Member-only story
Clarence Thomas And His Mother's House
Harlan Crow Owns The Home His Mother Lives In
I've heard several examples of professional athletes who indicated one of their primary goals when they got their first pro contract was to buy their mother a house. Clarence Thomas got his mother a house; technically, the home was owned by Thomas, his mother, and his deceased brother's family. Then one day in 2014, they sold the house to Thomas's good friend Harlan Crow for $133,363. As homes go, it wasn't much, a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home with no garage or carport. It's hard to say whether the home was worth $133,363 or much less. Unlike most home sales, Clarence's mother, Leola Williams, didn't have to move after the deal closed. Ms. Williams continues to live in the home nineteen years later. Does she even pay rent?
Immediately after purchasing the home and two nearby vacant lots from the Thomas family. Crow spent $36,000 on improvements, including adding a carport. Crow bought another house and a vacant lot on the same street for $40,000, far less than he paid for the Thomas home. One of the few federal disclosure laws that did apply to Clarence Thomas was that he was required to disclose details of real estate sales over $1,000. Thomas failed to disclose this sale.
