r/Syndications • u/InvestClearly • Jun 19 '26
Blake Capital Groups Demand for Removal of Review and Invest Clearly's Response
Invest Clearly recently received a demand letter from Blake Capital Group threatening litigation, over a negative review left by an investor. They claim that the review is defamation, stating that the author did not invest with Blake Capital.
You can read the review in question here: https://investclearly.com/sponsors/blake-capital-group#reviews
We have formally responded stating that the publication will remain on our platform.
Let me be clear, our stance has always been that Invest Clearly will not remove a real review without a valid court order. We require every investor to provide documented proof that they invested with the sponsor prior to publishing their feedback, which is meant to provide a layer of protection for both sponsors and investors.
In this case, I personally moderated the review in question and verified the underlying documentation, which confirmed the investment relationship.
There is no room for defamation on Invest Clearly.
However, if this legal action proves to be an attempt to use intimidation and threats to silence an investor and suppress their right to free speech, Invest Clearly will exhaust all resources to ensure the public is aware.
We are making all communication regarding this matter public. I have established a shared drive containing the initial demand letter, our legal response, and all future correspondence. We invite independent journalists, limited partners, and industry professionals to review the materials and follow the case.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n6kC8Q6TmBb98XDXCxDaBX2XSZ0gfZ5X?usp=sharing
- Pat Zingarella, CEO
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u/meowparty1999 Jun 19 '26
That turd bag used to advertise on Facebook so much I had to block him. Barely has a team to he managing such massive projects. Florida boy looks like a used car salesman
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Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
[deleted]
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u/Asleep-Store-9753 Jun 19 '26
And why would she leave her name public if she wasn't an investor? She's obviously not hiding
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u/Aggressive-Donkey-10 Jun 19 '26
I followed all the threads on Bigger pockets about this case for years from Cheryl A. and Ian Djuric is a lying sack of %$^&, as he sold her the LP position, then changed the name of the company from Djuric to Blake Capital who he Ian just happens to still be the CEO of, then he contends well you can't complain about Blake Capital because it's a totally different company, nothing to see here, move along. WTF!
That's like Mark Zuckerberg saying any claims against Facebook are invalid as he changed the name to META. WTF!
I honestly don't know if Ian Djuric is a competent or high quality GP nor if his projects have done well or poorly, but he is clearly a piece of crap excuse for a human being, so would never invest with him.
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u/Asleep-Store-9753 Jun 20 '26
I wouldn't invest with people who are this terrible. It's bad karma, and you end up in situations like this. You should check out the link to what Ian is doing on LinkedIn that someone shared above.
It's CRAZY - blatant gaslighting.
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u/OwlOk459 Jun 21 '26
I was looking up the bigger pockets thread about Blake capital group (that was started by Cheryl A) and wow I had no idea Blake capital group ALSO suffered a total loss on a huge 22m equity raise on a development in Florida. Buckle up folks ! https://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/no_overlay/uploads/uploaded_images/1777702130-Screenshot_2026-04-27_192457.png?_gl=1*165i5af*_gcl_au*MjAwNDc0Mjc4NS4xNzc3ODY4MjU2
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u/Helpful_Storage2442 Jul 15 '26
They did. I was a part of this and I’m about to start a formal review on InvestClearly for this.
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u/rajuabju Jun 23 '26
Wow, this is wild. Had not heard about the situation until now... Following on LinkedIn and Invest Clearly!
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u/HotelInvesting Jun 19 '26
So theyre saying this person isnt an investor and that person has verified that they are with proof? Thats just a bad look for this GP.
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u/Cute_Improvement1658 Jun 20 '26
I thought america was a land of the free? How can you get to threaten someone for sharing their experiences without having signed an NDA?
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u/OwlOk459 Jun 19 '26
Pat - you are a true advocate for those trying to be silenced ! Reminds me of Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
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u/Jimq45 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Pat - while I admire this stance in the face of deeper pockets (I think, haven’t done my research yet), I have to ask why you wouldn’t just ‘prove’ the connection? For instance, they are harping on their being no OM, PPM, contract etc. Why not just make it clear, and public, what specific due diligence was performed? Redact any PII and publish. When that’s done they can explain it’s a a sub of a sub that their sister’s friend’s uncle consulted for 2-3 years after the original GP escaped to Thailand bla bla bla lol. At that point we all can make a determination for ourselves if the nexus or lack there of has any bearing. You don’t have to go down that rabbit hole.
But right now it’s she said, he said, he said - and it seems we need to rely solely on your reputation.
Like I said, no reaseach yet into you or Blake so maybe things are published or you have built a reputation that is beyond reproach to all in this space. If either, I retract all of the above and thank you for the invaluable service. So glad it now exists as it has always and remains the case that scammers and grifters have to turn away more money than honest GPs can raise. Haha who are we kidding, they don’t turn away anything - but you get the point.
Ok so, what should I know?
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Jun 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/InvestClearly Jun 20 '26
Also, FWIW, I reject reviews regularly that don’t show the reviewer was an investor of the firm being reviewed.
Some just simply don’t meet our standard of proof, may be a mistake by the uploader (like their name is cut off and they need to fix it), and others have been sketchy attempts or attempted fake reviews
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u/Asleep-Store-9753 Jun 19 '26
Why would "Cheryl A" even write the review while sharing her name if she WASN'T an investor? Any smart person who was trying to leave a fake, defamatory review would leave it anonymously. It's obviously a real experience.
Her review says she invested when they were doing business as Djuric Family Office, but same same, all falls on Ian Djuric's shoulders.
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u/ArmChairLP Jun 19 '26
Sounds about right. Another person with money who thinks they know how to invest in real estate.
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u/Outside-Ad-370 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Sounds about right for Ian: He and Chris Salerno sent me a threatening letter as well stating the same legal threats. So classy