Feds, ex-business partner after Walker Realty owner

In a suit filed last July in Greene County Circuit Court, plaintiff Randall Patterson accused Charles E. Walker of failing to repair, rent and sell a north Springfield house as promised.

Patterson’s attorney, Catherine Moore, has twice requested financial documents from Charles E. Walker Realty for legal discovery since August 2005, but Walker still hadn’t produced the records as of April, according to court records.

It’s unclear how the pending case will be affected by recent news that Walker’s agency has been the target of a joint federal investigation for at least six months.

The federal investigation

Earlier this month, authorities executed a federal warrant at Walker’s 3662 S. Glenstone Ave. office, seizing computers and a “significant” number of documents, said Special Agent Bonnie MacLeod with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division.

Officers from the IRS, U.S. Secret Service, Missouri Highway Patrol, Missouri Water Patrol and Springfield Police Department raided the office building, which formerly housed Churchill Coffee, at about 10 a.m. July 18.

No arrests have been made or charges filed in connection with the investigation.

The civil suit

Patterson alleged in his suit that Walker – a member of the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors – approached him in 2002 about becoming one of many investors for whom Walker bought and sold real estate.

Between 2002 and 2004, Patterson purchased seven properties discovered by Walker, who typically repaired and resold homes within a year’s time, court records show.

In January 2004, at Walker’s urging, Patterson borrowed $54,300 from Guaranty Bank to purchase property at 1622 N. Sherman Ave., according to records. Patterson alleged in the suit that Walker promised to make repairs, pay the mortgage and lease the property until it was sold.

Patterson, who moved to Colorado in February 2004 for a new job, said he returned to Springfield in March 2005 to make the necessary repairs and refinance his loan after Walker allegedly broke the agreement.

Patterson also alleged that Walker failed to reimburse him $2,425 for real-estate appraisals.

In court records, Walker’s attorney, Janice Ellis McCain, denied allegations that her client ever agreed to repair, rent and sell the property or to reimburse Patterson for the appraisals.

Attempts to reach attorneys on both sides of the dispute for additional comment were unsuccessful.