Man accused of cheating young relatives out of settlement money

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chicagotribune.com

Man accused of cheating young relatives out of settlement money

Staff report
5:02 PM CDT, September 7, 2011

A man has been charged with cheating his three young relatives out of more than $400,000 in settlement money they received after their mother and brother died in a fire at a CHA housing complex.

Rahshone Burnett used the money to buy property in Chicago and Westchester, as well as a Mercedes Benz, a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, a silver diamond watch, a gold and diamond bracelet and gold and diamond earrings, according to a federal indictment.

He is charged in the indictment with mail fraud and wire fraud. A woman, Lutisha Lee, is accused of preparing false statements to cover up the scheme. She is charged with aiding and abetting mail fraud.

Burnett had been named guardian of the three relatives after they and others won a $5.75 million settlement from the Chicago Housing Authoritiy and a private agency that managed the Harold Ickes complex, where Shlonzo Burnett and her 1-year-old son were killed in a fire in 2001.

The fire started after two of Shlonzo Burnett's children began playing with matches. Burnett and her son Michael Cross, lay sleeping inside a friend's apartment. Both mother and son died from carbon monoxide poisoning after they were pulled from the blaze, which also injured her five other children.

Fire investigators later determined that the fifth-floor unit had no smoke detector. During depositions for the subsequent lawsuit, an inspector with a CHA contractor managing the property admitted to falsifying a report filled out before the fire showing that there was a smoke detector.

The settlement was reached in March of 2006, and Burnett was appointed guardian of three of the relatives in May of that year. Federal prosecutors say Burnett began improperly spending money from the settlement the next month. The scheme continued until at least October of 2009, they said.

Editor's note: This shark wonders which of the Probate Court of Cook County judges was asleep at the switch while Rahshone was raping his relative's estate? Perhaps the judge was too busy stealing from the estates of her own wards to check on Rahshone while he was driving his Benz, Bently Flying Spur and wearing his diamonds for three years.  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com



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