Katrina Donation Flipped For Profit

'Take It Up With God!' Says Recipient Of Free House Donated By Church

(AP)  A church that wanted to do something special for Hurricane Katrina victims gave a $75,000 house, free and clear, to a couple who said they were left homeless by the storm. But the couple turned around and sold the place without ever moving in, and went back to New Orleans.

"Take it up with God," an unrepentant Joshua Thompson told a TV reporter after it was learned that he and the woman he identified as his wife had flipped the home for $88,000.

Church members said they feel their generosity was abused by scam artists. They are no longer even sure that the couple were left homeless by Katrina or that they were a couple at all.

"They came in humble like they really needed a new start, and our hearts went out to them," said Jean Phillips, a real estate agent and member of the Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ. "They actually begged for the home."

The church was also shocked by an ungrateful interview the couple gave with WHBQ-TV in Memphis.

"I really don't like this area," said Delores Thompson. "I really didn't, and I didn't know anybody, so that's why I didn't move in and I sold it."

Thompson, reached at a New Orleans phone number by The Associated Press on Tuesday, thanked the church for its generosity but said she saw nothing wrong in selling the three-bedroom, two-bath house.

"Do I have any legal problems? What do you mean? The house was given to me," she said. "I have the paperwork and everything."

She refused further comment and hung up.

The church had decided that it would do something special for one Katrina-displaced family, in addition to its other efforts to help evacuees. The church set up a committee to find the right family and conducted several dozen interviews.

Delores Thompson, who did most of the talking for her family, told the committee that she had lost her job as a nurse and that her husband had lost an import-export business in New Orleans, committee member Joy Covington said.

The committee also heard how the family had lost its home and most of its possessions and how the children, a 14-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy, were eager to get back in school. The family said it wanted to resettle in Memphis.

After the church settled on Thompson, real estate agent Phillips helped her pick out the house she wanted, and it was bought in Thompson's name. She took possession in February and sold it in September. Property transfer records for the resale list her as unmarried; the papers from the original sale list her as married.

"I feel like it was a sham or a ripoff," Covington said.

The church hasn't discussed legal action, but the members are upset because the house could have gone to a more needy family, Covington said.

Thompson claimed she and her family were living in an apartment supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but did not invite Phillips over during the house search.

"She didn't want me coming over there," Phillips said. "She'd say, 'I'll meet you."'

Church member Edward Covington, the real estate agent's husband, said the family had been listed by FEMA as displaced. But he said the church took Thompson's word for it that their house was destroyed.

[dcmgbusacbs]

HOUSE RECIPIANTS AND PURCHASER ON GOD'S "TO DO" LIST

here is another gift that is being sold, right or wrong its for sale O.J Simpson If I did now sold on Ebay Item number: 250053281298 $10,000.00

$75,000.00 does not buy a whole lot of house, and its not like they broke the bank when they bought the place, the church is got lots of money, most do

[bigreddog222]

Katrina flushed the toilet of America into surrounding areas.

[nikkicatt1]

The night the Katrina evacuees were being bused to Houston, I had to volunteer. As the New Orleanians were coming off the buses, we heard over and over, "What, no beer?" or "That's all you got - a sandwich and chips?" or "I don't want water - I want pop." When we set up cots we heard "Ain't ya gonna put us in a hotel." When FEMA gave them credit cards, they were used to go to "night clubs", purchase big screen TV's or other items. A freind of mine that has a gun shop siad he had some trying to purchase guns with them. As the year progressed, we saw a rise in violent crimes. Now that the middle class is returning to New Orleans, we are left with the gangs, muggers and thieves. So why does anyone think that these miscreadents could do anything else but lie, cheat and steal to get what they did not deserve in the first place. If they were so worried about the crime in the area, why did they accept the house in the first place? Because they knew they were going to sell. I think ALL the people from Louisiana should go back and let the governer worry.

[peaceforusa]

WOW! How low can people get? This was such a wonderful gesture the church made and the couple they chose were scum. They must have been real slick when they had their interview. It is this kind of action that will cause many people, churches, companies, etc. to stop donating/helping when people are really in need.
It is true, it was a gift but the couple deceived the church in the interview to receive that gift, so I am hoping that on that deceit they will be charged and made to pay back the money to the church and maybe some jail time for fraud. God will take care of decritful people like this couple. And what an example they are setting for those children.

[bigreddog222]

Amen Oz.
the IRS will get them.. I hope. If someone reports them or if there is an agent reading this. They should pay their taxes.

[floriditynow]

The home was a gift. End of story. What the gifted does with the gift, is their karma.

[floriditynow]

The home was a gift. End of story. What the gifted does with the gift, is their karma.

[themooniac]

What classy people, scaming a church. How pitiful, the lowest of the low.

[themooniac]

What classy people, scaming a church. How pitiful, the lowest of the low.

I feel bad for those that donated for that house. I do not feel bad that they made such a big deal out of donating it and it blew up in their faces.

[ms38654ob]

Two takes on this story.

1. From their side, if everything they said is true, I don't blame them a bit for not wanting to move into that neighborhood in Memphis, especially if they have teenage children. It's very high crime and loaded with gang activity. Best to sell out, take the money and go back to where they came from.

2. From a non-member of their church: The church got exactly what they deserved. No good deed goes unpunished. They didn't do their homework and got screwed for their efforts. Too bad so sad.

Next time, be more careful. Idiots, the lot.

[sueneely]

The Lord knows the way of the righteous...the way of the ungodly is not fun to think about.
Let the Lord rule on this but let's just say" I wouldn't want to be in their..um..house".

[kozanne]

"If it's the issue of a profit being made, the gift was given, once the gift is given, it's at the hands of the one who has the gift now in hand to do with it, what they want!"

That's right, they can do whatever they want, even if it was NOT the right thing to do. Jesus talked about that in the Gospels, too.

I know what I would have done, and it would not have been what they did. But that's okay, let's see if anyone can find out where these folks ended up a year from now. They will reap what they have sown.

[cantshutup]

lol...sounds like karma for all christians!

so if I sell my christmas gifts is everyone of you going to get mad and call it illegal?

[bigreddog222]

My question is did they live in FEMA provided housing while they owned the home that they could have moved into? Isn't that breaking the law?

If their story was true then the house was theirs to do with what they wanted.

If they lied, they deserve to be convicted!

[emortimer]

ketch65 has it right.

My question is this... who's to say they are bad guys? Why criticize them? Who's to say they weren't homeless, or weren't in need?

Even if they were, why MUST they live there? What if there were strings attached? Did church members make them their "special project"? Did they drop by every other day checking in on them, asking them to come to church etc?

Even if not, even if it was a really nice place, nice church, etc, who's to say the family's calling to go HOME, is bad? And, shouldn't the church be happy? Perhaps that $75,000 home, sold for more, will now enable that family to rebuild their own home or buy a new home AT HOME, where family is, where heart is. The money isn't necessarily wasted... perhaps now the value of that money has doubled by allowing them the grace to go home without struggle.

[karateman39]

The chruch should have done a more thorough check on who they were giving the house to. I don't know if they did this or not but if they didn't that's their own fault. In this day and age it's sad that a chrusch would need to do sucha thing.

As far as the woman flipping hte house, it's her perogative. The story doesn't go into much detail but if, after living in the house for a few months, she/they found it wasn't to their liking it is perfectly within their right to sell.

This all assumes the house was obtained in good fiath in the first place.