About two weeks ago, M.L. Elrick says on Fox 2 Detroit, he reported that State Representative-elect Brian Banks had been evicted from three homes in the last two years. "That was wrong. We regret the error," Elrick said.
It turns out Banks, elected last week to represent an east-side district that includes Detroit, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores, has been evicted from at least five homes, including a condo in Detroit and a home in Harper Woods. Meanwhile, his current landlord tells Elrick things aren't looking too good for Banks' future in a tasty crib in Grosse Pointe Woods.
Banks says he's changed, but of the 21 lawsuits filed against him in Detroit's District Court, four were filed this year and there are more lawsuits in other jurisdictions. Banks been convicted eight times for felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud,
Attorney Charles Holzman isn't buying Banks' claims he has changed his ways. Holzman represents a half dozen credit unions who have sued Banks since 1996 for over $40,000.
"What we're seeing is a pattern that goes back nearly ten years now," he said. "Whatever problems he's been having over the years, he certainly hasn't figured out a way to fix them."
"We were hoping to have a word with Banks last week when the repo man made the scene," Elrick said. "This wasn't the repo man's first encounter with Banks. He had a 2003 Jaguar X-Type until it, too, got hauled away after Banks failed to make payments."
Bottom line: Banks' 2008 Land Rover is now part of his past.
