By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

A man infederal custody has been charged with felony theft after allegedly listing astranger’s property for sale on Craigslist and taking a deposit from aprospective buyer, according to police.

Policesay 50-year-old Michael Hamlin, who recently served 14 years in federal prisonfor weapons violations, was living in a Portland federal halfway house when hisnonprofit ministry paid the tax lien on a Guinea Road property in Biddeford. Heallegedly tried to sell homes in South Portland and Biddeford without theowners’ knowledge, police said.

Hamlinwas arrested April 2 on York Street in Portland, said South Portland PoliceDetective Steve Webster. He remains in custody at Cumberland County Jail and hasnot entered a plea. He is expected to appear in court again June 29.

Hamlin’scourt-appointed attorney, Jason MacLean of South Portland, declined to comment.

Alsoarrested were Daniel and Kim Ballard of Portland, who were charged with theftin connection with Hamlin’s alleged attempt to sell a home at 5 Paddock Placein South Portland, according to Webster.

SouthPortland police began an investigation of Hamlin when they received a callApril 1 from a South Portland City Hall employee who reported a woman hadcalled her office about the foreclosure status of 5 Paddock Place in SouthPortland.

MaryThomason, who lives in the Boston area, told the employee and police she hadgiven Hamlin a $2,900 deposit for the house, which he said was in foreclosure.She could not be reached for comment.

Webstersaid his investigation revealed the home, owned by Donald Bragdon, was not forsale and is held in a trust. Bragdon told police it is not in foreclosure.

KimBallard lived in the house with her children until recently, police said.

Thomason’sinvolvement with Hamlin began when sheinquired about a listing on the Web site Craigslist for a “distressed” housefor sale for $50,000 in Biddeford, according to police.

Policesay Hamlin had obtained a list of properties with tax liens from Biddeford CityHall and his nonprofit ministry paid an $814 lien on a parcel of land andbuilding at 52 Guinea Road owned by Christie Petit. The vacant house Hamlinallegedly showed Thomason at 54 Guinea Road is owned by Petit’s mother and isadjacent to Petit’s property.

Thomasonand her boyfriend looked at the Biddeford house in mid-March without Hamlin,according to police, but she decided she wasn’t interested.

Hamlinthen suggested Thomason look at the South Portland home, according to police.On March 24, she again drove to Maine and met with Hamlin and Daniel and KimBallard at Custom Upholstery, a business owned by Daniel Ballard.

KimBallard said she lived in the South Portland house but could not leave work toshow her the property, Thomason told police. Kim Ballard said her 13-year-oldson would be home to let them in, according to police.

Afterviewing the house, Thomason returned to the Ballard’s office and signed apromissory note for the property with Hamlin and Kingdom’s Presence Ministry, anonprofit organization he started while in prison, according to police.

Thomasonagreed to pay a $10,000 deposit on the home, which she would buy for $50,000,according to the purchase agreement. The ministry agreed to finance the housefor $800 per month with no interest, beginning in June. Thomason agreed to payall 2010 taxes and utilities on the property, according to the agreement.

Thomasontold police Hamlin called her March 30 toask for the remaining down payment of $7,100. When she called back, DanielBallard answered the phone and said Hamlin was “locked up” in a halfway house,police said. Thomason and her boyfriend then contacted South Portland City Hallto inquire about the home’s status.

Thomasontold investigators Hamlin and the Ballards were all actively involved withselling her the South Portland home, police said.

DanielBallard told police he was a silent partner in Kingdom’s Presence Ministry andHamlin is married to his mother, Judy. Ballard said he rented space to Hamlin,who bought and sold damaged goods such as canned food, tore down old buildingsand dabbled in real estate, according to police.

Policesay Hamlin is classified as a “sexually violent predator” and listed on theMaine Sex Offender Registry. He was in the custody of the Federal Bureau ofPrisons when the alleged theft occurred and was not set to begin probationuntil June, police said.

Danieland Kim Ballard told police they did not know Hamlin was doing anythingillegal, though they had their suspicions, according to police.

“(KimBallard) denied knowing the entire thing was a scam and she basically told methat everything was Hamlin’s idea. She told me that she had just married DanBallard and it was Ballard who introduced her to Hamlin. She was told by Hamlinthat what he was doing was not illegal and she apparently trusted him,” Websterwrote in his report.

Webstersaid the district attorney’s office will be consulted to determine if theBallards will continue to be co-defendants or witnesses. Tamara Getchell of theCumberland County District Attorney’s Office said the department has not yetreviewed the cases of Daniel and Kim Ballard.

Webstersaid he anticipates additional charges will come from the Biddeford PoliceDepartment. Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk said the department isinvestigating Hamlin’s involvement with the Guinea Road property and cautionspeople to report suspicious real estate offers to police.

“It’sbasically just a big scam to bilk people out of their money,” Webster said.

KimBallard said last week she and her husbandare innocent and fear their reputations have been ruined by their associationwith Hamlin. She said she had known Hamlin for a little more than a month andheard nothing of the Craigslist ad until she was arrested and questioned bypolice.

She saidshe was not at home when her son called March 24 to say people wanted to lookat the South Portland house.  Shesaid she told him not open the door, but he had already let a couple in to lookaround.

“I said‘the house is not for sale. All I can tell you is the man who owned it ishaving trouble paying his taxes,’” she said.

Ballardsaid Hamlin once told her how he sometimes acquired property. He told her thesteps he went through to buy a foreclosed property, including going before ajudge and running advertisements in newspapers, she said.

“Itsounded like he knew what he was doing.It sounded legit. I guess I’m gullible. If someone tells me something I hopethey’re telling me the right thing,” she said. “He made himself out to be avery nice person, helping out the needy. I was like ‘wow, this guy really caresabout people.’”

KimBallard said she and her husband, who were both released on bail the night theywere arrested, are focused on helping police. 

“Heruined my name, he ruined my reputation,” she said.

ChristiePetit first learned of an alleged attemptto sell her mother’s vacant home in Biddeford when a man called with questionsabout the house. The man, who got her name from neighbors, told her he saw thehouse on the Internet and had questions about its condition. Petit said shetold the man the house was not for sale.

Petitsaid the man told her he had gone into the vacant house after unlocking apadlock with a combination allegedly provided by Hamlin.

Petitfound the Craigslist ad and called Hamlin. Petit said Hamlin told her he ownedthe house because he had paid an $814 tax lien on her property next door. Hedescribed himself as a “man of faith,” and he said he wanted to help people,she said.

“He said‘I’d like to make this work to your benefit,’” Petit said. “By the end of theconversation, I believed everything he said.”

Still,Petit said she was skeptical of the situation and called her bank, which toldher she still owned the property, she said. She then contacted the taxcollector and police.

BiddefordTax Collector Gayle Doyon said ownership of property does not transfer whensomeone pays a lien. A discharge, which shows a lien is forgiven or settled, ismade to the property owner. Liens are public record and anyone can get a list,she said.

A taxcollector’s lien certificate filed with the Register of Deeds shows Kingdom’sPresence Ministry and Daniel Ballard paid the lien. The Jan. 20 check fromKingdom’s Presence Ministry was signed by Judith Hamlin – Daniel Ballard’smother and Hamlin’s wife. A memo line notes it is for taxes at 52 Guinea Road.

Doyonsaid she asked the woman who came in with a check if Petit was a member of theministry or if she was “paying out of the goodness of her heart.” The womansaid she was friends with Petit, according to Doyon.

Doyonsaid she told the woman she did not own the property because she paid the lien.

Petitsaid she would like to see Hamlin andanyone else involved punished with “something more than a slap on the wrist.”She and her mother, Claudia Cantara, are dealing with damage they believeHamlin did to the vacant home that Cantara now plans to sell.

Petitsaid she was upset to find Kingdom’s Presence Ministry filed a lawsuit againsther in Portland District Court seeking reimbursement for the tax lien payment.The lawsuit lists the plaintiffs as Kingdom’s Presence Ministry, Daniel Ballardand Lynne Mulkern.

Thelawsuit says Petit would have lost her land and building on Jan. 22 if theplaintiffs did not pay money to stop an automatic tax foreclosure. Theplaintiffs say under Maine law they are entitled to their money back plus 10percent interest.

Petitsaid her lawyer has filed a response requesting the lawsuit be dismissed. Theresponse says Petit had no agreement regarding the lien, there is no statestatute that permits what the plaintiffs request and the lawsuit is fraudulent.

Petitand Cantara said they feel violated because Hamlin allegedly entered the home,which belonged to Petit’s grandparents before their deaths.

“Theyhad zero right to my grandparents’ property,” she said.

Bragdon,who now lives in the Paddock Place house that’s been in his family since 1961,said he feels violated by the attempt to sell his South Portland home. He saidhe hopes officials in other municipalities are able to see red flags the waySouth Portland city employees did.

“Citiesand towns should have a watchful eye on people trying to pay bills not fortheir own property,” he said. “I hope this sends a message to future scamartists that they’re going to get caught.”

StaffWriter Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.