Capping off a year in which he was arrested for nearly $1 million in gambling debts, Antoine Walker is now being pursued by the city of Chicago for managing housing that violates public safety requirements, says the Chicago Tribune.
Walker Ventures LLC and AW Realty LLC, two real estate companies that list Walker as the principal, are the target of more than a dozen lawsuits alleging poor property management, unpaid debts and damages caused by shoddy repair work.
Walker, who has played for the Celtics, Mavericks and Heat, but who has not signed to another team this year, spoke to the Tribune on Friday and apologized for neglecting his companies and tenants.
"I would like to humbly apologize to everyone who has been affected by the failings of my company," Walker said. "It was never intended to present [tenants with] unacceptable living conditions," he said to the Tribune.
Over the past few years, Walker's problem properties have included:
- A 13-unit building on Cornell Avenue with a mold infestation and toxic fumes, which the city declared a "hulking public nuisance."
- A Minerva Avenue building with poor electrical work, insect infestations, and several code violations.
- A Country Club Hills building in which raw sewage leaks from pipes.
