News
Published October 6, 2023, 11:09 a.m. ET
A handyman with experience removing squatters says he helped an elderly woman reclaim her Hollywood home from Iron Chef winner and former judge Adam Fleischman, who she claimed was living there rent-free.
After the woman, Claudia, contacted him, Flash Shelton went to the house and confronted Fleischman about living in the house since May without ever paying rent.
The repairman filmed the situation and posted it on his YouTube channel, hoping that media attention would encourage the Umami Burger founder to move out.
Fleischman confirmed to Fox News that he left the home on October 2 and no longer lives there.
“I asked him if he felt like he owed her money and if he realized that he basically broke this woman,” Shelton told Fox News Digital, adding that Claudia said she am facing bankruptcy. “He just says it’s not his fault.”
Fleischman said he had planned to “pay rent and be a regular tenant” but didn’t do so because he didn’t receive a lease when he moved in.
He said he doesn’t consider himself a squatter.
Flash Shelton (pictured), a handyman with experience removing squatters, said he helped a woman reclaim her Hollywood home from Iron Chef winner Adam Fleischman. FOX News/Outside The Box with Flash
“I didn’t pay the rent because she intentionally didn’t provide keys or a contract etc. etc.,” he told Fox News Digital in a text message. “Landlords or tenants have responsibilities.”
“She didn’t charge rent for the first two to three months,” Fleischman added. “I thought she had some credit or something.”
Claudia told Fox News Digital she believes “the system is broken” because she couldn’t remove Fleischman without going to court.
“We have been telling him to leave for months but he refuses and the police say it is illegal to force him to leave or lock him out,” she said.
The woman named Claudia claims that Adam Fleischman (pictured) lived there rent-free. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
“He paid no deposit, no rent, no lease and no keys,” added Claudia, who said she has been renting the house for 29 years, before he moved out.
Fleischman left after Shelton found out that if he locked the door the chef would have to take him to civil court, the repairman told Fox News Digital.
Claudia said she has an illness that is made worse by stress.
Fox News Digital agreed to withhold her last name because of concerns that media attention could harm her health.
Fleischman suggests money-making events
Fleischman said he had planned to “pay rent and be a regular tenant” but didn’t do so because he didn’t receive a lease when he moved in. Michael Kovac
Claudia said she placed an ad on Craigslist in the spring — with the homeowner’s permission — to help find people to pay the rent.
After Fleischman responded to the ad, the two agreed to host dinner parties and pay per plate in the house to generate income.
The homeowner did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
“He said a partnership with us would finance the entire house,” Claudia said.
“I felt like if he’s had this much success, maybe he knows how to be successful,” she said in one of Shelton’s videos.
Claudia did not provide Fleischman with a rental agreement.
Shelton recorded the situation and posted it to his YouTube channel in hopes it would attract media attention.FOX News/Outside The Box With Flash
Another tenant, Tiffany Workman, said she wasn’t provided one either because Claudia told her she was “losing heart.”
Claudia said Fleischman didn’t pay her after the first event, which she said was around April, and only later discovered he had used her credit card to buy supplies for it.
When she confronted him about money the night of the event, he told her she would have to wait for the next event, Claudia said.
Fleischman denied using her card.
In his video, Shelton included footage from cameras placed around the house that showed Fleischman telling two men, “After she dies, I’m going to give you a look inside the rooms first.” FOX News/Outside The Box With Flash
Claudia provided Fox News Digital with a bank statement showing a disputed charge on her account, saying it was being investigated.
“He didn’t pay me and he used my credit card and forged my signature to buy the food for the event and I knew I was in trouble,” Claudia said. “He was just a fraud.”
Fleischman told Fox News Digital that Claudia’s accusation was “made up by a crazy person.” He also said that they got along well in the first three months.
Although he admits he didn’t pay rent, Fleischman told Fox News Digital that he contributed to utilities and “house costs.”
Claudia said she had difficulty finding other tenants because of Fleischman.
“Because he’s there, I’m paying three times the rent because no one else is going to rent when he’s in my house,” Claudia, 62, said before Fleischman left. “Being elderly, recently losing my spouse, and having a brain injury from a car accident is overwhelming enough, and now I have to deal with this nightmare alone.”
When asked why he decided to stay at the home after Claudia asked him to leave, Fleischman said, “How is four months so long?” Puzzled.”
“It’s not like I’ve been here for years,” he added.
Squatter remover gets involved
Shelton, who once successfully evicted squatters from his mother’s home, said he helped Claudia for free.
“I asked [Fleischman] If he had any guilt, he felt obligated to her and he said, ‘Absolutely not,'” Shelton told Fox News Digital. “I’m just trying to understand where his head is at and how he could live like that.”
The celebrity chef pointed out that he had not been given the rental agreement or keys.
“Well, it’s not really a full lease,” Fleischman said. “That’s why I’m not going to pay full rent for something that I don’t have a real lease on.”
In his video, Shelton included footage from cameras placed around the house that showed Fleischman telling two men, “After she dies, I’m going to give you a look at the rooms first.”
The LAPD previously told Claudia that they could not stop him from gaining access and that they could not help her because the situation was a civil matter.FOX News/Outside The Box With Flash
In another video posted by Shelton, Los Angeles Police Department officers can be seen giving the handyman permission to set up cameras around the house as long as he doesn’t film in the bedroom where Fleischman lives.
The LAPD also told Claudia that they could not stop him from gaining access and that they could not help her because the situation was a civil matter.
“The city of Los Angeles with their rental laws and the way they operate could take months,” a police officer told Claudia in the video. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the reality.”
“As for the crew, if they can try out their methods and see if it works,” the officer said, referring to Shelton, trailing off.
An LAPD spokesman told Fox News Digital that the situation was a “civil matter” but did not comment further.
Fleischman has not been accused or charged with any criminal conduct.
Fleischman confirmed to Fox News that he left the home on October 2 and no longer lives there.FOX News/Outside The Box With Flash
Shelton said he is raising money on GoFundMe to cover the costs of removing squatters.
“The GoFundMe is for them and others, but also to fund efforts to change squatter laws and help everyone,” Shelton said.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, hotel group SBE acquired a majority stake in Umami Burger in 2016.
According to Eater Los Angeles, Fleischman opened a new restaurant, Slow Burn, in 2022, but it closed its doors without explanation weeks after opening.
“It’s a shame that this would happen to anyone and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Shelton said. “It doesn’t give you any reason to put anyone else down.”
Load More…
{{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2023/10/06/handyman-who-turned-the-tables-on-squatters-confronts-celebrity-chef-accused-of-living-rent-free/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site %20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share