In interviews with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Vincent said he took no steps to verify the contents of the letter or background the partners.
Had some questions been asked, officials might have discovered several red flags. The man who signed the letter, Vaughn Richmond, who identifies himself as an executive for a Singapore-based wealth management firm, is a twice-convicted felon who spent a year in prison for his involvement in a wire fraud case. This week, Richmond told the AJC that investors “hadn’t come to a clear understanding” with Roman when the commitment letter was sent and that it wasn’t binding.
An AJC review of hundreds of pages of deal documents and emails and interviews with key players raises serious questions about Invest Clayton and the county’s examination of Roman and his partners before officials granted him prime land near Clayton State University and a multimillion-dollar county construction contract.
Invest Clayton, the county agency tasked with recruiting jobs and investment, can void the lease if certain conditions are not met. But if Roman is unable to fulfill his vision, it could lead to the property remaining in limbo for years.
Controversy has surrounded The Roman ever since the developer held lavish groundbreaking ceremonies for the project last August. An investigation by the AJC last year found Roman embellished his development experience on his website, went through a recent eviction and promised an aggressive development timeline before obtaining a single permit.
The county, frustrated by inaction, has signaled in recent weeks it wants back $559,000 it’s already paid Roman for the incubator.
Roman did not respond to repeated requests for comment made via phone calls, emails and a reporter’s visit to his office. But in a press release Wednesday, in an apparent reference to AJC reporting, he wrote that “public disclosure of confidential financial…
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