An NBC political reporter appears to have boasted about evicting a tenant, sharing screengrabs of their texts in which the tenant requested more time to move out but was rejected.
Marc Caputo serves as a senior national political reporter at NBC News based in Miami, Florida.
He took to Instagram to share how he operates as a landlord, evicting a tenant living in his Key West house.
The journalist posted several Instagram stories on Tuesday, sharing text messages between himself, his property manager, and the tenant. The reporter also shared an image of an eviction notice, Defector reported.
One of the images shared shows Caputo telling the property manager that he hopes the tenant “enjoys the sex in prison” and that the tenant will “have a gun to his head in almost a literal sense because law enforcement will be there”.
Caputo referred to the tenant as a “junkie”. He posted a video of a car filled with tools and cleaning materials with the caption “junkie tenant damage assessment gear”.
He also posted a screenshot of a text exchange with a producer asking him to appear on TV.
“...of course TV wants me on in the 2 pm hour. A live eviction wd make for good TV,” he wrote in a caption.
Caputo shared footage from the house following the eviction, in which a man said he had to break down the door with an axe to get inside.
In a statement to Defector, Caputo said: “I’ve rented places out to people for more than a decade, and out of all the people I’ve had as tenants, this was the most heartbreaking situation because this tenant had been moved in unexpectedly by a prior tenant who stole his alleged rent money and absconded town — leaving me to ultimately pay the bill.”
“He proceeded to ruin the property by breaking a window, disabling a lock, ruining a door after apparently locking someone in, breaking a car-port pillar after drunkenly driving into it and ruining the pipes by flushing cigarette butts and who knows what down the sink drain and toilet,” he added.
“Ultimately, after months of not paying rent on time and lying about it and disturbing another tenant, I asked him to move out ... I even offered him cash to do so and offered to help him move, but he refused and kept lying. So I eventually relied on law enforcement to effectuate an eviction,” the journalist said.
“I’ve had those details on my private Instagram account as well, but I understand those had not been shared with you, and I also understand how the narrow context of what you saw doesn’t reflect the full story, which was born out of deep frustration that I transmuted into mockery of a terrible situation,” he told the outlet.
Public court documents show that Caputo filed a “residential eviction” complaint on 4 January, according to Defector.
“Defendant has failed to vacate in accordance with the Notice served on December 15, 2022 and wrongfully refuses to surrender possession or to make the rental payments,” the legal filing states.
A judge issued the order for the tenant to be evicted by the Sheriff just over two weeks later.
“Heads up: Between 3 and 5 pm today, a new 24-hour eviction notice will be on your door. You will need to have all your stuff out of there by that time Tuesday. Oh. Actually the notice just got posted. It’s 2:30 pm. After 2:30 pm, you will not have access to the unit or the property. The locks will be changed,” Caputo texted the tenant, according to screenshots posted by the reporter.
“Please give me tomorrow. I’ll be out,” the tenant said.
“Yes, 2:30 pm tomorrow,” Caputo responded.
The following day, at 1.23pm, the tenant wrote, “I can’t move in till tomorrow morning. I’ll be out today stop being crazy. First day off I’ve had in a while my guys that helping me don’t get off work till 4:30 ish”.
“Too bad. It’s time,” Caputo said. “You were supposed to move out Dec. 31. I gave you until Jan 15 and offered to give you $2000 if you would do it then. You missed that deadline, just like every other deadline to do anything on time–including paying rent or returning my calls and texts. You then claimed you would move out last Wednesday, the 18th. Then Thursday the 19th. Then today the 24th. Time’s up. You have to leave.”
“I will. Before today is over,” the tenant replied.
“You will leave at 2:30 pm,” Caputo said.
“There’s no way. By morning no problem. I mean today. Please don’t do this,” the tenant added.
“Actually there is a way. And that way is for you to finally believe me – because I tell the truth. And stop listening to yourself – because you’re self-deceived by your lies,” the reporter responded.
“Just waiting on my guys. Please??” the tenant asked.
“Get moving. No. It’s too late. The Deputy is coming at 2:30. You will be forcibly removed and trespassed. I’m sorry it has come to this. But you have no one to blame but yourself. Don’t worry about that right now. Worry about getting out. Because you have less than an hour.” Caputo told him.
The property manager appeared to share some concerns regarding the mental health of the tenant, describing the residence as having “a gun-in-my-mouth vibe”.
“The guy doesn’t have anywhere to go and nobody has any love for him anymore and I won’t be surprised when he gets taken out in handcuffs and all his s*** is still in there,” he said.
“He will have a gun to his head in almost a literal sense because law enforcement will be there. As Mao Tse Tung said: all political power comes from the barrel of a gun,” Caputo said.
The tenant has been arrested on charges of possession, larceny, property damage, and misdemeanour battery, Defector reported.
“I hope he enjoys the sex in prison. F*** him,” Caputo told the property manager, called Red.
“I told him flat out I took no pleasure in doing any of this and that he’ll get what’s coming to him as far as the law is concerned but between me and you I never enjoy watching a man fall especially at our age because of some childish arrested development. I guess red does have a little empathy. Just a little don’t tell anybody and he didn’t have any of that for us so f*** him,” the manager said.
The Independent has attempted to reach Caputo for comment.
