Controversial Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had privately sold his childhood home, where his mother resided, to billionaire Harlan Crow in 2014. The sale was undisclosed until recently, raising several ethical questions, Business Insider reported.
Thomas, who owned a third of the property, sold it to Crow despite the potential conflict of interest. The sale was only brought to light through ProPublica’s investigative reporting.
Following Thomas’ latest financial disclosure detailing ties to Crow, his lawyer defended the sale. Elliot S. Berke stated that Crow, a longtime friend of Thomas, visited the property in 2014, witnessing the deplorable state of the neighborhood.
Berke also mentioned that Crow had proposed preserving the home for a potential museum. As part of the deal, Crow assured Thomas’ mother, a co-owner of the property, that she could continue living there indefinitely.
Thomas’ mother, now 94, reportedly still resides in the property. It remains uncertain if the surrounding neighborhood’s condition has improved. ProPublica reports signs of gentrification, with new homes, an artisanal coffee shop and a Mediterranean bistro nearby.
Read Next: A REIT you've probably never heard of is up 36% over the past two years. Here's how its unique model is crushing the market.
Image Via Shutterstock
Engineered by Benzinga Neuro, Edited by Pooja Rajkumari
The GPT-4 Benzinga Neuro content generation system exploits the extensive Benzinga Ecosystem, including native data, APIs, and more to create comprehensive and timely stories for you. Learn more.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
