It was 2017, and things were looking up for Teresa Truslow and her family.
The previous year her oldest son, a teen at the time, heard a radio ad touting a “Christmas Miracle” home giveaway. After entering the contest on a whim with a letter praising his mother’s commitment to her family, the Truslows were chosen over hundreds of others and awarded a newly built five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Stuarts Draft, with the title supposedly set to transfer after five years, giving them ownership.
The promise was backed by Nexus Services Inc. and its CEO at the time, Mike Donovan, who told The News Leader in 2017 that the title would convey after five years. The company, previously headquartered in Verona, provided bond securitization for immigrants held or released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nexus pulled in an estimated $230 million while in operation for nearly a decade or so…