James Fantroy Might Soon Be Homeless

Correction: James L. Fantroy might soon be homeless — but not James L. Fantroy, the former City Council member. The plaintiff in the below mentioned suit is James L. Fantroy Jr., son of the former councilman (though the filing doesn’t include the “Jr.”). A gross error that I regret.

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Usually when corrupt political officials get their comeuppance, it warms the cockles of my heart and puts wind beneath my wings. And ever since Paul Adrian broke the story in 2005 about then City Councilman James Fantroy stealing money from Paul Quinn College — an especially dastardly crime given how Fantroy cast himself as a hero of the black community — I’ve been eager to see the guy get what he deserves. But you know what? This just makes me sad. Jump for details about his looming eviction:

On March 17, Fantroy sued his mortgage lender, Countrywide. Over the years, he and his wife have fallen behind several times on their payments. They find themselves in that situation now. So he asked for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop an eviction — and he wants $350,000 for damages caused by breach of contract and violation of federal statutes. It’s an interesting argument, especially because he filed it pro se (though I have my doubts), and even more especially because his house is on the tax roles for only $141,000 (and the DCAD shows the owner as being the Bank of New York).

In any case, it doesn’t appear that this will end well for Fantroy. On March 18, Judge Sidney Fitzwater denied the TRO, saying essentially that he doesn’t think Fantroy will win his suit against Countrywide.

On May 21, Fantroy will be sentenced on his embezzlement conviction. Given that he’s 70 and in poor health, I assume he would have been put under house arrest. Now it’s unclear if he’ll have a house to be confined to.