My Story of being scammed by Morris Invest and Oceanpointe

[Brian Freeman]

History with Morris Invest & OceanPointe Investments LLC

If any of you are suing Clayton Morris and OceanPointe, this information is mostly for you.  I am a California attorney who contemplated bringing a Federal case against these Defendants for what occurred below.  However, in my years as an attorney I have learned from personal experience that lawsuits like these typically becomes throwing good money after bad when one seeks civil remedies against people who commit fraud. Judgments go unpaid. Collection is a nightmare - especially out of state judgment collections. Fraudsters continue to run, lie, and hide assets. Finally, they raise the shield of bankruptcy. Rather than lose more time and gray hair seeking justice, I have decided to make my story and evidence public. Below is my timeline and I will be willing to share any of my documents with other Plaintiffs or attorneys.

Good luck to my fellow victims, and may there be true justice at the end of this story.

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8/29/2016 - Received one-pager advertisement of 2021 N. Linwood Ave from Dave Koehn | PDF Attachment

8/29/2016 - Received photos of 2021 Linwood Ave from Dave Koehn at Morris Invest

8/29/2016 - Brian Freeman e-mails Dave Koehn of Morris Invest to take the Linwood property

8/29/2016 - Nicole Meckley emails Brian purchase agreement

8/30/2016 - Nicole Meckley emails Dan from Paramount Title

9/7/2016 - Sale closing of Property

9/12/2016 - Nicole Meckley sends me info for the cost to rehab; ($5,100) | Estimate Attachment | Wiring Instructions

10/3/2016 - Nicole Meckley responds to Brian Freeman that the flip is now complete and they will send photos and start marketing the property;

Note that the property never needed to be “marketed” as there was purportedly a tenant already in place at the time of sale of the property (see 12/13/2016 below)

10/13/2016 - Nicole Meckley writes that the flip is complete and she only has a photo of the furnace because there’s a tenant in already;

Note that if any rehab was done it was while there was a tenant occupying the property

10/18/2016 - Nicole Meckley writes all of the contacts at Oceanpointe to start rent deposits;

Note that Oceanpointe likely received and collected a month rent without remitting it to the new owner from closing date of 9/7/2016

10/31/2016 - I notify Morris Invest that I have already been cited by insurance for an improper dog breed;

11/15/2016 - I write Clayton Morris that I never saw the before & after rehab photos; I ask for the lease paperwork.

11/18/2016 - Bert Whalen tells me he will send me the photos personally;

11/29/2016 - Nicole Meckley writes an email with photos after the flip that are of poor quality; she sends the repair estimate that states what was fixed; | Part 2 | Estimate

11/29/2016 - Brian sends payment by wire via Wells Fargo $2,550

12/13/2016 - I inform the Morris Invest team that I still do not have a copy of the lease;

12/13/2016 - Clayton emails me a one page lease signed by a Kent Stork on 7/2/2016 (prior to my purchase of the property - I did not notice this at the time)

Copy of lease

4/17/17 I write to Clayton Morris informing him that the taxes doubled from the advertised taxes for the property;

11/2/2017 - I write to Clayton informing him that I am being sued by the Marion County Health Department; | Copy of Summons and Complaint

11/3/2017 I write to Clayton Morris asking if it’s normal to get sued by Marion County; he replies yes that his office handles it;

11/3/2017 I write to Clayton Morris informing him that is was a surprise there were so many reported issues with the property;

12/29/2017 - I inform Clayton / Oceanpointe that I was cited again and he tells me that they are working on it. (reply below on 1/3/2018)

1/3/2018 - E-mail from Rose stating they are working on the December 2017 violations notice; | Marion County Notice

1/5/2018 - I write Clayton asking if it’s true that Oceanpointe PM lost its licence in Indiana; he says it’s not true.

3/5/2018 - I write Oceanpointe PM and let them know rent was late; Karen Schnabel writes back with an apology that the invoice was not sent out by mistake.

3/16/2018 - Karen from Oceanpoint sends an automated invoice that says, “vacant” dated 3/20/2018; Copy of PDF Invoice Attachment

It was noticed during the research of the timeline of events that every single invoice ever received from Oceanpoint was titled exactly the same: "Invoice 0001131 from Oceanpoint Investments LLC"

3/27/2018 - I write to Charles the County inspector asking for more time to fix the property and my intention to change PM;

3/27/2018 - I speak to Charles the County inspector on the phone. He tells me the property has been vacant since October 2017.

Note that Oceanpointe deposited rents from October 2017 through March 2018.

3/28/2018 - I sign the contract to change PMs to Wilmoth Group;

4/2/2018 - The Wilmoth Group PM sends me many photos of the destroyed property, including what appears to be an abandoned stolen vehicle on the premises; they estimate a cost of $12,000 to $15,000 to repair all the issues; PHOTOS

4/2/2018 - Reply from Clayton promising to make needed repairs

4/3/2018 - Clayton Morris emails me that he is checking out the house this morning with his team; that it’s a good property and that OP will fix it on their dime. That he wants Blue Sky to manage it.

4/6/2018 - Rose emails that she sent the issues over to maintenance again

4/6/2018 - Kate from Morris Invest says repairs are being done

4/18/18 - Kate from Morris on repair status

4/18/18 - Demand for rescission of sale from Brian Freeman to Clayton Morris

4/19/18 - Reply from Clayton Morris re: buyback

4/24/18 - email from Kate from Morris re: a new invoice from OceanPointe

5/1/18 - Fully executed buyback agreement completed

5/31/2018 - email from Clayton Morris regarding his breach of the buyback agreement

[Charles M.]

I am going to throw in, as well, my story of experience with Clayton Morris of Morris Invest and Oceanpointe...with an "e".

I am a fellow investor that trusted Clayton Morris to build a house for me and depended on the cash flow represented by his pod-cast. Like the majority, who likewise, thought they were buying from Clayton and Morris Invest with no third party involved in the buying transaction I bought his Hook, Line & Sinker...as the saying goes. Not to try in gaining any sympathy, I just thought I'd share part of my story of grief.

In Early August, 2017, I took what was left of my life's' savings and used it to:

1. Get help from Fund & Grow after paying them $3000 in procuring funding to buy one of Morris Invest's Turn-key new construction 3 bdrm, 2 bath homes for $68500 plus closing. I was referred to Fund & Grow by a podcast hosted by Clayton Morris.

I started following up after three months of non-performance on the part of Clayton, Morris Invest and any and all of his agents and contacts...including a personal phone call by my son to Clayton's personal residence when he spoke personally with Natali Morris with a personal assurance that she would have Clayton contact me with information about an "ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACT" that I expected from him because he allegedly was only the SALES AGENT..which would, at least, give me an additional avenue of pursuit for performance of duty.

Never got word back from them beyond that on the requested Assignment of Contract.

2. Because the 0% interest rate was coming to an end on the first of my credit cards through Fund & Grow, I sought a second round of funding through them so as to maintain a 0% interest payment on the funds going forward...still had to make the minimum payment going forward which at that time had accumulated to about $1000 per month plus property yard maintenance and taxes.

Hoping that Clayton would do some of his magic and get the house built, screen some qualified tenants and get some cash flow going to be able to satisfy the payback of the credit cards until such time that I could get the new house independently appraised and financed through a traditional mortgage which the cash flow would have easily covered according to what Clayton promises in his podcast relating to the new construction builds. 

In January 2018, I had not heard of any progress on the new build so I contacted Morris Invest for a progress report.

After countless emails and phone messages to Larry Blessman (Morris Invest Sales Agent), I was finally contacted by Larry assuring me that he would follow up and get back to me on it. After being turned over to Morris Invest agent (and Sister of Natali Morris) Linzi Del Conti (Transaction Coordinator) for further updates, I was never kept informed of any progress unless I constantly requested information from her. She did finally respond on a couple occasions with information that gave me NO definitive time-line of any progress having been made nor a firm finish date. Then I sent emails directly to Clayton Morris inquiring about a finish date and he responded by voice-male that permits were almost completed and that it should be 4 to 6 weeks and it would be "smooth sailing" as he characterized it.

The house was never built, I've paid back-property taxes and fines of over Approx $1200...ongoing yard maintenance costs of anywhere from $40+ up to as much a $225 monthly for a vacant lot just to keep the city off my back with fines...etc..

Bottom line is.....After having a nearly perfect credit score and credit record of 25+ years, I will be in Bankruptcy court in May, 2019 because I cannot afford the payback of the credit card funding because there is no house built (cash flow) and there is not a single attorney that I contacted who doesn't want $60,000 (up-Front) because they all say they can't do it on contingency because Clayton has so may law-suits against him already that they feel there will be little (if any) money left after all the litigants already in line have been paid. That may or may not be the case, but my options are limited by the extreme position that Morris Invest has caused on me as a gullible novice investor with limited resources for a 72 y/o. His continued operations truly amaze me by the fact that he has so blatantly mis-represented himself as a "Turn-key" provider when all he is...is simply a fraudster hiding behind his LLCs.

This is just an extremely simplistic journal of my woes with Clayton Morris and Morris Invest I am damaged financially and emotionally to such an extent and am profoundly regretful that I EVER listened to that smooth talking SNAKE of a former news show host of Fox and Friends. 

I can see why Fox and Friends has distance themselves with their statement that they had no idea about Claytons financial affairs. I would too!

Perhaps by my sharing this, it may somehow help alleviate some of your own angst and disappointment for your decision to invest with Clayton Morris and Morris Invest. I am a firm believer in "What goes 'around...comes around" and I wish no calamity on Clayton Morris and wife Natali Morris, Larry Blessman, Nicole Meckley, Linzi Del Conti,

Kate Federico (All directly connected to Morris Invest and party to this transaction).

Last but by no means, certainly not least, and likely a major player in this SCAM Herb Whaley and allegedly his wife Natalie Bastin at OceanPointe Properties in Indianapolis, Indiana.

And Hope against Hope, Clayton Morris could save his reputation not by hiding from his responsibility behind his LLCs , but make everyone he has harmed whole again for those who deserve to be recompensed for the harm done to them. I am reasonably certain that's never going to be the case as the hole he has dug for himself will probably consume most if not all he has. I have a feeling that his choice will be the latter....hence my prediction..."What goes around.....

I, personally am trying to forgive and move on hoping that I have enough years remaining to attain to that forgiveness because I know it's required of me if I expect to be forgiven on the "other side".

This has been a tremendously humbling and humiliating experience (me writing this) and I am sharing this so that possibly others may be spared the experience and I hope this missive is timely enough to accomplish some of that.