Report: Wilkerson has close ties to shady real estate developer, failed to file tax returns for nonprofit organization

By Jeremy P. Jacobs, PolitickerMA.com Reporter

The Boston Phoenix published a long story Wednesday looking into state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's relationship with a real estate developer and her failure to file mandatory tax returns for a nonprofit organized she headed.

In particular, the Phoenix points to Wilkerson's relationship with Robert Kargman, the owner of the Commonwealth Capital Corporation, a real estate developer and mortgage lender. In Nov. of 2006, the Phoenix wrote, Wilkerson received a $66,900 mortgage on her condo from the company. Wilkerson sold the condo, which she bought in 1993 for $81,370, eight months later for $460,000.

The Phoenix goes into great detail describing Commonwealth Capital Corporation's history of political influence in both Washington, D.C. and on Beacon Hill. The company has more recently sought to buy up federal low-income housing contracts at low rates so it can turn them into luxury condos.

Wilkerson, whose district is home to several low-income subsidized housing units, has been viewed as an advocate against real estate development companies, like Kargman's company, that seek to buy up low-income units, remodel them and, consequently, force low-income residents from the area.

In the last legislative session, Wilkerson introduced a bill, S.2192, which intended to provide protections to low-income tenants from eviction and provide municipalities with the option to control rents when low-income units lose their federal affordability contracts.

The bill went into the legislative procedure and never came out, and the Phoenix asks the question of whether Kargman's loan may have influenced Wilkerson's leadership and effort pushing the bill, which would have made purchasing low-income housing units more difficult for Kargman, through.

The Phoenix also looks into Wilkerson's actions as the leader of the nonprofit organization behind an event to be called "21st Century Black Massachusetts." The organization, the Phoenix writes, listed Wilkerson as its head and used Wilkerson's office as its headquarters.

In 2006, the nonprofit was registered as a 501(c)3, which made contributions to the group tax exempt. But as a requirement for the 501(c)3 state, the group, like all others that receive more than $25,000 in contributions per year, was also required to file tax returns and the Phoenix found that it did not.

Does the Phoenix story hold up? The comments section awaits below.

Jeremy P. Jacobs is a PolitickerMA.com Reporter and can be reached via email at noreply@politicker.com.

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