ICYMI: Residents Of One Carroll Gardens Block Get To Know Their Neighbor, Paul Manafort

CARROLL GARDENS, BROOKLYN — In late February, when we last checked in on 377 Union St. in Carroll Gardens — a brownstone owned by President Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, currently under FBI investigation for his ties to Russia — cleanup crews were hurriedly tidying up the front lawn.

Never-ending renovations and construction debris had made a neighborhood "eyesore" of the property Manafort bought for $2.9 million in 2012. And curiously, Manafort — who has never actually lived in the brownstone — had just taken out loans against the property for more than double its sale price.

In the weeks since we stopped by, investigative heavy-hitters have done some more (figurative) digging at the property and unearthed more puzzling real-estate transactions by Manafort across the city. Some reports suggest his Carroll Gardens brownstone — and the loans against it — may have more sinister intentions behind them.

(For more updates on this property, and other news in Carroll Gardens, click here to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts. Or find your NYC neighborhood here.)

All this attention has made the property into something of a conversation piece among neighbors.

One resident on the block who spoke to Patch, who said he moved in just a few weeks ago, was aware of his new neighbor.

"I heard about it from people at work," the man, who didn't give his name, said on a recent stroll down the block.

Another neighbor a few doors down has put up these two (slightly passive-aggressive) signs in her window:

Max Kimbee, who lives a few doors down from Manafort, said he heard about it, as many did, from the local blog Pardon Me For Asking, which was first to report the property owner's identity.

When asked what he thought about Manafort owning the building, Kimbee said: "As far as I’m concerned, just as long as he finishes the house."

But as Kimbee leashed his four dachshunds for a walk through the neighborhood on a sunny, 70-degree Monday, he said he and others on the block "absolutely" buy into some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the property.

"The sense is it’s just like a ridiculous story," Kimbee said. "We’re all very aware, obviously, of the link to Russia, Ukraine. And the money aspect. He basically bought it for X amount and then took a mortgage out on it for twice its value."

Regardless of the nefarious — or perhaps perfectly harmless — activity behind the property, Manafort's presence in the neighborhood is an odd fit. There's bound to be some pushback when one of the shadiest operatives for a record-breakingly unpopular Republican president scoops up property in one of the most affluent, liberal suburbs of one of America's most affluent, liberal cities.

As Kimbee put it: "I don’t think anyone in this neighborhood is really pro-whatever he is."

Photos by Marc Torrence/Patch

This story was originally published on Tuesday, April 18