Our next story is about a woman who claims she is being swindled by a local attorney.
We could not reach the attorney for comment- and he did not respond to our texts, so his name is not being used in the story. But, nonetheless - it's the kind of story that has to be aired - because such complaints do arise, a little too often for our comfort.
Rosita Longsworth is a Belizean living in the US, who arranged with the attorney to sell her house. The house was sold - she claims for one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, but she says she has only gotten eighty thousand - and came back to Belize 2 months ago to try to get the last twenty thousand, leaving the balance of twenty five thousand to settle expenses and pay for his time.
But things haven't worked out and here's how Longsworth explained it:
Rosita Longsworth
"I am selling a 3-storey cement and wooden house."
Jules Vasquez
"Then you contracted an attorney to sell it for you. Explain to me that arrangement."
Rosita Longsworth
"Really I didn't contracted him, I had a for sale sign on the house. It was my son that hired him and so he through my son got the BZ$125,000.00. All I want is a $100,000.00 and he (attorney) pays all the bills. We can't tally and he can't find the receipts. Don't worry about the receipts, take the $25,000 and pay the few bills he owes and give me the $100,000.00."
Jules Vasquez
"What I think I tally was about $80,000.00."
Jules Vasquez
"So you are short about $20,000.00. You don't sound so precise on the figure. You are sure of that?"
Rosita Longsworth
"Yes, its $80,000.00."
Jules Vasquez
"So now you approach this attorney?"
Rosita Longsworth
"Twice I waited for him around here, I got into his truck and he took me to his office. His files are so big and he can't find this and that and he is so busy. I am here for two months from Miami to get my payment. It's almost two months and I need to go back. He needs to pay me because he got the cheque for $125,000.00, so he has $25,000.00 to his credit."
Jules Vasquez
"What recourse now do you have?"
Rosita Longsworth
"I just want him to pay me $100,000.00 that is like $20,000.00 more. I have my bank statements, and the $25,000.00 he can pay the bills."
Jules Vasquez
"Have you had anything in writing with this attorney?"
Rosita Longsworth
"Nothing in writing, no. My son told him to go ahead and do the transaction."
Jules Vasquez
"You realize that if you don't have anything in writing you are exposed."
Rosita Longsworth
"Expose to what because he sold my house and I had send him a "power of attorney" to sell the house."
Jules Vasquez
"Ok, so you transferred the "power of attorney" over to him but I am saying you don't have a contract with him."
Rosita Longsworth
"There was no contract. But he got the cheque and it's not his house."
Jules Vasquez
"But that's his cheque. I am saying if he has the "power of attorney" the cheque wasn't made out in your name."
Rosita Longsworth
"No it was made out in his name."
Jules Vasquez
"You realize or maybe you don't realize but just from a completely layman's perspective, you have a fair chance it appears of being de-fraud in this case because you don't have a contract."
Rosita Longsworth
"So why did he deposit these amounts in my bank account at the Belize Bank?"
Jules Vasquez
"Has he accepted in a verbal conversation that he owes you?"
Rosita Longsworth
"Yes he has."
We tried to call this attorney about this claim several times this evening, and we even sent 2 text messages for the record, but we have received no response up to news time.
