Saturday, August 27, 2011

George Roberts - Somers Point Mayor (1968-1972)

George Roberts and the Sale of the Old Anchorage

One day, as the story goes, a man no one had seen before walked in the front door of the Anchorage, looked around and announced that he had bought the place and would soon be the new owner.

When someone called Andrew on the phone and asked him, and he didn’t know anything about it, everybody laughed and treated the guy like a crank.

Bill Morris however, was very serious, as he had recently arrived from Florida where he had met with George Roberts and gave him a serious deposit on the property.

George Roberts former Mayor of Somers Point (1968-1972) was a local real estate agent whose office was on the north east corner of Shore Road just across the street from City Hall and Charlie’s bar. Roberts had known Andrew’s father Henry Corneglia so when Andrew considered selling the Anchorage he gave the listing to Roberts along with a sale price that he didn’t think would be seriously considered.

Roberts apparently took the money and never reported it to Andrew, and Andrew tried to oppose the deal and took it to court. Even with three lawyers working for him, Morris won the case because Andrew had given the listing to Roberts and Roberts was acting as an agent for Andrew, even if Andrew didn’t get any of the deposit or agreed to sell.

The sale of the Anchorage however, was just the tip of the iceberg, as it quickly become known and other people realized that George Roberts didn’t just suddenly lose his scruples but had been “robbing Peter to pay Paul” for sometime, and had been involved in dozens of real estate schemes that led to many people losing their money and homes.

Roberts was eventually convicted on a number of counts, and served some time, but was released from prison early and within a short time was a free man, despite all the harm and distress he had caused.

The Anchorage was sold, and Morris was the new owner, so as the days and nights went by, there was a sense of doom that settled over the place, as everyone awaited the inevitable end to arrive.

One day a young man in a suit and tie and briefcase came in and he was there to handle some of the sales and tax matters, to make sure everything was on the up and up, and often sat down at the back bar with Andrew. The guy was Irish, a Notre Dame grad, clean cut and straight arrow, at least when he first came in, but after awhile, he was drinking, smoking and gambling with all of us and we became friends.

When the final day was announced, a party was scheduled and word went out that the last day of the Anchorage would be the best.


INQUIRER ARTICLE:

Former N.j. Mayor Guilty In $3 Million Fraud The Somers Point Retiree Admitted Bilking 35 People - Many Of Them Elderly - In Two Schemes

February 11, 1993|By Pam Belluck, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

At an age when most people are living in quiet retirement, former Somers Point Mayor George Roberts - known as "Gentleman George" to some - was a busy man. He was running a scheme that defrauded 35 people, many of them elderly, out of more than $3 million.

Yesterday, Roberts, 75, a real estate agent who was mayor from 1968 to 1972, pleaded guilty to selling fraudulent mortgages and taking money for bogus investments from April 1987 to April 1992, in what prosecutors called Atlantic County's single largest fraud case in memory.

Prosecutors said it was a classic Ponzi scheme, in which new investors' money is used to pay off earlier investors.

In his plea in Atlantic County Superior Court to charges of theft by deception, Roberts agreed to accept a sentence of seven years in prison and to pay $3,612,694 in restitution.

However, Roberts' attorney, Bud Bennington, said his client doesn't have any money to make restitution.

The plea prohibits Roberts from appealing his sentence, which is scheduled to be imposed on March 12.

Roberts' victims included an 83-year-old woman who lost $400,000, and a Catholic church that lost $60,000. The church, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Corbin City, was told in late 1991 that the loan would help one elderly woman pay for treatment at a cancer research center and another woman pay off bills that had piled up, said the Rev. Henry Lovett. The women never got the money and the church never got its money back, he said.

"He was introduced to us as a real gentleman, a nice old man with white hair," said Father Lovett. "I feel so stupid. I mean, charity is supposed to be personal, and we never contacted the old ladies personally to see if they were getting it. And this was a loan with interest, something the church shouldn't really do."

Most of Roberts' victims were from the Jersey Shore area, but some were from Virginia, Alabama and Florida, said Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Blitz. Individual losses ranged from $6,600 to $647,000. Several victims have filed civil suits that are pending.

Roberts defrauded his investors in two ways, Blitz said. One scheme involved selling fraudulent mortgages on properties that were not actually being mortgaged. Roberts would usually provide a fictitious title insurance policy, a forged mortgage and a fake settlement sheet.

3 comments:

Lost in the Dark said...

Ahh my hardworking and wonderful grandfather's disturbed brother. Lived down the street from us for a long time and only recall meeting him once. He came to our door with an odd countenancee eminating a resemblance I could only compare to as 'Simple Jack' boasting a confident 'Hey there, Joey!'
I've heard about him and recognized his face from old family pictures and tried to be as respectful as I could and said 'No. I'm John. Let me get my dad for you.'
Growing up, I didn't understand why a couple of my parents family members didn't approve of me upon meeting them. But after my old friend Gary's grandmother accused my family of stealing $30,000 from her and she would like returned, I had to ask my father what the old 'shit out of luck' woman was to talking about.
From what I've heard, he could have been a sociopath with peerless work ethic or perhaps lacked the criminal intelligence needed to become a deperado of duchebaggery.
Proof of this could easily be found in his stubbornness as he portrayed a heliograph of stupidity and decided to keep residents residence in the town full of people he ripped off. The same people or family members in relation who's combined efforts would red flag man as he went about his business into town he was mayor of. It's an odd fearlessness I can't explain really. He was a man of intrigue and captivate you wanting to learn more about him but he was no man to be admired for sure.
A perfect example would be my sweet Aunt Betty to live next door to him. I would rake her leaves at a young age with my father. Afterwards, I was awarded with a $20 bill and can of soda. I would have and have done her yard work for free at times and happily listen to her stories of her past. Stories repeated and knew by heart as her frail body diminished health exposed her forgetfulness, and as it does in most cases with the elderly, the true God givnnature of person they are. And would offer me entrusted 'Capone' with her assets as she battled cancer in her later life. She was taken care of financially, thanks to her departed husband, but with her cancer treatments and ability to care for herself figured in to the equation, she was undoubtedly on a fixed income and became another victim of the 'Gentle Degenerate' as she received a phone call one day from a bank associate overseeing her account activity and showed concern for the amount in withdrawals that have been made.
He was a predator who prayed on the, uninformed, desperate and elderly with a neighborly charm displaying an embracing smile . The 'Gentle Jackass' is a perfect example of what's wrong with our society today. Even as going as far as shoveling sidewalks and performing light maintenance duties on his clients properties knowing such menial tasks translate into labor of love upon such desperate and lonely souls fearing isolation as their ends are near.
In the end, a call from the executor of his estate meant for my father acted as the final chapter for a man's life of malice and it's chilling worth..'Joe. This is (so and so). Your Uncle George is dead. He had no money.'
.. [click]

Trust no one

Lost in the Dark said...

*-and would offer
*+She entrusted

Filled with errors but I'm not a man of words LOL it's the best I could to fill in the blanks. All in all but I will say this they are some people who do liked the man so I've heard.
Perhaps you will still fool by his persona when compared to his obituary pages. But nonetheless I think my grandfather loved man regardless so rest in peace Uncle George

Lost in the Dark said...

And if any like editing is needed to properly form a sentence or spell a word correctly I give you permission if possible to correct anything written or delete and repost.
Thanks, John Roberts