Residents at 6716 S. Merrill shaken by a man claiming to be from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, under investigation.
An incident at a South Shore apartment building is under investigation after tenants were left shaken by a man claiming to be with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged incident happened Saturday, October 14 when tenants at 6716 S. Merrill called the Crusader to report a suspicious man banging on doors before leaving them with a 5-day notice demanding them to pay back rent. Tenants say the man yelled that he was the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
One tenant who was in the hallway said the man “went door to door banging on doors saying he was from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.”
The 5-day notice is a document that warns tenants to pay overdue rent, or their apartment lease will be terminated. However, the document is not a summons or an eviction notice, both of which are usually served by a Cook County Sheriff officer.
But tenants said they became suspicious when they didn’t see a Cook County Sheriff’s car parked outside as the unidentified man visited their apartments.
The Crusader will not disclose the tenants’ names and details of their 5-day notice to protect their safety and well-being. But the Crusader obtained a copy of the five-day notice from one tenant. That notice says, “You and all occupants are hereby notified that there is now due the undersigned landlord the sum of $$$.” The Crusader is not reporting the amount the document says the tenant owes or the unit number.
The 5-day notice lists a man named Eric Janssen as “Receiver” at 932 West Grace Street in Chicago. That’s the address of Commercial Real Estate Resources. Known as CRER, it’s a commercial real estate license firm that started in 2004, according to its website. Janssen is listed as the firm’s president and founder and Mark Krzysztofiak is listed as the firm’s vice president.
On the 5-day notice, Krzysztofiak’s is identified as the agent acting on behalf of Janssen. Krzysztofiak’s signature is also on the document.
During a telephone interview with the Crusader, Krzysztofiak was hesitant to give out information. When told that tenants said someone claiming to be a Cook County Sheriff officer served them a five-day notice to pay rent, Krzysztofiak replied, “None of that you’re telling me is true.”
When asked to identify the man who served the 5-day notices, Krzysztofiak said another firm employs the individual. When the Crusader asked for that firm’s name, Krzysztofiak said, “We don’t have any comment on that.”
Krzysztofiak said CRER doesn’t own the property but manages it for a client. When asked for the name of the firm’s client, Krzysztofiak said, “We’re not going to give out that information.”
The Crusader contacted the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the incident. Matt Walberg, director of communications, said no one from his office has visited the apartment building since 2022. In a statement, Walberg said, “We have no record showing a deputy assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Unit was present at this address on Saturday. Impersonating a law enforcement officer is a crime, and tenants who believe that any individual attempting to serve them is impersonating an officer should report the incident to their local police department immediately. We have opened an investigation into this incident.”
It’s common for landlords to serve 5-day notices to terminate a lease when tenants fall behind on their rent. But those notices are not eviction notices. Those serving the 5-day notices cannot tell tenants that they are with the Cook County Sherriff’s Office if they are not employed there.
“CRER is trying to intimidate us by making this feel like an eviction when it’s not,” one tenant told the Crusader. “This visit to my apartment by this man seems suspicious.”
According to the Cook County Sheriff’s website, “Payment of back rent within the five-day period could prevent an eviction case from being filed against you for failure to pay rent. Depending on the facts of your case, you may still have an opportunity to resolve other issues during the notice period.”
The building was once owned by Catalyst Realty, a Chicago firm that was in the media last January after it left tenants in another apartment building with no heat and electricity amid 30-degree temperatures. Chicago’s Department of Buildings stepped in, and residents were forced to evacuate the property before they were placed in a hotel in the South Loop for several weeks.
Some of those residents were placed in Catalyst Realty’s building that’s now managed by CRER. However, tenants told the Crusader that they believe the property is still owned by Catalyst Realty although they pay their rent to CRER.
Today, a notice remains posted inside the front entrance of the building. Dated July 27, 2023, the notice says a Cook County judge granted Pembrook 6700 Merrill LLC possession of the property and CRER is authorized to manage the property. A portion of the notice that’s highlighted in yellow tells tenants that they must continue paying rent to CRER. That portion of the notice also says, “failure to pay rent may be grounds for eviction.”
