Editorial writer Tod Robberson has a bylined op-ed in today’s paper that you should read. Essentially it says: “What the heck, people? I did a bunch of really solid reporting on a slumlord in southern Dallas who has been breaking the law for years and bragging about it. DA Craig Watkins? U.S. Attorney Sarah Saldaña? Are you guys paying attention?”
Here’s the first story Robberson did, a serious bit of reporting into the operations of Douglas T. “Chase” Fonteno, a self-described “real estate cat burglar” who takes poor people’s houses and then resells them. I know, right? It sounds insane. It sounds like something that authorities should put a stop to. Robberson wrote a series of stories about Fonteno back in May. Then he brought his findings to the authorities. But as Mayor Mike Rawlings told Robberson, there isn’t much the city can do besides slap Fonteno on his wrist. So:
The real authority rests in the hands of District Attorney Watkins to address legal issues raised by the unsubstantiated deed claims Fonteno has filed in county records, his threats of foreclosure when house occupants don’t pay, and his strong-arm eviction tactics.
The ball is in Watkins’ court, Rawlings suggests. “I trust that the district attorney’s office will take appropriate measures to penalize him.”
It’s a real head-scratcher why nothing has yet happened. I’ve been critical of Robberson’s work at points in the past. But he’s right on target with this one. He deserves kudos for what he has uncovered. And the folks getting screwed by Foneno deserve justice.
