Michael Theiler
Sean Hannity’s secretive real-estate venture has been linked to a property dealer who was previously convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges for his role in a scheme to rig auctions on foreclosed properties, The Guardian reports. Documents tying the Fox News host to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90m on nearly 900 residences in the past decade were exposed last week during the investigation into Donald Trump’s legal fixer— and Hannity’s lawyer—Michael Cohen. Those deals included the purchase of 11 homes in Georgia in 2012 that had previously been purchased by the dealer, Jeff Brock, following foreclosures. Brock transferred the properties to corporate vehicles that sold them on to a Hannity-linked company at a profit, according to The Guardian. Brock pleaded guilty in 2016 to federal charges of bank fraud and conspiracy for his role in an operation to rig foreclosure auctions between 2007 and 2012. He was sentenced to six months in prison and had to pay more than $166,000 in fines and restitution.