Twin Cities housing scheme took advantage of Muslim homebuyers' human rights, jury determines

A Twin Cities housing scheme took advantage of people's religious beliefs and a jury said that the man behind it violated homebuyers' human rights.

After a nine day trial a jury found Chadwick Banken violated Minnesota's Human Rights Act, targeting Muslim homebuyers.

Attorney General Keith Ellison's office started investigating in 2024, and says Banken told more than 150 families they could pay him directly for the deed to the house, avoiding a bank and interest payments that don't align with the Muslim faith. 

Ultimately, Ellison's office said he's jack up the prices, kicking families out with nothing.

"Banken was going around, using the contract for deed form to essentially lure and mislead people into signing up," said Ellison. 

It's enough to take on a second trial. Attorney Mary Kaczorek represents three clients in another case this fall. 

"It's frustrating to see some of the facts that we see in our cases and in the attorney general's case," she said. "Just the stakes are so high. You're not just looking at someone's home where they live, you're also looking at the money they've poured into it."

Banken will appear before a judge once more, who will determine how much he'll have to pay back.

WCCO has reached out to Banken's attorney for comment.