Former MSU star's strange alleged scam

The other day, former Michigan State star Jay Vincent pleaded not guilty to fraud and tax charges in a federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich. The news that Vincent was charged with fraud has been floating around for a while now, but it took me a while to register just how incredibly weird football jerseys
the details of Vincent's charges really were. And believe, they are weird.

What is Vincent being charged for, exactly? He and an associate allegedly scammed people out of $2 million by telling them they could be certified as -- get this -- home inspectors.

What on Earth is a home inspector? According to the American Society of Home Inspectors, which, like the occupation "home inspector" itself, is apparently a real thing, says the following:

According to The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the lender conducts an appraisal to estimate the value of Indianapolis Colts jersey
a house, to make certain the house meets FHA minimum property standards and is marketable. However, during a home inspection a qualified inspector takes a detailed look at the physical structure and systems of a house, from the roof to the foundation. The average time taken to conduct an appraisal is merely a fraction of the time it takes a certified home inspector to perform an inspection of the same house.


I did not know that. Maybe that's because I've never had to buy or sell a home -- I'm one of those people who will probably be renting until he's 40, because that way you don't have to mow your own lawn -- but a certified home inspector is exactly what you think it is. It's a person that, um, inspects your home and determines whether it is ready to be sold, or whether it needs any specific maintenance and renovations.

This seems like a profoundly strange Internet scam. I mean, at what point do the home inspectors, the people who believe they've been certified by your service, realize they were scammed? They're going to start trying to put their new "certification" to work. It Houston Texans jersey
can't take that long. And then what?

Anyway, Vincent's lawyer is in talks about a plea deal, according to court documents. And now you, dear reader, know: Being a home inspector has Internet-based perils. Be advised, etc.