Residents urge Belleville to address homes tied to federal loan‑fraud case

Two Belleville residents told the City Council during public comment that properties they say were acquired through an admitted federal loan‑fraud scheme were left vacant or demolished, and asked the city to help get remaining properties returned to productive use. Nicole Hettenhausen, a neighborhood resident, said the defendant, Greg Crawford, “used illegal straw buyer schemes to acquire homes in our city, several of which were historically significant.” She said some properties “sat vacant and deteriorated” and that “some were eventually demolished despite interest from locals who wanted to…