T
hirteen lawsuits have been filed against two Chicagoland brokers, Laurena Mikosz and Marcin Chojnacki, alleging they were part of an elaborate scheme to defraud people through residential real estate investments. The suits claim that Mikosz and Chojnacki, who worked for Chase Real Estate, promised investors passive income by turning around underperforming properties with the help of their property management company. However, the brokers allegedly inflated the price of these properties, lied about their performance and ownership, and used fake entities to deceive investors.

    The lawsuits allege that Mikosz and Chojnacki purchased properties through LLCs shortly before reselling them to investors at a higher price point. The alleged victims claim they were misled by promises of high returns on investments in single-family homes and multifamily buildings. Many of these properties had code violations or eviction proceedings, but the brokers allegedly concealed this information.

    The suits also accuse property management companies and title companies of being involved in the scheme. An attorney representing Chojnacki and his associates denies the allegations, stating that they are eager to clear their names once the lawsuit concludes. The first case is set for mediation in December.

    One of the alleged victims, Umer Malik, invested $2.1 million in four apartment buildings in Blue Island after seeing a social media ad. However, the properties were allegedly partially vacant and had numerous code violations. Mikosz and Chojnacki made up excuses to convince Malik to go through with the deal, promising him $50,000 in escrow funds for repairs and potential eviction costs.

    Attorneys representing the alleged victims claim that their claims are based on public records and written documents. The cases involve investors from different backgrounds and locations across the country who have been "devastated" by the alleged scheme.