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Hearing postponed for SF man accused of posing as Congo president’s son

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 01:59:45 +0000

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www.facebook.com/blessed.herve
A smooth-talking man named Blessed Marvelous Herve, 41, seen here riding the high seas in high style, has been accused of bilking a Bay Area couple out of $1.6 million.

Even this swanky scamming suspect’s name will fool you.

Blessed Marvelous Herve, 41, of San Francisco, is facing as many as 20 years in prison for defrauding a Bay Area couple out of $1.6 million while posing as the son of a Congolese president, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Tuesday, Herve was scheduled to appear in federal court in The City, but it was continued to May 8.

The alleged ruse began in 2005 when Herve met a Marin real estate agent and convinced him that his father was Congo’s president and wanted to purchase several multimillion-dollar homes, FBI Agent Brian Weber said in an affidavit. Herve allegedly got the real estate agent to front some $30,000 for the rental of bulletproof limousines for when Herve’s father arrived to tour properties.

In 2008, Weber said, Herve told the victim that the U.S. government had seized $43 million from him and that he was battling to retain the money at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. Herve signed two promissory notes stating he would pay the victim $1.5 million in exchange for financial support during the court process, Weber said.

At the time, the victim reportedly believed Herve had been living in the lavish Four Seasons Hotel near Union Square, although he never saw his room and the hotel has no record of Herve living there.

The victim regularly met Herve in the lobby of the Four Seasons and often gave him rides to the courthouse, Weber said. In regards to the court case, Herve allegedly convinced the victim that the hearings were being held in secret under the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Meanwhile, the victim and his girlfriend went broke while supplying Herve with funds. The victim was tapped out in 2009 after giving Herve $635,000, Weber said. From 2009 to 2012, Herve reportedly told the couple he was in federal custody due to his court case and could only communicate by phone. During that time, Weber said, the girlfriend provided him $970,000 through wire transfers on the promise that Herve would repay upon his release.
Herve was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and granted asylum in 1999 before becoming a U.S. citizen last month, court records show.

The real estate agent told investigators he was fooled because Herve was reportedly knowledgeable about the Bay Area real estate market and had what appeared to be credible documents from top dignitaries.

Herve certainly remained in character on his Facebook page, where photographs show him wearing dapper suits and bragging about shopping sprees in Paris. There also are letters of praise allegedly from the likes of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

maldax@sfexaminer.com

Article source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/hearing-postponed-for-sf-man-accused-of-posing-as-congo-presidents-son/Content?oid=2336884

Man charged with defrauding Marin real estate agent

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:47:47 +0000

A San Francisco man was arrested last week after allegedly duping a Marin County real estate agent and his girlfriend out of $1.6 million by claiming to be the son of the president of the Congo.

Blessed Marvelous Herve, 41, was charged with wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint April 24 and arrested in San Francisco according to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

Herve faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if convicted. He made his first appearance in Federal Court in San Francisco on April 25 and remained in custody.

According to court documents filed by the FBI, Herve used a variation of the scam referred to as a “Nigerian Prince” or “Nigerian Letter” scheme, where by an individual claims ties to a wealthy foreign dignitary with fabulous wealth and seeks advance fees for administrative and other costs, promising full repayment of the fees plus bonuses to the victim.

Herve made his first contact with the Marin County real estate agent, when he responded to an advertisement the agent had run for a luxury home in Tiburon late in 2005, FBI Agent Brian Weber said in an affidavit.

Herve claimed to be the son of president of the Congo and was seeking a real estate agent to help him purchase millions of dollars in property in the Bay Area. He told the real estate agent identified only by his initials as “BE” in court documents he wanted to use the agent for these purchases, Weber said.

Herve then told the real estate agent the U. S. government had seized more than $43 million of his assets, and he need the real estate agent’s financial assistance. Over the next three years he told the agent and his girlfriend that he was in federal custody because of the alleged court case and could only communicated by phone.

The real estate agent transferred $635,000 to Herve, who promised to pay back the money as well as bonuses when he was released from custody and the fortune in allegedly seized money would be returned to him, according to court files.

By November 2009, the real estate agent was out of money and unable to meet Herve’s financial demands to support his quest and the agent’s girlfriend began to make payments.

The girlfriend referred to only by her initials of “KW” in court documents began making payments to Herve in 2009. She paid $970,000 through more than 200 wire transfers to Herve between November 2009 and October 2012, according to court documents.

Herve claimed he needed money to pay for expenses incurred during his supposed incarceration. Under Herve’s direction the girlfriend paid $10,000 for medical care while in prison, and $50,000 for court costs and prison transportation.

The real estate agent said Herve seemed credible because he had court documents that appeared to be a criminal complaint on official U.S. Department of Justice letterhead that contained the words “United States of America v. Blessed M. Herve” and the agent believe the documents to be authentic and a part of the claimed court case, according to court documents.

Herve also shared a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from a member of Congress, an asylum approval letter from the Department of Justice and a birth certificate for his daughter.

The documents and Herve’s knowledge of the Bay Area real estate market made the real estate agent feel comfortable and painted Herve as an upstanding and trustworthy individual, Weber said.

Weber’s investigation of the case showed Herve is not the son of Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo since January 2001 who is also 41, had “no intent or means” to repay his victims, had no court case concerning the alleged seizure of $43 million and was not in federal prison from 2009 to 2012.

Herve was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was granted asylum in the United States in 1999 and became a U.S. citizen in March 2013, according to the affidavit.

He told the real estate agent that he lived in the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. But the agent never saw his room and the hotel has no record of Herve ever living at the hotel, Weber said.

Contact Soren Hemmila at shemmila@marinscope.com.

Article source: http://www.marinscope.com/mill_valley_herald/news/article_8600ce76-b365-11e2-a783-001a4bcf887a.html

Summer brings stellar real estate sales to Marin

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:28:28 +0000

Marin real estate agents stayed busy this summer keeping up with brisk home sales in June and July. An increase in sales in Marin and across the Bay Area drove prices up to 2008 levels, and real estate professionals could not be more optimistic.

“As of Feb. 1, it’s almost as if the buyers collectively heard a starting bell somewhere and took off like a pack of long-distance runners, pens in hand, ready to start writing offers,” said Ted Strodder, real estate broker for Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty in Greenbrae.

According to a recent DataQuick report, Bay Area home and condominium prices hit a four-year high in July at $421,000, up one percent from a year ago at $417,000. In Marin County, the median single-family home price was $820,000, compared to $790,000 in July 2011.

Median sale prices in Marin, Sonoma, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Solano counties all increased in the past year, with Napa County seeing the biggest price increase at 32.6 percent. In Napa the median price for homes and condominiums rose from $281,000 in July 2011 to $372,000 in July 2012.

The most affordable cities in Marin County are Novato, which had a median single-family home price of $572,000 for the month of June, and San Rafael at $680,000 for the same period. Belvedere and Ross median prices were more than $2 million.

The number of home sales in the Bay Area is up as well, with 8,461 homes sold in July ? a 22.9 increase from the same time last year. Of that number, 246 were in Marin County. According to DataQuick, the average figure for Bay Area homes sold in July, based on data recorded since 1988, is 9,371.

“There’s no question that the data is accurate,” Strodder said. “The market has switched in the last six months to a strong seller’s market in most areas and price ranges.”

According to Strodder, some areas in Marin currently have a shortage of houses on the market, with more than half of available properties in escrow. “Considering a ‘neutral’ market favoring neither buyer nor seller is 33 percent of the homes in escrow, it’s fair to say these areas are in a very strong seller’s market,” Strodder said.

With prices continuing to rise, the real estate broker said it’s still a good time to buy.

Even in Marin County, the increase in home prices was not across the board. “Those numbers are accurate for some areas, but a survey like that is a little bit like a national weather report,” said Susan Coleman, an agent for Frank Howard Allen. “Often you can’t discern much information from data if there is not much to report.” In smaller communities with fewer home sales, patterns can be harder to identify.

According to Coleman, Sausalito and Fairfax did not experience the same price increases other areas did. “It’s really community by community,” Coleman said. “Some are doing well and others not so well. But by and large, prices are firmly up.”

“It is a great time to be a seller,” Coleman said. “Houses have been selling quicker and for higher prices.” Coleman said that the properties that did well were priced right for their area.

“What we are seeing is increased demand due to lower mortgage prices,” Coleman said. “Buyers are seeing it as the time to make a decision.”

Contact Christopher Laddish at scope@marinscope.com.

Article source: http://marinscope.com/articles/2012/08/22/novato_advance/news/doc503535dfbc158425370085.txt

With America’s Cup on the horizon, Southern Marin real estate market could heat up – Marin Independent

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 06:49:40 +0000

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LJ Blake is hoping his hillside home in Sausalito that offers sweeping views of the bay will be of interest to well-heeled individuals who want to check out America’s Cup races.

“We just want to get as much as we can for it for as long a period as possible,” he said, with a laugh. “What are they estimating? A billion dollars coming to the Bay Area as part of America’s Cup? We want to stick our fingers in there and get just a bit of that.”

The America’s Cup match will pit the American defender — Internet mogul Larry Ellison’s team — against a foreign challenger on San Francisco Bay in a best-of-nine series set for Sept. 7-22, 2013. The Louis Vuitton Cup, which will determine the challenger, has been scheduled for July 13 through Sept. 1, 2013, also on San Francisco Bay. Travelers from around the world are expected to come to Marin and the Bay Area for the event — and they’ll need places to stay for weeks on end.

As the America’s Cup starts preliminary events in August and October this year, property owners in Southern Marin are getting serious about renting out their homes to those who follow the yachting series.

All the activity has not gone unnoticed by Sausalito city officials, who may look to regulate rentals in the city when they meet Tuesday.

With the races expected to pump $1.4 billion into the Bay Area, property owners see opportunity.

Blake would normally rent his home at 212 Fourth St. for

$7,000 a month. But he is hoping to at least double that for the America’s Cup.

“We could be in the right place at the right time,” he said.

Sausalito real estate agent Charlie Martin said some homes could go for three to five times what they might normally fetch. Martin and two partners started the real estate rental company Rezlux to cater to those who might want to rent for the America’s Cup.

“We are starting to get inquiries from homeowners,” he said. “We think people coming in will want to have a home to themselves rather than stay at a hotel.”

While Martin said there likely will be a large spectrum of homes offered, it will be the higher-end properties that will be most desirable.

“We will be trying to accommodate the high-end visitors, and a home will probably have to have special and unique qualities,” he said.

To make the experience a little more ritzy for renters, Martin is offering chef and concierge service. The company is getting inquires about rentals in Sausalito and Southern Marin, he said.

Many of the more desirable properties being rented are in San Francisco, but Marin should see some action as well, said Eric Baird, president of Relisto, a San Francisco firm also offering rental homes for America’s Cup.

“You still have premium homes in Sausalito, Tiburon and Belvedere that people will be interested in,” Baird said. “Even though those homes don’t put you right on top of the action they are still right there and just a ferry ride away. I think there is a lot of excitement out there for this.”

Sausalito real estate agent Sherrie Faber, however, is not so sure the demand is really there.

“Unless you have a great view of the race course, I don’t think people will seek out homes,” she said. “A lot of people will be coming in their yachts and staying in the higher-end hotels or maybe on the west shore of Belvedere. A few homes in Marin may be rented that have the panache that these travelers are looking for. But most want to be close to the action in San Francisco.”

People are expected to come to Marin for the races. As many as 11,500 people a day could line the shores of Southern Marin to watch the America’s Cup on race weekends, according to an environmental impact report on the ritzy yacht race prepared by the city of San Francisco.

Sausalito is expected to see the most visitors in Marin for the race — 5,000 during peak periods on the weekends. Another 3,500 people are expected to come to Fort Baker, the Marin Headlands and other areas just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Tiburon and Belvedere are expected to see 1,200 people a day during the race on weekends.

Sausalito city officials are looking at how to address potential impacts to the city. While there may be some hardships, they also realize there is a chance to cash in on the event from affluent yachting fans who want to spend and rent in the town. At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, council members will look at new vacation rental regulations.

“With the pending America’s Cup, staff anticipates an increase in tourism and local hotels may not have the capacity to accommodate the visitors’ lodging demand,” reads a city report on the subject.

Noting the city can only offer up a little more than 100 rooms in hotels, the city is proposing to temporarily allow for rentals for fewer than 30 days in residential areas including arks and houseboats. These short-term rents are currently prohibited in all residential areas.

The rentals would only be allowed during race periods. Property owners would have to pay for a $283 permit to rent their homes. Properties would need to be rented for at least seven days.

Mayor Mike Kelly wants to check the pulse of the community on the issue.

“We have to move slowly and carefully on this and see what the residents and business community, including the hoteliers, think about it,” he said. “We will see if people find it favorable. I’m sure the community will let us know what they think.”

Contact Mark Prado via email at mprado@marinij.com

RENTALS DISCUSSION

The Sausalito City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss short-term residential rentals related to the America’s Cup races. The meeting will be in City Hall at 420 Litho St.

Article source: http://www.marinij.com/sausalito/ci_20814635/americas-cup-horizon-southern-marin-real-estate-market