Chris Williams. Galveston Daily News. February 14, 1995. p.7-A
Galveston-Someone posing as a housing inspector tried to evict tenants of a low-income boarding house in central Galveston Jan. 13.
The fake eviction notice states the building did not have the proper fire alarms, violated city codes and did not have a proper exit sign.
The city caught the forgery before any of the tenants moved out.
The notice was signed Frank Gallassi.
The notice says he worked for both the City of Galveston and the Galveston Housing Authority.
The City Attorney’s office discovered the fraud when Gulf Coast Legal Foundation asked the city to delay the eviction proceedings.
While checking into the request, Assistant City Attorney Robert Gervais said he found that neither the city nor the housing authority employed anyone named Gallassi.
Gervais referred the matter to the Galveston County District Attorney’s office for prosecution Jan. 19.
A district attorney’s investigation said no charges have been filed in the case.
There have been not other reports of Gallassi trying to evict other people, he said.
Stephen McIntyre, staff attorney from the Gulf Coast Legal Foundation, said Gallassi is probably a prankster or someone out to hurt the landlord’s business.
Anna Guerra, another attorney with the foundation , said, “It is disturbing to us that poor men, women and children would be subject to such a cheap trick. Hopefully, Mr. Gallassi won’t strike somewhere else.”
Stephen C. McIntyre 