College Park officials accused of attempted bribery, extortion, racketeering in new lawsuit 

A new lawsuit against the city of College Park and Council members Tracie Arnold and Joe Carn, who are being sued personally, alleges a pattern of corruption, fraud and racketeering.

The suit alleges that College Park officials deliberately used the city’s code enforcement powers to financially cripple the former owners of Chelsea Gardens Apartments, force the property into foreclosure and facilitate its redevelopment by a new owner who allegedly received preferential treatment from city officials.

Filed on behalf of the former owners of Chelsea Gardens Apartments, the lawsuit describes an alleged “shakedown.” The plaintiff, Chelsea Propco TIC I LLC and Chelsea Propco TIC II LLC, is seeking nearly $15 million in damages and possibly more under Georgia’s RICO statute, as well as punitive damages and legal fees.

Carn, Arnold, the city manager and city attorney, did not return phone calls or email requests for comment by publication deadline.

Attorneys for Chelsea Propco filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on Oct. 15. Attorney Cary Wiggins and co-counsel want to consolidate the case with an earlier lawsuit filed by Chelsea Propco against Jerry Silver, a former code enforcement officer for College Park, and former City Manager Dr. Emmanuel Adediran.

Speak Up College Park, a resident-led social media group whose members regularly scrutinize city government, posted a copy of the current lawsuit on their Facebook page on Thursday morning.

SaportaReport reported in spring 2025 on residents’ complaints about mold, rodents and sewage leaks at Chelsea Gardens. The lawsuit states that Chelsea Propco invested more than $4 million in improvements after purchasing the complex in 2022. But we don’t know how long the conditions described by residents existed or whether they predated the property’s foreclosure.

College Park condemned the apartment complex in spring 2025. By November, new owners were holding a ribbon cutting ceremony with officials for the property under the new name of The Ivy at College Park Apartments.

What’s Alleged

Published reports identify Chelsea Propco owners as brothers Yisroel and Hanoch Cimerring.

The plaintiffs allege that city code enforcement officials began delaying inspections and withholding certificates of occupancy for vacant apartments in spring 2024, preventing the owners from leasing them to new tenants.

While the apartments remained vacant, squatters began moving into the units. The lawsuit alleges that the city refused to address the problem or allow the owners to place courtesy police officers in vacant apartments with free rent to help deter squatters.

“As members of the city council, defendants Arnold and Carn exercised authority and influence over the city’s code enforcement, inspection, permitting and certificate of occupancy functions, and over the city’s city manager, who serves at the pleasure of the city council,” the lawsuit reads.

Demands

The lawsuit states that the owners received a warning notice listing hundreds of alleged violations, including citations for buildings and a swimming pool that did not exist, as well as demands to replace all roofs that had been replaced seven years earlier and had a life expectancy of 20 years.

The lawsuit also states that city officials demanded the property owners place $3 million into a city-controlled escrow account and use the city’s preferred contractors to address the violations.

Foreclosure 

As the property’s financial condition deteriorated, the owners contracted to sell Chelsea Gardens. However, the lawsuit alleges that city officials discouraged the prospective buyer from completing the purchase by making negative statements about the property’s condition. The complex went into foreclosure in February 2025 for $40 million, nearly $15 million below its appraised value a year earlier.

The lawsuit alleges that Arnold and Carn participated in the effort to force the property into foreclosure. The property was purchased by Contour Development and its principal, Pete Dedvukaj. Arnold and Carn met with Dedvukaj, the lawsuit alleges, before the city condemned the complex in April 2025, requiring residents to vacate.

Preferential treatment

The new owners received preferential treatment regarding renovation permits and fees, according to the legal action. It cites an incident in which Arnold and Carn allegedly asked then-City Manager Lindell Miller to waive permit fees for the redevelopment. Miller refused and was fired days later following a city council meeting motion by Carn that Arnold seconded.

The complaint also alleges that the new property owner made contributions to Arnold’s political campaign and notes her participation in events at the redeveloped complex.

Citing an alleged pattern

The Chelsea Propco lawsuit includes allegations made against Silver, who sued the city in 2025 under the Georgia Whistleblower Act, alleging he was fired for refusing to carry out improper code enforcement directives.

In that lawsuit, Silver alleged that Councilman Roderick Gay directed him to issue code violations against certain properties, even when no violations existed.

The Chelsea Propco lawsuit says this shows a pattern of selective code enforcement. It also alleges Adediran, who was fired in May 2025, was a participant in the actions against Chelsea Gardens.