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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
