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Mystery buyer of Serena Williams’ crumbling childhood home has ties to stepmom who ‘stole’ house from King Richard
Details of the mystery company that bought King Richard's house in Florida
THE secret buyer of Serena Williams' crumbling childhood home has ties to her stepmom who"'stole" the property - and has taken out a hefty mortgage.
Former stripper Lakeisha Williams faked her husband "King" Richard Williams' signature on the title deeds of the four-bed mansion, which was offloaded this month to pay off her debts.
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As reported, Lakeisha had taken out a huge loan and was unable to pay it back - which almost saw the house auctioned off in a messy legal battle to pay off the $436,000 she owed.
The house in Palm Beach, Florida, was saved from foreclosure at the last minute by a mystery purchaser, who bought the property for $1.2 million just days before a court-ordered auction.
This meant that Lakeisha's debt was paid off - and, handily, she is believed to have made a near half a million profit from the sale.
Her husband Richard initially filed for divorce and battled to get control back of the house, but has since reconciled with Lakeisha.
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She admitted in court documents to forging "King Richard's" signature but claimed she only did so to afford to feed their young son, Dylan, now 12.
Richard's son, Chavoita LeSane, said Lakeisha managed to "save" the house which is still being kept in the family, as it appears someone bought it on their behalf.
Although Chavoita is now power of attorney for Richard, 82, he claims not to know who the new owner is.
It is the latest bizarre installment in the long-running saga of Richard and Lakeisha's house.
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'BALLOON MORTGAGE'
According to public records, the buyer is a company set up in June last year called Hardy Firm LLC.
The only named agent or director listed for the company is a man named Darrious Christian of Fort Lauderdale.
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According to 2020 voting records, owner Christian's home address is in nearby Margate, which was owned by Lakeisha's alleged aunt Betty Downing for years.
Lakeisha, 45, also previously lived at the home under her maiden name Graham before marrying legendary tennis coach Richard in 2010.
She claimed in court docs that Downing was her aunt - although there's no evidence of this claim - and at one point they were living on Richard's Palm Beach property together.
Business documents show they have worked together for over a decade on everything from trucking to property projects.
While Lakeisha was previously accused by Richard's family of taking advantage of him for his money, her "auntie" also has an interesting history of her own.
Downing was charged with two counts of first-degree grand theft and exploiting an elderly person for over $100,000, which carries up to a 30-year prison sentence in Florida.
But she managed to escape last year with 120 months probation and paid the victim $135,000 damages.
Meanwhile, the new owner of Richard and Lakeisha's home has saddled the pad with a $600,000 mortgage with a man called Joshua Perdomo.
But it's not a loan that the owner has years to pay off.
Richard and Lakeisha's House Timeline
The U.S. Sun
Richard Williams lost control of his marital home many years ago and was fighting his estranged wife Lakeisha in court until last month. Remarkably, the couple is now back together and the house has sold. Here's a full rundown of the house drama.
May 2017
- Richard claimed in his initial divorce petition in 2017 that Lekeisha had forged his name on a deed transfer for their home and stole his Social Security checks.
March 2020
- Court documents revealed excerpts from Lakeisha's testimony, in which she admits to forging her ex's signature, but alleged she did so as he had left her and their son to starve, which his legal team denied at the time.
February 2022
- Lakeisha told a judge that her stepdaughter Serena wanted to lock her out of the family home. She claimed a letter from the tennis star's lawyers "threatened to change the locks" if she did not vacate the property. Her legal team at the time did not respond to requests for comment.
June 2022
- Richard filed a $1 million lawsuit against Lakeisha, despite her claiming in court documents they had reconciled and had been sleeping together again, which he later denied. It was later thrown out.
July 2022
- Their home was valued at $1.45 million and was due to be auctioned off, but Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and stalled the sale. The bankruptcy case was dismissed on July 5 but she filed to have it reinstated claiming she had found money for a repayment plan. She was in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt after taking out a huge loan from a hard lender and failing to pay it back.
August 2023
- It was revealed Lakeisha was struggling to keep up with her repayment plan as she battled to keep the house, where she was said to be living despite it needing extensive repair work.
April 2024
- Lakeisha tried for months to stave off the house being sold at auction by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy three times, but each attempt failed.
July 2024
- Richard's son Chavoita confirms he is no longer pursuing a divorce and the pair are "happy" after reconciling. He insisted the house was safe and she had mysteriously managed to pay off her huge debts.
August 2024
- Documents show the house sold for $1.2 million to a mystery company set up in June last year called Hardy Firm LLC. It is thought the owner has links to Lakeisha Williams and they have managed to keep the home in the family.
The U.S. Sun can reveal it's a "balloon mortgage," with the whole amount needing to be cleared by August 1, 2026.
A balloon mortgage is known for being a risky arrangement for some.
It involves making small payments for a set period, followed by one large payment at the end of the loan term, which can creep up on homeowners.
The U.S. Sun has made several attempts to contact Lakeisha, Betty, and the new owner of Richard's home.
'HAPPY REGARDLESS'
Despite losing control of the house, he is said to be happy now that he's back in a relationship with Lakeisha - and the pair live together in a new home registered in Serena's name.
Serena has never publicly commented on her father's relationship with Lakeisha.
But she allegedly "threatened to change the locks" if she did not vacate the property, according to court docs.
Richard's son Chavoita told The U.S. Sun recently, "The house is safe and sound. Keisha worked a miracle. She satisfied the debt, whatever it was that was reported. I have no clue how, I'm told it wasn't from my dad.
"He wanted to keep it in the family so he's happy regardless."
Asked about their relationship, he said, "I'm not sure what's going on with those two. My dad's like the wind at times. I've been buried in my own world.
"But everybody was pretty happy so that's just how I see it right now.
"It’s not the same energy when he spoke to you, not at all.
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"If he changes his mind and does want a divorce he can just call me and tell me. The lawyer's on standby.
"I don't know if this is the ending or the beginning for those two. But my dad is happy and that's all that matters."
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