Tag Archives: Las Vegas

A Must-Read From Las Vegas!

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Long-time readers of this blog know that the most corrupt Homeowners Associations in the country are in Nevada. We know that from the 41 or more organized crime racketeering convictions earlier this year in Las Vegas. Just as I predicted, despite the tens of millions of dollars in losses all but one of these HOA mobsters got less than 18 months in federal prison.

That being said, there are some shining lights of honesty in that area. Dr. Gary Solomon, Jonathan Friedrich, Colonel Robert Franks among others. Sadly, the corruption is so rife within the Homeowners Association movement that the system works hard to stomp out those who sacrifice to help others.

Today, Bob Franks sent out the following letter to explain to his legions of admirers why he has to step back in the fight for homeowners’ rights:

My appointment to the HOA Commission is completed. I did not request
reappointment for a normal 3 year term. So, I can now move on with the
satisfaction that CICCH Commission records show I did my best to make a
difference on behalf of unit owners.

Regretfully, the record shows that legislative and executive branch
authorities do not appear to want the CICCH (HOA) Commission to
effectively perform its statutory mission on behalf of all home
owners. It is under the tight control of industry and government
interests–to the serous detriment of unit owners and other occupants.

The record of the past decade shows that well over 95% of unsettled law
violation complaints filed with the state by unit owners against HOA
boards and licensed managers are summarily dismissed by the state. The
division does not have to show or defend the merits and results of its
secret, multi-year investigations with board presidents and their
attorneys. The division’s dismissal decisions are not subject to
anyone’s review or dispute unless high cost civil lawsuits are
initiated. This is gross injustice for unit owners. Imagine if the
courts only tried 5% of the valid complaints filed with them?

The less than half a dozen cases out of hundreds filed each year that
are actually prosecuted under the administrative statutes by the
Attorney General staff to the CICCH Commission always reflect high level
criminal violations as well. But, criminal investigations and
prosecutions never seem to get prosecuted. HOA and Condo unit owners
are losing many millions of dollars due to known criminal violations
every year and the government is failing to do anything. This knowing
and willing failure of justice for HOA owners is a true outrage for our
state.

The Real Estate Division is also not subject to any kind of outside
oversight of its decisions that almost always favor the boards and
licensed managers. This means the Division is given a blank check by
the Legislature to continue to hide its apparent misconduct and denial
of homeowner justice.

As a result, HOA owners currently have no viable paths for demanding and
expecting to receive citizen property rights protections from the
abusive industry and state/local government controllers.

Unfortunately, it now seems clear that a large, Nevada grassroots
organization and legislative caucus must be formed to represent
aggrieved property owners against the combined business and government
power blocs. The consequences of doing nothing can create a continuing
blight upon the previously attractive Nevada home markets.

Regards,

Bob
Robert Frank, Colonel, USAF (Ret.)

(Bob Frank’s LinkedIn address)

 

 

 

More Stupid Sentences in Las Vegas

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Egads, I thought white collar organized crime figures averaged at least 18 months in prison. Now I’m the one who looks totally stupid. My deepest apologies to those of you I unintentionally deceived.

But Federal Judge Mahan in Las Vegas keeps handing down kindergarten sentences to the organized crime figures who stole millions and millions of dollars from Las Vegas homeowners. Kindergarten sentences: You know, “Go stand in the corner for ten minutes, Billie. You’re a bad, bad boy!”

Officially, these criminals stole only 7 million dollars in their HOA scam. Ultimately, history will tell you they stole more than 100 million dollars. And the Las Vegas housing market may never recover. In fact, with the recent Nevada Supreme Court decision that HOA liens are super-priority liens which can cancel the original mortgage loan, the lending market is refusing to lend ANY money to a home in a homeowners association. That means thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Nevada homes are sitting empty. They’re unsalable. The ongoing crime is the one committed by this federal judge!

Some of the worst criminals are being sentenced to one year and one day, like this cop:

(former las vegas cop gets short prison term)

Others are being sentenced to a few months of home detention. (Gosh, I’m at home taking care of an ill wife. That’s home detention and I didn’t steal anything!)

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas housing market is in a free fall.

(las vegas housing free fall)
(this link is a little wackier, but still probably 90% correct.)

 

WHO IS BARBARA HOLLAND?

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A Response To Her Recent Attack On Jonathan Friedrich

guest blog by Jonathan Friedrich

Ms Holland presumes she is the ”Queen Bee” of all community managers in the Las Vegas area.

First a few facts about Ms. Holland:

The column that she posts each week in the Review Journal SHE PAYS FOR. She is not a columnist working for the newspaper. If you observe near the very top of the page under the “Real Estate” banner the words “promotional section” are printed. This is another way of saying this is an advertisement!

Ms. Holland has built a successful business through the use of this advertisement tool.Ms. Holland, who is a licensed community manager number CAM.0001049-SUPR, has had numerous complaints filed against her with the Nevada Real Estate Division in the past. Ms. Holland makes a very nice living off the backs of people living in Homeowner Associations.

Ms. Holland’s unprovoked rabid attack on me in her paid column on September 27, 2014 for expressing my “global” view on the Nevada State Supreme Court’s decision only shows her myopic view of HOA life and her own financial well being.

What Ms. Holland fails to realize is the big picture that banks will be very cautious about lending in Nevada. This can translate into higher interest rates or refusal to lend at all!

As a Commissioner on the Common Interest-Community Commission I had a sworn duty to protect ALL of the people of this State and not just the special interest groups. This is what I did and continue to do.

Ms Holland, on the other hand, only has to look after her own special business interests. She is part of an ever growing and controlling industry that is threatening the very fabric of American life and liberty of its citizens.

To quote Ms. Holland “its about time we caught a break.” But it’s the homeowners who really need a break!

Homeowner associations have almost unlimited powers. When you purchase a home or Condo in an association you consent to be “ruled” by a group of individuals known as a “board.” This board decides what your monthly assessment is, how much will be spent on your behalf and on what, what color you can paint the exterior of your home, when you can open your garage door and for how long it can stay open, what plants and flowers you can plant. In short an HOA can and does control your life.

HOAs were created back in the 1960s to keep Blacks, Jews and Asians out of “private” communities. Is this the American way of life? I do not think so.

Oh, Ms. Holland I almost  forgot to mention all of the corruption, embezzlements of funds by board members and or the managers and kickbacks to managers all costing owners millions of dollars a year. Let us not forget the abuse and attacks  against owners who speak up and speak out against board members.

As a Commissioner I witnessed many of these acts first hand.

So Ms. Holland we the homeowners do need a “break”.

Ms. Holland, with her tunnel vision view of the world, owes me an apology. But I don’t expect one from her.

 

Fireworks in Carson City, Nevada

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This is shameful.

No state in the union has suffered more from HOA abuse than homeowners in Nevada. No homeowners have been financially stripped and laid bare more than people in Nevada. Organized crime in so entrenched in Homeowners Associations in that state that many people in HOAs have lost up to 90 per in value in their homes. But when Organized Crime sees a chance to put OPM (other peoples money) into their pockets, there’s not much that will hold them back.

But ripped-off homeowners in that state were finally able to convince the U.S. Attorney and the FBI to do an investigation, and 39 people including police officials, attorneys, businessmen, political figures, a well-known TV star were indicted and now face felony trials for theft and official corruption. Well, I’ll modify that, a bit. In typical Nevada fashion, certain key suspects began killing themselves in strangely concocted ‘suicides’, and others began to rat out the bigwigs, eight or nine of whom still face trial for their crimes.

Nevada citizens were even able to get a couple of homeowners advocates placed in key positions on the eminently corrupt Nevada Real Estate Division. These homeowners rights advocates tried to get NRED to respect such Constitutional ‘novelties’ as Due Process, a well-recognized Constitutional Right which protects all the people from government abuse.

Tomorrow and Thursday day is when well-reimbursed stooges on the Division of Real Estate tries to crush that right forever. It’s happening in Carson City. And the largest CAI vultures ever spotted by bird watchers are flying the skies over the state capitol right now making sure their paid minions succeed at stifling any sort of free speech or respect for law and order. Nevada is well known for its deep layers of official corruption. By the end of this week you’ll know whether it’ll be business as usual, or whether those struggling under the weight of oppression can reserve for the people a tiny hope for fairness.

 

Condo Fires In The Past 90 Days

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guest blog by Nila Ridings
 
The new year is not off to a good start for Ewing Township, Dallas, Branson, and Boulder.  Condo fires have left them with injured firefighters, displaced residents, and causes unknown. 
 
It is time to discuss fire safety in your home, condo, townhouse, or any other abode.
 
1 ) Do you own fire extinguishers?
  
2 ) Do you know how to use them? 
 
3 ) Are they stored with fast/easy access? 
 
4 ) Have they been checked by you or professionals? (see the video in the link below)
 
5 ) Do you have working smoke alarms with good batteries?  Are they tested monthly? 
 
6 ) When house guests visit do you show them where the fire extinguisher nearest their room is located?
 
7 ) Do you move the BBQ grill away from flammable surfaces and keep an extinguisher nearby?  (see link below for helpful hints)
 
8 ) When you stay in hotels do you make a note of where the fire alarm is and how many doors you are from the stairwell exit?
 
9 ) Do you know to NEVER throw water on a grease fire?  Use flour, baking soda, or smother the fire with a towel. 
 
People who do not have a fire extinguisher or know how to use one panic at the sight of smoke or flames.  It’s best to know how to fight the fire than to run around screaming.  Or grab your cell phone and start filming as some of these condo residents have done.
 
Many local fire departments will come out and change smoke detector batteries for you.  Check with yours if you need some help.
 
Last but not least, the link below offers information on buying an insurance policy for your condo.  There is a difference between condo and homeowners insurance policies.
 
In attached housing we can quickly become victims if our neighbors lack concern for safety.  Who knows what chemicals they may be storing?  Or how often they fall asleep with a lit cigarette.  Which ones leave their laptop computer on their bed all day which can cause the battery to ignite?  Lest we forget the ones that have saved newspapers and magazines since 1962 and then stack them to the ceiling.
 
With all this risk for fire it would make sense that sprinkler systems should have been mandatory to obtain building permits!  Oh wait…THAT would have taken money out of the developers’ pockets and raised the sales cost on the units.  
 
Money versus Safety.   Money always wins.