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Rock Island Residents Sue First Financial Group, L.C. and Vesole Over Allegedly Deceptive “Rent to Own” Homebuying Scheme

June 25, 2026

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY — Five Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS) clients filed a lawsuit on June 5 against First Financial Group, L.C. (“FFG”) and its principal, Richard Vesole. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants used deceptive rent-to-own contracts to exploit low-income homebuyers, promising homeownership but delivering lease agreements that left residents trapped with heavy repair burdens and no property deeds.

The Rock Island area residents, represented by PSLS, filed the complaint in Illinois state court. The lawsuit alleges common law fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and the Illinois Real Estate Installment Sales Contract Act.

According to the complaint, FFG and Vesole led the residents to believe they were entering into traditional property closings to buy single-family homes. The defendants allegedly used documents labeling the residents as “buyers” and issued a “Notice of Interest in Real Estate.” However, despite making down payments, the residents never received deeds. Instead, they were given lease agreements that forced them to take on the financial responsibility for essential structural repairs, such as fixing broken heating systems.

Furthermore, the complaint states that the fine print of these lease agreements required residents to secure outside, traditional financing to exercise their option to purchase. This contradicts marketing on FFG’s website (homesintheqc.com/rent-to-own), which advertises the program as being "geared toward people who want to own their home, but cannot get a traditional loan."

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PSLS offers free legal services to low income persons and those older than 60 who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them. PSLS has 11 offices serving 36 counties throughout Northern and Central Illinois. All offices are accessible to people with disabilities. Free legal help is available in most languages.