For Houma broker, an unwanted distinction

Travis Paul Griffin has been a rising star in Houma’s business community over the past six years, seen by some as a real estate whiz kid, a symbol of youthful success through entrepreneurial drive.

But that star appeared to change course last week when the 26-year-old broker was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail, charged with three counts of bank fraud involving transactions in excess of $180,000. The parish case has also drawn the attention of federal authorities.

Following his release on a $100,000 bond, Griffin said he is confident of vindication. “I just hope that my sphere of support continues to motivate me to be the best broker and person I can be, as I have always strived to do as much as I can for others and placed them above myself at all costs. I am more motivated than ever to continue to grow and build my company honestly and ethically,” Griffin said Sunday night. “Business is better than ever at this time, and I am working full-force with my staff and agents to continue to assist the public with any and all of their real estate needs and will continue to do so … Coldwell Banker corporate is fully supportive as well and will continue to back me and provide all the support necessary to get this matter cleared up.”

A spokesman at Coldwell Banker’s headquarters said he is not familiar with the case and so could not comment.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives began an investigation after receiving complaints from Synergy and South Louisiana banks.

Multiple online transactions resulting in overdrafts and juggling of business and personal accounts were at the center of the probe, Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said.

Larpenter said he does not recall a case with a fact pattern similar to this one.

“I have seen banks victimized from within, we have dealt with employees at certain banks,” the sheriff said. “This particular incident involved multiple banks.”

Darin Lake, assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service in New Orleans, confirmed that his office is investigating the complaints against Griffin.

SUPPORTERS & DETRACTORS

The case put local banks in the uncomfortable position of filing charges against a depositor.

That discomfort was evident during interviews of bank executives, who chose not to comment on the case.

The matter is significant not just because of the dollar amount, nor the relation between the alleged perpetrator and the banks, but because until now the affable Griffin has cut such a favorable public profile. He is known not just for his success as a franchisee of global giant Coldwell Banker, but for accomplishing what he has at such a young age, as well as for many acts of personal and business largesse.

At a handful of Houma bars, including one in which he was believed to have a financial interest, Griffin was involved with promotion of some entertainment acts. He enjoys a reputation for being a big tipper, extraordinarily so in circumstances where he knew a bartender was in financial straits.

He set up a non-profit foundation, Hope United, to help provide for the needy, and has been a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Members of Houma’s real estate community who have had dealings with Griffin were, for the most part, shocked and surprised by word of his arrest. While most would not comment for the record, those who did included mention of their understanding that Griffin, like anyone else charged with a crime, is innocent until proven guilty.

“He is the youngest Coldwell franchisee in the world,” said Joe Boudreaux, president of the Bayou Board of Realtors. “The man got his real estate license at 17, most people don’t know how to properly put on a belt buckle at that age. He has a great personality and clients love him. How many 26-year-olds achieve like this?”

Praise and admiration are not unanimous among brokers, however.

A handful said they were not surprised that the wunderkind had courted trouble, criticizing what they said were overly aggressive business practices and baseless self-promotional claims.

John McCubbin, the Houma broker who sponsored Griffin for his broker’s license prior to a rift between the two, is among Griffin’s critics.

“He thinks because he says something people should believe it, or that because he dresses with a suit and tie and drives a Mercedes he must be successful,” McCubbin said.

Angela Waguespack, an agent who works with Griffin, said her experience with him has been positive.

“He’s been excellent, I have multiplied my business over and over and it has been a great year of sales for me,” Waguespack said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Travis and the company.”

MULTIPLE TRANSACTIONS

Occasionally quoted in local news stories on the real estate market, Griffin was lauded by the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce as one of the community’s “Top 40 under 40” movers and shakers.

The case has not yet been reviewed by District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr., who has the power to adjust or even reject the charges, refer the case to a grand jury, or continue prosecution on the charges as alleged.

But court documents related to the case support the suggestion voiced by one bank executive familiar with the case that the evidence exceeds the thresholds of mere misadventure or mismanagement.

Documentation on which the case is based, contained in court records, say the banks began noticing “suspicious activity” regarding Griffin’s accounts prior to September; including transactions made on a Synergy Bank debit card exceeding the amount of money in Griffin’s accounts.

He allegedly obtained and “liquidated” $46,000 in connection with those transactions.

Nearly two months later, the court documents maintain, Griffin performed 15 computer transactions within a 24-hour period between Nov. 3 and 4, involving money transfers between accounts at SLB and at Synergy, then canceling them; on Nov. 5, after a refusal at one SLB bank branch, he allegedly traveled to another and obtained a cashier’s check for $86,000. He then allegedly used the check to set up three accounts at Whitney Bank. According to the court documents he allegedly obtained a $3,000 Whitney cashier’s check from that transaction, and an undisclosed amount of cash. As the investigation continued, the total of transactions was determined to be at the $180,000 figure.

Terrebonne detectives, Larpenter said, were already looking into Griffin’s bank transactions at that point, and asked the Secret Service to assist them in unraveling the complex details of what appeared to be a fraud scheme.

The accounts were frozen pending the banks’ own investigations.

“NEVER ENOUGH”

Detectives contacted Griffin at his Broadmoor home on Dec. 1 and they brought him to their Houma offices, where the court records say he initially waived his right to an attorney, admitting being in sole control of the accounts and deleting some transactions. In response to deeper questioning, Griffin asked for an attorney.

He is scheduled for a Jan. 19 court appearance.

“I don’t know the circumstances of his lifestyle or his needs,” Larpenter said, when asked if there were any indications as to how or why Griffin might have strayed. “Sometimes there are people for whom enough is not enough. Being in politics I have seen people rise to the top and self-destruct in business or their private lives, there are elected officials who do that. For some people, enough is never enough.”

According to court documents, Griffin told detectives that people at the banks were attempting to “ruin” him.

Griffin’s tight circle of friends said that since August he has been socially withdrawn, telling them he was focusing on business.

CLEAN REALTOR LICENSE

The Louisiana Real Estate Commission, which licenses brokers, is paying close attention to developments.

A commission investigator, Robert Maynor, said Griffin’s license is in good standing. The commission, he said, is aware of Griffin’s arrest.

A felony charge, of issuing a worthless check over $500, was lodged against Griffin while he was in the jail, based on a client’s complaint.

Griffin has said he thought the check was good when he wrote it, prior to the freeze that was placed on his allegedly over-drafted accounts.

His mother, Gail Serigny, expressed optimism when reached at the Leeville bait shop she owns, saying only “He is very robust and going strong.” •

Travis Griffin, a 26-year-old Houma real estate broker, facing three counts of bank fraud and one count of issuing a worthless check, was arrested and booked by Terrebonne Parish detectives last week. His case is under review by prosecutors, and a U.S. Secret Service investigation continues.

COURTESY