Bolden Capital Group, the Atlanta-based landlord run by Edward Bolden, has been the target of repeated lawsuits and enforcement actions: the City of Atlanta has taken the company to court multiple times over one southwest Atlanta complex, code enforcement condemned its Bolden Townhomes property in 2025, DeKalb County fined it for violations at another complex, and Bolden himself pleaded guilty in a separate federal identity-fraud case. Several of the company’s properties are now in foreclosure, and displaced tenants have been left searching for housing.
Who Bolden Capital Group Is
Bolden Capital Group LLC was formed in Georgia on January 14, 2016, with Edward Bolden listed as its registered agent and a principal office at 400 West Peachtree Street NW in Atlanta.1Georgia Secretary of State. Bolden Capital Group LLC Business Information Court records tie Edward Allen Bolden to at least two related entities as well: Bolden Forest Apartments LLC and Fwelo Forest Apartments LLC.2Trellis Law. Ars Capital and Investment LLC vs Bolden Capital Group LLC, Edward Allen Bolden, Bolden Forest Apartments LLC, Fwelo Forest Apartments LLC
The properties tied to the group include an apartment complex on 3rd Avenue SW in Atlanta, Bolden Townhomes on Oakland Drive in southwest Atlanta, Lakewood Forest Apartments at 2600 Old Hapeville Road SW, and Bolden Pines Apartments on Kelly Lake Road in DeKalb County.3Dwellsy. Lakewood Forest Apartments
City of Atlanta Lawsuits Over the 3rd Avenue Complex
Bolden Capital Group announced its purchase of an apartment complex in the 2900 block of 3rd Avenue SW in November 2018. Complaints from neighbors and city officials followed almost immediately. By May 2020, Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd said the city had taken Bolden Capital Group to court “at least three times” over the property.4FOX 5 Atlanta. Councilwoman: Apartment Owner Neglects Duties, Residents Living in Deplorable Conditions
Sheperd described conditions at the complex as “like a third world country,” citing unsafe vacant buildings, piles of garbage, and broken lighting. She pushed the city to pursue a nuisance abatement, a legal mechanism that would let Atlanta take over the property, close it, clean it up, and relocate tenants. Bolden told Sheperd in an email that he planned to fix the property and wanted to work with the city, saying he had experienced “trouble officially gaining ownership” of the complex but that the issue had been resolved. He declined a formal FOX 5 Atlanta interview in May 2020, saying only that a cleanup crew would begin work the next day.
The 2025 Bolden Townhomes Condemnation
The largest wave of legal and public scrutiny hit in 2025, centered on Bolden Townhomes on Oakland Drive. Tenants reported collapsed ceilings, interior flooding, exposed wiring, mold, bedbugs, and cockroach infestations. Many said management refused to provide formal leases or used incorrect tenant information on paperwork, making it hard for residents to establish utility accounts or prove where they lived.5Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Calling Us Squatters: Oakland City Renters Say They Face Illegal Evictions
On May 27, 2025, Fulton County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the complex to serve documents to residents. By May 30, tenants were served with notices labeling them as squatters. Residents and tenant advocates said the property owner was invoking the Georgia Squatter Reform Act to bypass standard court-ordered eviction procedures. That law lets property owners seek faster removal of occupants they characterize as unauthorized, but tenants at Bolden Townhomes maintained they held valid leases and had been paying rent.
Code Citations and Foreclosure
In June 2025, the City of Atlanta cited Bolden Capital Group for multiple code enforcement violations at the Oakland Drive property, including mold contamination and structural failures. The property was condemned, boarded up, fenced off, and placed under security watch. It then entered foreclosure, and planned repairs were never completed.6WSB-TV. Former Tenants of Condemned Atlanta Apartments Say They’re Left With Nowhere to Go
Some residents were placed in temporary hotel housing for roughly a month or two after the city intervened, with help from the city and unnamed nonprofit groups. A relocation assistance program offered $3,000 to tenants who agreed to leave, but those funds ran out quickly. Some residents reported that individuals using fraudulent leases had claimed payments meant for legitimate tenants, leaving families like the Vaughns without any assistance. Many tenants’ belongings were thrown out when the complex was boarded up.
Political Response
On June 6, 2025, tenants held a press conference alongside the Housing Justice League to demand accountability from Bolden and an end to forced evictions.7Representative Mary Margaret Oliver. GA Law Gives Tenants at a Southwest Atlanta Apartment Complex Protections Against Unsafe Conditions Alison Johnson, the group’s executive director, argued that the Georgia Squatter Reform Act was being weaponized by landlords to criminalize tenants and avoid formal court eviction proceedings.
Atlanta District 4 Council member Jason Dozier issued a formal statement that same day, calling the allegations “serious” and demanding a “swift, coordinated response from the City of Atlanta.”8Atlanta City Council. District 4 Council Member Jason Dozier Statement on Housing Conditions at Bolden Townhomes As of June 2025, Dozier described the allegations as “still pending” investigation, and no formal enforcement action beyond code citations had been confirmed.
DeKalb County Citations and Guilty Plea
Bolden Capital Group also owned Bolden Pines Apartments at 2784 Kelly Lake Road in DeKalb County, a property DeKalb officials said had been causing problems since 2016.9Yahoo News. Tenants at 3rd Property Owned by Same Company Say They Face Similar Issues A June 26, 2025 inspection produced eight code enforcement citations covering unregistered vehicles, overgrown grass, damaged wiring, broken balconies, and the lack of both a current business license and a code compliance certificate. A court date was set for August 12, 2025.
That property also entered foreclosure. Bolden Capital Group pleaded guilty to code enforcement violations related to Bolden Pines and was fined just under $3,000.6WSB-TV. Former Tenants of Condemned Atlanta Apartments Say They’re Left With Nowhere to Go
Edward Bolden’s Federal Identity Theft Case
Separate from the property disputes, Edward Bolden, Jr. was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019 on charges of conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The case, United States v. Bolden, et al. (1:19-cr-00334, Northern District of Georgia), grew out of a scheme involving former Verizon employees who used stolen personal information to open fraudulent wireless accounts.10U.S. Department of Justice. Five Former Verizon Employees Indicted for Opening Bogus Accounts With Stolen Identity
According to the indictment, between November 2018 and May 2019, Bolden and five co-defendants used stolen names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers to open Verizon accounts and buy “tens of thousands of dollars’ worth” of wireless phones and accessories before defaulting on the accounts. Bolden was listed as a General Manager at a Verizon store in Newnan, Georgia.11Atlanta Business Chronicle. Former Georgia Verizon Employees Indicted for Fraud In January 2020, Bolden pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 10 of the 36-count indictment.12CourtListener. United States v. Bolden The case was marked terminated on February 2, 2021.
Where Things Stand
As of mid-2025, Bolden Capital Group’s owner had 18 complaints on file with the Better Business Bureau.5Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Calling Us Squatters: Oakland City Renters Say They Face Illegal Evictions The company remains registered in Georgia as “Active/Noncompliance,” meaning it has not met all of its annual filing obligations with the Secretary of State.1Georgia Secretary of State. Bolden Capital Group LLC Business Information A separate civil lawsuit filed in 2024 by Ars Capital and Investment LLC names Bolden Capital Group, Edward Allen Bolden, Bolden Forest Apartments LLC, and Fwelo Forest Apartments LLC as defendants; details of that case beyond the caption are not publicly available. Multiple properties tied to the group are now in foreclosure, and displaced tenants from the condemned Bolden Townhomes have started an online fundraiser to help with recovery.