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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2021)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM Graham Continued from Page 1A Neither has a professional history in the real estate industry. Their company has existed for less than a year and their real estate experience appears to be limited to the construction and sale of a single home — their own. Those white gleaming cabinets and carefully staged rooms pictured on the Dream Built website? Most can be traced to the Grahams' former home in Silverton via Zillow. Others are images found on the internet and have been used to advertise everything from insur- ance to ceiling fans. Neither Lindsey nor Scott responded to repeated requests for comment. They also would not answer questions about their new business, real estate back- ground, donations raised or credentials. An in-depth list of questions emailed to Lindsey, Scott and their attorney re- ceived the response "No comment (win- ky face emoji)" from Lindsey. Days after receiving the questions, the Grahams' website was scrubbed and social media pages promoting the com- pany were taken down. The website no longer describes Scott as a real estate agent. A reference to "real estate done right" that once di- rected customers to Scott now sends them to Lindsey. And many of the pho- tos posted on the site appear to have been removed. In addition, the company's official In- stagram page was removed. Glamour Salon independent contractors and supporters stand behind Lindsey Graham at a press conference she called at her salon in downtown Salem on May 15, 2020. FILE / STATESMAN JOURNAL A magnet for controversy Graham made national headlines in May when she re-opened her Glamour Salon in downtown Salem during the COVID-19 pandemic in defiance of Brown's "Stay Home, Save Lives" shut- down order. Throngs of media and supporters — including armed militia and individuals tied to far-right groups — flocked to the salon for the May 5 re-opening. A few weeks later, armed counter- protesters gathered outside the salon during racial justice protests in May and June following the death of George Floyd. The militia groups said they were protecting the business from rioters. No threats to the salon during the protest — nor any damage after the fact — were reported, according to Salem police. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, known as OSHA, in mid-May fined the salon $14,000 for vi- olating the closure order. The same month she was fined, Gra- ham accepted a federal PPP loan of more than $35,000 through her corporation Glamour LLC. She and her husband owned six busi- nesses, all of which were closed from March to May because of the virus, Gra- ham told the media in May. These included Burn Fitness, Glam- our Salon, Couture Beauty, Tan Republic of Silverton and Fringe and Fade Hair Studio. Graham told the Statesman Journal in May the federal PPP money was used to cover expenses at the tanning salons and gym she owns but was not used for payroll at Glamour. Graham's Glamour Salon had no employees because the stylists are independent contractors, she said. Graham said during her reopening that it was her right to work so she could support her family. "I want (people) to understand I'm doing this to provide for my family," she said during the reopening. "No other reason." She said she would continue provid- ing services until the government threw her in jail. A day after reopening, Salem — which owns the building that houses Glamour Salon downtown — issued a letter to Graham stating she was in vio- lation of her lease agreement by break- ing state orders. The city never acted on its threat. In- stead, it gave her a break on rent. The city didn't charge rent for the property from the start of the shutdown through June 20, Salem officials said. It did the same for all of its retail leases. Graham, through her Portland-based attorney Ross Day, in July filed a $100,000 federal civil rights lawsuit against Brown, Oregon and several state agencies. The case has bounced be- tween U.S. District Court and Marion County Circuit. No hearings have been scheduled. In the lawsuit, Graham accused the governor and state of violating her civil rights and violating the U.S. Constitu- tion by ordering a shutdown of her salon and other businesses in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions by state agencies made it "very clear that the government was tar- geting" her, Graham told the Statesman Journal in July. Graham alleged that on May 7 Oregon Child Protective Services showed up at her Silverton house and interviewed her young son after receiving an anony- mous complaint. Graham said the complaint was "completely fabricated." "It was an act of retribution when Governor Brown sent Oregon OSHA to improperly and illegally issue my busi- ness a $14,000 fine," Graham told the Statesman Journal. "But when she sent A response from Graham sent on March 5, 2021 SCREENSHOT OF OUTLOOK Child Protective Services to my home, to search it and interview my young chil- dren without me or my husband being present, I knew I had to stand up to the governor." She accused state officials and agen- cies, including the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Public Health Division, of retaliating against her and abusing the civil process after she refused to comply with the gover- nor's order. The state filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, stating the re-opening of much of Oregon had rendered her com- plaint moot and their actions did not vi- olate Graham's rights or the Constitu- tion. "Viruses do not care whether you are in a hair salon, a bar, choir practice, or a tattoo parlor," Oregon Department of Justice attorneys wrote in their motion. "The United States has learned this the hard way over the past year." While the COVID-19 virus killed more than 500,00 people, Brown worked to protect Oregon residents and save lives; whereas Graham chose to ignore health guidelines, defy the governor's orders and re-open her business during the "height of the pandemic," attorneys wrote. In its court filing, the state said DHS received an anonymous complaint re- garding Graham's children. DHS inves- tigated and found the allegations to be unsubstantiated. The case remains open, but no hearings have been sched- uled. Graham's attorney, Day, said in July the government's conduct "represents the absolute worst abuses of power one could possibly imagine." Day said "even George Orwell would be shocked and appalled" at the retaliation against Gra- ham. Finding fame in cancel culture With her newfound notoriety, Gra- ham became a national presence in con- servative media and on social media. Graham was one of the Oregonians present at the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C., that preceded the in- surrection at the U.S. Capitol. She was seen on the steps of the Capitol in video footage from the day but insisted she did not take part in the storming of the Capitol and assaults on officers. Graham said on her Facebook page that she did not condone violence, but she continued to spread the baseless theories that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and that Antifa was responsible for the violence on Jan. 6. Graham became a frequent guest on conservative media, being interviewed by Glenn Beck, Dana Loesch, Lars Lar- son and Megyn Kelly. In a February interview with Kelly, Graham said she was "cancel cultured" in "liberal" Salem, Oregon. Salem, the state capital, is divided relatively evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and the state Capitol has been the site of numerous protests by groups supporting Trump and op- posing COVID-19 closures. Contacted by the Statesman Journal in February and again in March, Graham refused to answer specific questions about her businesses. She also refused to say whether she still lived in Oregon. But on March 3, Graham announced the closure of Glamour Salon and her departure from Oregon. In a statement she shared on social media, Graham said she was "grateful" for Oregon's "blatant cancel-culture and the seemingly hate-filled social justice warriors" for letting her know Oregon was not the state for her family and business. "My eyes are now fully opened to the crystal clear line in the sand, and there's no going back ... I have nothing but love and gratitude in my heart, as I absolute- ly refuse to be bound by hatred or strug- gle," she said. "Glamour Salon is closing, our family has moved out of Oregon to a deep red land of economic opportunity, and I have nothing left to lose." Graham sells home, uses photos to tout experience Graham said in a recent podcast in- terview that when the governor shut down her business, she had a newborn and had just built a new house. She re- counted feeling "panic and devastation" upon hearing the news. Going out and getting an "essential job" would not provide for the lifestyle she and her family lived, she said. Lindsey Graham had purchased the land for her house in Silverton in 2016 for $69,900. She went on to build a 3,498-square-foot house described on Zillow as having a "true chef 's kitchen," spacious rooms with views to the out- doors, luxurious master bedrooms and a spa-like bathroom. In 2015, Scott Graham listed in bank- ruptcy documents that his family's yearly income was $60,981. A county as- sessment in 2019 found a real market value of the property and house to be $646,070. According to Zillow records, the Gra- hams' five-bedroom, four-bathroom house sold for $740,000 in October. Though it has a Silverton address, the house is located about three miles outside Silverton city limits. The small city east of Salem near the foothills of the Cascade Range is known for its his- toric main street and proximity to Silver Falls State Park. Graham said in a podcast interview she'd fled the harassment and repres- sive Oregon government for another house in a vaguely referenced "red state." Graham declined to say where she had moved. "My family actually had to leave the state," she said. "We had to move away ... Antifa has started targeting me and | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 | 3A tracking me." Officials with the Marion County Sheriff 's Office, which has jurisdiction over areas outside of city limits, and the Salem Police Department said they have no reports of threats or harassment to the Grahams' house or business. Arizona property records show Gra- ham in August bought a house in Buck- eye, a suburb on the outskirts of the metro Phoenix area, for $395,000. According to real estate listings, the six-bedroom, four-bath 3,890-square foot house with a pool sold on Sept. 2. In July, the same month Lindsey took the Oregon government to court, Gra- ham put her Silverton house on the mar- ket and the couple registered its new business Dream Built Investments LLC with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The Dream Built Homes website promises to find and create buyers' "dream" homes. "Contact us!" the site reads. "We'd love to be part of your fairy tale!" The three principals with the compa- ny are the Grahams and Jake Hales, who is described as an experienced master carpenter, designer and custom wood- worker. Hales did not respond to a request for comment. The site in early March described Scott Graham as a property investor and real estate agent, acting as the primary investor researching "prime Arizona neighborhoods" and contracting work. It listed Lindsey Graham as a property investor, interior designer and stager who is "the brilliance behind the new homes final work." The Phoenix-area real estate market is surging in value, with buyers facing bidding wars and sellers at the advan- tage. The median home price hit a new record in January and likely climbed by another $5,000 in February. When questioned by The Statesman Journal, The Grahams declined to offer the Statesman Journal examples of their experience or connections to li- censed real estate agents. Troubled financial past Before announcing himself as a real estate agent for Dream Built, Scott Gra- ham's most significant real estate trans- action appears to have been losing his house in a foreclosure sale in 2017. Records show his Canby home was sold at a Clackamas County Sheriff 's sale that same year. Scott's name has not appeared on any other real estate transactions until he was listed as a co-buyer on the Buck- eye house. The Silverton house was in Lindsey Graham's name only. Scott listed his occupation in bank- ruptcy court records as a personal train- er. Court and business records show multiple shuttered businesses, a bank- ruptcy, the foreclosure and liens filed against him all prior to the start of CO- VID-19. In 2015, he filed Chapter 7 bankrupt- cy listing two businesses, Adrenaline Fitness and Fit Studios — both of which he no longer owns. Fit Studios remains open under different ownership in Sa- lem. Lindsey was listed as his non-filing spouse in the bankruptcy paperwork. He is the current manager or member of several of his wife's businesses, in- cluding Glamour LLC and Dream Built Investments. His Facebook page lists him as the owner of several Tan Repub- lic franchises in Silverton, Canby and Salem. Until November, the Grahams also were listed as the owners of Burn Fit- ness in Woodburn. Ownership of the gym has since been transferred. On social media, Lindsey has said she has a history in the beauty industry as a stylist and entrepreneur. Her li- cense through the Oregon Board of Cos- metology and remains active through September. On the biographical section of her See GRAHAM, Page 4A LOCAL ADVISORS Salem Area Caitlin Davis CFP® Chip Hutchings www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC FINANCIAL ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-585-1464 Lancaster | 503-585-4689 Jeff Davis Tim Sparks FINANCIAL ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR Mission | 503-363-0445 Commercial | 503-370-6159 Garry Falor CFP® Tyson Wooters FINANCIAL ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR West | 503-588-5426 South | 503-362-5439 Keizer Area Mario Montiel FINANCIAL ADVISOR Keizer | 503-393-8166 Surrounding Area Bridgette Justis Tim Yount FINANCIAL ADVISOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR Sublimity | 503-769-3180 Silverton | 503-873-2454 Kelly Denney FINANCIAL ADVISOR Dallas | 503-623-2146 OR-GCI0555203-01
