Crow Holdings chair Harlan Crow, already underneath scrutiny for his position as a benefactor to the U.S. Supreme Court docket Justice, reportedly purchased three properties from Thomas, together with one the place his mom nonetheless lives.
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The billionaire behind Dallas-based actual property developer Crow Holdings can add a brand new title to his resume: landlord of the mom of a U.S. Supreme Court docket justice.
After buying three properties from Justice Clarence Thomas in 2014, the corporate’s chairman and former CEO Harlan Crow has since poured tens of 1000’s of {dollars} into enhancements on the house the place Thomas’s mom nonetheless lives in Savannah, Georgia, together with a brand new automotive port and repairs to the roof, fence and gates, in response to a report this week from ProPublica.
Crow, who instructed the publication he plans to sometime set up a museum on the property, mentioned these enhancements had been made “to protect its long-term viability and accessibility” to the general public.
“My intention is to in the future create a public museum on the Thomas house devoted to telling the story of our nation’s second black Supreme Court docket Justice,” Crow mentioned in a press release to ProPublica. “I approached the Thomas household about my need to take care of this historic website so future generations may be taught in regards to the inspiring lifetime of considered one of our biggest Individuals.”
Thomas didn’t disclose the $133,363 sale of his mom’s house and two vacant properties that he owned down the road, ProPublica experiences. Justices and different officers are required by legislation to report actual property offers over $1,000, 4 ethics specialists instructed the publication.
Via a newly shaped firm — Savannah Historic Developments LLC — Crow bought the Thomas properties and started to remake the block, the report states. He later acquired the house subsequent door to the place Thomas’s mom lives — which had been the positioning of noisy events, the president of a close-by neighborhood affiliation mentioned — and tore it down.
“It was an eyesore,” W. John Mitchell, the close by resident, instructed ProPublica. “Sooner or later miraculously all of them had been put out of there and so they scraped it off the earth.”
Crow mentioned in his assertion that his firm demolished houses on the block for “well being and security” causes after they fell into disrepair. The corporate constructed one new house on the block and made it accessible to a police officer, he added.
Crow’s firm maintains possession of the house by which Thomas’s mom lives. He didn’t reply to questions from ProPublica about whether or not he costs her hire to dwell there.
The opposite two tons he acquired from the Thomas household had been offered to a builder, Crow mentioned within the assertion.
These particulars of a monetary transaction between Thomas and Crow adopted information final week that the Supreme Court docket justice had accepted luxurious journey from the developer and GOP donor practically yearly for many years. Crow had hosted Thomas on his personal jet, his yacht, his personal resort within the Adirondack mountains, and on worldwide cruises.
Thomas didn’t reply to requests for remark from ProPublica.
E-mail Daniel Houston
