SERENA Williams’ stepmom is under yet more scrutiny over the sale of the tennis ace’s childhood home – as the deal grows ever murkier, The U.S. Sun can reveal.
Her stepmother Lakeisha Williams admitted in court documents to faking her husband Richard’s signature to transfer the title deeds of his Florida mansion into her name.
She then took out a $297,000 loan with a hard lender, David Simon, which she was unable to pay back.
After a seven-year court battle as he tried to recover his money, the property was sold in mysterious circumstances just hours before a court-ordered auction.
According to public documents seen by The U.S. Sun, the buyer was Hardy Firm LLC who paid $1.2 million for the four-bed estate in Palm Beach Gardens – which is believed to have netted her almost half a million dollars in profit.
Richard had no legal right to the home anymore but his family insisted Lakeisha “worked a miracle” and saved the home by finding the mystery buyer who is linked to Lakeisha.
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SERENA Williams’ stepmom is under yet more scrutiny over the sale of the tennis ace’s childhood home – as the deal grows ever murkier, The U.S. Sun can reveal.
Her stepmother Lakeisha Williams admitted in court documents to faking her husband Richard’s signature to transfer the title deeds of his Florida mansion into her name.
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Serena Williams’ dad Richard is said to be relieved the house drama is now over even though he lost control of the property
Serena Williams’ dad Richard is said to be relieved the house drama is now over even though he lost control of the propertyCredit: Getty
The dilapidated pad was at the center of a years-long legal battle involving Lakeisha and Richard Williams
The dilapidated pad was at the center of a years-long legal battle involving Lakeisha and Richard WilliamsCredit: The U.S. Sun
She then took out a $297,000 loan with a hard lender, David Simon, which she was unable to pay back.
After a seven-year court battle as he tried to recover his money, the property was sold in mysterious circumstances just hours before a court-ordered auction.
According to public documents seen by The U.S. Sun, the buyer was Hardy Firm LLC who paid $1.2 million for the four-bed estate in Palm Beach Gardens – which is believed to have netted her almost half a million dollars in profit.
Richard had no legal right to the home anymore but his family insisted Lakeisha “worked a miracle” and saved the home by finding the mystery buyer who is linked to Lakeisha.
Buyer Darrious Christian also took out a $600,000 mortgage, according to docs.
It is no ordinary home loan, but one that lasted two years and was with an individual, Joshua Perdomo, not a bank.
It’s extremely unlikely Christian would have ever been able to get a mortgage with a traditional bank due to his poor credit history, including being sued multiple times for not being able to pay debt.
In February 2021, he was sued by Credit One Bank – “a bank specializing in credit cards for borrowers with low credit scores” – for owing $1,502, a debt he hadn’t paid off for 12 months.
The case had to be dismissed in June 2021 as Christian had fled the property, leaving it vacant, and the lawsuit couldn’t be served, with the server stating in the court doc: “abandoned house very scary.”
‘AUNT’S PAST’
Previous to this, in September 2018, Capital One Bank filed a lawsuit against Christian for $2,156, over an unpaid debt.
The case was eventually settled.
When Christian racked up this debt, he was living at the former home of Betty Downing, a woman Lakeisha claimed in court docs is her auntie, although their relationship has never been confirmed.
Lakeisha has been working with Downing for over a decade on multiple businesses, records show.
Downing was charged with two counts of first-degree grand theft and exploiting an elderly person for over $100,000, which carries up to a 30-year prison sentence in Florida, but was given 120 months probation.
She was also ordered to pay the victim $135,000 in damages.
It is the latest bizarre installment in the long-running saga of “King Richard’s” house.
From 1995, the property belonged to Richard until his wife faked his signature on the title deeds.
It’s understood nobody is living at the dilapidated property which needs a lot of work done to it.
