Jeff Swiecicki / JBS Realty - Fraudulent Realtor and Property Manager

[Sean Anthony]

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

[Michael Smythe]

@Sean Anthony website is down and Google states business is "Temporarily Closed".

Many times these guys just open another company, so his name will be more important than the company name.

[Sean Anthony]

Quote from @Michael Smythe:

@Sean Anthony website is down and Google states business is "Temporarily Closed".

Many times these guys just open another company, so his name will be more important than the company name.

He's been reported to the FBI, FTC, local law enforcement, and Ohio Division of Real Estate.  So hopefully he won't be able to start any company again.

[Ryan Arth]

This type of reporting is an essential part of what BiggerPockets can be used for. Thank you for putting it out there and potentially saving someone else in the future. 

Always do your due diligence folks, search for their name on here, check for criminal and civil court cases in the county they live/do business in, etc. 

[Remington Lyman]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

[Sean Anthony]

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

[Sean Anthony]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

I want to make a correction to the original post. I do not have concrete proof that all 30 investors in the group were scammed, but the private group’s name is “JBS—BS” and the link was only sent to supposed victims of the situation which is why I believe it to be true.

By my count, there are 19 people (including me) in the group who have been actively messaging about negligence, mishandling of funds, fraud, and residual damages they are experiencing from Jeff. I also message with 2 people outside of the group who have said the same thing.

Just wanted to clarify that I’m not 100% sure that all 30 are being scammed the same way I have been. But I do have concrete evidence of it being done to me and multiple others.

[JEFF SWIECICKI]

Mr. Anthony,

Per my previous numerous communications, JBS is in the process of finalizing all accounts including yours. Thank you for your continued patience. 

[Nathan Gesner]

It sounds like a job for Marsellus Wallace.

[Chris Seveney]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 I would have already filed lawsuits - if you know of 10+ typically there is more, and those who get in line first get to eat first - you do not want to be like the guy in office space and sit around and do nothing and not be the one to get a piece of the cake.

[Sean Anthony]

**This post is a factual breakdown of the situation and where we are currently at.**

On 4/14 Jeff Swiecicki terminated my agreement via email. He stated to give him 30 days for final accounting. We also signed a “Notice to Terminate” which states "The property management agreement shall terminate effective May 14,2024. It is required the Property Manager return all personal property belonging to the Owner such as keys, entry codes, copies of lease agreements with existing tenants, tenant deposits, and any other files or information necessary to manage the property and the tenant(s)."

On 5/15, which is after our official termination date of 5/14, I requested next steps on getting funds and clarification on outstanding accounting items. On 5/17, Jeff Swiecicki responded saying he had a family emergency and would respond when he could.  I responded back asking when to expect a response, which he did not answer.

On 5/22 I requested funds again or I would be reporting him to legal authorities. He responded that “Final accounting will be completed and all funds are being sent out at the end of the month with all other owner draws."

On 6/1 Jeff Swiecicki still had not paid me. I emailed him once more demanding an update and received no response.

On 6/4 Jeff Swiecicki sent out an email to all of his clients stating he was shutting down PM services effective immediately and to give him 90 days for final accounting.

On 6/7 a private discord group called “JBS-BS” was opened for anyone who was affected and owed money from Jeff Swiecicki. The group now has 30 members with discussion around negligence, mishandling of funds, fraud, and residual damages.

On 6/26 my attorney sent a demand letter to Jeff Swiecicki requesting immediate payment of the balance owed.

As of 6/30 Jeff Swiecicki has refused to pay back rightfully owed funds and refers us back to his 6/4 email to wait 90 days. This is in violation of our contract and his written word to pay me by, at the latest, end of May. When asked for a reason why he can’t pay now, he has stated “I'm one person trying to resolve over 6000 invoices for vendors, utilities, fees, etc for 100+ owner portfolios. The work I'm doing is the same amount of work that 5 employees used to do for me. It's not as easy as everyone thinks. I'd rather be slow but accurate rather than fast and inaccurate.”

This is in violation of Ohio Statutory Law governing the management of residential real estate properties. Specifically, Sections 4735.18(A)(24), 4735.18(A)(27) and 4735.18(A)(30) require a host of recordkeeping, reporting, and trust and security obligations, all of which we have reason to believe have been neglected by Jeff Swiecicki in connection with the Property Management Agreements.

My attorney is still in communication with Jeff Swiecicki and we intend to litigate if he fails to return funds immediately.

Based on these factual events and Jeff Swiecicki’s continued unprofessional and deceptive behavior, it is my strong recommendation to avoid doing business with him or any business associated with him.

[Drew Sygit]

@Sean Anthony to us, this situation is really no different than a nonpaying tenant.

We try to work with tenants, as "life happens", while keeping pressure on them by moving forward with the eviction process. If they can and are willing to provide ACCEPTABLE proof of their hardship, we may give then a few extra days (not weeks) at a step in the process.

There is some merit to Jeff's claim that he is doing the work of 5 people - but, it won't take 90 days to go through everything. More likely, he is hoping to use the extra time to collect more rents and thus more fees to generate the funds to pay his owner clients:(

[Remington Lyman]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

 He has more responsibilities as the broker. What did the Ohio Division or Real Estate say?

[Sean Anthony]

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

 He has more responsibilities as the broker. What did the Ohio Division or Real Estate say?

 That they are investigating.  There have been complaints filed by multiple parties.

[Dawn Murray]

Hello All, Unfortunately, we are also victims of Jeff Swiecicki, owner of JBS Realty and possibly other companies.  We have reported him to several places and plan on continuing to report him to other places.  Property manager and property management companies have a responsibility.  Property owners should not have to wait to obtain their TS deposits; Owner's reserve funds; Owner's distributions and more.  While with Jeff for 11 months, we have received a total of 2 very small owner distributions with the first one going into someone else's account.  We had to wait approximately 6 months to finally receive it within our own account   He also did not begin marketing our unit until late November 2023, which was ready to market immediately upon hiring Jeff.  We hired Jeff on July 1, 2023. In approximately September 2023, he placed an employee as our property liaison who had knowledge of our account and property.  Jeff neglected to perform a background check on this employee.  The employee was previously working for MCT Diversified Services whose owner is Chuck Tomei.  In the winter of 2024, Jeff stated he fired employee and provided criminal paperwork.  Meanwhile Jeff paid an invoice from MCT Diversified Services in the amount of $4900 without previously contacting us (property owners).  The job consisted of replacing most of the front entrance, which consisted of 3 wood steps and a small platform deck the size of a standard refridgerator with railing.  All done in pressure treated wood.  We never received an estimate nor quote.  Please include us with the victims.  

[Chris Seveney]

@Dawn Murray

I recommend you seek your own attorney in this as well - typically in these situations there is very little to go around but whoever gets the first lawsuit and judgment wins.

So let’s say he has $25k and you are owed 20k and there is $500k owed to people. Well if you go together it could split it and get basically nothing - spend $2-3k file a lawsuit and get a judgment you are first in line…

Also in many instances you can slap that judgment on his personal residence as well and foreclose on that. This is all not for the faint of heart but if you want to protect your money you need to get aggressive

[Chris Seveney]

@Chris Seveney

Note not An attorney or providing legal advice

[Jay Hinrichs]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Michael Smythe:

@Sean Anthony website is down and Google states business is "Temporarily Closed".

Many times these guys just open another company, so his name will be more important than the company name.

He's been reported to the FBI, FTC, local law enforcement, and Ohio Division of Real Estate.  So hopefully he won't be able to start any company again.

DRE is the one that will go after him i suspect for trust fund commingling it sounds like

[Jay Hinrichs]

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

 He has more responsibilities as the broker. What did the Ohio Division or Real Estate say?

 That they are investigating.  There have been complaints filed by multiple parties.

having been a broker for many decades and owning 3 brokerages over the years.. at least out this way when complaints come into the DRE and they are numerous they will most certainly send an investigator to this companies office and request the books. And then shut them down. And go forward from there. Commingling trust accounts is the number one way Brokers lose their license as such I NEVER had a trust account.. but then again I never did PM just general brokerage.. All client deposits when to title company let them account for it all :)

[Chris Seveney]

@Jay Hinrichs

I wonder as a broker if they needed to have a surety bond and could collect against the bond.

[Jay Hinrichs]

Quote from @Chris Seveney:

@Jay Hinrichs

I wonder as a broker if they needed to have a surety bond and could collect against the bond.

most likely but its a small amount..  also there is a client recovery fund that most states have that folks can make a claim to the state but again generally a rocky road to go down and not a lot of comp at the end..

[Dawn Murray]

Thank you for the thoughts, which are appreciated.  With as many people he has done this to, I imagine he will be placed in jail. If you get a chance, google "Scranton Realtor of the Year goes to jail". Make certain you type Pennsylvannia. There were less people swindled in that case than it seems to be in this one.   

[Russell Brazil]

Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

 He has more responsibilities as the broker. What did the Ohio Division or Real Estate say?

 That they are investigating.  There have been complaints filed by multiple parties.

having been a broker for many decades and owning 3 brokerages over the years.. at least out this way when complaints come into the DRE and they are numerous they will most certainly send an investigator to this companies office and request the books. And then shut them down. And go forward from there. Commingling trust accounts is the number one way Brokers lose their license as such I NEVER had a trust account.. but then again I never did PM just general brokerage.. All client deposits when to title company let them account for it all :)

 I have a trust account, only because some states require one, such as Pennsylvania. I have $25 dollars (plus accumulated interest) in it. No other money has ever gone into it, and none has ever been taken out of it. We post a sign in the front of our office..."WE DO NOT HOLD TRUST FUNDS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES".  

[Jay Hinrichs]

Quote from @Russell Brazil:

Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Quote from @Remington Lyman:

Quote from @Sean Anthony:

Hey all I'm an investor in the Cleveland area and just wanted to warn you all about a fraudster named Jeff Swiecicki. A realtor who used to have a PM company called "JBS Realty" until this month.

He used to manage 8 of my properties and is currently refusing to pay out multiple 5-figures worth of rents/property reserves/security deposits/unpaid utility bills owed.  Jeff makes up repeated excuses and strange reasons as to why he can't/won't pay (i.e. family emergency, bank is rejecting wires, software/website is buggy, telling investors to go "f*ck their mother").

I'm in a group with 30 other investors who were also scammed by him.  There is likely more as this is just a few of the people who know about the group through word-of-mouth.

I'm making this post to hopefully get it seen when people search his name, so they avoid working with him and getting scammed too.  Happy to answer any questions about the situation.

Please be safe and stay away from him, or any companies he is involved with.

 Did you contact his broker?

He is the broker

 He has more responsibilities as the broker. What did the Ohio Division or Real Estate say?

 That they are investigating.  There have been complaints filed by multiple parties.

having been a broker for many decades and owning 3 brokerages over the years.. at least out this way when complaints come into the DRE and they are numerous they will most certainly send an investigator to this companies office and request the books. And then shut them down. And go forward from there. Commingling trust accounts is the number one way Brokers lose their license as such I NEVER had a trust account.. but then again I never did PM just general brokerage.. All client deposits when to title company let them account for it all :)

 I have a trust account, only because some states require one, such as Pennsylvania. I have $25 dollars (plus accumulated interest) in it. No other money has ever gone into it, and none has ever been taken out of it. We post a sign in the front of our office..."WE DO NOT HOLD TRUST FUNDS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES".  

Smart man Russell..  let the title companies handle it like we do.. they are not mandatory in our area .. although they are for PM's 

[Tiffany E. Johnson]

Quote from @JEFF SWIECICKI:

Mr. Anthony,

Per my previous numerous communications, JBS is in the process of finalizing all accounts including yours. Thank you for your continued patience. 

Jeff, since my apartment building is now under “new management,” when will you return the July rent you collected from me and my elderly, autistic uncle? I’ve been trying to contact you for weeks!

Additionally, I'm still not convinced that you are not associated with this new management company.

[Tiffany E. Johnson]

Quote from @JEFF SWIECICKI:

Mr. Anthony,

Per my previous numerous communications, JBS is in the process of finalizing all accounts including yours. Thank you for your continued patience.