Criminal probes ramp up following WWL-TV's Un-Real Estate investigation
Jonathan Burden is accused of tricking property owners into paying him thousands of dollars and handing him their houses for almost nothing.
Following a series of reports by WWL-TV, federal authorities and New Orleans police are ramping up separate criminal probes into a man accused of preying on property owners in financial distress, several sources tell the TV station.
Jonathan Burden is accused in at least seven lawsuits of tricking property owners into paying him thousands of dollars and handing him their houses for almost nothing, by making them think he’s helping them avoid foreclosure.
The New Orleans Police Department confirmed its white-collar crime unit is investigating a forged deed that was used to take a man’s house and transfer it to Burden, who immediately sold it for $100,000. Separately, three sources with direct knowledge of the investigation confirm the FBI has sought corporate records associated with the forged deed and interviews with Burden’s alleged victims.
Investigations Ramp Up
As the investigations and lawsuit mount, Burden ignored a lawsuit against him in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and instead went to Orleans Parish Civil District Court last Friday to request a restraining order against the attorney who filed the lawsuit, Jonathan DeTrinis. Burden’s petition claims DeTrinis “cyber stalked me on Instagram.”
Burden appears in dozens of videos and posts on Instagram and other social media, touting what he calls his “hustle.” But his own comments during a 2019 YouTube podcast and documents filed in lawsuits show he also got help in the alleged fraud from a New Orleans real estate agent and broker named Angel Shulterbrandt.
During an appearance on the “Note Closers Show” podcast in 2019, Burden explained his process of knocking on doors at properties facing foreclosure or tax sale, telling the owners he can save their home if they pay him. At the same time, he would have them sign documents, which he called “collateral” in case they didn’t pay. But several property owners allege in lawsuits against Burden that they didn’t realize the documents transferred their ownership to Burden or his associates.
One of those associates is Shulterbrandt, according to documents filed in parish land records and lawsuits. In the podcast, Burden called Shulterbrandt his “little student,” saying she was the one who compiled the lists of distressed properties for him and they went to knock on doors together.
He said he had her knock on the doors for him because “when they see a female, they're guards go down.”
But he also said he had to convince Shulterbrandt they weren’t taking advantage of the property owners.
“Angel, she wasn't prepared for it,” Burden said in the interview. “I'm talking about she broke down and cried. … I'm like, ‘Yeah, you're going to learn. You just get your skin a little bit tougher.’”
The Real Estate Agent
Burden said he defended his aggressive door-knocking tactics to Shulterbrandt.
“We're not taking advantage of anybody, you know what I'm saying? You know, we're here to help provide good help, because if not, they'll drown and they're going to lose the property or whatever the case may be,” he said on the podcast.
Two of the seven lawsuits accusing Burden of fraud also name Shulterbrandt as a defendant.
In one case from 2019, Cheryl Robertson alleged Burden and Shulterbrandt came to her Gentilly home and collected $2,400 from her to stop a pending foreclosure, then had her sign a quitclaim deed without informing her that it transferred the property to another woman.
Robertson ended up losing the house but settled her claims against the woman who got the property and paid to stop the foreclosure. Her claims against Burden and Shulterbrandt are still pending and haven’t moved forward in years.
Similarly, Derrick Dooley alleged in a 2019 lawsuit that he was “duped” by Burden and Shulterbrandt when his Gentilly home was facing foreclosure. Documents filed in court show Burden and Shulterbrandt signed a quitclaim deed that purported to transfer Dooley’s house to both of them for $10.
That quitclaim deed also states that Shulterbrandt’s husband, Che Shulterbrandt, transferred his interest in the property to his wife and Burden. The lawsuit says Dooley had never met the Shulterbrandts and Che Shulterbrandt never had any ownership interest in Dooley’s property.
“It wasn't about saving the property or helping maintain the mortgage or getting the mortgage reinstated,” said Dooley’s attorney, Clarence Roby Jr. “It was about taking the property.”
According to court records, Dooley signed an agreement with Burden and an addendum with Burden and Shulterbrandt stating they would stop the foreclosure and Dooley would pay back the loan. The agreement was purportedly signed by two witnesses under the name “Galaxy Note 9.”
“Why not just say Mickey Mouse? Because that’s just how brazen they are,” Roby said.
Receipts filed in court show Dooley paid Burden and Shulterbrandt more than $11,000, but none of it was applied to his outstanding mortgage debt.
“They kept it. They didn't apply $1,” Roby said, adding that the only way Dooley was able to save his home was when Roby helped him and his family scrounge up about $58,000 to reinstate the mortgage.
What Can Be Done?
Burden has not responded to repeated calls, texts or messages we left with his attorneys.
But Shulterbrandt issued this statement through her family's lawyer: "At this time, we would reserve comment on these defaming and misleading comments, considering the pending litigation."
The statement went on: "Angel maintains that she is not and has not been associated with Mr. Burden for several years and is free from any wrongdoing and/or misappropriations, as will be shown in a court of law."
But Roby said Burden and Shulterbrandt still don’t have counsel enrolled in the case and have not shown up for hearings.
“If they have nothing to do with it, meet me in court,” he said.
David Alfortish, an attorney who has represented both Burden and Shulterbrandt, said he’s barely spoken with Burden in the last two years.
“I might have notarized 10 different papers for him and then I realized I better back out of this before I get into the situation I’m in now,” Alfortish said.
In the meantime, Roby and others want state and federal law enforcement to get involved.
“I think you spelled out in great detail the fraudulent scheme. At this point, there's no reason why these people should not at least be charged and let them have their day in criminal court,” he said.
Roby said he also hopes the Legislature does something to make it harder to file property deeds that haven't been verified by a title company. At this point, the clerk's office must accept any original document filed by anyone, as-is, and can't remove it without a court order. That often leaves documents like the ones filed by Burden sitting in the land records, clouding the title long after the original owners may have cleared up their debts.
Also, Roby invited the Louisiana Real Estate Commission to take disciplinary action against Shulterbrandt. She has been a licensed real estate agent since 2017 and became a licensed broker in 2021. The commission has authority to investigate complaints against agents and brokers and the power to fine them or revoke their licenses for violations of state real estate law, but the commission’s lawyer said no investigation has been opened against Shulterbrandt.
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