Learn More about Angela Koncz, Southeast Chamber & Welcome Home CDC

The fact that she has this many aliases is probably your first hint that this is going to be a VERY interesting page of information.

Thanks for stopping by to read some information about Angela Koncz. For the record, EVERYTHING on this document is verifiable at a secondary source.

I will admit that things can be faked, so I encourage you to verify the facts with those secondary sources, which I have either linked to or will tell you who you can contact to verify them.

Short Version

Here is the short version of what we will be going into detail about. I have provided a quick link to supporting details, but if you read the long version, you can get further details.

• Welcome Home Community Development Corporation (est 2005) is no longer consider a 501(c)(3) by the IRS because is has not filed taxes in over 3 years ~ actually it has not filed taxes since 2012. Click here
  
  UPDATE: it has come to my attention that the Welcome Home Community Development Corporation has been so long without a 501(c)(3) status, that Guidestar no longer lists them as a charity. Screenshots of the original listings below in the long story or from the link above.
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• Angela Koncz opened another charity in 2018 under the very similar name Welcome Home CDC and this 501(c)(3) does not appear to filed taxes either Click here
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• Welcome Home CDC and Angela Koncz is not paying taxes on a property that they own in Bedford. Click here to be able to look it up on the County site. Click Here to see a screenshot of the tax bill.
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• Welcome Home CDC’s Ohio business license has a close relative of Angela’s, who lives in another state and did not live in OHIO at the time of the filing of the business license, listed as the president. Click here for a copy of that license. Click here to find it on the State’s website.
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• Angela Koncz and Welcome Home CDC has been involved in multiple lawsuits for failure to pay contractors and for questionable money practices. These lawsuits often involve other 501(c)(3)s that Welcome Home CDC uses to establish themselves in an area. Click here (foreclosure info here too), here (you will need to apply for a PACER account to use it), here, here (Suffolk Circuit) and here (Suffolk General) and do a civil search for either ‘Koncz’ and ‘Welcome Home’.

It would seem that Angela Koncz has not been portraying her “charity” very accurately.

Also, if you want, read this disclaimer about mentioning other parties involved.

And, The Long Version

Let’s learn about Angela Koncz & The Welcome Home CDC

FACTS. I love that word. These are facts. What you read below is NOT conjecture, NOT rumor, NOT slander, NOT libel. Just facts.

Angela Koncz tells people that she owns a 501(c)(3) called Welcome Home CDC. She has stated its purpose is helping seniors get into or keep housing. Very heart-warming. We should applaud them; I know I did… at first.

Let’s start there. Bear in mind, it’s important to read the whole document or the twist at the end won’t make sense. Think of this as an M. Night Shyamalan movie, set in Bedford.

Welcome Home Community Development Corporation – Is it really a 501(c)(3)?

Guidestar

Guidestar is a website that allows anyone to look up charities and assure their validity. Scam artists use charities to fleece people out of their money, so it is important to be able to check. Charities are automatically listed on Guidestar when they get their 501(c)(3) designation.

Welcome Home Community Development Corporation is listed on Guidestar. The address is listed at 395 Columbus St., Bedford, OH 44146 (note the address; it is important later). It was established in 2005. Click here to see the page on Guidestar.

UPDATE: It came to my attention that Welcome Home Community Development Corporation has been so long without a charity designation, that it is no longer listed on Guidestar. Screenshots below and know that the fact that you can’t find this “charity” on charity verification websites should give you a HUGE red flag.

Notice the little boxes with the yellow line at the top above the charity’s name? Let’s look closer at what they say.

According to Guidestar, the IRS has removed Welcome Home Community Corporation’s charity designation. Why? They have not filed taxes in over 3 years, which disqualifies a non-profit from 501(c)(3) status. It means that they are no longer considered a non-profit/charity by the IRS.

The IRS does this because if a charity does not file taxes, you don’t know how much money the charity has and, more importantly, where that money is going. They do this to protect consumers from fraudulent charities.

Charity Navigator

Perhaps Guidestar got it wrong; maybe Welcome Home Community Development Corporation is still a valid charity. Let’s check another well-respected charity monitoring site: Charity Navigator.

Charity Navigator has no Welcome Home Community Development Corporation listed but have a Welcome Home CDC listed. Its address is listed as 3750 Wynd Tree Dr., Seven Hills, OH 44131 (again, note the address. It is important later). Click here to see the listing on Charity Navigator.

Welcome Home CDC on Guidestar (again)

Well, maybe there is something else. Let’s head back to Guidestar and check again. There actually appears to be two Welcome Homes. One listed under Welcome Home Community Development Corporation and one under Welcome Home CDC.

Why would someone register a charity twice under two very similar names and than not file taxes?

The Addresses Listed for Welcome Home CDC and Welcome Home Community Development Corporation

This is why the addresses listed for the two Welcome Home CDC are important.

It is a curious location for a supposedly multi-million dollar charity headquarters, isn’t it? This is listed as one of the headquarters of the Welcome Home Community Development Corporation (Remember, this is the organization for which the IRS revoked non-profit status).

You can confirmed that here. But again, here is a screenshot. She is a Republican, if anyone cares.

With this information we can verify that both Welcome Home CDC and Welcome Home Community Development Corporation are owned by Angela Koncz. It is not a coincidence. I will ask again, why would someone register a charity twice under two very similar names?

Business License for Welcome Home CDC

A reputable charity would have a business license, so we should examine that as well. There are two business licenses registered with the State of Ohio for Welcome Home Community Development Corporation (none registered for Welcome Home CDC, in case you were wondering).

Welcome Home CDC’s Virginia Based Business License

So we have to go there and check the business license.

Welcome Home CDC’s Ohio Based Business License

The other Welcome Home Community Development Corporation is listed as a Non-Profit .

However, the address listed is an address in Middleburg Heights, OH. A title company, actually. This can be confirmed here. I am not an expert on this, but I did check other business licenses from reputable charities and they all used their actual addresses, not a proxy address.

The LinkedIn profile for the person who is listed as president is located here. She does not live in Bedford or even in Ohio and did not when the business license was applied for (2016). Her profile does mention that she once volunteered for a charity called Welcome Home in 2014, but nothing to indicate that she ran it.

If you look up her name online, her picture comes up. She appears lovely. I would say that the resemblance between her and Angela Koncz is uncanny. Almost like they could be mother and daughter.

Why would someone NOT put their name on a charity that is supposedly doing such wonderful things for others?

The Property Welcome Home CDC Owns in Bedford.

Welcome Home CDC does not have a valid charity designation. Its business license is a little weird. Surely it is doing good things in Bedford like fixing up multitudes of homes for Bedford seniors? Let’s look into that as well.

As it turns out, Welcome Home only owns one home in Bedford. It was given to Angela’s husband from the VA for $0 and then was “sold” to Welcome Home for $57,500.
Why would you get a house for free and then have to sell it to your own charity?

Obligatory link to check this is here (click on Transfers); screenshot below.

UPDATE: For the record. Welcome Home CDC just sold the property again in 12/19. So a defunct charity who received the property from the VA for $0 just got $22,000 for a property that was “sold” to Welcome Home for $57,500. For those of you playing at home, that equation looks something like this.

AngelaKoncz=(VA|freeHouse($0) = $57,500+$22,000)

If Welcome Home is no longer functioning, where did that additional money go?

With one house to focus on, surely they have done HUGE things with it. Presumably, a happy senior citizen lives in this fully renovated house, right?

This is not the case.

62 Grandmere in Bedford, OH

This house is located at 62 Grandmere.

Not as nice as the other two addresses above, but it is not terrible. Welcome Home CDC owns this property. It has been sent exterior maintenance letters a few times by the City of Bedford (documents relating to this property can be requested through the City of Bedford Building Department) and there has been no visible work done on the house.

More importantly, the water bill has not been paid in quite some time and the property is on the city’s water assessment list.

This information can be requested from the City of Bedford for verification.

Speaking of unpaid responsibilities, let’s talk property taxes. As of the writing of this article, the property is delinquent to the tune of $13,793.

Verification can be found here.

While not needed for the focus of this site, I would encourage you to investigate the tax status and foreclosure statuses of other properties owned by either Angela Koncz, her husband or the Welcome Home CDC. I promise you find interesting things. Especially if you have heard her tell you about a property in Maple Heights she plans on donating to the Southeast Chamber. You should check that property.

Summary About the Charity Status of Welcome Home CDC

Welcome Home does not appear to be a valid charity given the lack of tax filings and the irregularities between the licenses and the double listings, but read the FACTS above and come to your own conclusion.

Wait!!! Keep reading! There is more.

Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce

In addition to running Welcome Home CDC, she is treasurer for the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce and has access to their money. She was elected into that position in December of 2018. Remember, the second Welcome Home CDC was registered in February of 2018. I wonder when Angela joined the Chamber?

Here is a link to the entire bylaws for the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce at the time she was elected to the treasurer position. These may have changed since then, but this is what I have. It is important to note that any changes to the bylaws from this version came after Angela Koncz was elected in. and most of this time it was only she and one other person “in charge” of the Chamber.

We should start by looking at what the bylaws say about membership. They state, “Membership is open to classes of individuals and companies in the Southeast Region and neighboring communities.”

At the time, the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce considered Southeast to be:

• Bedford ~ 440-232-1600
• Bedford Heights ~ 440-786-3200
• Oakwood ~440-232-9988
• Maple Heights ~216-662-6000
• Walton Hills ~ 440-232-7800
• Garfield Heights ~ 216-475-1100

Take note of the phrase, “At the time . . .” I mention that because two of the cities have asked to be removed from their association with the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce since Angela Koncz became treasurer and apparently a few other cities are working to end their association with the Chamber as well.

Above are the phone numbers for each of those cities. Please feel free to call each one and ask their opinion of Angela Koncz’s involvement in the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce.

Let’s get back to the definition of “Southeast”, shall we? Six communities were what comprised the Chamber. As such, to be a member, one must be part of a company or live in an area that is located among those cities or a neighboring community.

I admit things are a little fuzzy on the following part. I was unable to acquire a copy of the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce’s board applications. The following is based on witness statements, and as a journalist, I will not reveal those sources. I am sure, though, if you contact the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce, they will provide them to either confirm or dispute the following.

Allegedly, Angela Koncz applied to become a board member using the Welcome Home CDC. It is also rumored that she used the 395 Columbus St., Bedford, OH 44146 (her childhood home) as the address for this business.

3750 Wynd Tree Dr., Seven Hills, OH 44131 is where Angela Koncz is registered to vote, and where more than one source cites that a new (February 2018, remember) 501(c)(3) called Welcome Home CDC or Welcome Home Community Development Corporation is located at that location.

Seven Hills does not neighbor any of the communities in the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce.

Why would someone list their 501(c)(3) address in a city that it does not actually operate in?

Why is someone from Seven Hills involving themselves in Bedford at all? She grew up here, granted, but as Welcome Home does not appear to really be located in Bedford and the other 2 addresses (Seven Hills & Middleburg Heights) listed are a rather significant distance from Bedford, why did she want to join the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce?

At long last, we arrive at the twist. Exciting! Don’t give up yet!

Welcome Home CDC in Suffolk, VA

The question with these things is always “why?” WHY would someone do this? I had some time to think and look into this. I have one last story about Welcome Home CDC and Angela Koncz to share with you.

Read these articles from 2 different Suffolk, VA newspapers.

• Suffolk couple sues over home rebuilt after ’08 tornado (print screen)
• Fuller Center president says offer to rebuild Suffolk home ‘atypical’ (print screen)
• House stands undone as Suffolk builder countersues (print screen)

Below is a summary of what the news articles say.

Angela Koncz grew up in Bedford, OH, but like so many before her, she moved away. She moved to Suffolk, VA. A few years ago there was a horrible tornado there. Homes were destroyed; it was a mess. Welcome Home CDC was there to help. Particularly, they wanted to help a specific couple rebuild their home. It was touching. Apparently, there were tears.

At some point in time, I am not sure how long before this incident happened, Welcome Home CDC joined forces with Fuller Center for Housing. Angela Koncz became director for that organization in Suffolk, VA.

The president of Fuller Center for Housing at the time said he was surprised they were involved with this house because the Fuller Center typically deals with helping people with no disaster insurance for their homes. This couple had insurance.

It appears the payout from the insurance was very fast. Everyone was thrilled; the house could be rebuilt quickly. The homeowners opened a joint bank account to deposit those insurance checks into so that Fuller Center for Housing and Welcome Home CDC could have direct access to those funds so that things could move along even faster.

And then things started to get . . . irregular. Angela Koncz went on to request a debit card for the joint account and changed the address on the account to her home address without telling the home owners. Why would someone do that?

According to the news article, there was $149,000 in the account to begin. By the time of the writing of the article in The Virginia Pilot, there was allegedly $5 left in the account. Welcome Home CDC put a lien on the house for additional funds. Additionally, Angela Koncz tried to request more money directly from the insurance company without the homeowners’ knowledge.

I know what you are thinking: They were building a house. Things happen between homeowners and contractors all the time. Surely at least they walked away with a house.

This is the heartbreaking twist and ending to our story. I think the building inspector in Suffolk, VA said it best:
“Overall, the construction is poor and appears lead by someone who has not finished his or her apprenticeship,” he stated in a letter attached to the suit as an exhibit. “The detail work in the carpentry is below Code and industry standards. The workmanships and Code violations occur everywhere from top to bottom. Attempting to fix the identified problems would result in an even worse looking and ill-fitted patchwork. In my experience, it is sometimes cheaper to start over than to do the ‘surgery’ required to correct the deficiencies.”

Wow! That says it all. The couple did not even end up with a house to live in. And one must wonder where the money went with such shoddy construction.

I can report that Fuller Center for Housing no longer operates out of Suffolk, VA, though they still operate out of many other locations all over the US.

A funny thing happens when you start to research Angela Koncz and lawsuits. As discussed above, it turns out she, her husband and organizations she is involved with get sued A LOT. Most of the cases are contractors who did not get paid. But there are a few to note.

Summary about Angela Koncz

FYI, this is like the closing credits. If you were confused or overwhelmed by everything above or you are just one of those people who likes to look up spoilers for movies, this will sum up a few things about Angela Koncz:

• Angela Koncz owns and operates Welcome Home CDC, which is no longer recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS. Yes, there is a secondary Welcome Home Community Development Corporation, but it was only established in 2018 and does not appear to have filed taxes AT ALL, which makes it suspect.
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• In the past, Welcome Home CDC (or Angela’s other now defunct charities) have attached themselves to a larger legitimate organizations and then appears to have used that status to perform legally dicey actions which resulted in multiple lawsuits.
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• Welcome Home CDC and Angela Koncz have been sued in the past for what appears to be inappropriate and questionable money management practices. And now she is in charge of the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce’s money. And maybe you should ask ANYONE but Angela how that is currently going for the Southeast Chamber.

Given this information, ask yourself these questions:

• Why would a woman who lives in Seven Hills tell people she runs a successful charity in Bedford, when there does not seem to be much proof that it is even a charity, let alone a successful one?
• Why then use that charity to get onto the Board of the Chamber of Commerce?
• And what exactly is she getting out of her position holding the purse strings for the Southeast Region Chamber of Commerce?

There it is. The end. Well, not really. She is currently still operating through the Southeast Chamber of Commerce. And she has allegedly locked everyone out of being able to access everything from the bank accounts to the Chamber computers to their PO Box.

The Chamber bank accounts have supposedly been frozen pending an investigation. And she is still asking businesses in the region to pay money to the Chamber. And she has started a new Chamber to further her fundraising efforts. Some of this has been heard second hand so is not yet a fact.

You should ask your own questions around the above information.

Last Thought And A Little Trivia

Thanks for staying with me on this. I know it was a lot. I want to share this little factiod with you:

Con artists is actually short for confidence artist. It is called this because they typically gain a victim’s “confidence” by employing tactics such as exploiting fears, conspiracies and greed, aggressively repeating misleading statements and relying on people to trust that what they have been told is true (so they don’t feel the need to verify the information).

Con artists also commonly employ a tactic called misdirection. A con artist typically does something to distract you from what they are actually doing. For example, a pickpocket might spill a drink on you. You get all flustered and then you fail to realize that they just took your wallet and your watch.

Victims of con artists are referred to as marks or patsies. Have you ever felt like a patsy? Yeah, me too.