FLINT – Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said his office secured a criminal conviction this morning against North Morris Estates Mobile Home Park, LLC for operating without a license in violation of Michigan’s Mobile Home Commission Act. North Morris Estates MHP, LLC is located off Saginaw Road between Frances and Dodge Roads in Thetford Township. It is a subsidiary of Homes of America which is
owned by a billion dollar corporate hedge fund called Alden Global Capital of New York.
An agent for the corporation entered a guilty plea to a one-year misdemeanor and paid a criminal fine of $25,000. As part of the plea and court order, the owners of North Morris Estates have also agreed to sell the park. It is believed to be the first time an owner of a mobile home park has been charged and convicted under this Michigan law.
According to the investigation by the Michigan State Police, North Morris Estates had been operating without a license at least since November 29, 2023 when the company received a letter from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs informing them that they were operating without a license in violation of Michigan law.
“That letter was just the first official notice that North Morris Estates was in noncompliance with Michigan law, which gave us a starting point in terms of enforcing the licensing requirement under the law,” said Prosecutor Leyton who noted that problems began long before that.
According to the State Police investigation, North Morris Estates was cited in a Sanitary Survey letter dated May 31, 2022, by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division for multiple deficiencies in its water supply. On January 16, 2024, another letter was sent from EGLE to North Morris Estates Mobile Home Community at an address in Englewood, New Jersey notifying the company that the deficiencies remained and they were still in violation of the state’s Safe Drinking Water Act.
Prosecutor Leyton said the investigation into North Morris Estates also revealed that Homes of America has bought more than a dozen similar mobile home parks across Michigan in recent years which appears to be part of Homes of America’s corporate strategy across the nation. He said the corporate entities purchase mobile home parks only to drastically raise lot rents on their unsuspecting park tenants, evict those who can’t pay, and at the same time slash costs through major reductions in services.
In the case of North Morris Estates, reduction in services included a failure to keep their water supply in compliance with state regulations, among other items.
“My goal from day one was to do whatever I could to help the residents of North Morris Estates and to assist in providing an opportunity for new owners to come in who will not simply put profits before people,” Prosecutor Leyton said. “The fine of $25,000 is not insignificant and is certainly the largest I have ever seen, and the terms of the agreement forcing the corporate owners to sell the mobile home park to new owners is a step in the right direction for the residents of North Morris Estates.”
Prosecutor Leyton thanked the Michigan State Police for their hard work in the investigation and the residents of North Morris Estates, and, specifically, the community’s neighborhood association leader, Theo Gantos, for bringing the matter to the forefront and to the attention of the Prosecutor’s Office and local officials.
