Dave Dial at MLive's Full-Court Press has unearthed a little more background on Lindsey Hunter's brush with the FBI, finding alleged victim Bruce McClellan's personal account of the story at FlippingFrenzy.com.
McClellan describes every step of what went down, and it's worth pointing out that Hunter seemed to have a hands off approach in the early going, at least in terms of apparently never meeting McClellan face-to-face until after months after the purchase was consummated. Hunter did add McClellan to one of his bank accounts, but even that was done over the phone:
On March 30, 2007, Ivan Johnson called to tell me that he needed me to meet him at LaSalle Bank in Farmington Hills, MI, where it was necessary for me to add my name to Lindsey and Ivy (wife) Hunter’s bank account. When I asked why my name was being added to Lindsey’s account, Ivan told me that this was necessary so it appeared to the bank that I had more money than I really did, which would help me qualify for the loan. When I asked Ivan why Lindsey wasn’t worried about adding me to his personal account, Ivan told me that Lindsey knew that I was an honest person and that I would never attempt to steal from him (which of course was true—I would never steal money from anyone).
Ivan Johnson and I went to the bank together where Ivan called Lindsay Hunter on his phone. Lindsey spoke to LaSalle Bank employee Shatha Atcho-Salmu, and from what I could hear of the conversation, it was obvious that they knew each other. Anyway, with the assistance of LaSalle Bank’s Shatha Atchoo-Salmu, and without Lindsey Hunter or his wife Ivy Hunter present, I signed my name onto Lindsey and Ivy’s account, which I was told Lindsey had authorized.
When the house didn't sell and McClellan grew antsy, he demanded to meet Hunter in person -- and as far as I can tell, this was the first time McClellan actually met Hunter in person:
A few days later, Ivan called and told me that Lindsey had invited me to a Detriot Pistons home basketball game for the day of October 24, 2007. After being treated like a VIP in a private suite during the game, Lindsey, Ivan and I went to an upscale restaurant in Bloomfield Hills (MI), where Lindsey proceeded to tell me that everything for the real estate investment deal was in great shape—he reconfirmed that they had a buyer lined up and ready to buy the house from us for $2.1 Million—and that he wasn’t going to do me wrong or get me involved in any illegal activities. Lindsey even went as far as to tell me that he was financially set for the rest of his life, he wanted to make me and Ivan millionaires within the next one to two years, and that he wanted to make me a partner in L&I Enterprises, LLC."
I recommend reading the entire article, but bear in mind it's completely one-sided. We still don't know Hunter's version of events, and we probably won't until the investigation is complete. Even though this side of the story is coming directly from McClellan, who makes no attempt to hide his belief that Hunter has wronged him, Ivan Johnson, the business partner who found McClellan and walked him through every step of the process, comes across as more culpable. Time will tell.