Michael Chudi Ejekam, a real estate developer, previously entwined in at least one other real estate fraud case, finds himself in the middle of another similar action. In this case, Ejekam has been tied to former NBA star Tate George and his real estate Ponzi scheme. George recently received a 9-year prison sentence for his part in the scam and Ejekam may face similar action.
George and Ejekam worked on several deals together while Ejekam was employed with the Bayrock Group, headquartered in New York City but with deals in other parts of the country as well. Together, Ejekam and George pushed several fraudulent real estate deals, bilking unsuspecting investment victims of amounts numbering in the millions. In this process, they utilized Donald Trump’s name and brand in order to squeeze out higher payouts from investors.
In the midst of the George controversy, Chudi Ejekam also finds himself in another, more high-profile legal battle. In this, he sides with Jody Kriss, the former CFO of the Bayrock Group. Ejekam is believed to have fled New York and the United States for Nigeria in an attempt to escape the career and legal consequences of this lawsuit. He relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, where he worked as the West Africa Director of Real Estate for Actis.
Actis is the developer of many of Nigeria’s largest malls and shopping complexes, and also manages several large investments in Africa. Once Actis was given word of Ejekam’s legal troubles, the trail of paperwork, and all that those entailed, he was quickly removed from employment with the company.
Ejekam’s connections to business in New York City goes back to his college days. He and Kriss were roommates at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. By all reports, Kriss and Ejekam were very close associates during their time at Wharton. Soon after Kriss was promoted to his position as chief financial officer, Ejekam came to be employed by the Bayrock Group to assist with several real estate development projects.
Bayrock Group, a successful New York City real estate development company, has partnered with Donald Trump and the Trump Organization on several high-profile real estate development and management projects. Some of those projects include the Trump SoHo and the Conrad Fort Lauderdale.
However, some of the top Bayrock executives have driven the company into the heart of multiple scandals, even though most of the Bayrock people operated legitimately and had productive deals with investors.
Michael Chudi Ejekam and Jody Kriss are deeply entrenched in the Bayrock legal mess. For the past three years, they have been central players in a $1 billion extortion scheme against Bayrock themselves, as well as Donald and Ivanka Trump, and several dozen other high-profile individuals, law firms, politicians, and real estate companies.
One of the law firms named in the complaint brought forth by Kriss and Ejekam is Akerman Senterfitt. This firm had employed Kriss’ father (Ronald), a former Bayrock legal advisor acting as General Counsel prior to the suit. Upon noting their name in the billion dollar suit, he was directly released from the firm.
The two attorneys representing Kriss and Ejekam in the extortion suit, Frederick Oberlander and Richard Lerner, have been referred multiple times for criminal prosecution in the case. Issues arose regarding their unethical and illegal practices in obtaining and using sealed government documents as evidence in the suit, putting several defendants’ lives in danger.
Lerner, recently removed from his firm, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, and Oberlander, recently cited for animal abuse in Manhattan, are challenging the criminal investigation referrals, which were brought down by U.S. Federal Judge, Brian M. Cogan. With charges eminent, the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York’s Northern District is investigating and waiting for the appropriate time to make it official.
Real estate fraud and Ponzi schemes do not seem to be the limit of questionable business practices for Michael Chudi Ejekam and Jody Kriss. It is widely believed that Kriss has deep-seeded connections with the Persico Mafia crime family, and has been accused of attempting to have yet another former Bayrock co-worker murdered. Allegations have also been made that Kriss has engaged in participating in money laundering for kingpins in the Russian mob while working at Bayrock and possibly beyond.
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