Evidence laid out on school boardmember’s residency status

Hamtramck School Boardmember Mohammad Huda listens to a private investigator present evidence at Wednesday’s School Board meeting that he is not a resident of the city.

By Charles Sercombe
Last April the Hamtramck School Board agreed to investigate whether fellow Boardmember Mohammad Huda is really a resident of the city.
The investigation was prompted by a Review investigation on Huda owning a house in Warren where he claimed a 100-percent Homestead tax exemption, which ultimately means that’s where he says he lives.
At the same time he claimed a Homestead tax exemption there, he also claimed he was living on Fleming in Hamtramck.
At this past Wednesday’s School Board meeting, which Huda attended, the board found out the results of that investigation.
The findings were presented by private investigator Dave Adamczyk, who performed his investigation for no charge.
Adamczyk, a former Hamtramck police officer who now runs a private investigation company called Michigan Investigators Group, laid out the following pieces of evidence:
• Huda had changed his address from Hamtramck to Warren and back again several times since 2011.
• On his 2014 candidate application to run for school board he claimed to live on Fleming while at the same time claiming a 100-percent Homestead tax exemption at a house on Omar in Warren.
• On that same application, called an affidavit, he said he had been a resident of Wayne County for nine years, which contradicted his previous moves to Warren, which is in Macomb County.
Adamczyk said that claim on the affidavit was “obviously not true.”
(Any information that is knowingly false on a candidate affidavit is considered a felony and punishable by a $1,000 fine and five years in prison.)
• Huda established three organizations that bore his Warren address as their headquarters.
• While claiming to live at 11813 Fleming, the city’s Water Department sent a letter to that address saying there was a problem with the water meter and they needed to look at it. Huda did not respond to that letter, and subsequently the city shut off water service.
• Huda is married and has children. Adamczyk said there is no court record of a divorce or separation.
“How do you reside at Fleming Sreet. with no running water?” Adamczyk said.
• The school district also sent a package of material to Huda at the Fleming house but the district received notice that it was not picked up. The package sat on the porch of the house for 16 days.
• Neighbors at the Fleming address said they knew of Huda because he picked up mail there, but they said he did not live there.
• Adamczyk also spoke with neighbors who live near the Warren house who said Huda lived there with his wife and kids for the past 18 months.
• Adamczyk went to the Warren house where he encountered Ruhul Mumen, who identified himself as Huda’s brother and his attorney.
• Mumen said Huda was not there, but during that conversation Huda drove by but did not stop.
• Mumen asked to meet Adamczyk along with Huda, but Adamczyk said that despite three attempts to schedule a meeting he never received a call back from Mumen.
• During that visit in Warren Mumen called Warren police and admitted Huda lives in Warren.

The house in Warren where neighbors of Huda says he lives with his wife and children.

Adamczyk said there is more information, but what he presented so far showed “there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that Mr. Huda has misrepresented his affidavit of identification. It’s clear and evident Mr. Huda is not residing on Fleming.”
School District Attorney George Butler said there are other agencies besides the state Secretary of State Office interested in the findings of the investigation, although he did not identify those agencies and the nature of their interest.
Butler urged Huda to “do the right thing and resign.”
He also said that any vote made by Huda going forward could be made void if he is found to be a non-resident.
Butler added that it’s likely that a court would charge the costs of any further investigation to Huda if it is determined he is a non-resident. Butler spoke directly to Huda: “You have no right to hold that office.”
During the presentation, Huda remained silent but continually shifted in his seat as he cast his glance around the room.
Board President Maggie Srodek asked him directly if he wanted to comment and whether he wanted to resign. To both questions Huda, very quietly, said no.
During a brief break in the meeting, The Review asked Huda if he would like to comment, but he declined. But before saying so, he insisted on shaking a reporter’s hand. During that clasp, his body was noticeably shaking.
Huda was elected to the school board in 2014 and is serving his first term. The School Board was not asked to take any action against Huda.