A couple last month bought the foreclosed Lakewood mansion of troubled North Little Rock businessman John Rogers.
Richard and Patricia Elimon purchased the 12,449-SF home overlooking Lake No. 1 for $1.28 million. That’s a discount from the $1.7 million listing price for the five-bedroom, six-and-a-half bath house. Built in 2010, the estate sits on 5.5 acres and features a saltwater pool, indoor basketball court, batting cage, safe room, wine cellar and elevator.
And one visitor said the grand home includes an unusual pool amenity: a faux-rock water feature that pays homage to the grotto of Playboy Mansion fame.
In August 2015, Centennial Bank of Conway foreclosed on delinquent loans totaling nearly $3.5 million to Rogers and his ex-wife, Angelica. At that time, the debt secured by the Rogers’ home, on the stretch of Avondale Road known to the locals as Snake Hill, totaled more than $1.9 million.
Earlier this month, as you may recall, the U.S. attorney in Chicago filed a fraud charge against Rogers, who is the former owner of Sports Cards Plus and Rogers Photo Archive of North Little Rock.
The charge — an “information” filed directly by prosecutors, suggesting he has waived his right to be indicted by a grand jury — contains a single count of felony wire fraud.
The feds accuse Rogers of scheming “to fraudulently obtain at least approximately $10 million” from investors, financial institutions and customers.
The arraignment is set for Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, at the IRS
The last time we reported on Rogers’ debt to the Internal Revenue Service, back in January 2015, the total was a bit less than $100,000.
Now it’s nearly $5 million.
A federal tax lien was filed on Aug. 15 that lists a bit over $4 million in personal income tax owed for tax years 2009 ($2,000), 2012 ($508,000) and 2013 ($3.53 million).
Then it lists quarterly penalties, which have brought his unpaid balance to a total of $4.83 million.