Exposing Mr. Smith
For years we’ve been busting folks who are getting a reputation as real estate racketeers on accusations fraud. From what we’re seeing at the courthouse, there’s a new guy facing allegations of millions of dollars of theft while ripping off clients in Houston’s fanciest neighborhoods. It’s time for EXPOSING MR. SMITH.
Exposing Mr. Smith
“Roasting sweet potatoes. Smells fantastic,” Bradley smith said.
On social media, Bradley Smith fashions himself some sort of really good cook.
“Pistachio praline and pistachio butter homemade ice cream,” Bradley smith said.
But I wasn’t looking for new recipes for ice cream when I frst called Bradley on the telephone.
I wanted to talk about this, his custom home building company Layne Kelly Homes.
Bradley builds homes for the rich and famous, like this 12 million dollar mansion going up in River Oaks.
Or the mansion he built for Drake’s plastic surgeon, it was, in December 2024, the most expensive home sold that month.
And Smith says he’s the number one custom buider in town, just ask him.
“You would think he walks on water and he’s the best builder in town” Matthew Hogue said.
“You and I go way back, Wayne. You and I go back to when you knew my dad. And I used to come over to your house,” Bradley smith said.
What a small world, turns out Bradley and used to be neighbors with Bradley’s mom and dad when I had my first townhouse.
Here in the Cherryhurst neighborhood in Montrose.
“Hate to break it to you Bradley, but that doesn’t get you a get out of jail free card with us,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
“I commit to you to calling you back today. That’s fine, brother. Be a good man,” Bradley Smith said.
That was June, like six months ago, guess Bradley’s not calling back, and I understand why.
His real estate empire in Houston is crumbling in a sea of foreclosures and allegations of multi million dollar international fraud.
“The guy is a bum his word is not to be relied upon,” Randy Gibbs said.
“No funds were diverted anyway, and OK. And what is it you would like to do?” Bradley Smith said.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where the desert meets the sea.
Home to beautiful Pacific beaches.
And a booming wellness industry south of the border.
Like the luxury colel at Palmilla Stem Cell Clinic, set to open up in the spring 2026.
A private villa, a chef, it advertises state of the art healing.
“I cannot recommend more, family, than to develop in this area, then pretty much anywhere outside the United States. Michael Baldwin coming from you, that’s quite a compliment,” Bradley Smith said.
That’s Cabo real estate expert Michael Baldwin chatting away two years ago with Houston real estate developer Bradley Smith.
He’s co-founder of Cabo Real Estate Holdings.
His partner is Thomas Noons of 1222 Holdings, let’s call him to say hi.
“Fuck off” Tom Noons said.
Fuck off?
“Yeah, fuck off,” Tom Noons said.
That was nice and quick.
We didn’t even get to ask Noons about his indictment for conspiracy and embezzlement in a savings and loan scandal.
And since June of this year, Bradley Smith has been doing his best to hide from us.
But not anymore, and you won’t believe what he told us.
“If you call me, we can sit down and talk,” Smith said.
“You said you were going to call me six months ago, remember? I commit to you I will call you later today, so you blew me off,” Dolcefino said.
“What does he say to the allegations that he stole millions of dollars from people?” Dolcefino said.
“I’m not going to comment on the case,” Kent Hanszen said.
We caught up with Smith as moving men unloaded furniture into this River Oaks house, 3452 Ella Lee, currently owned by one of Lane Kelly’s real estate entities.
The house is on the market for 6.9 million, but it’s leveraged up to its eyeballs, we are told.
Smith’s lawyers say there’s no money to be made after it is finally sold, but one of Smith’s angry clients is blocking the sale and planned foreclosure of a number of other properties owned by Smith and his company.
“The lawsuits are piling up. The foreclosure notices, how big of a shitshow is this?” Dolcefino asked.
“I think this is, like, gravity is going to collapse in on itself,” Ashish Mahendru said.
But move over River Oaks, because the real scandal is over here, on what may be Houston’s most beautiful street.
This is 223 Carnarvon, a Houston lawyer and his wife agreed to buy it for nineteen million dollars nearly three years ago, even though it was far from complete.
This text message from Smith promised the mansion would be completed in just 90 days.
A year and a half later, it has barely been touched because of Smith’s “sob stories” to justify his failure to perform any substantive work.
“Smoke and mirrors,” the lawsuit calls it, citing construction draws for non-existent work.
Smith claimed he was 193 percent over budget on landscaping.
Take a look, the pictures show just some pretty expensive dirt, I don’t even see a shrub.
Imagine paying nearly 18 million dollars to build a home budgeted to cost just ten million.
“Our allegations are of a fraud perpetuated on our clients, who were seeking to purchase a home that he was building,” Ashish Mahendru said.
And a year after its promised completion date, it’s still only seventy percent complete.
And now the bank is foreclosing on the property.
“In court filings, Mr. Smith is accused of funneling literally millions of dollars to other real estate projects and to that planned stem cell resort down in Cabo,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
“Certainly, there are funds that we have identified that go from the Layne Kelly operations and Bradley Smith entities and get diverted out of the regenerative clinic in Los Cabos,” Ashish Mahendru said.
“No funds were diverted anywhere,” Bradley Smith said.
Smith’s office is located next to his home in the Heights.
That’s where you’ll usually find the Bentley parked.
“They’re all in court arguing because you don’t have any money,” Dolcefino asked.
“They’re working through that,” Smith said.
“You’re driving a Bentley,” Dolcefino said.
“The car is 11 years old, and I’m trying to give it back,” Smith said.
“You think it was a crime?” Dolcefino said.
“Not sure about that. I’m in the civil world, so I don’t play in the criminal sandbox.” Mahendru said.
Smith has played in the criminal sandbox, he’s been arrested multiple times, twice for drunk driving,
once for cocaine, and was given deferred for assaulting a cop.
He was indicted but not convicted for stealing a car, for theft.
And Smith was sentenced to probation for threatening a girlfriend with a knife.
In 2015, Culture Map highlighted Smith and his wife as part of the next generation of Houston’s homebuilders.
She’s gone, so is the next wife.
And Harris County records detail a growing number of other lawsuits against Smith Family Homes, Layne Kelly Homes, and Bradley Smith himself.
On Ella Lee, a landscape contractor sued Smith for not paying him for work done on three houses.
“I’d say it’s 100 percent criminal at that point. It’s habitual, it’s malicious, it’s intentional. He plays new clients against the old clients and is just constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Matthew Hogue said.
“He takes money from one client right. and then spends it somewhere else,” Dolcefino said.
“100 percent,” Hogue said.
And it’s not just customers and contractors suing Smith.
“He thought he could save a buck by finding, locating, and tapping into a wastewater line that he believed was on my property,” Randy Gibbs said.
Randy Gibbs owned the house behind Smith’s property on Farish Circle.
Despite being told no by the neighborhood, Smith apparently dug a trench into Gibbs’ property, creating a six-foot sinkhole.
“You’re in a room with someone who said, ‘Hey, I found this great homebuilder, Bradley Smith.’ What do you want to tell him?” Dolcefino said.
“Run, don’t walk. You can’t trust this guy. You can’t believe anything he tells you,” Gibbs said.
“Why should someone trust you to build their home?” Dolcefino said.
“When we work really hard, really hard, there’s been some unfortunate circumstances. We’re working really hard to make this right,” Smith said.
“One of my interviews called you a bum,” Dolcefino said.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Smith said.
We work with some of the nation’s biggest newspapers to expose it.
Houston Medical Center pioneer and billionaire Dr. Ed Bosarge is so rich he owns his own island in the Bahamas.
Bosarge was accused of hiding real estate just to cheat his wife out of tens of millions of dollars after he dumped her.
We worked with some of the nation’s biggest newspapers to expose it all.
And who can forget Ali Choudhri?
Eighteen separate Dolcefino Media investigative reports detail Choudhri’s graphic abuse of the courts to financially bleed his victims.
Google Choudhri’s name today and you’ll see why so many investors just run away.
“He’s absolutely the most unethical shady slimy dirtbag,” Renee Davy said.
“And now we’ve exposed who could be Houston’s latest real estate racketeer, Bradley Smithowes, accused of stealing millions from his clients,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
“Why should someone trust you to build their home?” Dolcefino said.
“When we work really hard, really hard, there’s been some unfortunate circumstances. We’re working really hard to make this right,” Smith said.
“Yeah, it’s called taking money from Peter to pay Paul,” Dolcefino said.
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