|
Michael Gordon did deals for jailed leader, hung out with his enemy
Murdered Chilliwack realtor Michael Gordon was buying and selling property for the UN Gang's jailed leader -- and hanging out with one of his sworn enemies, The Province has learned. "It doesn't matter how many times you associate with these guys, one time will get you dead," a police source said. "One time is too many." The source said Gordon, 33, was doing property deals for the UN Gang's jailed leader, Clayton Roueche, and spending time with one of Roueche's enemies.
Any interactions with gangs, casual meetings or business dealings are dangerous in the current environment, said the source.
Gordon was shot to death in his car on Wednesday night outside a convenience store.
Chilliwack RCMP said Gordon was "known to police" and they believe the shooting was targeted.
Gordon, a realtor for Best Bet Realty in Surrey and the father of a four-year-old boy, is the second realtor with alleged gang ties who has been murdered in recent months.
Reported UN Gang member Elliott Castaneda, 29, was gunned down at a taco stand in Guadalajara, Mexico, on July 12, with fellow UN member Ahmet Kaawach.
Castaneda was a realtor with Homelife Glenayre Realty in Abbotsford until a few months before his death.
Criminologist Darryl Plecas said there seem to be "crooks in every profession" and realtors can provide knowledge beneficial to a criminal organization.
"It's not common, but it's a matter of fact that we have seen realtors using their positions as a means to provide information to people in the business of grow-ops," the University of the Fraser Valley professor said.
"You don't need a lot [of criminals] for there to be a problem -- just one main plug-in." Integrated Gang Task Force spokesman Sgt. Shinder Kirk said gangs use a number of professions to launder money, including realty.
"It's not surprising organized crime would turn to real estate," he said. "There would be a benefit to having someone in that profession as part of your organization." Kirk said gangs, like any other business organization, recruit members with a variety of skills.
Ken Fraser, executive director of investigations at B.C.'s Financial Institutions Commission, which investigates fraudulent mortgages and real-estate deals, said "a certain criminal element" looks for properties suitable for grow-ops or meth labs. "I don't think [the real-estate industry] attracts more or less [criminals] than any other industry, but the public attention seems to be on it right now," he said.
Larry Buttress of the Real Estate Council of B.C. said there are 20,000 licensed realtors in B.C. and, like any profession, real estate sometimes attracts a few bad apples.
Buttress said new applicants must disclose any criminal record, and the council does a check, before granting a real-estate licence.
"Certainly it's concerning to us when we hear about realtors who are involved in things they shouldn't be . . . but it's not a perfect world." Buttress said neither Gordon nor Castaneda had a disciplinary record with the council.
Chilliwack realtor Liz Moras, a colleague of Gordon's, said she was "shocked" by reports that he had gang connections.
"That kind of speculation isn't fair to him or his family," she said. "I'd like to believe the best." gluymes@theprovince.com
Glenda Luymes, The Province
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008
|
