As Russell Callahan took a smoke break outside an extended stay hotel in Westborough, Massachusetts, it was pretty obvious he was surprised when a Boston crew from NBC10 showed up to expose the scheme he and his wife, Linda, had been pulling off for the past two decades.
“We’ve been looking for you,” we announced as Russell Callahan dropped his cigarette on the sidewalk and hurried to his downstairs room.
Our investigation earlier this month revealed that the Callahan family has been evicted more than 20 times over the past two decades, with judgments for unpaid rent exceeding well over $100,000.
An NBC10 investigation found that Russell and Linda Callahan defrauded small landowners in Massachusetts out of thousands of dollars, living in rent-free homes and seemingly getting away with it for the past two decades. We tried to get answers from Russell Callahan as to why.
The landlords told us that the couple had made a positive first impression and brought a stack of documents – credit reports, background checks and pay stubs – that would strengthen their position in the rental application process.
However, after the owners moved into their homes, they discovered that the checks had bounced because the bank account had been closed.
Landlords report that they were given a series of excuses to delay the eviction process until they realized it was all a scam.
The victims we interviewed included a single mother, families saving for their children’s college expenses, and a veteran serving his first deployment overseas with the Navy.
Everyone in Worcester Housing Court seems to know the Callahans. Attorney Henry Raphaelson told us he has been involved with the couple in at least six eviction cases.
We asked Raphaelson why he thought they continued the plot, as they are often evicted from their homes and looking for new victims.
“Because they live in very, very nice places,” Raphaelson said. “The Callahans certainly owe more money than anyone I’ve seen in Worcester County.”
However, when we aired our investigation earlier this month, it was still unclear where the Callahans were currently living. No new address had emerged since they were last evicted from a house in Shrewsbury in late 2023.
We have therefore decided to send a letter to the relevant address using a forwarding service and a signed delivery confirmation.
When the letter reached its final destination, it led us to a UPS location on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, where we saw Linda Callahan collecting mail from a mailbox and loading packages into a new Mazda SUV.
NBC10 Boston
Our journey eventually led us to a long-term hotel in Westborough, where we spoke to Russell Callahan in the parking lot.
“Why haven’t you paid rent for the last 20 years?” we asked as Russell rushed to his room. “You’ve been cheating the landlords for the last 20 years. What do you have to say to them and all the money you owe?”
Just like the monthly rent, Russell Callahan’s answers never came. He grabbed a 12-pack of Budweiser from the patio and closed the sliding door behind him without looking back.
NBC10 Boston
We contacted the property manager and asked how long the Callahans have lived there and if they have paid the bill, but received no response.
The big question now is whether the Callahans will face serious consequences. As we previously reported, the incidents were not treated as crimes by the legal system, but as “housing court matters.”
Both the Worcester County District Attorney and the Massachusetts Attorney General tell us they are aware of our reporting, but have neither confirmed nor denied whether they have launched a criminal investigation.
“Hopefully they end up in a nice prison,” said one landlord. “Free accommodation. That’s what they’re looking for, right? Free accommodation.”
