Linda Peach Harmon has legally changed her name to Linley Patrick. After her release from jail in 2010, she went to court soon thereafter with the "my ex husband is harassing me" pitch (allegedly) to get her name legally changed. (It is well known he did not.)
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Showing posts with label linda harmon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linda harmon. Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Linda Harmon bails out of jail.
Update 11/2013: Linda has legally changed her name to Linley Patrick. Just a little FYI for you. Paradise Pretzels, Music City Pub Crawl are 2 of her latest businesses.
Yes, Linda Peach Harmon made bail after spending nearly a year in the Williamson County jail. Somehow she managed to find a bail bondsman who put up the $125,000 bail. Ms. Harmon was charged with embezzling $50,000 a year ago in Franklin, TN. Ms. Harmon fled when the police showed up at her home to arrest her and was caught several weeks later in Georgia. JJ has confirmed her release with local authorities in Franklin, TN.
Earlier posts on Linda Harmon:
Harmon arrested
Harmon accused of stealing from bank accounts
Did Linda Harmon commit a $900,000 mortgage fraud?
Former Jackson socialite on the run
How low can you go?
Friday, January 1, 2010
How low can you go? Harmon home now listed for $225,000
Linda Harmon's former home on 2027 Petit Bois is again listed for sale. How low can it go? This home was sold (An earlier post showed how mortgage fraud probably took place.) in December 2006 for $900,000. A payment was never made and the home later went into foreclosure. It was sold in September 2008 for $373,500. The house was then put up for sale at $369,900 (see picture of listing in this post). The home was then listed a two months ago for $275,000. Unfortun- ately for the home, the merry-go-round continues as it is now listed for $225,000. Oh, and Ms. Harmon? She is still in custody in Williamson County Tennessee. See earlier post
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Linda Harmon makes the most wanted list.
Former Jackson Socialite Linda Harmon made the "Most Wanted" list in Tennessee:
Linda Harmon
"Authorities say a Franklin woman convinced at least two people to invest money with her, only to allegedly rip them off.
The numbers aren't anywhere close to the scale of that big Ponzi scheme in New York, but they're big enough to earn Linda Harmon a seat among the TBI's most wanted."
List
Previous Posts:
Former Harmon home listed for sale
Possible mortgage fraud in sale of home
Former socialite on the run
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Linda Harmon Accused of Stealing From Other Bank Accounts
It seems the Linda Harmon story is not yet done. The former Jackson socialite and current fugitive apparently engaged in some identity theft according to Newschannel5 in Tennessee:
"FRANKLIN, Tenn.- There may be more victims of the woman accused of scamming investors out of money and then abandoning her children. New surveillance video of her has surfaced. Franklin Police said she was caught on tape withdrawing money that doesn't belong to her.
Franklin Police are still looking for 45 year old Linda Peach Harmon. She disappeared in December. She was captured on a surveillance camera at a bank inside a Brentwood convenience store. Investigators say she was withdrawing money that doesn't belong to her.
"We know she does have ties to neighboring states, which are all part of the investigation under way trying to get her into custody," said Charles Warner with the Franklin Police Department.
Investigators believe Harmon embezzled nearly $50,000 from investors in New York. Now police believe there are other victims.
"We've gotten calls from across the United States from people that both claim to know her possible where-abouts where she either has been or maybe located in the future as well as information from other victims from not only the region but across the United States who also claim to be victimized by Linda Harmon," said Warner.
Police say Harmon used the stolen money to pay part of her lavish life style that included an estate in Franklin. In December officers went there looking for her. Harmon's two sons told police she was gone.
Later, they were arrested for lying and helping their mother escape. Police have a hard time believing Harmon would abandon her family, but they say it's not unusual for her to pick up and move.
"The time that she spent here she moved from several different locations into several new homes. She doesn't stay in one place for very long," said Warner..." Newschannel5 story WITH video
Ms. Harmon is also suspected of committing mortgage fraud of approximately $900,000 in the sale of her Jackson home in 2006.
Earlier posts (Comments are a MUST read):
Harmon home now listed a third of its former price
The Jackson Socialite, her home, and the $900,000
Former Jackson socialite on the run
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Jackson Socialite, her home... and the $900,000
Update 1/11/09: More proof fraud probably occurred: Market analysis of all homes sold on Petit Bois over the last few years
It seems there is more to the Linda Harmon story than what was posted Thursday. A Jackson Jambalaya investigation reveals mortgage fraud probably took place when Ms. Harmon's Jackson, MS home was sold in 2006. (Yes, you regular readers just knew I was going to go there at some point). Ms. Harmon's former home was sold on December 7, 2006 to a Tracy Williams and Tracey Michelle Goins for $900,000. The loan was provided by WMC, a well-known subprime lender no longer in business) through 80/20 1st and 2nd mortgages. ( 1st Mortgage Deed of Trust & 2nd Mortgage Deed of Trust).
The first mortgage was for $720,000 and contained riders for both a balloon provision and adjustable rate. It was amortized as a forty-year mortgage (due in full in 2037) with an interest rate fixed for two years at 7.5% and would "adjust" every six months after the fixed rate period expired. The second mortgage was for $180,000 with a 25-year term with an undisclosed interest rate.
Here is where it gets weird. The house was foreclosed on exactly a year ago and was sold on September 12, 2008 for $373,500 to Litton Loan Servicing (It is now owned by Arch Bay Holding, a Miami, Fl. firm). Sources have told JJ the house will soon be put up for sale with a listing price of less than $400,000 (which would conform with recent sales of similar homes in that subdivision).
There are several facts about this transaction and the property's history that are suspicious in nature. The house is in a neighborhood where similar homes are approximately $400,000. (Listing of homes on same street and assessed values. Disclaimer: assessed values usually are below the fair market value of the home and don't jump up to $900,000 within a few years). Ms. Harmon built the house nearly ten years ago. (It sits on the River Hills Country Club tennis courts). The house was listed by Ms. Harmon several times with different Realtors in 2005 and 2006. It was withdrawn by Ms. Harmon each time. It was not listed by Ms. Harmon with an agent when she sold the home.
When Ms. Harmon sold her home, her mortgage was with WMC, the same lender who financed the sale on December 7, 2006. The people who bought the home were not residents of Mississippi. The transaction was closed by a notary public in Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis).
So a house was sold which suddenly doubled in value compared to the homes in its subdivision, a subprime mortgage lender was used for 100% financing, the buyers were out-of-state, the closing took place in Tennessee, the house went into foreclosure soon after the sale, and the auction price was barely above a third of the original sales price. However, there are even more facts about this transaction and Ms. Harmon that show mortgage fraud "probably" took place.
In the post Thursday, JJ reported several hundred thousand dollars in liens and judgements were filed against Ms. Harmon by various creditors. Several liens were filed against the home prior to the 2006 sale yet the judgements were not satisfied until the middle of 2008. Mortgage lenders will NOT lend money on a property that is encumbered (I've been waiting to use that word in a sentence) by liens. Before a lender will provide a mortgage, it requires all liens be paid before or at closing. This is a pretty basic rule of mortgage lending and even a subprime lender will not deviate from this rule, especially for what is almost a million-dollar loan.
One creditor informed JJ the lien was satisfied by a claim against the title insurance policy. Translation: the liens were not paid at closing. If the attorney or notary had performed a the required title search on the home, the liens would have been discovered and WMC would have been notified about the liens and required them to be paid before the loan was closed. The obvious conclusion is no title search was ever performed or if it was ordered, it was probably altered so the lien information was hidden from the lender (the name where there is a space for a notary to sign is that of an attorney, Theresa Barnhardt, of Memphis).
Such a fraud initially seems fantastic until the facts are lined up side-by-side. Mortgage fraud is usually not hard to prove when one starts looking for it on a transaction as there is a great deal of paperwork by several parties on a transaction. Ms. Harmon was probably very familiar with how the mortgage industry operates as she has been on several mortgage industry websites. Several comments on Thursday's posts pointed out the following ads by Ms. Harmon (Broker Universe is a website for mortgage professionals and has pages where loan offices seek financing or advice on certain loan scenarios. These are not websites known to the average consumer or even realtor):
"Loan scenario: MS, $30,000, FICO, 75% LTV, Purchase, SF, full, OO
State: MS Amount: $30,000 Property type: SF Documentation: full FICO: LTV: 75%Occupancy: OO Loan purpose: Purchase SFR in MS looking for quick 25-20K hard money equity loan. House appraised at $785. Balance owed $500K Good income. No Fico requirements. lharmon@Trialfocus.com (615)481-8909 by gatorgirl June 21, 2006" (Translation: She is looking for a $30,000 second mortgage requiring no income documentation and no credit score. In other words, easy money. online ad)
"Loan scenario: TN, $450,000, stated FICO, 70% LTV, Purchase, SF, full, OO
State: TN Amount: $450,000 Property type: SF Documentation: full FICO: stated LTV: 70%Occupancy: OO Loan purpose: Purchase Just found a gem! Four year old foreclosed home that needs some cosmetic work. Bank lien $375K, but asking more. Needs about 40K in repairs. Should appraise for $650-700K when finished. Want to make offer today!" Call 615-481-8909 if you can help.by 10sgirl September 8, 2006" (Translation: No income verification required. Looking for $100,000 in easy money again. Online ad)
So apparently Ms. Harmon was advertising for second mortgages requiring no income verification or credit scores for different homes in different states at the same time in 2006, several months before she sold her home.
So what does all this mean? In recap here are the facts:
1. The house was sold on December 7, 2006 for $900,000.
2. The closing took place in Shelby County, TN.
3. The buyers were from out-of-state.
4. Ms. Harmon, the seller, had no realtor when she sold the house.
5. A subprime mortgage lender was used.
6. The loan was closed without the payment of the liens, indicating either no title search was conducted (not likely, a lender always requires it in the file) or the lien information was concealed (more likely).
7. Foreclosure proceedings were filed against the house a year after the house was sold.
8. The home was sold on September 12, 2008 at a foreclosure sale for an amount little more than a third of the sales price.
9. Ms. Harmon has apparently been advertising for second mortgages requiring no income verification or credit scores on mortgage industry websites for multiple homes before she sold her Petit Bois residence.
As stated earlier, I can speak as an expert on mortgage fraud and this more than meets the criteria for a prima facie case. No underwriter or quality control spcialist for a mortgage lender would approve these loans given these facts. The purchasers have never lived in the house. Within four months after the sale, the home was listed again for sale at $910,000 or rent at $3850 a month (It rented.)
Given the known details of Ms. Harmon and the history of the home on 2027 Petit Bois South in Jackson, the authorities should thoroughly investigate the parties involved in the sale and determine if the buyers even existed, as there is more than enough evidence to suspect the buyers may have been fictitious and the seller walked out with nearly a million dollars after the closing. These details are typical in mortgage fraud cases where people have created completely phony borrowers in order to obtain large sums of money. (It usually requires the help of someone involved in the transaction). Ms. Harmon may indeed have more to answer for than just embezzling in Tennessee and running from the police.
Additional resources: Mortgagefraudblog.com
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Thursday, January 8, 2009
Former Jackson Socialite On The Run
WANTED
Update: Sale of Harmon home raises questions
Former Jackson socialite Linda Peach Harmon is currently on the run from Tennessee authorities after she was charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from investors:
Former Jackson socialite Linda Peach Harmon is currently on the run from Tennessee authorities after she was charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from investors:
"A Franklin woman is on the run after embezzling $45,000 from two New York residents, police say.
"The victims told police they wired money in September to Linda Peach Harmon, 45, as part of an investment agreement. However, police say the money was never invested, but was used for Harmon's daily living expenses.
Investigators believe Harmon is still in Middle Tennessee.
Harmon's two sons, ages 14 and 18, reportedly helped her hide from police inside their 501 Legends Ridge Court home when police arrived to arrest her Dec. 23.
Police arrested the sons Tuesday and charged them with a felony offense of accessory after the fact, reports say.
The 14-year-old was released from Williamson County Juvenile Detention to a private home, pending the surrender or arrest of his mother. Police said the mother abandoned her 14-year-old son but did not say if she will be charged in connection with that.
Anyone with information about Harmon's whereabouts is asked to call Franklin Police at 615-794-2513." The Tennessean
"The victims told police they wired money in September to Linda Peach Harmon, 45, as part of an investment agreement. However, police say the money was never invested, but was used for Harmon's daily living expenses.
Investigators believe Harmon is still in Middle Tennessee.
Harmon's two sons, ages 14 and 18, reportedly helped her hide from police inside their 501 Legends Ridge Court home when police arrived to arrest her Dec. 23.
Police arrested the sons Tuesday and charged them with a felony offense of accessory after the fact, reports say.
The 14-year-old was released from Williamson County Juvenile Detention to a private home, pending the surrender or arrest of his mother. Police said the mother abandoned her 14-year-old son but did not say if she will be charged in connection with that.
Anyone with information about Harmon's whereabouts is asked to call Franklin Police at 615-794-2513." The Tennessean
Ms. Harmon was a resident of Jackson until three years ago, when she sold her home and moved to Franklin. The Northeast Jackson socialite owned two jury consulting/focus group companies while in Jackson. Before she moved to Jackson, Ms. Harmon was arrested for embezzlement in Rankin County as well, and was sued by D.D. Pepmiller for what she stands accused of in Franklin: bilking investors so she could support a lavish lifestyle. Pepmiller accused her of convincing him to invest $75,000 in her jury-consulting business- "Focus One Research"- through fraudulent means. Apparently the suit is unresolved. Ms. Harmon filed an answer (without represenation it must be added) but no adjudication of the suit was in the file yesterday when examined.
Such complaints didn't deter Ms. Harmon from living well. While in Jackson, Ms. Harmon was quite the social butterfly: a home appraised at over a half-million dollars on the River Hills Country Club tennis courts, Jackson Academy for the kids, tennis leagues, and numerous friends in high-powered circles. Ms. Harmon touted herself on her website as: "a member of the Downtown Jackson Rotary Club, a board member at MS Society for Disabilities, and an active member of the Junior League of Jackson, MS and the Kappa Delta Alumni Association."
Focus One and Trial Focus both purported to provide focus group research to clients for affordable prices. Ms. Harmon even sold franchises for a tidy fee of $5000 (form). Several lawyers at prestigious law firms provided Ms. Harmon with references for her website:
"Your services were provided in a timely manner and the results were veryhelpful to us. I would be glad to talk to any potential clients about your good performance in the cases you've done for us." - Cliff Hodge, PhelpsDunbar, LLP
"I have found Trial Focus' approaches to be highly effective and of tremendous value. We can afford to use them even on smaller cases." -Harold Barkley, Barkley Law Firm"
However, behind the luxurious facade was a string of tax liens, judgements, and financial problems. The online edition of the Hinds County Judgement Rolls reveals the following past judgements against Ms. Harmon:
- A judgement in 2001 for $9,027.45 and attorney's fees. It was satisfied in 2008.
- A judgement by Citizens State Bank for $70,058.64 in 2001. It is listed as not satisfied but this is probably a mortgage and the release was not filed by the creditor.
- A judgement by Bancorp South for $23,032 in 2003 that is listed as not satisfied.
- A judgement by a leasing company for $11,452.12 in 2004 that was satisfied in 2008.
- A judgement by American Express for $6,827.86 in 2002. It is listed as not satisfied.
- A judgement by Unifund CCR Partners for $9,142.72 in 2005. It was not satisfied.
- A judgement by John T. Noblin for $35,438.56 in 2006. Satisfied in 2008.
- A judgement by Household Finance for $14,121.95 in 2003. Satisfied in 2006.
Ms. Harmon also saw her house subjected to repeated tax sales, which she redeemed. It is quite obvious Ms. Harmon has been living "high on the hog" as the reporter so aptly put it, while gypping investors and creditors all the while. What is sad is the fact Ms. Harmon subjected her two sons to this behavior and endangered them by her actions. It's amazing how Ms. Harmon has been able to fool prestigious people in several cities for so long. Hopefully justice will be served once and for all where Ms. Harmon is concerned.
Police Press Release (Go to page 2)
Police Press Release (Go to page 2)
Update 1/9/2009: I am told she moved from Jackson to Bell Buckle, TN first, before moving to Franklin. Her sons were enrolled in a private school there for one semester. It was there she was first arrested and held for extradition to Mississippi in late 2005.
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