GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. -- A company involved with a project to collect signatures in support of a new hotel said they "have no reason to believe these signatures were forged but we are fully cooperating with Greenwood Village Police."
Turn Corps said in a statement there is no incentive for a canvasser to forge a signature because they never pay by the signature. A company representative went on to say the canvasser was not provided with a list of names so he would not be able to know who lived at each home.
The statement goes against interviews with several residents and other companies directly involved with the hotel's development.
Denver7 first reported about the forgery allegations that surfaced on a petition for a Marriott Residence Inn that would be located in Greenwood Village. Reporter Liz Gelardi even talked with several residents who said they never signed that petition.
"I told them it definitely was not my signature," said Neil Olseky, who found out his name was on the petition when Greenwood Village Police showed up at his door.
On top of that, companies involved with the hotel's construction admit in a letter to the city that, "We have concluded that many of the signatures contained on the petition were indeed falsified."
Baywood Hotels and CRL Associates said in that same letter they terminated their relationship with Turn Corps. The letter said a man named Eric Forney collected the signatures. Denver7 has been unable to reach him.
Turn Corps said the canvasser is not their employee and they worked with a local canvassing agency to go door-to-door.
The petition and a memo from the city was turned over to police earlier this week for them to investigate.