RICHMOND, Va. -- It's a fight that Brenda Coles took on on behalf of several tenants who reported they were being taken advantage of by housing an educational program they thought was intended to help them, Jumpstart University and Vasilios Education Center.
Both of these programs were run by Carl S. Vaughan.
Coles believes that Attorney General Jason Miyares is now holding the Richmond-based landlord accountable.
"Carl Vaughan collected rent. He moved people into apartment units that did not belong to him, although he claimed that they did. Within a month or two, he sent out eviction notices, then he bullied those people who had children and poor credit. He bullied them into paying another month's rent and he did that for years and years and years," Coles said.
Miyares took over the case from previous Attorney General Mark Herring who filed a lawsuit against Vaughan and Jump Start University last year.
The attorney general is now mandating that Vaughan pay $10,000 in restitution to tenants who entered sublease during a six-year span and those who paid program, service or other fees for services that Vaughan never provided.
Miyares told CBS6 that his office is dedicated to protecting vulnerable Virginians from abusive practices and will continue to hold bad actors accountable.
As it stands, Jumpstart can't collect any judgments against tenants during a six-year span from January 1, 2016, until January 13, 2022.
This applies to more than 175 judgments in the general district courts of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield, a dollar amount the attorney general's office said exceeds $200,000.
"Definitely, we got some justice. Carl Vaughan may claim what he's owed, by Carl Vaughan is not owed a dime," Coles said.
However, Vaughan's attorney said it's important to consider the following details of this consent judgment he signed.
It reads:
The defendants deny engaging in any violations of the Va. Consumer Protection Act or any other law.
The defendants do not admit to any violation of or liability arising from any state or federal law and it says the consent judgment does not constitute evidence or admission of fault, liability or wrongdoing.
Coles, the former president of Richmond's National Action Network, said she's proud that a former bookkeeper submitted documents to then AG Mark Herring who launched an investigation. She also commends former tenants for their bravery in coming forward.
However, she said she still wants to see all the tenants who were negatively impacted made whole.
"Where I want to seek justice is those people who still have evictions on their records. They need to be removed. They are still having a tough time to this day finding a decent place to live," Coles said.
