The Tale of Two Lebanons: A Coordinated Federal Quiet-Buy?
Disclaimer: This article and images are for commentary purposes only. The underlying facts and events shown or referenced here are drawn from publicly available reports that have been independently corroborated by the investigative journalism of Anita Wadwani and others. Make of this data what you will.
After reviewing the information, two possibilities (or both) appear plausible:
This reflects an intentional deception by the federal government, or
This is another federal operational fumble compounded by a clear lack of proper public-relations coordination to clarify what is happening.
Nothing in this post is intended as legal advice. All commentary is protected opinion based solely on verified public reporting. Readers are strongly encouraged to review the primary sources and Anita Wadwani’s reporting directly.
Compiled from primary source reporting by: Anita Wadhwani (Tennessee Lookout) · Amanda Fries & Gabriela Martínez (Spotlight PA)
The Lebanon Connection
There is a Lebanon in Tennessee. There is a Lebanon in Pennsylvania. They are 800 miles apart. They share nothing except their name.
And in early 2026, the federal government was quietly moving on deals to both of them at the same time—while making sure nobody in either community knew anything about it until it was too late to stop it.
This is not opinion. Every highlighted fact in this article links directly to a deed record, a government email screenshot, or a named journalist’s published investigation. Every source opens in a new window. If someone tells you this is misinformation, click the links and read the documents yourself.
Act One - The Reporter Who Caught the Confusion
One Question Changed Everything
On February 13, 2026, Anita Wadhwani, a senior investigative reporter at the Tennessee Lookout, received a statement from an ICE media account saying the agency had purchased a facility in Lebanon. The statement gave no address, no purchase price, and no contractor name—just the word “Lebanon” and a set of economic claims: 7,216 jobs, $829.5 million in GDP contribution, and $167.8 million in tax revenue.
Wadhwani had been tracking ICE’s warehouse purchases in Pennsylvania—where a place also named Lebanon sits. She asked ICE the only question that mattered: Which Lebanon do you mean—Tennessee or Pennsylvania?
At 3:04 PM that same afternoon, a named federal government employee—Paige D. Hughes (Paige.D.Hughes@ice.dhs.gov)—replied in writing: “Hi - Yes, I do mean Lebanon, Tennessee.” That email is a screenshot sent from a .gov address. You can see this email in the accompanying video and in the Tennessee Lookout’s published retraction story.
The Timeline of Contradiction
WSMV tracked the story independently. On February 16, ICE refused to confirm, citing a “campaign of violence against agents.” On February 17 at 9:30 AM, a different ICE spokesperson confirmed the purchase with full economic figures. At 4:29 PM the same day, a third ICE statement retracted everything. The agency took three separate contradictory positions within 48 hours.
The confirmation was not limited to one outlet. Reporters from WSMV, FOX 17, the Tennessean, and the Chattanooga Times Free Press all received the same confirmation across two days from multiple ICE spokespersons before the retraction came.
Feb 13 – 10 AM: ICE sends unsigned statement confirming Lebanon purchase. Paige D. Hughes confirms in writing: “Yes, I do mean Lebanon, Tennessee.”
Feb 13–15: Multiple outlets independently receive the same Tennessee confirmation.
Feb 14–16: Rep. Clark Boyd contacts every level of government. Wilson County Assessor confirms: no deed on file.
Feb 17 – 9:30 AM: Second ICE spokesperson confirms Tennessee purchase to WSMV with detailed economic figures.
Feb 17 – 4:29 PM: THE RETRACTION. A third spokesperson claims the previous statement was “sent without proper approval.”
Feb 18: ICE refuses to answer if they have no plans or simply no purchase yet.
“Between me and the other elected official representing Wilson County, we have spoken with every level of government... and none of us have yet to find a single person who has any knowledge of it.”
— State Rep. Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon, TN)
Read the retraction carefully. It says no purchase has happened. It does not say there are no plans.
Act Two - The Other Lebanon: Pennsylvania
Where the Deeds Are Real and the Receipts Are Public
While Tennessee was getting a retraction, Pennsylvania was getting deeds.
In Upper Bern Township, Berks County, a warehouse at 3501 Mountain Road had been sitting empty since 2021. Once the Mountain Springs Arena, it was converted into the Hamburg Logistics Center and sat vacant for three straight years.
Reporters Amanda Fries and Gabriela Martínez of Spotlight PA drove to the site on January 15. They watched two dozen individuals inspecting the building; one man identified himself to a reporter as ICE.
On February 2, the deed was recorded. The warehouse was sold to the United States Government / ICE Facilities Management Division for $87,402,500 in Cash. This is confirmed by deed records filed at the Berks County Recorder of Deeds. The township solicitor confirmed that local officials only learned of the sale the morning the deed was recorded.
Verify the Berks County deed yourself:
Berks County Recorder of Deeds · Search: 3501 Mountain Road, Upper Bern Township
Act Three - Follow the Money
The Shell Company That Cashed Out $29.9 Million of Your Tax Dollars
Every number below comes from deed records and commercial real estate filings reported across multiple independent newsrooms.
⚠ The Berks County Cash-Out
Sep 23, 2024: PCCP LLC buys the facility from Transwestern/QuadReal for $57,500,000.
Feb 2, 2026: Sold to U.S. Government / ICE for $87,402,500.
The Profit: $29,902,500 — a 52% return in 16 months on a building that sat empty the entire time.
JLL Capital Markets brokered the 2024 sale, explicitly marketing the building as vacant. To complete the 2026 sale, PCCP used a Delaware LLC called 3501 Mountain Road Owner LLC. When Spotlight PA called Greg Eberhardt, the PCCP partner on the deed, he stated: “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” and hung up.
Verify the LLC yourself:
Delaware Division of Corporations · Search: “3501 Mountain Road Owner LLC”
Act Four -The Second Pennsylvania Purchase
The LLC Name That Decodes Itself
A second deed was recorded simultaneously in Schuylkill County. The 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse at 50 Rausch Creek Road was purchased for $119,515,000 from BIGTRPA001 LLC.
Decode the name yourself:
BIG (Big Lots, the former occupant)
TR (Tremont Township)
PA (Pennsylvania)
001 (The first transaction)
Blue Owl Capital acquired the property after Big Lots filed for bankruptcy and laid off 505 workers. While those workers got nothing, the asset management firm collected $119.5 million of federal tax money.
The Schuylkill County Commissioners confirmed that ICE plans to house up to 7,500 people in this building—nearly four times the population of the entire surrounding community. Commissioner Larry Padora noted that the local sewage and water systems simply cannot handle this capacity.
Verify the LLC and Deed yourself:
Ohio Secretary of State · Search: “BIGTRPA001”
Schuylkill County Recorder of Deeds · Search: 50 Rausch Creek Road
Act Five - The Coordinated Timing
Two Counties, Two Sellers, One Date: This Was Not an Accident
Both the Berks County and Schuylkill County deeds were made effective on January 29 and recorded on February 2. Both were cash transactions. Both buyers were listed identically as the ICE Facilities Management Division.
The combined tax loss to these local communities is approximately $1.97 million per year. Neither community was given an opportunity to negotiate or prepare.
Act Six - The Full Picture
The Plain Truth in Plain English:
A Los Angeles real estate firm bought a vacant PA warehouse through a Delaware shell company, held it for 16 months while it sat empty, and flipped it to ICE for a $29.9 million profit.
In New York, an asset management firm used an Ohio LLC to flip a bankrupt retail warehouse to ICE for $119.5 million. Both deals closed on the same day. No local elected officials were told in advance.
In Tennessee, a named federal employee confirmed a purchase in writing, only for the government to issue a narrow “no purchase” retraction four days later.
Two cities named Lebanon. 800 miles apart. Both in play at the same time. The Pennsylvania receipts are in county courthouses. The Tennessee silence continues.
Primary Sources
Compiled February 18, 2026 · Subject to update as records emerge.
