Mollie Simon

2 Posts

Mollie Simon is a research reporter at ProPublica.

Illustration showing a deep house-shaped hole in the ground (peaked roof, chimney), surrounded by green lawn. Three people are at the edge of the hole. Two are men (of different ages, with different skin tones) who are emptying sacks of green currency into the pit. A woman with yellow hair has just begun to fall into the hole as the edge she was standing on has crumbled. Her sack of currency is also falling into the hole.

Housing

‘Incalculable’ Damage: How a “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Left a Trail of Financial Wreckage Across Texas

August 13, 2025 | Anjeanette Damon and Mollie Simon

Charles Carrier is accused of orchestrating a yearslong Ponzi scheme, bilking tens of millions of dollars from both wealthy investors and older people with modest incomes. Despite signs of trouble, HomeVestors didn’t intervene.

An illustration of a home being grab by giant hands. In the background, a red plane holds a banner that reads "We Buy Ugly Houses!"

Housing

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”

May 11, 2023 | Anjeanette Damon, Byard Duncan and Mollie Simon

HomeVestors of America, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the U.S.,” trains its nearly 1,150 franchisees to zero in on homeowners’ desperation.