Published: November 05, 2009 03:48 pm      

Property manager pleas not guilty

DANVILLE — A Danville property manager pleaded not guilty Thursday to allegations he forged lease contracts and tax exemptions cards.

Kevin Flynn, 50, of the 200 block of East Newell Avenue, entered the formal plea during a court appearance for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon on 20 felony forgery charges filed against him.

Danville police Detective Mike Bransford testified that former Vermilion County supervisor of assessments Don Crist contacted police after Flynn turned in real estate lease and installment contracts and homeowner/occupied tax exemption cards in July.

Bransford said Crist was suspicious at the number of documents Flynn was turning in at one time as well as the handwriting on the matching documents.

Eleven people told police detectives that they did not sign the documents nor had given Flynn or anyone else permission to sign the documents for them.

Bransford said the documents would result in a lower tax rate for Flynn on the properties.

Flynn, former manager at Vermilion Gardens Apartments, owns a number of properties in and around the Danville area through his business, Flynn Properties. Rental properties inside Danville must be registered with the city. According to the Danville Department of Public Development records, Flynn in early October owned 52 properties in Danville and managed 180 properties.

Under cross examination by defense attorney David Ryan, Bransford said Crist had originally red-flagged 15 sets of documents for police. But in a few instances, no charges were filed because the people could not remember if they had signed the forms or not.

Flynn, after pleading not guilty, was given a jury trial hearing date of March 12 by Judge Michael Clary.

A Class 3 felony is punishable by a maximum of five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections if Flynn is found guilty.