Another Consumer Blogger Gets It!
Ah, it’s so good when you see member of the real estate industry who finally discovers that all is not good in HOA Amerika! I hope he continues his research. He’s going to be stunned!
Tag Archives: Realtor
This HOA Embezzlement Plea Bargain Stinks!
Embezzling from Homeowners Associations in America is an epidemic. But when a federal prosecutor accepts a tiny plea bargain agreement from a chronic embezzler it stinks to high heavens.
Birmingham, Alabama… Realty company owner Jill Rouse Boothby admits to stealing more than 375,000 dollars from eleven condo associations she managed. She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and faithfully promises she’ll pay back the hundreds of thousands of bucks she stole. Apparently, there’s not going to be any jail time.
I know U.S. Attorneys have a lot of violent criminals to deal with. But stealing from elderly people does an untold amount of damage to their lives. Any theft from old people should be considered a violent crime. But until law enforcement starts handing out some stiff punishments, these crimes will NEVER stop!
(link to story on HOA embezzler in Birmingham)
The Rich, The Famous, and The Fraudster
guest blog by Nila Ridings
Perhaps this will serve as a reminder to NEVER PAY CASH TO YOUR HOA property manager, office manager, board members, or the door man!
We’re back in Aspen where a former manager of the Inn At Aspen has allegedly stolen $90,000. A Pitkin County judge is going to be seeing Saimoni Naivalu of Ivins, Utah again in September, but for now he’s lawyered up and bonded out of jail.
Saimoni created a company to do ‘maintenance’ for the Inn At Aspen. You know, the kind of ‘maintenance’ where the only task is cashing checks. These checks just happen to turn into cash…and that cash seems to have a way of sneaking into Naivalu’s billfold.
These crooks just hate to get caught stealing but they always want to pay it back when they do. Fat chance of seeing that money again at the Inn At Aspen!
(link to story in Aspen Daily News)
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/171857
American News Media Getting Educated About HOAs? Nawwww!
Homeowners rights advocates like Deborah Goonan, Sara Benson, Nila Ridings and others are noting that more and more mainstream news outlets are beginning to be aware of the national Homeowners Association scam. Yes, they’re writing about it, but they’re still getting it wrong.
This is a multi-billion dollar scandal and these idiot reporters are just saying that homeowners have to be more aware and do more DUE diligence. The Fox Business article linked below is another example of a reporter learning that “there’s something out there!”
But the very structure and promise of Homeowners Associations is a complete lie. You can’t just ‘investigate’ to see if your HOA is being operated properly. A balsa wood doll house might look strong enough to stand on. But the strength it promises is a fabrication. Your HOA promises to protect your property values, but in tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of HOAs across America property values are plummeting. If you think your values are being protected then you’ve bought into one of the biggest lies ever sold to the American homeowner.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!
(link to Fox Business article on the need to investigate before you buy)
Educating HOA directors to be representatives of the members
guest blog by George Staropoli
Florida attorney and CAI member Donna Berger posted the following question, “Why do you need to listen to the dissenting voices in your community?”, on the Becker & Poliakoff Community Association Law blog. (http://www.communityassociationlawblog.com/2016/05/why-you-need-to-listen-to-dissenting.html).
She wrote, in part, “One of the first things leadership training establishes is that discordant voices in an organization can be extremely beneficial to growth and the ultimate success of that organization.” I commented:
“Good advice.
“I see a reason for the hostile response by many board members, beyond rude and angry behavior of some members, is that HOA directors are not schooled in the requirements to be a representative of the ‘people.’
“Unlike a business, governing representatives must be educated to accept the reality that dissent is part of the job and they must be able to respond in a positive manner. That they are to carry member issues and concerns to the entire board for resolution.
“If they cannot, then the job is not theirs. If the job is beyond their pay grade, they should also not serve.
“So, why is there a failure to educate themselves on what it means to be a representative of the people?”
