2 weeks Ago
Two guilty pleas were made Tuesday involving a veterans housing community at Fort Harrison, including a real estate agent accused of not disclosing lead paint in the housing and a Kalispell company that filed false requests for payment claiming an abatement of the lead paint was done at the units, the Montana U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Mold Wranglers Inc., which provides hazardous mitigation services, pleaded guilty to felony false claim act conspiracy. Owner Jonathan Carpenter represented the company in court.
And Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, a Helena real estate agent and property owner, also admitted Tuesday to not disclosing information regarding lead-based paint inside the Freedom's Path Fort Harrison veterans housing units, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Carlin pleaded guilty to felony knowing endangerment. She could face 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a minimum of three years of supervised release. Her company faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and restitution.
This 2019 photo shows a row of old officers' quarters on the Fort Harrison VA hospital grounds that were turned into a Freedom's Path community, which provides housing and support for homeless and low-income veterans. Chief U.S.
District Judge Brian M. Morris set a March 4 sentencing for both cases, which were held in Helena. Freedom’s Path provides 42 affordable homes available to veterans and their families on the Fort Harrison campus outside of Helena.
Court documents alleged Mold Wranglers submitted 11 subcontractor requisitions for payment to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and said lead-based paint work was performed, authorities said.
Mold Wranglers claimed they performed an abatement, which was false. An email from a person in court documents states, "The plan is to aesthetically repair the paint and finish the homes. It’s not to remove the lead hazard and if the plan is to go down the abatement road, then it will be a significant increase to the scope of the work.
” The claims made through other companies were submitted and they received $456,000 from the U.S. for abatement, prosecutors said.
The documents state that from 2018 to 2019, Mold Wranglers worked at the housing units at Fort Harrison and painted over the lead-based paint. Its employees were not certified to conduct lead-based paint work and failed to notify the Environmental Protection Agency, as was required. In regards to Carlin, court documents alleged between September 2019 and September 2021 that she failed to provide disclosures related to lead-based paint and placed an individual in "imminent danger of death and serious bodily injury.
" United States Attorney's Office, District of Montana According to documents, the victims were low-income veterans, their children and families living at Freedom's Path. Carlin is also the owner of 406 Properties Inc., a property management service in Helena, and has more than 26 years of professional real estate experience, court documents state.
In May 2019, documents state Carlin received a forwarded email from the Montana Department of Commerce requesting information detailing any lead-based paint remediation completed on the homes. The homes were built before 1978, specifically between 1895 and 1905. In June 2019, she signed two requests for tenancy approval forms for the rentals and selected "lead-based paint disclosures do not apply because this property was built on or after Jan.
1, 1978" on the form despite the email. Documents state that in September 2019 Carlin attended a meeting discussing lead-based paint peeling at the units with the meeting agenda identifying chipped paint and doors that would not shut. Carlin knew the buildings were built prior to 1978, and she knew deteriorating lead-based paint was located inside the buildings, prosecutors said.
The government alleged Carlin failed to provide the lead-based paint disclosure in December 2020. In September 2021, an 18-month-old child was found eating chipped paint inside the veterans housing. The child required medical treatment due to "very high" lead levels in their blood.
Carlin was interviewed by federal agents and agreed she was familiar with the requirement to provide the disclosures, court documents state. In July, the state sent a letter to the operators of the Freedom’s Path stating it had suspended housing voucher payments unless lead-based paint issues in some of the units were resolved. The state and an attorney representing Freedom's Path could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Sonny Tapia is a criminal justice and education reporter for the Helena Independent Record. Phil Drake contributed to this story. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.
{{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
