SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane property management company is under investigation for allegedly claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent assistance falsely and fraudulently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, an Emergency Rent Assistance program was enacted to assist renters who had fallen behind on rent due to unemployment or other hardship. Washington’s landlords or property management companies could apply for the Treasury Rent Assistance Program (T-RAP) if they projected unpaid rent from a tenant. A False Claims Act Complaint filed by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Vanessa R. Waldref, claims that All Star Property Management LLC in Spokane falsely and fraudulently claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent assistance between 2021 and 2022.
During that time, All Star was owned by Gieve Parker, who also managed rental properties on behalf of other landlords in Spokane, including several properties owned by Arlin Jordin. Jordin was serving a prison sentence for drugging and raping a tenant during this time but still owned and collected income from five properties managed by All Star. The complaint claims that All Star and Parker violated the False Claims Act by falsely certifying more than 30 tenants had past-due rent to obtain T-RAP relief. All Star and Parker fraudulently represented that T-RAP assistance was needed for tenants. However, all tenants were consistently paying rent, either on their own, through a charitable organization or government program, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The proceeds received were split with Jordin for the properties he owned.The complaint further alleges All Star and Parker knowingly and falsely claimed inflated rent amounts higher than the actual rent. All Star and Parker claimed tenants were still living at the residence when that was no longer true. Therefore, All Star was not eligible to receive any rental assistance. Finally, the Complaint alleges that All Star and Parker falsely and fraudulently represented that T-RAP funds would be used as rental assistance for tenants. In many cases, the tenants did not need rent assistance, and Paker and All Star would collect double, sometimes triple, the rent for the same tenant for one month. “Building safer and stronger communities in Eastern Washington requires that residents have access to safe, secure, and affordable housing,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Landlords and property management companies need to play by the rules, especially when they claim precious and limited rent assistance funds intended to protect members of the community struggling under the weight of a deadly pandemic. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who abuse critically-important housing support programs.”
