SPOA Housing Policy Series, Episode 19: Professional Tenants Exposed, Part B
We are pleased to release Episode 19 of SPOA Housing Policy Series, which is called "Professional Tenants Exposed, Part B."
Last year, we spoke to investigative reporter Ryan Kath and producer Shira Stoll of NBC 10 News Boston. They described their series of investigative reports about professional tenants, Linda and Russell Callahan, who cheated numerous property owners in Massachusetts for over 20 years. The Callahans squatted in the properties of other people, while refusing to pay rent after providing false identities and fake documents. Attorney Jordana Greenman provided legal analysis, describing how the system in Massachusetts fails to hold these types of tenants accountable and how it even encourages their nefarious behavior.
Since that conversation, Ryan and Shira won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of professional tenants. The Callahans, meanwhile, were indicted on over 50 criminal charges involving fraud, forgery, and larceny. Even as they attended multiple court hearings to answer those charges, the Callahans continued to victimize property owners right up until they landed in prison, where they truly belong.
In this installment, Ryan and Jordana return to provide an update about the Callahans one year later and what the future may hold for them. News reporter Scott Van Voorhis, who edits the independent newspaper Contrarian Boston, provides insight about how media bias influences the way these stories are told, if they are even told often enough. The conversation also highlights other professional tenants who may be living under your own roof. Viewers beware!
SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, moderates the discussion.
