Tag Archives: California

Embezzlement Allegations

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Well, prosecutors in San Mateo finally nailed a 64 year old HOA manager. She’s accused of embezzling 2.8 million dollars from the Woodlake Homeowners Association. She’s facing a growing heap of charges while police continue to investigate her partner.

Suspect Susan Marie Lambert

My question is, how the heck do you steal nearly three million dollars from a bunch of condo owners? Do you just assume that because they live in condos they must be stupid? Let me put that loss in actual numerals:  $2,800,000.00! Where do you hide it? It can’t be in your pillowcase. It can’t even be under your bed. It would completely fill one of those condo units you supervise!

The big hoot in the story linked below is a quote from Chief Deputy D.A. Karen Guidotti, who says, “It’s obviously an enormous embezzlement. We certainly don’t see them of this magnitude very often.”

Well, Deputy Dawg. You’d better take off those rose-colored glasses and start looking across America. Denver, Colorado, Overland Park, Kansas, Las Vegas, Nevada, just about anywhere in Texas or Pennsylvania, Virginia or Florida. Really, 2.8 million dollars is just an average take in the HOA embezzlement business.

(link to HOA embezzlement story from San Mateo Journal)

 

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

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Yep. That’s a Constitutional right and we all respect it. But it doesn’t mean we can’t discuss indictments and criminal charges. That’s public record.

The Carbon Canyon 1 Homeowners Association in Chino Hills, California thinks it’s been victimized to the tune of $128,792, money embezzled between 2013 and 2014. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office did an investigation. And the HOA treasurer, Julie Calderon is now facing charges of grand theft by embezzlement and embezzlement by a public or private officer. Her preliminary hearing is August 25th.

(link to latest HOA embezzlement)

 

 

Little Free Library Must Go Says The HOA!

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guest blog by Nila Ridings

Jennifer Fontanilla of Stockton, California had no idea she could not erect a Little Free Library in her front yard. Well, let’s say she had no idea her LeBaron Estates Owners Association could prohibit her from keeping the Little Free Library she won and then erected.

It’s got a bright yellow door and gives the impression literacy is just tempting inquiring minds of the young and old to open it. Take a peek inside. Find something interesting. And take it home to read.

OMG! What if there was a copy of Neighbors At War The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association by Ward Lucas in there? What if Miss Jennifer and her neighbors learned the TRUTH about the risks of owning in the HOA? What if they came across this website and read these blogs about abusive bullies on the HOA boards? What if she has no idea the board members can spend massive amounts of money to drag her into a lawsuit, a jury trial, and foreclose and take her home and life’s savings? All because she was providing FREE BOOKS to her neighbors to READ! Tell me dear readers, has there ever been a greater sin?!?!

The Little Free Library movement has gone global. To me, it’s a wonderful thing. I’ve been known to put books in the ones in my area, but NONE OF THEM ARE IN MY HOA! I would love to build one and fill it with books. But I know I would have to figure out a way to live in it because my HOA would definitely foreclose and take my townhouse if a Little Free Library appeared anywhere near here.

The ignorance in America continues to grow. Shouldn’t we be willing to do anything possible to encourage learning? Are we really this stupid to believe a Little Free Library across the street is going to depreciate property values? And are we willing to pay dues so a bunch of bullies can sue the neighbor that has a Little Free Library that most everybody enjoys?

When will we stand up and say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

Jennifer Fontanilla has another ‘hearing’ about this issue on July 14th. Can we figure out a way to show our support for her from all across America?

A special thank you to Record staff writer, Nicolas Filipas for exposing more insanity from a California HOA.

(link to Little Free Library story)

http://www.recordnet.com/article/20150703/NEWS/150709883#ReaderReaction

Civil Forfeiture

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I’m quite sure HOA warriors like George Staropoli and Evan McKenzie have written about this subject. But it’s really kind of spooky to chart the parallels between Civil Forfeiture laws and seizure of private property by Homeowners Associations.

Civil forfeiture laws are a horrendous holdover from the American Civil War and prohibition. They allow police the power to seize vehicles or property of people suspected of carrying on some kind of illegal activity. in the 70s and 80s police began seizing private homes that were suspected of being crack houses. At no time were the police required to prove guilt. Many times a homeowner who unknowingly leased his house to bad people ended up with no rights, no house, and no way to get it back.

In the 1980s Congress allowed police agencies all over the country to keep what they seized, even if there was absolutely no proof that a crime had been committed. Try to board a plane with too much cash in your wallet or purse the money? It can be legally seized. When do you get it back? In most cases, never. All the cops have to do is claim they suspected the money was involved in some kind of crime. No proof of guilt was needed. What rights do you have? You have the right to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit to get it back. Anything else? No. No due process, no way to prove your innocence. The money simply disappears into what’s little more than a police slush fund.

It’s stunningly evil. In a country where the Constitution created rights to protect citizens against the government, justice has been turned on its ear.

Across the country, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of homeowners have been victimized in much the same way. Wrong kind of window shades or a kid’s toy left out overnight? A big fine, then a lien, then forfeiture of your house. Your rights? You get to hire a lawyer and sue to try your stuff back. The boards of Homeowners Associations have absolutely the same power of civil forfeiture as the cops. And the money they seize also goes into HOA slush funds, or into the pockets of embezzlers.

What have we done to ourselves, folks?

(link to booklet on civil forfeiture)

http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/pdf/Forfieture-Booklet-FINAL-Full.pdf

Another ‘Kid-Friendly’ Homeowners Association

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These stories are nauseating. Here’s another California Homeowners Association which has decided that kids are ‘Satan’s Spawn’ and need to be harassed out of the neighborhood. It’s understandable that HOA boards want kids to be safe. But I drive around neighborhoods all day long and see basketball hoops and skateboards and hockey nets. There’s rarely a story of any kid being hit in a neighborhood.

We’ve done enough in the PC world to screw up our kids’ heads. I’d far rather see kids playing basketball than getting fat playing video games.

Fie on the Whitney Oaks Community Association in Rocklin, California. Fie. Yes, I know that’s a little archaic. But it just feels good to say.

Fie!

(HOA bans overnight kids’ sports equipment)