Northeast Man Sold Dead People’s Homes

Oh man. I somehow missed this story when it came out on Friday. I’m sorry for not sharing it sooner.

The Washington Post reported about Duane McKinney, a Northeast D.C. man who conned people out of their inheritances by selling dead people’s homes. Thankfully, he is now going to prison for 12 and a half years:

McKinney stole more than $1 million in property. Most of the property in the District and Maryland belonged to heirs of working-class residents, including firefighters, clerks and teachers, and had been in their families for generations.

Convicted in April of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and theft, McKinney, 36, of Northeast, received a prison term two years longer than recommended under federal guidelines. Such stiff punishment was warranted, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said, because McKinney was an incorrigible offender who operated a sophisticated scheme. He has been arrested more than 30 times and was convicted of pointing a gun at a 2-year-old’s head in 1990, Walton said.

Even after he was indicted in 2007, McKinney tried to obtain a $100,000 mortgage on one of the stolen properties, Walton noted.

Federal prosecutors portrayed McKinney as a ruthless crook who told buyers that their purchases would help benefit a nonprofit group that assists disadvantaged children.

“The defendant lacks a moral compass,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham said.