Fraudulent Lease Could Force Detroit Family Out Of House

As police investigate, community members are striving to support the family that fell victim to an apparently-fraudulent lease.

The Bohanens paid $800 a month in cash to rent a Detroit home for more than three months. They paid the money to Tamika Johnson, believing she owned the house and was renting it out to them, they explained to Fox 2 Detroit.

The family realized something was wrong when someone in California, who said they really owned the home, contacted the Detroit Police Department.

Police reportedly told the Bohanen family that as long as they had a lease, they could prove to the courts that they lived at the residence.

"We send them the lease and they call back and say the lease is fraudulent and you have to get out," Bohanen told Fox 2 Detroit. "I just want to keep paying rent to whoever (owns the house)…I don’t want to leave. I made it a home."

As the Bohanen family grapples with possibly being evicted from their home, community activists are gathering to support them, Fox 2 Detroit reports. The family apparently hasn’t been able to reach Johnson and has been in communication with the Detroit Police Department.

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