Jack Johnson's Parents Scamming History

Submitted by Lionsfan on

It's old news now, but we've all heard about and discussed how Jack Johnson's parents scammed him, stole almost all of his money, and have left him bankrupt, and with a mountain of debt.

Unfortunately, per Deadspin, that wasn't the first time they've screwed over a family member.

According to two sources with knowledge of the transaction, Johnson's parents secretly seized ownership of his grandfather's Las Vegas condominium to use as collateral for a loan. (To make this easy to follow, as there are multiple Jack Johnsons involved, we're going to number them. Jack Three is the NHL player; Jack Two is his father, who is accused of scamming both; Jack One [who died in October 2008] is the grandfather.) Clark County (Nev.) records show Jack One's deed to the condo dated May 5, 2002, when he retired to Vegas. On Oct. 20, 2004, Jack Two requested a change in deed over into his name, listing his Ann Arbor, Mich. address. Two sources tell us that Jack Two transferred the deed without Jack One's knowledge. The signature for Jack One on the original deed (left) and on the deed transfer (right) are significantly different.

I definitely recommend reading the whole article. Just a sad story all around, and if it's all true, no wonder JMFJ doesn't speak with his parents anymore.

 

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1464

January 28th, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^

I know that this changes nothing, and in no way will affect anything with the situation or how I feel about it.  But Jack Johnson's parents are truly vile pieces of shit.  I just had to get that out there somewhere.

Joined: 06/21/2010

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Bando Calrissian

January 28th, 2015 at 4:04 PM ^

I didn't saying they were misunderstood. 

I'm just saying as people, my experience with them was extremely positive. Two really nice folks. A nice family to be around, Jack and Kenny were obviously two top-notch talented, friendly kids who were apparently raised well.

Turns out there's a dark side here, and it's awful. Money does weird things to people.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 68120

Yeoman

January 28th, 2015 at 4:58 PM ^

I don't know how it applies in the present situation--scamming your own family is a bit different from preying on the public--but for professional reasons I spent a chunk of my adult life dealing with people who run scams, and one characteristic almost all of them shared is that they come off as "really nice folks", great to be around.

If they weren't, they couldn't be successful at what they do.

Joined: 06/08/2011

MGoPoints: 21390

Wendyk5

January 28th, 2015 at 5:30 PM ^

My stepsisters' mother did the same thing. I wouldn't call it a scam, but the girls sang in commercials as kids and made nowhere near 30 mil but a nice down payment on a house. The money was supposed to be put away for them to get as adults. Instead, the mother ended up spending all the money on a variety of things, alcohol being one of them. I don't feel sorry for her; I feel sorry for them. And it isn't so much the loss of the money as the betrayal by the person or people you're supposed to be able to count on the most. 

Joined: 11/20/2008

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Njia

January 28th, 2015 at 5:04 PM ^

My comment above would have been different. But you chalked up the actions of the parents to "pretty terrible decisions" and lectured the other posters to "stop the moralizing."

I don't know them from a hole in the wall, but I'd say their actions went well beyond a few "terrible decisions." I'd say they are simply terrible people, whether they greeted you with a smile or not.

Joined: 09/15/2009

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justingoblue

January 28th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^

Are the middle generation Johnson's going to be facing any kind of charges or civil suits, or does the power of attorney and the elder Johnson's refusal to press ahead with charges mean they're in the clear?

It definitely seems like jail would be a fitting place for them.

Joined: 11/16/2010

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Lionsfan

January 28th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^

I've only stayed at a holiday inn, so not a legal expert here, but I don't think jail is in their future.

Because elder Jack Johnson is dead, and declined to press charges, and since what they did with JMFJ was technically legal (just very very awful), I don't see what charges could be brought up against them

Joined: 06/03/2011

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EastCoast Esq.

January 28th, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^

I am a lawyer, and I will say that I'm pretty sure that is incorrect.

While I'm not an expert on criminal law, I'm reasonably certain that the injured party in a criminal case is the State, and not the citizen. Therefore, if the statute of limitations has not expired, they may still be subject to criminal charges (theoretically).

The reason that criminal charges often aren't brought when individuals "decline" to press charges is because (1) prosecutions require time and money and (2) it is much harder to prosecute a case when the injured party isn't looking to punish the criminal. Therefore, it isn't worth the prosecutor's time to bring the charges in those kinds of cases.

EDIT: The above paragraph also explains why JJ's parents likely will not face jailtime for this. While the prosecutor MAY be able to bring charges (I don't know Nevada law), it is unlikely that he will.

Joined: 07/16/2012

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jmort1

January 28th, 2015 at 3:45 PM ^

Jack is such a cool dude...back during his UM playing days i was in junior high, he gave me his (slightly) broken stick after a game and signed it later on...Always been one of my favorites scine then..i've seen him around town in the off season and hes always been friendly to me and everyone else. Hard to comprehend how big of assholes parents could be to their kid. Its all greed. 

Joined: 01/08/2013

MGoPoints: 35

Lou MacAdoo

January 28th, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^

I feel bad for little Jack (I can't believe I called him that) Johnson. His parents are clearly very bad people but they probably helped him get to where he is now. He must be very torn. If they're willing to do this to the people that are closest to them it makes you wonder what else they've gotten away with. 

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