Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Let's not be too quick to villify. My family and I used to be very close to the Millers. Mike and Barbara were wonderful generous people, and Mike had some very loyal investors - meaning he came through for them. Mike actually invested in my deals, shared his investors, offered up office space to my young company on favorable terms, and even offered to host my wedding. My basis for what I am writing includes sharing office space with Mike for almost a decade. Mike could be a difficult businessman in a way that appears to be representative of the the NYC real estate world, where few pay their bills or fail to negotatiate. In that uber competitive niche, not every deal works out and not every bill gets paid, but from what I saw with Michael Miller many did, which is probably why he flourished for decades. Mike and Barbara were incredible parents to Brandon and his sister. Brandon was a sweet and personable boy, shy and respectful. At Collegiate and then Brown, he survived academically challenging environments, so he must be smart. The Brandon we knew was not a shark. The last time we saw Brandon was at his wedding, and the last time I saw Mike and Barbara was at our son's bar mitzvah, fifteen years ago.
Real estate investing relies heavily on debt and timing. If the market is floating all boats, leverage through borrowing is wonderful and everyone wins. When the cycle isn't good, then leverage is a death knell. Mike survived a harsh period in his real estate investing and re-established himself, I can see how Brandon might have followed his father's legacy, investing and borrowing into the headwinds of a challenging COVID impacted real estate market where it becomes impossible to refinance properties or sell them for what you paid/invested. From my personal perspective - and that of my family - the Miller's were wonderful people. We are sincerely heartbroken.
How brave you, anonymous. You got sucked into the web of deceit.