan it has doesn’t work with an intelligent audience. Look at your REAL accounts payable, look at the investors properties that have been foreclosed on, look at your boss cowering in his house to avoid process servers, talk to the tenants that have bursting sewage pipes in their house, talk to the tenants that were promised they could buy their homes (not a single promise fulfilled).
If Lance Puig is going to go on radio talk shows, he should expect recourse from all the folks that have supported him in past, but lost. You, ultimately, will lose too. If you care about your family, you’ll lead your life honorably and begin looking for a new job.
There’s nothing false in what’s been said. If what you think is true, then get an AUDITED financial report for your company(s) and present it! If it’s REAL, you’ll be startled at what you see.
...UNQUOTE
In response to a post made by BM:
BM
August 28th, 2009 at 2:04 am
I have been working for YSP for almost 2 years now. Before YSP I been dealing with a lot of outsource company and most of them don’t pay and if ever they do the salary is really low. We are getting a lot of bonuses here and YSP is very generous to us. So I was shocked when someone is saying that YSP is not paying – that is so untrue. There might be a delay for other vendors cause there is a process they need to do before releasing money but they still get their pay.
Without YSP I will not be able to support my Family. We are 8 kids in the family and imagine how YSP can help me to survive our everyday expenses. We help people we make their dreams happen it cannot happen overnight but still we make it happen.
I am not saying all these because I am working for YSP, I am saying this because this is really what is happening. Almost every day I talk to Lance, I can see how he wants to make things better for other people. I know his intentions are all good… he also have a family don’t forget that. He cannot please everyone here but he doesn’t deserve all this bad comments. If you have problems with YSP it’s much better to talk to us and solve the issue than spreading false accusation.
BM
I would agree with point 3 of the Investors comments above. It's highly unlikely that Puig has enough liquidity to pay his bills and with lawsuits that have already been filed and will be filed, it's highly unlikely he will ever pay anybody back.
What's intriguing are the "empty threats" he's making by saying "if you speak up in public I can guarantee you'll never get any money". It's really a silly comment to make, for obvious reasons. (A) If he wants to shut somebody up, just pay them. (B) The courts will decide who gets paid the way things are going, not Puig and his "machinery" (C) As Reidar Klaumann said (above), if the press releases are true and York Street Properties is "strong", then why doesn't Puig hire somebody who can successfully negotiate with the parties who claim injury and debt?
Lacking an action similar to point C, above, Puig appears to have nothing to say and no place to go. Bankruptcy will not quell the criminal complaints. Indeed that will just throw gasoline on the fire. He and his convict "ex" have gone too far.
For what it's worth, I got the same letter from Joseph M. Nathan by email. It went into my spam box and will stay there. What a waste of time.
Michael, I'm really sorry to hear about the troubles you and your family have gone through as a result of York Street Properties. Please know that there are scrupulous investors doing business in Dallas. I have need for a good HVAC Technician from time to time. Please send me an email and I'll contact you next time the need arises.
I have contacted the Specialized Crime Unit and explained the investment scheme that was presented to me. The Dallas County DA's office need more information - please contact them directly or through your legal representative !
I thought the newsletter was excellent. I especially liked this part:
ILLEGAL PROPERTY FLIPPING; is the most common form of mortgage fraud, involving false appraisals and other fraudulent loan documents (US Attorney General, quote)…
ILLEGAL PROPERTY FLIPPING EXAMPLE:
• Perpetrator/house flipper buys a house for $40, 000.
• House flipper has the house illegally appraised for $160, 000.
• House flipper sells house for $160, 000 to a straw buyer who obtained a 80% loan of $128, 000 giving the perpetrator a profit of $88, 000.
• House usually results in delinquency, default, or foreclosure.
• The bank/financial institution is left with a $128, 000 mortgage on a $40, 000 property for a loss of $88000.
• Please see comment by Kendra Appraiser: Lance Puig + York Street Properties — False Representations + Payment Scam
Wade - thanks very much for that post! A particular post by "Tom Burris | FHA VA & Conv. Texas Mortgage Loans (DallasLoanGuy.com)" caught my attention. He said " I haven't seen any of these lately. But at a prior place I worked, we had a couple. Both were averted with a lender field review of the appraisal".
It's my opinion (and a respected local Attorney), that Lance Puig went to specific Lenders that wouldn't do a review of the appraisal. If one Lender disageed with the value he would go to another. We also feel that Lance Puig started to have serious troubles with his scam when Lenders began requiring an "appraisal review" or use of their own Appraisers. Until then, "fraudulent operators" like Lance Puig could more easily manipulate all parties involved to facilitate the scam and mortgage fraud.
Investors definitely didn't have control and evidenced by:
1) Lance Puig chose Lender who wouldn't scrutinize the loan documents [for honesty] too carefully.
2) Lance Puig chose Appraiser (whom he controlled or colluded with).
3) Mortgage payments not made by owner.
4) York Street Properties is not a Property Manager and collected all funds illegally.
5) Tenant leases falsely showed York Street Properties as the owner rather than the "Investor/Straw Buyer".
6) There's much more, but those facts should be revealed in Court rather than here, in public.
Thank you "Wise_Broker" for your input. Your remarks actually give credibility to statements made previously and also in this weeks newsletter.
To summarize; the majority of Investors and others were swindled prior to regulatory and lending institution processes being revised. To combat escalating cases of mortgage fraud more vigilance was necessary to protect financial institutions, as referenced in the efanniemae article you provided.
Points 1 & 2 are actually correct. However, as sited in the newsletter, the new controls (referenced in the article you provided) have greatly reduced mortgage fraud and ponzie scams perpetrated by people like Lance Puig. As testament to that fact, severe cash flow problems for operators such as York Street Properties began in early to mid 2009 (as Investors, Lenders, Service Providers, Tenants and others have testified).
Thank You for your input and the positive information that action is being taken to avert future financial disasters at the hands of operators like York Street Properties. As many very wise people have stated "self regulation by industry has not provided enough controls in past, obviously". The new thinking - increased controls combined with prosecution of past and future offenders is welcomed - particularly by members of this group !
I was contacted by a very nice young lady this afternoon. She told me about all the websites, lawsuits, conversations and latest news.
More to the point, she asked if I needed help with filings or anything else to deal with Lance Puig. I thought that was absolutely fantastic and I offered all the information I could provide. I don't know York Street Properties investors but I'm happy to hear that somebody is looking for them and planning to put together a teleconference soon. Thanks for doing that, I really got a lot out of the conversation !
Wade, your comment on page 8 looks like it will be coming together. I was asked to send an email to yspvictims@gmail.com and identify whether I was and Investor, Tenant, Service Provider or Other in the subject line. It would be a great idea if everybody reading this blog could do the same thing - it would make it easier for the organizers to sort the mail.
Again - Thanks !
THANKS FOR THAT. YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE TO READ THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE (/URL removed/) ... AFTER GIVING FAIR WARNING AND ALL THE REASONS WHY A LAWSUIT AGAINST [redacted] IS SILLY:
Comment: I Know the CDA (Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. § 230) Protects [redacted], But I Am Going to Sue Anyway!
If you have read all of the above information and still want to file a lawsuit against us, there are some other points you need to know.
First, Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and each state court's rules, generally require that all pleadings, including initial Complaints, must be presented in good faith, after a reasonable investigation into the facts and the law, and not made for an improper purpose such as harassment. What this means in plain English is that if you file a lawsuit which you know contains false claims, or if you sue without first conducting a reasonable investigation as to the law as it may pertain to the facts of your case (such as determining the identity of the author of the report(s) you are concerned about), you and/or your attorney can be subject to serious sanctions at the judge's discretion. Many who have sued settled with us and some have paid some or all of our attorney's fees. Other times we have defended the cases for years running up large legal bills for both sides. Either way, we never paid out a dime in settlement or damages to anyone who has sued us.
In addition to penalties a judge may issue, those who would threaten us need to be aware of another law which imposes civil liability on anyone who files a frivolous lawsuit. This claim is known as "wrongful use of civil proceedings" and it is defined by § 674 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts as follows:
(a) he acts without probable cause, and primarily for a purpose other than that of securing the proper adjudication of the claim in which the proceedings are based, and
(b) except when they are ex parte, the proceedings have terminated in favor of the person against whom they are brought.
Because [redacted] is immune from liability under the CDA for defamation-based and related claims, any suit that seeks to impose liability for the speech of our users is, by definition, an action brought "without probable cause". We encourage the prompt and fair resolution of disputes between [redacted] authors and those who are the subject of [redacted]s. However, [redacted] wants to be clear that it accepts no liability for the speech of its users, and it will vigorously defend any litigation brought against us which seeks to circumvent the CDA. In addition, any suit filed against us without probable cause may subject the complaining party and/or their attorneys to liability in the State of Arizona for wrongful use of civil proceedings. We don't mean to sound harsh, but if you knowingly file a frivolous lawsuit against us, regardless of where your case is filed, you and/or your lawyers can be subject to a lawsuit in Arizona in which a jury could, if appropriate, award both substantial compensatory and punitive damages against you.
Finally, you need to be aware that if you file a lawsuit simply to harass us, not only will this not work, it will very likely end up being EXTREMELY expensive for you. Due to the number of meritless cases we have had to defend, [redacted] has adopted a very strict policy about lawsuits -- once [redacted] is forced to appear in a case, it will not stipulate to a dismissal of the case unless the party who filed the action agrees to pay [redacted]'s attorney fees. There will be no exceptions. If you conduct a thorough investigation BEFORE you sue and you believe you have a valid case despite the CDA, it is your right to pursue your case and prove it in court. However, once you file a lawsuit, be prepared to either take it all the way to a decision on the merits or pay [redacted]'s attorney fees because [redacted] will not stipulate to a dismissal without compensation.
Terri - great question. It's highly unlikely that [redacted] will release the information and will also fight the lawsuit with the typical zeal they are famous for. Pushing this to a "higher level" as Lance Puig has done will only increase pressure on him and cost legal fees (money he could be using to pay people).
It's really a rather silly effort. There are over 1000 readers, with over 7000 hits on the complaintsboard blog now. It appears that many people are making comments on numbers of other websites + other real estate fraud websites are beginning to reference this case on their sites. Does Lance Puig really believe he can "quash" the huge number of victims from speaking freely on every website in the US (and world)? If so, then he's a lot less intelligent than even this group gives him credit for.
His disagreeable efforts only increase the level of complaints voiced and written. Agreeable efforts on his part - REAL ONES, BACKED WITH REAL MONEY - is the only way to get what he wants.
Great job by all who have or will send letters to the attorney! That list of claims that Lance Puig made is amazing... he's actually refuting that; he's been robbing Peter to pay Paul, he's paid all legitimate debts, hasn't frustrated debtors, his remodeling isn't substandard, investors haven't lost money or credit, houses have been lost to repossession, vacant properties are in poor condition, his repair and reimbursement system is substandard and York Street Properties investments are unreliable?
Semantics... and a vision that's purely the fantasy of Lance Puig's mind.
Chin - all investors should be as thorough as your firm. Perhaps there would be far fewer unscrupulous operators in business.
As you may know, this Group has approached numbers of citizen action committee's, media and other victims groups. One of there is called TexasVox "The Voice of Public Citizen in Texas": http://texasvox.org/. It's a good group doing meaningful things for Texans.
Tonight they're having a "hoe-down" at the Barr Mansion in Austin. If you're close you might like to stop by. See you there!
MOTION TO COMPEL RELEASE OF NAMES OF ONLINE AUTHORS DENIED.
Lance Puig has been telling everybody that "his lawyers" will take care of the authors on sites like /link removed/ complaintsboard.com and others... yeah right ! When facts are published why would the courts side with a cheap tactic put together by York Street Properties?
In a decision dated November 18th, 2009 the Honorable Edward O. Burke of the Maricopa County Superior Court stated "Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Third-Party to Disclose Identity of John Doe is DENIED IN ITS ENTIRETY". CV [protected].
Lance you lost and this is a sign of things to come for you. The sad part is that you used other peoples money to file this lawsuit rather than just dealing with people openly and honestly. Your efforts to hurt people that say negative (and true) things about you is not the honorable approach to solve your problems. Paying people the money you owe them is !
Our "hats are off" to David Gingras and /link removed/ - they fought for our 1st amendment rights and won!
Bankruptcy of York Street Properties will not protect the personal assets of Lance Puig when Mortgage Fraud and other acts of fraud are proven.
To all vendors and ex-employees: Please send proof of fraud to: yspvictims@gmail.com
This is a great way to get the ball rolling again. Lance Puig has performed criminal acts and deserves to have his ill-hearted actions follow him for a lifetime. We are here to see that it does, no matter where he is.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I have sent an email to david@/link removed/ with a copy to yspvictims@gmail.com. I hope this helps - having support from consumer advocate attorney's can only help to advance the cause of York Street Properties Victims.
I've been carefully reading this blog and a number of others that paint a negative picture of Lance Puig and York Street Properties. I've also carefully read what the BBB, Securities Exchange Commission PA, news clippings and press releases have reported.
Additionally, I've read the many pro-York Street Properties websites, blogs, postings and press releases.
Objectively speaking, it seems that the many complaints about York Street Properties (and Lance Puig's management of same) have credibility and are coming from concerned parties with legitimate negative experiences. The detail that's been given on both sides should allow any potential investor or vendor of York Street Properties to make intelligent choices. I'm sure there's much more detail and documentation the anti-York Street Properties parties can, have and will provide to authorities and the court system.
Furthermore, what's clearly obvious is that Lance Puig doesn't appear to have any desire to deal with the disputes in a credible fashion. Many offers have been made by parties with complaints to open the issue up for discussion and resolution. York Street Properties has decided to deny all claims and advertise the complaints are coming from a single person (or a couple of people) bent on destroying, defaming or otherwise harming Lance Puig and his companies. His petty legal attempts and disingenuous public responses appear to have no other objective except to "diffuse the situation" rather than resolve it.
The power of the internet and freedom of speech is a tremendous liberty we enjoy in this country. It also appears to be a valuable method of stating your claim in hopes of resolution with the added benefit of providing information to others that might consider doing business with Lance Puig and his companies.
I'm sure it would be a comfort to all to report that Lance Puig has taken his responsibilities seriously and is making solid attempts to pay people he owes money to. Is he that professional? So far it seems not.
Lance Puig's major point is that people have not identified themselves. It appears that's a very weak point as he is well aware of the people that money is owed to. No business can sweep invoices, statements, written complaints and an assortment of emails, voicemails and messages "under the rug" unless it's to deliberately avoid bothersome issues. From my point of view, it seems that bloggers have little to lose by identifying themselves as any threats or actions by Lance Puig will be immediately reported to the world. With that said, I hope that every person negatively effected by Lance Puig and his companies will post their issues with detail somewhere on the internet. The only way he can stop the postings is to pay the debts and/or resolve the issues. If he fails to deal with the debts and issues it should be a clear indication that he never plans to. Does he relish the opportunity to get involved with criminal complaints that could result in his loss of liberty, business, money making ability and other capabilities he now enjoys? Perhaps so, particularly if he enjoys harming himself, his family and others who depend on him.
These are my opinions. Thank you for reading them.
Philip, you've made some excellent points and I see that readers have responded to them positively. Thank you for your input and please keep giving us your ideas and opinions.
As of today, there at least 81 separate posters making comments on the internet. This blog has nearly 1300 readers that have voted the contained information is useful for them. This blog is also reported to have more than 9, 000 hits from 1 search engine alone. That's a large number of people who have chosen to voice their opinions and read the opinions of others (anonymously or otherwise) in a mostly logical and factual manner.
As a moderator I can say that we've attempted to consolidate these opinions and comments in a central location for all to participate in and seek resolutions to the stated disputes. It appears that Lance Puig is ignorant of this fact and has chosen to try and "shoot the messengers" rather than address the root causes... a tactic he is welcome to exercise and we're not afraid of. However, what that strategy also demonstrates is his weakness as a person and businessman.
While we, as a group, would like to seek resolutions peacefully. It appears Lance Puig prefers retaliation and hostility. That style is appearing to be the way he approaches life in general. It also seems to be the only thing that he listens to, based on the "official York Street Properties Response[s]", his continued disregard for return correspondence and his ill conceived legal strategies.
More organization will be injected into the efforts of group moderators by appointing a spokesperson; setting-up a website for information and a continuation of these and other comments; linking with other fraud victims groups around the country for support and ideas; setting up support groups to help one another survive this nightmare and move-on; and last but not least obtain strong legal counsel that will aid every member in some fashion.
Meanwhile, I have seen a number of websites, postings and press releases by York Street Properties acclaiming to all that choose to read the propaganda that York Street Properties is; "strong despite the poor economy", "offers profitable returns to investors", "offers home ownership to renters", etc. These are all claims that the majority of people in this blog have personal and contrary experiences with. However, it appears Lance Puig and companies is still seeking others to do business with. Will he treat these potential folks with the same disdain that he treated you? Who knows, but history does tend to repeat itself. Do you wish that somebody had warned you before you got involved with York Street Properties? Most have already said yes to that question.
Would Lance Puig try to work with you in earnest in the interest of "shutting down" more negative postings on the internet? Perhaps so, but there's no guarantees. However, it would greatly increase the possibility for other "potential victims" to be warned that careful due diligence practices should be applied before doing business with Lance Puig and companies. Should you, the reader make a posting someplace else on the internet? The choice is yours - let your conscience guide you, but 81 posters making one posting each lets the message get out there clearly - "this guy caused me pain and loss and this is how he did it".
These are MY opinions
Thanks Moderator - as always, very thoughtful, informative, useful and thought provoking.
It sounds to me like Lance Puig would like to burn house down. Have you instructed you family what to do in the event of a fire and updated your insurance?... meant to be funny, but now that I said it, those words could be sadly true... please be careful.
York Street Properties owes my company more than $33, 000, plus interest. The debt is well over a year old now.
What’s unbelievable is the case went to court and my boss agreed to arbitration – which turned out to be a mistake because Lance Puig looked my boss and the arbitrator right in the eyes, put on his sincere face and promised to pay. He never did !
This guy’s an absolute crook and must be chuckling to himself all the way to the bank.
Recently there was an HVAC Conference with air conditioning and heating contractors from all over Texas. 6 or 7 of the contractors we met shared the same type of experiences with Lance Puig and York Street Properties. When conference discussions turned to “bad debt”, Lance Puig and York Street Properties were mentioned to 100’s of participants who, no doubt, will be helping to spread the word about this deadbeat.
A plumber told me about this webpage at a jobsite today. I can't wait to tell my boss about it in the morning. I might even try to reach out to some other people around Dallas, we work with a lot of investors, realtors, contractors and homeowners in and around Dallas.
Welcome Les, thanks for your post and ability to spread the word. If you would like to be included on the mailing list please send an email to yspvictims@gmail.com. You can also request past issues of newsletters if you like.
Lance Puig owes me $23, 255.00 for landscaping and remodeling work I and my crew did on houses over 2 years ago.
The work was done according to the specifications I was given and it was done in a timely fashion.
The invoices were approved by the "Construction Coordinators" after they were scrutinized for accuracy and property inspections were completed. After that, per agreement by Lance Puig I would be paid immediately after invoice receipt. After piddling around with payment on some smaller invoices I started getting the run-around and every excuse imaginable for not paying.
The lady I was dealing with at the time said that Lance was paying himself $25, 000 a month in salary before any other expense was paid. After that, he paid his contract labor. If there was money left over, then he would pay his bills. From what I was told and from the lack of funds I received, apparently there wasn't much money left over... instead of paying me he just got another contractor that was willing to give him credit (like I initially did), paid them a little so they would increase the credit limit - then screwed them too... that seems to be Lance Puig's "M.O."
My invoices were very complete and were backed-up with photos. The statements I sent (for what seems like 100's of times) included; my invoice number, the invoice date, the property name, a detailed work description, the date the work was completed, the invoice amount, the name of the construction coordinator that ordered and the name of the construction coordinator that approved the invoice for payment. The remodeling and the paperwork was done very professionally - the client, York Street Properties, is anything but professional.
My name is Mario Silva and I'm a victim of Lance Puig of York Street Properties
SMW Sprinklers
PS: York Street, please feel free to pay me, the information's on my invoices. You have boasted that you have no vendor problems, so
prove it!
I had an afterthought, maybe somebody would be interested to see what was billed for what houses. I hope the formatting comes out ok:
INVOICE # WORK ORDER # PROPERTY NAME AMOUNT DATE FINISHED APPROVED BY
986 522745 Forestdale 300.00 12/23/2006 Adrianna
[protected] Burning Tree 350.00 02/21/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Broadmoore 515.00 03/01/2007 Halie Garza
1047 742338 E. Main 1, 200.00 03/08/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Duet 225.00 03/08/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Velasco 300.00 02/23/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Velasco 325.00 02/27/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Appleton 240.00 03/01/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Moon Dr. 200.00 03/01/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Moon Dr. 400.00 02/28/2007 Halie Garza
1280 742733 Duet 225.00 03/08/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Arizona 3, 600.00 06/15/2007 Santiago Lopez
[protected] Lindsley 50.00 03/06/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] E. Main 100.00 03/15/2007 Halie Garza
1315 745158 Lindsley 300.00 04/05/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Pinehurst 200.00 04/12/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Moon Dr. 1, 000.00 04/23/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Duet 225.00 04/25/2007 Halie Garza
[protected] Ivandell 2, 000.00 04/25/2007 Jaime Reina
1356 742759 Ivandell 50.00 04/25/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Moon Dr. 320.00 04/25/2007 Jaime Reina
1367 742761 Burning Tree 950.00 04/25/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Lindsley 600.00 04/25/2007 Jaime Reina
[protected] Cumberland 2, 795.00 05/22/2007 Monica Estrada
[protected] E. Main 500.00 05/12/2007 Monica Estrada
1382 881587 Beth 130.00 06/14/2007 Monica Estrada
1383 735573 Burning Tree 50.00 03/26/2007 Halie Garza
1384 [protected] Bushire Dr 1, 600.00 05/22/2007 Monica Estrada (Lance Puig house)
1385 749621 Hampton 200.00 05/13/2007 Monica Estrada
[protected] Arizona Ave 180.00 06/14/2007 Monica Estrada
[protected] Arizona Ave 300.00 06/14/2007 Santiago Lopez
[protected] Arizona 200.00 06/14/2007 Santiago Lopez
1390 882299 Hollandale 300.00 06/20/2007 Monica Estrada
1391 883715 E. Main 150.00 06/29/2007 Monica Estrada
1393 883129 Ridgewick 725.00 06/27/2007 Monica Estrada
1394 883164 Ridgewick 1, 700.00 07/01/2007 Merritt Wiley
1395 881587 Beth 150.00 06/15/2007 Monica Estrada
1396 Phone Order Various 200.00 06/29/2007 Merritt Wiley
[protected] Richard St. 150.00 07/05/2007 Monica Estrada
1398 882783 Loganwood 250.00 07/05/2007 Monica Estrada
[protected] Loganwood 50.00 07/05/2007 Monica Estrada
Questions: feel free to contact me through complaintsboard.com, smwsprinklers@gmail.com, the Victims Group at yspvictims@gmail.com or if you are York Street Properties please contact me through the details given on my invoices. By the way, there are postings about us all over the internet and they are ALL positive (unlike York Street Properties). We do great work !
WOW - Mario, that's complete and nicely done (despite the normal formatting problems). Do you have the complete addresses so that we can check on who the current owners are?
Mario - have you spoken with the Dallas District Attorney's office yet? I'm sure they love to hear from you. I just sent a copy of the last newsletter we got with contact information.
Perhaps a visit from some "New Jersey Dudes" would be a good idea
Seriously good idea Mica1755 - happen to know of any interested "contractors" ?
Another extraordinarily credible complaint against Lance Puig and York Street Properties. With all the evidence that been given and the emotions that being cheated can cause... I wonder if any informed person would still consider doing business with this guy and his companies?
If there are any readers that are considering doing business with Lance Puig or York Street Properties, in any capacity, please tell us about your experience (how you were approached, what the sales pitch was, what they had to say about the dozens if not hundreds of people negative remarks, BBB revocation, federal lawsuits, civil actions, etc).
I know all the lawsuits and BBB things are important and I hope everything possible is being done to haul whoever into court or whatever other actions are necessary.
However, I'm still living in a York Street Properties house and the pipes in the bathroom burst again this weekend. This is the 3rd time and the repairs were never done right nor was the carpet replaced from the other times. This house is horrible.
I've been trying to get hold of somebody over there but never can. At best I get somebody who says they'll transfer me to somebody that can help and then I get voicemail... which, of course, is NEVER answered.
This is totally ridiculous! I moved here because it was close to my kids school and the move-in cost was low, I hate to pull the kids from their school before the semester's over and we don't have much money to move to another house. I'm just at wits end and the odors in here aren't helping things. What can I do ?!?
I'm calling the bank tomorrow - somebody came by here a few weeks ago and said the house was being repossessed because the mortgage payments weren't made. Maybe they can help?
I don't know whether to scream or cry
Tanya, it's OK to cry just don't get any tears on the carpet - York Street Properties may try and keep all of your deposit...
Now that a sad attempt was made at humor, you might like to post what you're looking for on this blog.
Perhaps there is somebody in the Group that could help - you certainly can't depend on Lance Puig.
Our web designer is nearing completion of the website for victims. The pages will be filled with information, links of many sorts, blogs, interviews, polls, security features, privacy features, legalese, etc.
We have archived all pages in this post and plan to repost them on the new website. Please advise if you would prefer your post not be transferred and it will not be. You may reply to: yspvictims@gmail.com
Nice Job and thanks for your efforts !
My best friend invested with York Street Properties last year. By the beginning of this year she lost money and a great credit rating. In turn, she was left with poorly maintained properties that were worth a fraction of what she paid for them. After getting two independent appraisals it was clear that the houses were never worth the amount.
She should have verified the value and condition of the houses purchased (hindsight is a wonderful thing), but more than that she should have verified York Street Properties track record with investors and contractors ON TOP OF making sure they had solid, credible licenses to transact every facet of business they sold her. It would have saved a lot of pain.
After receiving a few months of minuscule revenue returns the well started to dry up. Mortgages weren't paid, renters didn't occupy the houses and they couldn't be sold for what they were worth. It wasn't an ailing economy, it was mismanagement and manipulation of the loosely regulated housing industry in Texas that caused the failure.
What REALLY burns me is that there are so many people that have been "taken for a ride" by this company and not enough is being done to put this guy behind bars. To a degree I understand it - like my friend says "it's embarrassing" and "what can you do?, the system doesn't work for us".
Baloney - the system is setup to work for you! More attention than ever is being put on the many variations of mortgage fraud, contractor fraud, misrepresentation and other scandalous acts over the last year and before.
My friend had not seen this and other postings until tonight - she now knows she wasn't alone and will fight back. Thanks for all the good information here... but my question for all the victims is simple - where's your lawsuit? We've gotten together a small group of friends to pay for filings and legal fees but more than that, we're working together and becoming better friends through the experience. That's a far better experience than "cowering in the corner someplace".
Every action that Lance Puig takes to refute the results and fight the people just now complaining should be met with a stronger backlash of action. He's not honest and continuing to tell people otherwise makes the situation worse. Wouldn't you agree?
I'm pissed - aren't you? Lets get something going here. York Street Properties has no business continuing business as usual - keep them busy with actions initiated with this group. I know it's started, but get it going in epic proportions - you have the facts, documents and the law on you side !
In the News:
http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/newport_news_man_sentenced_to_240_months_for_mortgage_fraud
This mortgage fraud blog has some interesting information
I have some information that may be helpful regarding some of the addresses listed under "PUIG". I know of three companies, real companies that have been the victims of Lance Puig and the Puig Family. One is a local Dallas firm that has written off 26, 000.00 plus of unpaid invoice's that Lance Puig ran up. The other a national firm that is owed over 150, 000.00 by Lance Puig and is attempting to locate a way to serve papers. I was introduced to Lance Puig and he is a fraud and scam artist; the business group that made the introduction was approached by him and attended a meeting with him at his father's office 3424 Gillespie Street #8 Dallas Texas 75219 telephone [protected]. His father is Winston Puig a phony just like his son. They have a company called HC Companies and Alpha Southwest Partnership; both in the business of ripping off people. The meeting took place on a second floor conference room and the good news is that group he was trying to convince to invest 500, 000.00 passed. Lance Puig and the father have these fancy offices in a residental rental community the father owns.
The father Winston Puig actually lives on the property in #1 and has a office in #8; the remaining units they rent out for 5, 000.00 to 7, 000.00 a month to I suppose wealthy people who have no idea the family is in the business of ripping off who ever they can. The business group that Lance approached was not impressed by the location which by the way is directly across the street from the Mansion On Turtle Creek Hotel, completely unrelated although the Puig property is made to look as if it is a part of the Rosewood Group, scam! Lance Puig told me that he was "courting" this group and had not decided if he would involve them in his deal, Scam. The group had already told him to take a hike. Lance Puig told me he was a memeber at both the Cresent Club and Dallas Country Club, Scam, he could not get into either club. I referenced a third company, this one is actually an attorney in Dallas, who represents a individual who has some pending matter with the Puig clan. This attorney is a high brow Highland Park type and his client's old money and private; his only comment was Very distrubing matter, and shocking deatails that he would not disclose, only to say it is unbelievable the events that have taken place. His remarks about Lance Puig's club memebership "laughable" his remarks about his father, "most likely involved with the son's activity in some way" finally his last words on the matter were I would strongly advise anyone to avoid business, leasing or investing with anyone named Puig or companies they own . In all two great firms who have lost money to this guy and another matter that sounds like it is a money loss. My well wishes to the friends that avoided dumping a half of million dollars in his lap and my regrets to all these good people that have been scamed by this family. Stay away friom the PUIGS, they are crooks in fancy outfits driving fancy cars and living behind a big gate at 3424 Gillespie. Mini Madoff, he walked the same walk and talked the same talk.
3424 Gillespie is The Villa at the Mansion's; these are owned by Winston Puig the father of Lance Puig, is he involved as well? We live on Gillespie as well; the property at 3424 Gillespie is offered by Judy Pitman Real Estate in Dallas, she is in to the high rise sales etc. I have heard from others that the Puig's are difficult to deal with, they use to buy antiques from a well known shop with a connection to the Mansion on Turtle Creek or one its founders Caroline Rose Hunt, rumor has it that Winston Puig would take out items and then not pay for them! What sort of family is this? Holly Puig is a crook as well and the new wife of Winston Puig, Sheri is in on all this as well, they all live at the property on Gillespie, why the DA is having trouble locating Lance Puig is a mystery go to the office at 3424 Gillespie #8, they know where he is. What a scam and a mess. By the way Puig does not have an office at 100 Crescent Court, from what I have heard he owes them money for the mail box he has been leasing. FRAUD!
W.L. Wentwood - Great Post and Great Information ! Please fill us in on any other "juicy details" you might have on this family and its dealings... maybe it will a producer to come up with a sitcom called "Phony Dallas, life of the want-to-be's" :-)
The 3 known addresses for service are:
1) Lance Puig Residence & Office: 10810 Bushire Drive, Dallas 75229
2) Bryan Dunklin, Resident Agent & Attorney for YSP & other Puig entities: 100 Highland Park Village, Suite 200 Dallas, TX 75205
2) 100 Crescent Court, Box 700: simply a mailbox situation - Regus confirmed moments ago they will still accept mail for them
However, it appears that we should add 3424 Gillespie Street #8 Dallas Texas 75219 to the list launch an investigation on HC Companies and Alpha Southwest Partnership.
Recently, we've been "stirring-up" some interest with tax authorities concerning all of Lance Puig's concerns. If they're in business together it seems obvious that the entire family should be scrutinized.
Do you have the name of the company that "wrote-off" the $26, 000? You could send that privately to: yspvictims@gmail.com
I do have the name of the firm that has the 26, 000.00 loss; this information was given to me confidential and I feel as I should honor that point. I did send an e mail today to the firm and suggested they speak out on this site or others about the loss. They did business with Lance Puig on a regular basis; they provided a service to him and this is the result.
In the course of sharing this informatio with me they wanted to know if I or the small investor group whom made the introduction had been victims of any loss.
According to this source the Senior Winston Puig is apparently an MD with out a pratice and he operates this HC company which owns real estate and has had its share of problems. He also owns the Villa at the Mansion, a residential rental property with units priced at 5, 000.00 to 7, 000.00 a month. If you check out the wed site of Judy Pittman a Dallas real estate agent you will see these under rentals. It appears as if at least three of the units have been empty for a while and they are unable to lease them. The property is run down and has a band aid type facade in which the owner attempts to appear as if the property is linked to Rosewood / The Mansion on Turtle Creek. It is not and the units in bad condition. The Puigs use #8 as an office it is a three floor structure and the HC company and Alpha Southeast operate out of. Lance Puig also uses the #8 for meetings. My source said they attended a meeting and it was very strange / shady regarding the presentation, Puig wanted to buy some property in Garland and lease the house's while attempting to have it zoned commercial; then tear the house's down for a commercial strip. He need funding and was nothing more than a smooth used car salesman from what I hear. The deal did not move and Puig began to spread word the he was the one that had declined the investors. I was contacted once again by Puig after this occurred, actually he reached my wife, who has several investments and asked if she would attend a meeting which would include several other AAA type investors; she said NO, she does not handle the business day to day, although she is the principal and it is her money. Puig asked who he could call, she told him my son and hung up. Several weeks later my wife and I were at dinner and a couple who had moved to Dallas from another state, and had made good with a wireless investment came over to say hello. The gentleman said that he had been told by Puig that we were considering investing in a commercial deal. My wife said No, she had been called by this man, whom she did not know and he told her he knew me (her husband) and wanted her to consider an investment. From what we gathered a letter was mailed out to several people indicating the my wife held an interest in some deal he was trying to put together. Attorneys sent a letter to him and we never heard another word. This Father is bad news as well, socipath is the best word to describe him, he Winton Puig has been involved in many tangles; hires low paid employees who have trouble getting hired any place else and makes money by scams again as the son, leasing bad property, investments that have no value and lawsuits. Stay away from these folks. As for the address, I can only go on what people say and that is they live at this place, if you drive by they have a tall black iron gate looks like Buckingham Palace type gate (English) on a proprty that appears tropical go figure that out. A call box with no names only unit numbers and a security camera or two to watch for the feds I assume. People such as these give the honest guy a bad name, many of us in that area have worked hard to get where we are, in my wife's case her grand father worked more hours in a week than were present; to have some stuck up fraud unload a pile of dirt on you is wrong. It is not the way Texas became the land it is. We do not need people like Puig doing business in this city with a bogus Cresent Court address and a run down Villa they got at a fire sale in the 80's appearing to be something they are not. Nobody with nothing and stealing for the rest of us. Lance Puig's wife Edie who is working or was at the Dallas Market they say is a nice person, she and her children have been made to appear as guilty as the Puig Clan; What tpye of man does this to his family. All I can say is stay away from them; if they owe you money check out this 3424 Gillespie #8 I suspect they know where the worm is hiding.
Has anybody in this group done a thorough background check on any or all of the Puigs and their companies? If so, would you please share a copy.
W.L.Wentwood is sharing very fresh information for the group on a subject we are all familiar with - deception. Which appears to be "an arrow in the Puig quiver" used frequently. While there's certainly an abundance of civil disputes against the Puig's, we as a group need to share documents, assets, information, etc to prove the criminal fraud allegations which could surely be proven with victims supporting one another.
W.L. Wentworth is correct, these guys are bad news. Until August or so there really wasn't much information available from people having business experiences with Lance Puig. Now people are speaking-up, agencies are investigating and lawsuits are being filed. This is all good news for the public and bad news for the Puig's.
The abundance of information on dealings with Lance Puig, his companies and now his family should be enough to make anybody considering doing business with them think twice and research more deeply. The world is a small place now and win/lose scenarios simply cannot continue as they may have in the past.
It's essential that parties get their complaints into agancies and file lawsuits, small claims and collection actions to legitimize complaints that will get the authorities to put these people out of business.
Great writings W.L. - keep up the great investigative work that will protect your neighborhood from riff-raff !
NEW PROPERTY INFORMATION BELOW When you look at the scope of the different parties involved with Lance Puig et al; it is important to speak out. If not for web sites such as this most of the information we have would not be known to the next person whom is approached by Mr. Puig; along with the fact the although volume in numbers of cases will not correct or replace the losses; it is a solace in the fact that he fooled others with his tricks. The looming question is will this stop him from doing more. As I have indicated I am not privy to knowing these parties directly only from a source that was burned and the brief meeting and telephone calls he made attempting to further line his pockets. Based on what I have read and know this man is unbalanced which is more alarming than being a crook. I read with interest on one post of his threats to people if they spoke out against him. Poppy ###! He has no right to attempt to silence people; he is Nothing more than a man that took his education if he has one, and the advantages he had and stole from people in most cases far less fortunate than himself; what a waste not to do something with that instead of being a fool. I will also say that from the information regarding his family that they all feel like they are above the law and above the average man. We need to continue to gather information on this family and stop the scams.
Today I drove by the Villa's at the Mansion and its mere presence is a slap to many that Lance Puig stole from, most of these victims have not idea the life people who live in places such as this have. Massive gates to keep out the "wrong people". If you look at photos of the places that others such as Madoff and his cronies lived it makes you wonder do they think they will ever get caught or will the gates keep out even the ones that make the laws they feel as if do not apply to them.
In addition to the Dallas property we have discussed and others have posted it appears that the Puig's enjoy spending time in Colorado as well; ( it is nice to excape the hot Dallas Summer months)
Sherry G. Puig; who is the second wife of Winston Puig the father of Lance has a property in her name in Durango Co. the address is 1228 Animas View / the owner Sherry Puig and the address she uses for the tax bill is 3424 Gillespie Street Villa 1, Dallas, Texas 75219 ( this is the Villa behind the big black iron gate). The value of Mrs. Puig's Colo. property is 515, 000.00.
One not enough property records in Durango show that Winston Puig has an address at 949 Beers Drive, very nice near the water; this property did not yield as much information as that of the second Mrs. Puig, maybe because she is under the radar.
Winston Puig according to DCAD has 3424 Gillespie Street in his name with a total value of 2, 633, 060.00
Holly Puig the first Mrs. Puig and mother of the infamous Lance has total property in Dallas County of 582, 520.00 according to DCAD
Lance Puig known as the third generation real estate wiz has total property value of 586, 300.00 in his name.
I like how they mother and son divided up the spoils to the 580, 000.00 ish range so far when ripping off the little people.
The interesting item in all of this is that nothing can be found about this HC Companies or Alpha Southwest Partners although both have listings on the web and the address is again 3424 Gillespie, what are these companies and what do they do? This family has more layers than the wedding cake at Lance Puigs wedding (at the expense of the little people once again). I am curious about the companies and are they tangled with the YSP; It is always nice when the scam artist come up with such names As York Street Properties, so solid you can almost picture George Washington standing at the gate post. What a bunch of Poppy ###.
W.L. Wentwood - the members of this group would obviously like to attach everything owned and planned to be owned by Lance Puig. Do you have a way to get information for us?
Lance Puig's York Street Properties is essentially an internet business. That's where he got; investors, service providers, tenants, lenders, houses, foreign contractors and others.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Go here to file a complaint - they act based on the volume of complaints...
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
Reidar Klaumann - excellent point - the more information we have the better off we will be - facts are not hearsay.
If you've run background information, please share it. There are lawsuits pending from some of the other victims I've spoken to and your due diligence information would be helpful.
The guy who called me from York Street Properties said he was a Licensed Mortgage Broker in the State of California. Fortunately I check that out and discovered it was a lie (http://search.dre.ca.gov/integrationaspcode/)
Many here and a friend of mine were not that lucky. Sharing lawsuit and filing information can be very helpful to Plaintiffs, potential Plaintiffs and investigators. I hope readers do that!
You can also look-up Texas real estate licenses here: http://www.trec.state.tx.us/newsandpublic/licenseelookup/search.aspx
One question that always comes up is "has the company that wants your money or credit ever been reprimanded or admonished by the SEC"?
In Lance Puig and York Street Properties case the answer is a resounding YES:
https://www.secure.psc.state.pa.us/releases/Members/index.cfm?page=ReleaseDetail&id=873&ReleaseType=&ReleaseDate=&ReleaseYear=&Desc=&Rescind=&CFID=387097&CFTOKEN=a3f4165efad1b630-A409BEB4-2B3A-77E0-82F3C2920C18D24D&jsessionid=80302430301256882552500
Then the Better Business Bureau decision:
http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/real-estate-investors/york-street-properties-in-dallas-tx-90006702
Then the Federal Lawsuit:
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-txndce/case_no-3:2009cv01655/case_id-189424/
Combine those with the dozens of complaints to Texas authorities, ongoing agency and media investigations, this blog and the many others and what do you have?
Lance Puig says it's a conspiracy that's hurt him and made him cry < :-) ... weep, weep >, but the more intelligent, insensitive answer is that you've got a con man who's continuing to screw people every day that his business doors are open. However, he's going to say the whole thing doesn't exist unless people speak out... aggressively and regularly... oh, by the way, that will make Lance Puig cry too :-)
My Name is Chin Luk, President of Chin H.K. Ltd in Hong Kong.
Recently we were contacted, through our US agent, by York Street Properties. After accumulating a tremendous amount of documents from this company and reviewing their website it was decided that we would look into investment possibilities further. We have surplus cash, excellent credit sources and a desire to invest in the Dallas area.
We asked York Street Properties many questions about the health of their company, corporate headquarters, accounts payable position, legal position and particularly required written references from financial institutions, vendors, past investors, tenants and others. We planned to start slow, but quickly invest large amounts to obtain holdings and passive income.
Every document was scrutinized and investigated by out team in HK and in the US. What we found was the documents were prepared to look real but were false, references were of no help and did not tell the real story. Our investigators are very good - they contacted numerous individuals that have done business with York Street Properties, government agencies, news agencies and local investigators.
At last we have the truth. This company exists as a fraction of what they claim. We wasted a LOT of money to get at the truth - indeed, we may have invested had we understood the truth and discovered York Street Properties was trying to reconcile its position as a business with past lenders, investors, vendors, etc. However, they denied every negative we found and confirmed.
I doubt that others have the intense due diligence programs that we do. I'm certain this came as a surprise to York Street Properties also.
We appreciate all of the verbal and written comments that we were given and read. This has helped us to avert doing business with a very undesirable company.
For those thinking about doing business with York Street Properties, investigate first.
For those that have done business with York Street Properties, file a lawsuit. We may not have had to research so deeply if there were court records. If it will not help you, perhaps it will help others.
We are a socially responsible firm. Normally I would not write a letter of thanks like this. However, this company so lacks business ethics (from our perspective) it was our responsibility to a community we will become more involved with in future.
Best Regards.
CHIN Luk
Chin H.K. Ltd.
Hong Kong
It seems as if YSP has expanded its scope in an attempt to lure investors as far the group which was approached in Hong Kong. The real efforts must be made here in Texas to made certain that the correct government agencies are involved. I have had several telephone conversations with two Dallas business owners ready to extend efforts further. This is good news; as well as a person who has a matter which is about to explode with the interested parties; legal disucssions under way with attorneys regarding Lance Puig as a direct result of this web site. It feels good to draw attention to Mr. Puig and his bad behavior.
Hello All from London,
I've been watching this blog with mild interest. My company name is York Estate Agents and some of our clients have mentioned that York Street Properties gets mixed into search results from time to time.
I'm astonished that a company is able to simply take peoples money, credit, labor and outlays then not honor written and verbal contracts. Rightly so, I shouldn't be astonished at that - but what I am astonished by is that this person is still doing business and trying to convince people he is legitimate.
In the UK, defrauding investors, tenants and contractors is taken very seriously. HM Prison system hosts many estate agents who thought they could outsmart hard working earners. Licenses and a great deal of examination keep the bollucks out of the business. Why is it seemingly easy for contracts to be breached in the US?
We English complain little, but when there is an injustice, perceived or real, forces work for the people not the scammers.
Good Luck and Cheers, Jon
My name is Rick Sanders. Jon Rubber pointed me to this site for a couple of reasons;
(1) We invest in properties in the US and UK with particular attention on affordable housing properties. He thought I'd find the commentary interesting.
(2) "By Day" I am a Associate Counsel at eff.org and eff.org.uk (Electronic Frontier Foundation). We defend free speech rights, bloggers rights and anonymity rights (amongst others). Jon pointed me to this site, and a list of others including /link removed/ to peruse comments by bloggers and York Street Properties.
I found all of the writings very interesting, informative and commendable. There certainly appears to be a problem with York Street Properties based on the volume of comments all over the internet. For me it seems a pity that company resorts to a CyberSlapp suit against its victims rather than taking steps to resolve disputes but there are plenty of protective mechanisms available and I will be sharing the issues with my colleagues next week. Feel free to browse our websites for more information on what we do (www.eff.org and www.eff.org.uk).
In addition to the already growing negative commercial exposure, this could potentially increase negative exposure for York Street Properties exponentially - you're right Jon - but that would definitely not be the objective.
I was very happy to learn about this blog. Lance Puig is a fraud as many here have voiced. I have a small holding company in Dallas and we operate four business out of. Lance Puig owes me money having done business with two of these. We operate a delivery Service that Lance Puig used on a regular basis and he owes 21, 491.18. He also used a printing service that we own and has a outstanding balance with us of 7, 301.00. I have been attempting to collect from Puig and YSP for months. Even when the con man was on the radio speaking about his proven method of investing and his long family history in real estate, both residential and commercial.
Many of the people on this blog have had the same outcome as I dealing with this man; he is a smooth talker with not more going for him. Some have said they feel sorry for his family, his wife, kids and dad; I do not! I feel sorry for my three sons in private schools that have not had more due to the fact this guy owes me 29, 000.00. His family is in on this with him or at least protecting him, Almost all the numbers I have for him are no good; I called this [protected] the Villa Mansions that his father Winston Puig owns and the lady told me she did not know who he was. I asked doesn't his father own this place, she said I am not allowed to give out that information. Get a hint the Dallas County Property records show the Winston Puig is the owner of 3424 Gillespie Street and Winston Puig is the father of the worthless bum.
I suppose if he was my son I would say I didn't know him either, what a worthless bunch.
My advice, if you own a business do not have dealings with anyone named PUIG in Dallas, or at least make sure they pay you in Cash up front. Bad news any way you look at this family.
windcayinvestors - lots of people are singing the same tune when it comes to Lance Puig routinely ordering services, promising to pay but never doing so. From all accounts there's 100's of thousands of dollars owed because of this deceitful tactic. The pattern of this tactic has been going on for years, according to first hand reports. It's simply despicable and its sad to hear all the ways good, hard working folks, their families and employees have been hurt.
Where have you filed lawsuits? Have you spoken to the Texas or Dallas District Attorney's office? Did you get BBB reports filed? Did you receive a copy of the "York Street Properties Victims Newsletter Number 2"? It has a lot of agencies to contact, free legal resources, etc. You might write to yspvictims@gmail.com and ask for it should you not have it... the suggestions are a start.
$29k is a LOT of money !
FRAUD: The word is used in many different contexts. Here's a legal quote:
WHAT CONSTITUTES FRAUD
Under common law, three elements are required to prove fraud: a material false statement made with an intent to deceive (scienter), a victim’s reliance on the statement and damages.
Authors have credibly stated the experiences in many different places - grouping together with similar experiences will strengthen the first element.
Lance Puig is a slippery character - I'm thinking he has to be pretty slimey too! Either way, he's a real "stomach turner" for me !