Friday, November 30, 2012

Only 50% of donations to charities in California, using professional fundraisers actually go to charities






Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - Data released yesterday by the California Attorney General show that commercial fundraisers in California raised $338.5 million in 2011,  just over half of which was actually received by charitable organizations. This figure excludes thrift store operations and vehicle donation programs, which are accounted for separately.
 
Supports the argument that the best place to donate is your house of worship.


The data is included in the California Department of Justice’s Annual Report of the results of commercial fundraising campaigns for charities, produced by the Charitable Trusts Section.  “This report gives Californians the vital information they need to make educated choices about where to make charitable contributions this holiday season,” Attorney General Harris said. “While commercial fundraisers play a role in supporting charities in California, it is important for donors to know how much of their money will be used to support the charity’s programs, and how much will go to overhead.”

Commercial fundraisers, who are hired by charities to raise money on their behalf, typically charge a flat fee for their services or take a percentage of the contributions they collect. Most charities registered with the Attorney General do not use commercial fundraisers to raise funds, but do their own, in-house fundraising.

By law, commercial fundraisers must register with the Attorney General’s office prior to fundraising in California and must file annual financial disclosure reports detailing income and expenses for each fundraising campaign.

The annual report contains an alphabetical list of charities that hired commercial fundraisers in 2011, along with the total revenue raised in those campaigns and the dollar amount and percentage of total funds raised that went to the charity.

On average, $172.8 million – or 51.05 percent of the funds raised – went to the charities. The remainder was retained by the commercial fundraisers as payment for fees and expenses.

The Attorney General’s office Guide to Charitable Giving for Donors provides advice, guidelines and information to help donors make informed decisions about giving. The guide suggests that donors:
Ask the fundraiser how a donation will be distributed. Fundraisers are required by law to tell a consumer this information.
Ask what percentage of donations will be used to pay for fundraising expenses. This information can better inform the consumer as to how much of the contribution will go to the cause versus overhead.
Ask if the fundraiser works for a commercial fundraiser and is being paid to solicit. If the answer is yes, then it is likely less of the funds are going to the charity.
Avoid cash donations, as cash can more easily be diverted to non-charitable purposes and there is no way to trace it.
Avoid giving credit card information to a telephone solicitor or in response to a telephone solicitation.
Learn about a charitable organization, its activities and its fundraising practices before giving. The Attorney General’s office maintains a searchable online database on registered charities and registered professional fundraisers at http://rct.doj.ca.gov/MyLicenseVerification/Search.aspx.

Donors can also check the websites of the Wise Giving Alliance at http://www.bbb.org/us/charity/  and the American Institute of Philanthropy at http://www.charitywatch.org/

The Guide to Charitable Giving for Donors is available online at: http://oag.ca.gov/charities/publications

The full report on commercial fundraisers can be located here:http://www.oag.ca.gov/charities/publications#fundraisers
  

Join the Orange County Crime Stoppers First Year Anniversary Celebration






Posted By CotoBlogzz


Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - On Monday, December 3, 2012 at 10:00 am  the Orange County Crime Stoppers is hosting its First Anniversary Celebration at the Irvine Spectrum located at 71 Fortune Drive, Irvine CA.   The celebration is open to the public.

The OC Crime Stoppers helps resolve, reduce and prevent crime by enabling citizens to safely report criminal activity to law enforcement through anonymous crime tips. OC Crime Stoppers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works in partnership with the community, the media and law enforcement to facilitate the sharing of valuable tips that will hopefully reverse cold cases and all unresolved crimes to help create a safer community.

Since its inception in October 2011, The  OC Crime Stoppers has been a successful law enforcement partner with impressive statistics as of 11/13/2012:

Tips Received 653
Arrests Made 93
Charges Filed 228
Recoveries Guns 9
Property $36,608
Drugs $235,277
Total $271,885


For more information, contact OC Crime Stoppers Founder/CEO Patricia Wenskunas at 949-872-7895. 

Saddleback College Speech and Debate Team Impress at the Griffin Invitational Tournament






Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Saddleback College Speech and Debate Team competed at the Griffin Invitational in San Diego on Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th   coming away with an impressive showing.  Co-Team Director Heidi Ochoa stated, The Saddleback individual events squad is becoming an unstoppable winning force in the region. We took one-third of our squad and managed to win first place in three categories. The coaching staff is also incredibly pleased with the leadership many of our competitors are demonstrating. Our second-year students are providing the younger generation with strong examples---and our younger generation is absorbing it."

Tournament Results:
1st Place Open After Dinner Speaking: Olivia Noceda 
4th Place Open Dramatic Interpretation: Olivia Noceda 
4th Place Open Poetry: Carolina Beyer-Flores
1st Place Novice Program Oral Interpretation: CeCe Melody 
1st Place Open Communication Analysis: Brooke Howell 
3rd Place Open Communication Analysis: Madison Dixson 
Finalist Novice Extemporaneous: Eric Post 


The Saddleback Forensics Team started in the 1970s and prides itself on offering students the ability to create innovative arguments for future writing and speaking engagements to strengthen their critical thinking skills and to better communicate with others.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts.

CALIFORNIANS, THE NEW WETBACKS HEADED FOR MEXICO


 


By Chriss Street

President Obama met with the newly elected President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto yesterday



. While the press focused on the Administration’s talking points for discussions on a wide range of issues from energy to climate change, the real concern is that the Mexican economy is far out performing the U.S. and the new immigration concern is increasingly from Americans illegally moving to Mexico.






Nowhere is this trend more challenging than in California, which was just awarded the booby-prize by 24/7 Wall Street survey, as the “Worst Run State” in the United States. The State has unemployment: 10.1% (2nd highest), Budget deficit: 20.7% (17th largest), Debt per capita: $4,008 (18th highest), Median household income: $57,287 (10th highest), percentage in poverty: 16.6% (18th highest) and the worst credit ratings.
State politician’s answer to get finances back on track, was to convince voters to raise sales taxes and increase the income tax rates for people making over $250,000 a year to the highest in the nation. This wasn’t difficult, since 40% of Californians don’t pay any income tax and a quarter are on Medicaid. Residents making $1 million per year saw their state tax burden rise to $96,189 from $87,459 last year. For every dollar earned over $1 million, the California income tax rate jumps to 13.3%.
To complement California’s ludicrously high personal tax rates, the state is also rated as the third-worst business tax climate by the American Tax Foundation. Forbes Magazine publishes a formula for states that measures how many “makers” (those gainfully employed in the private sector) are necessary to support takers (those drawing state dollars as employees, pensioners or welfare recipients. A software entrepreneur with 100 employees in San Francisco must support 139 California takers. The same entrepreneur with 100 employees in Austin only has to support 82 Texas takers. This punishment of success explains why California’s share of the U.S. economy peaked in 1990 and has shrunk faster than all but three states over the last twelve years.
California millionaires rebelling from Taxafornia tended to move to the income tax-free states of Texas, Washington and Nevada. But increasingly Californians are headed for Mexico. A Google internet search for “emigrate to the United States” generates 3.3 million hits”; but “emigrate to Mexico” generates 1.3 million hits and the number is rising fast. Besides low taxes, Mexico has six times the beachfront, half the food prices and a third the real estate costs versus California.
Because Mexico officially bans foreign ownership of land, disallows birth-right citizenship and tries to make it difficult for foreigners to find work, there are only 150,000 Americans who live legally in the Empire of the Sun. But over one million Americans live in Mexico illegally. These American Wetbacks can establish property trusts and take advantage of bank secrecy laws to hide assets from the prying eyes of IRS and California tax collectors. American Wetbacks can roll-over six month tourist visas for $25 and vehicle permits for $30. Mexican businesses seldom ask for identification.
While California’s economy is in the doldrums with 10.2% unemployment, Mexico’s economy is booming with only 5.0% unemployment. The Mexican business climate is benefiting from strong production growth and increasing job opportunities. Over 1.4 million Mexicans — including about 300,000 children born in the United States — returned to Mexico from the United States between 2005 and 2010. Net immigration to the U.S. dropped to zero since 2008, while American immigration to Mexico is thriving.
UCLA predicts that California’s employment growth will average less than 2% for the next three years. The Economist Magazine expects the Mexican boom to continue; since manufacturing costs are more competitive in Mexico than in China:
“Mexico is already the world’s biggest exporter of flat-screen televisions, BlackBerrys and fridge-freezers, and is climbing up the rankings in cars, aerospace and more. On present trends, by 2018 America will import more from Mexico than from any other country. “Made in China” is giving way to “Hecho en México”.”
A key competitive factor according to accounting research firm KPMG is Mexico’s #1 international ranking as the best place to do business from a tax burden point of view.
President Peña Nieto told President Obama he hopes they can work together to create jobs. The Mexican President also invited Obama to return to his country — he was last there in June for the G20 Summit in Los Cabos. Obama said he looks for “any excuse to go to Mexico, I’m always game.” When President Obama visits Mexico, he can wave to all the Taxafornians who have already escaped there.



Disbarred Tustin Attorney Charged for Embezzling over $469,00 for Gambling



  Posted By CotoBlogzz



Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - A former vice president of a title insurance company was arrested yesterday by the Irvine Police Department (IPD) and is being held on $300,000 bail,  for stealing over $469,000 from his company to spend on gambling. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office, Wayne Martin Fong, 50, Tustin, is charged with seven felony counts of grand theft and five felony counts of money laundering with allegations and sentencing enhancements for causing over $100,000 in loss, aggravated white collar crime over $100,000, and property loss over $200,000.

Fong is accused of being hired in 1999 by Fidelity National Title Group (Fidelity) as the Associate Counsel and Vice President. He is accused of being responsible for working with and overseeing contracts with vendors who searched for and obtained missing assets for the company.

Fong is accused of signing a service agreement on behalf of Fidelity with a vendor, Global Discoveries (Global), in March 2009. In July 2009, Fong is accused of contacting Global, requesting by email to have all payments sent to a different account, and providing them with a different email address, phone number, and mailing address. He is accused of embezzling over $469,000 by having payments intended for Fidelity deposited into his own personal account and using the stolen money for gambling.

One of Fidelity's vendors became suspicious about the change in email address, bank account number, and mailing address provided to them by Fong. The case was reported to IPD, who investigated this case. At the time of the crime, Fong was a licensed attorney but has since been disbarred. Fong was also a former police officer in the state of New York.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting this case.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Richard Forsberg , Rancho Santa Margarita Man, Faces Trial for Dismembering Wife of 39 years





Posted By CotoB;ogzz

Rancho Santa Maregarita, CA - Richard Gustav Forsberg faces trial tomorrow for murdering his wife of 39 years and then decapitating and dismembering her after an argument in their Rancho Santa Margarita home.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office, Richard Gustav Forsberg, 63, is charged with one felony count of murder.  Opening statements are expected to begin tomorrow, Nov. 28, 2012, at 9:00 a.m.

On Feb. 9, 2010, Forsberg is accused of getting into a verbal argument with his wife Marcia Ann Forsberg. Forsberg is accused of grabbing a small statue and hitting the victim multiple times in the head, murdering her. He is accused of keeping her body in their home and decapitating and dismembering her body over the next few days.

Richard Gustav Forsberg is accused of renting a recreational vehicle (RV) and buying two new freezers. He is accused of putting the victim's dismembered body in the freezers and using the RV to drive the freezers to a campground at Lake Piru Recreation Area in Ventura County. He is accused of disposing of the victim by burning the dismembered parts of her body.


When questioned by friends about the whereabouts of his wife, Forsberg is accused of claiming that they were having marital problems and that she had left town to be on her own. On Aug. 24, 2010, concerned friends of the victim reported her missing. The Orange County Sheriff's Department investigated this case. 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case. 


Monday, November 26, 2012

An Attorney, an Accountant and two administrators convicted in $154 Million Medical Insurance Fraud Scheme. Doctors pleaded guilty and others face trial in related scam.





Posted by CotoBlogzz



Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - An attorney, accountant, and two administrators were convicted today of revenue and tax fraud for their roles in the largest medical fraud prosecution in the nation for recruiting over 255 healthy patients to undergo unnecessary and dangerous surgeries to fraudulently bill medical insurance companies. This trial involved the failure to file tax returns and under-reporting income to state tax authorities. The court bifurcated the case due to its size and volume and additional fraud charges remain pending and another trial date will be set for those counts. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20, 2012,

Roy Chester Dickson, 64, Yorba Linda, Unity's attorney, was found guilty by a jury of two felony counts of filing a false personal tax return and faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison for these counts. Dickson faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of money laundering, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.

Andrew Robert Harnen, 58, Rosemead, Unity's accountant, was found guilty by a jury of three felony counts of filing a false tax return and six counts of failing to file tax returns. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years and four months in state prison for these counts. Harnen faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of filing a false tax return, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.

Dee Francis, 63, a Unity administrator, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of filing a false tax return and six counts of failing to file tax returns. She faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison for these counts. Francis faces 102 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of filing a false tax return, two counts of failing to file tax returns, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.

Rosalinda Rodriguez Landon, 66, a Unity administrator, was found guilty by a jury of six felony counts of filing false tax returns and faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison for these counts. Landon faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of money laundering, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million dollars. These counts will be tried at a later date. 

 Doctor William Wilson Hampton, Jr., 57, Seal Beach, pleaded guilty May 8, 2009, to 47 felony counts including conspiracy, insurance fraud, and capping and was sentenced to 16 years in state prison. 

Doctor Michael Cheeluen Chan, 66, Cerritos, pleaded guilty Aug. 4, 2011, to the court to 40 felony counts including conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, insurance fraud, aiding and abetting capping with white collar crime sentencing enhancements. He faces a sentence ranging from probation up to 28 years in state prison at his sentencing Dec. 7, 2012,

Doctor Mario Rosenberg, 65, is charged with 49 felony counts including two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 19 counts of insurance fraud, 19 counts of making false or fraudulent claims, and one count of grand theft. Rosenberg is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing Dec. 21, 2012,

Capper Sue Nanda, 44, Costa Mesa, pleaded guilty Feb. 20, 2009, to 22 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, grand theft, filing false tax returns, failing to file tax returns, and making false and fraudulent statements. Nanda was sentenced to 10 years in state prison and ordered to pay over $500,000 in restitution for personal and corporate back taxes. 

Capper Maria DeJesus Licea Rosales, 45, pleaded guilty Aug. 7, 2009, to 96 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, filing fraudulent tax returns, and sentencing enhancements for white collar crime and loss over $2.5 million. She was sentenced to eight years in state prison. 

Capper Olga Lilia Toscano, 44, pleaded guilty Aug. 11, 2009, to the court to 98 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, tax evasion, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding $2.5 million. She was sentenced to eight years in state prison. 

Capper Ngoc Trang Huynh, 52, pleaded guilty Aug. 19, 2011, to 56 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, tax evasion, filing a false income tax return, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding $2.5 million. He faces a maximum of 45 years and eight months in state prison at his sentencing Dec. 7, 2012.

Capper Pancha Keophimphone, 61, pleaded guilty to a court offer Aug. 19, 2011, to 56 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, tax evasion, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding $2.5 million. Keophimphone was sentenced to 12 years in state prison stayed pending completion of five years formal probation. She was ordered to serve one year in jail and will be ordered to pay restitution at a hearing on Dec. 7, 2012.

Capper Thuy Thu Huynh, 54, pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2011, to 58 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, tax evasion, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding $2.5 million. Huynh is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 7, 2012

Capper Henry Truong, 44, pleaded guilty April 7, 2006, to 13 felony counts including conspiracy, capping, insurance fraud, grand theft, tax evasion, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding $2.5 million. Truong was sentenced to 12 years in state prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Cappers Amanda Phuc Tran, 53, and Nicholas Vu, 54, pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2005, to two felony counts each of insurance fraud and making false or fraudulent claims with sentencing enhancements for loss exceeding $2.5 million. Tran and Vu were sentenced to five years in prison stayed pending 10 years formal probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Administrator Tam Vu Pham, 48, pleaded guilty Dec. 27, 2005, to one felony count each of conspiracy and money laundering, eight felony counts of capping or paying for referrals, three felony counts of making false or fraudulent claims, and two felony counts of insurance fraud, with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime, loss exceeding $2.5 million, and laundering over $150,000, Pham was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Administrator Huong Thien Ngo, 46, pleaded guilty Dec. 27, 2005, to one felony count each of conspiracy, making false or fraudulent claims, tax evasion, and money laundering, with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime, loss exceeding $2.5 million, and laundering over $150,000. Ngo was sentenced to seven years in prison suspended pending six years of formal probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Administrator Lan Thi Ngoc Nguyen, 56, pleaded guilty Dec. 27, 2005, to one felony count each of conspiracy, making false or fraudulent claims, and filing a false tax return, with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime and loss exceeding 42.5 million. Nguyen was sentenced to five years in state prison suspended pending six years of formal probation and ordered to pay restitution.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office:

The defendants in the Unity case are accused of participating in a $154 million medical insurance fraud scheme that recruited 2,841 healthy people from all over the country to receive unnecessary surgeries in exchange for money or low cost cosmetic surgery. Insurance companies paid out more than $20 million over a 9-month period. 

Of the 19 defendants charged in the Unity case, 13 were indicted by a criminal grand jury on June 13, 2008. Six other defendants in the Unity case pleaded guilty prior to the indictment and have been sentenced. 

The Orange County Grand Jury examined 1,054 exhibits and heard testimony from 56 witnesses over 28 days, resulting in a 70-page indictment. The indicted defendants include an attorney, accountant, three doctors, and patient recruiters known as "cappers." The recruitment of patients, or "capping," is illegal in California. 

Unity was jointly investigated by the California Department of Insurance and Orange County District Attorney's Office with assistance from the California Franchise Tax Board. 


Keophimphone, Ngoc Huynh, Thuy Thu Huynh, Toscano, Nanda, Rosales, Truong, Tran, and Vu, have pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of capping. 

The Unity cappers targeted employees from businesses in 39 states who were covered by PPO insurance plans, affecting more than 1,000 employers whose employees became involved in this scheme. They arranged transportation for the patients, scheduled the surgeries, and coached the healthy "patients" on what to say. In exchange for undergoing surgery, the patients received a cash payment, usually between $300 and $1,000 per surgery, or credit toward a free or discounted cosmetic surgery. 

Keophimphone personally recruited 118 patients from 17 different states for 297 surgical procedures. These so-called patients, who were mostly coming from other states besides California, resulted in over $8 million in billings to insurance companies for unnecessary surgical procedures. Ngoc Huynh personally recruited 67 so-called patients, most coming from outside California. These so-called patients received 151 unnecessary medical procedures resulting in over $4 million in billings to insurance companies.

Rosales recruited over 90 so-called patients, all of whom were from California. Nanda recruited over 170 so-called patients from 16 different states for unnecessary surgical procedures. They had no medical training, yet recruited patients with PPO insurance, scheduled surgical procedures, and coached patients to correctly describe symptoms for the unnecessary surgical procedures. They assisted patients in filling out surgery center paperwork, including having them sign a false affidavit stating that they had not been offered compensation and had not received any compensation in exchange for using Unity's services. For Unity capping, Nanda was paid directly and through corporations she had set up. 


The three doctors charged in this case are accused of participating in medical insurance fraud for performing unnecessary medical procedures on healthy people with the knowledge that the patients were being recruited. Doctors Chan, Hampton, and Rosenberg are accused of performing a total of 1,037 procedures, resulting in insurance billings exceeding $30 million for the facilities fees alone. Unity received over $5.1 million in payment as a result of the surgeries performed by these doctors. 

The doctors performed many of the surgeries on Saturdays and Sundays and often performed the same procedures on co-workers or members of the same household on the same day. The doctors are accused of ignoring basic medical protocols such as: 1) Patients receiving surgeries on consecutive days instead of under one anesthesia; 2) Doctors not meeting the patients prior to operating; 3) Doctors not following up with patients after the procedure was completed; and 4) Doctors not obtaining necessary medical information. 

Chan worked as the Medical Director at Unity and specialized in invasive gynecological procedures. He performed unnecessary surgeries on 161 patients including include laproscopy, tubaligation, colporrhaphy, and hysterectomy procedures. Not a single one of Chan's patients were referred by a doctor or were medically necessary. Every patient Chan operated on was referred by a capper, 88 percent being referred by cappers charged in this case. Of Chan's patients, 60 percent were flown in for the unnecessary surgeries from 18 states outside of California. 

Hampton, a general surgeon, performed 180 procedures on 178 patients. He primarily performed thoracic sympathectomies, also known as sweaty palm surgeries, a highly unusual and dangerous medical procedure that can often be treated with topical creams, medication, and botox. Of the patients that underwent surgery by Hampton, 97 percent were referred by Unity cappers. Hampton was also indicted and convicted by the federal government for his involvement in a scheme similar to the Unity case. 


Attorney Dickson went to Unity after having previously managed and represented another surgery center involved in similar illegal activities. He was sanctioned by the federal bankruptcy court for filing a fraudulent bankruptcy claim for a doctor at that surgery center. Dickson was hired by Unity to collect payments from insurance companies and patients. He helped the surgery scheme by creating fraudulent documents to disguise illegal capping activities. 

Immediately after the OCDA searched Unity in April 2003, Dickson used his attorney client trust account to keep Unity open and operating and furthered the criminal activity by funneling over $1 million in surgery center cash assets into his account to prevent it from being seized. In the three months following the search of Unity, he laundered as much as $3 million into the attorney client trust account using fraudulently billed payments from insurance companies to keep the surgery center operating. 


Accountant Harnen, a Unity bookkeeper and profit shareholder, signed 10 checks to doctors totaling over $50,000 and 157 checks to cappers totaling almost $1 million for their participation in the Unity scheme. He acted as an official representative for several of the corporations used by Unity to hide their illegal scheme from insurance companies, and was one of the bank signatories for multiple bank accounts used in the fraud.

Harnen assisted cappers and administrators in hiding their illegal activities by helping them funnel money to corporations that he helped them to create with the intention of hiding income and avoiding detection of their crimes. Harnen helped Unity continue to illegally recruit "patients" and defraud insurance companies using his own corporation to pay cappers and distribute profits to shareholders. Harnen failed to report more than $6 million in income over a 3-year period by failing to file tax returns and filing false tax returns. 

Landon and Francis were clinic administrators and recruited doctors and cappers. They ran the Unity facility, coordinated the fraudulent surgeries, sent all facility billings, received payments from insurance companies on fraudulent billings, and received and paid capper invoices for patient procedures. 

Administrators Pham, Ngo, and Nguyen pleaded guilty to performing the same roles in the scheme.

Senior Deputy District Attorney William Overtoom and Deputy District Attorney George McFetridge of the Major Fraud Unit are prosecuting all of the defendants in this case.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE – THE MUSICAL at The Camino Real Playhouse




Posted by CotoBlogzz


San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Camino Real Playhouse announced its Gala Night featuring IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE – THE MUSICAL - an entertaining musical,  adaptation of the beloved 1946 film. The musical, written by award-winning composer Bruce Greer and lyricist Keith Ferguson, was written as a
traditional "book musical" to entertain and inspire audiences with the enhanced beloved story in the way that only musical theater can. It’s A Wonderful Life – The Musical premiered in Dallas, Texas at the historic Majestic Theater in 1998, and was an annual Christmas show at the theater for five years.


  

Show Dates
Friday 11/23/2012  8:00 PM - $18- (Preview)     Saturday 11/24/2012 6:30 PM - $34 (Gala)
Sunday 11/25/2012  2:00 PM - $24
Friday 11/30/2012  8:00 PM - $24   Saturday 12/1/2012  8:00 PM - $24   Sunday 12/2/2012  2:00 PM - $24
Friday 12/7/2012  8:00 PM - $24   Saturday 12/8/2012 8:00 PM - $24   Sunday 12/9/2012 2:00 PM - $24
Wednesday 12/12/2012  8:00 PM - $24    Friday 12/14/2012  8:00 PM - $24
Saturday 12/15/2012  8:00 PM - $24    Sunday 12/16/2012  2:00 PM - $24



The talented cast and directing staff  includes: Megan Weaver (Director), Bruce Scheuchter, Deva Gregory-Irvine, Aidan A. Daguro (Choreographer)-Tustin, Mark Marger (Musical Director), Wyatt Webb, Craig Thomas-Mission Viejo, Tawnye Vaughan (Stage Manager), Jordan Sanderson, Kerry Kaz, Bob Sladek, Annabelle Rigg, Debbie Stranahan, Carol Felt,Carson Marcello-San Juan Capistrano, Gina and Richard Treasure-Lake Forest, Aaron Daniel Annas, Eric Anderson-Laguna Niguel, Katie Waisanen-Lake Elsinore, Howard Kline, Lauren Kline-Dove Canyon, Taylor Henderson-Fullerton, Michael Dioquino-Carson, Ben Cardillo-Riverside, La Dawna Williams-San Clemente, Daneielle Melilli-Laguna Hills, Makenna Green-Dana Point, Ruth Trimbler, Britt Girdley-Dana Point.

Gala Night (first Saturday) $34 per person. Includes a buffet dinner (catered by SARDUCCIS) prior to the performance. Premium seating available for additional $10 per ticket.


Tickets available at www.CaminoRealPlayhouse.org or Box Office Voicemail: 949-489-8082

Monday, November 19, 2012

Proposed Orange County Oak Tree Ordinance



LETTERS


Subject: New County Tree Ordinance

November 19, 2012

To: Supervisor Pat Bates.
Dear Ms. Bates:
As you know one of our protected oak trees in California was cut down the other day on the recommendation of both the OCFA and two very questionable arborists reports. This was in my opinion a crime to cut this tree down. The details of it being cut down I am told will be forwarded to you by the OCFA chief within a few days.
The chief and I, however, differ greatly on this issue. He says it had to come down and I say it didn’t have to come down. I base my opinion on the fact that he first sent out a fire inspector to see if it presented a fire hazard to anyone. This inspector said it didn’t. A few days later, however, he dispatched another fire inspector at the behest of the golf club and the HOA to conduct a second inspection of the tree. This time, however, only a few weeks after the first inspection this new inspector came back with an entirely different assessment of the tree. He said it now needed to be cut down based on a very suspect new two week old arborist report that was virtually identical to the first arborist report done last July. Both were contrived, unprofessional and skewed toward cutting the tree down.
Now I don’t need to be a brain surgeon to figure out what happened here. Absent any common sense rules and regulations about evaluating our native oak trees by qualified arborists and obtaining a permit to cut them down the tree in question was cut down and destroyed in the middle of the night over the veterans Day holiday weekend without any county permit to do so.. This is patently wrong and needs to be addressed by the county board of supervisors.
Months before the Oak Tree was "declared dead":  Poisoned or Neglect?



Arbor Essence "sees no signs of life": From this, to......
.. this to get.....





To that end I am enclosing for your review and action a proposed Orange County Native tree preservation and removal ordinance, based on an ordinance in Walnut Creek  that I believe needs to be enacted as soon as possible. I say that because at the present time there are absolutely no laws or ordinances that protect our trees from being arbitrarily cut down and destroyed on a whim and on the contrived opinion of an unqualified unlicensed Arborist without an independent review and county permit. This is what happened in my case and if we don’t pass some laws and rules it will happen again. This is why I believe the city of Walnut Creek adopted their common sense tree ordinance. We now need to do the same.

An unobstructed  view - Pity the fools!

Kindly brought to you by:
CZ Master HOA board of directors:
Lyle Schlieder
Xochitl J. Yocham
Bob Varo
Robert Curran
Phil Mitchel

Keystone pacific
Vinnie Davis
Tracy Willaims
Carey Treff
Coto de Caza Club Corp
Mark Burnette VP club corp 
Joe Oliver club club corp
JR Rosenbluth
Coto golf & racquet club
Ken Holcomb
Tree service companies
Arnbor Essence Kerri Norman
Four Seasons Tree - Adam Heard
OCFA





I would like to hear from you on this at your earliest convenience. Thank You.

William Kirkendale


If you wish to restore America, send your letters to the CotoBuzz Journal’s Editor:

If you would like to make a comment about a specific news article, editorial or commentary and have it considered for publication in the CotoBuzz Journal as a Letter to the Editor, please send it to cotoblogzz@gmail.com 


Letters should be brief, and may be edited for clarity and length.. They become the property of CotoBuzz Journal  and may be republished in any format. 

RELATED STORIES

RIP: Majestic Coto de Caza Oak Tree


Posted by CotoBlogzz

Coto de Caza – Given that Coto de Caza’s CZ Master Association spends more than $1.5 million/year for landscapemaintenance, including two landscaping companies,  consultants, asophisticated irrigation system and a full time general manager, a logical conclusion is that any diseased and or dead oak tree in the community is mostly likely due to negligence, particularly when the  community went through an oak tree debacle when Lennar was cutting down  oak trees  to make room for the South Ranch.  See for example the CDC Oak  Tree Preservation Guidelines


The Christmas Story in 7 Musical Vignettes at Saddleback College



Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – As part of its Reflections of the Ocean Classical Keyboard Series, Saddleback College, Department of Music, presents A Musical Gallery: 7 Portraits at Christmastide on Thursday, December 6th at 7 pm in the McKinney Theatre.

Thought-provoking, powerful, touching, and perhaps even a little shocking, this is not mere holiday fare!  Monks in procession, lighting effects, lute and harpsichord, and bells from Coventry Cathedral are used to set the stage for seven musical vignettes of classical piano music.  Well-known Pianist, Professor and Chair of the Piano Department at California State University at Fullerton, Dr. Rob Watson tells the Christmas story through a fascinating web of solo piano works from the 16th to the 21st centuries.  In Dulci Jubilo, Greensleeves, and Adeste Fidelis will also make cameo appearances.



Pianist and Professor, Dr. Rob Watson revels in placing classical music in unusual contexts.  While he also explores new music, he always seeks to reach the heart of his listeners.  He has given solo recitals in international music festivals in Bulgaria, presented lecture recitals in China and Japan, performed with internationally renowned musicians such as the St. Petersburg String Quartet, and performed concertos such as Rhapsodies by Gershwin and Rachmaninoff. He also created two truly unique concerts that have left audiences uplifted and enthusiastic.  In his “A Musical Gallery: 7 Portraits at Christmastide”, he combines visual images and sounds along with singers and instres works from the 1500s through the 21st century all of which had some kind of Christmas element.

Tickets are $12 general; $7 seniors; $5 students; 17 and under FREE with paying adult; teachers with MTAC/CAPT contact the box office to receive complimentary tickets for your students or guest.  The ticket office is open Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4 or order your tickets online at any time at www.saddleback.edu/arts.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Free parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the second left to Theatre Circle, turning right into Lot 12.

The Music Department has established a comprehensive program which is considered to be one of the finest in California:  a complete lower-division curriculum for transferring music majors, numerous performance groups, private and group lessons, a full concert series with faculty and guest artists, and general music courses.  The nationally recognized faculty is dedicated to performance and to teaching in all areas such as vocal, instrumental, jazz, guitar and piano.  Other music classes include harmony, musicianship, composition, history and appreciation of western art music, rock, jazz and world.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers more than 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu.  For Fine Arts events, visit www.saddleback.edu/arts

Sunday, November 18, 2012

IDF assassinates the head of Hamas' rocket program




The Israel Defense forces assassinated the head of Hamas' rocket program, Yahyia Byya in an airstrike on Sunday.

Army sources say that Byya was directly responsible for the majority of rockets that have been fired on Israel.

Israel bombed terror targets in Gaza for a fifth straight day Sunday, launching aerial and naval attacks as the IDF prepared for a possible ground invasion, though Egypt saw "some indications" of a truce ahead.

READ MORE http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=292424

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

High Noon in HOA-Land: members who permit lawless boards to function


By George K. Staropoli

Marshall Will Kane
Marshall Will Kane (left) throws his badge to the ground with disdain after defending Hadleyville, where the good people of Hadleyville stood by and did nothing.  (The 1952 movie, High Noon).
Some 60 years after the events in Hadleyville, thousands of HOAs follow in the footsteps of the Hadleyville townspeople and do nothing to rid their HOA of lawless rogue boards of directors.
How did this come to be?  Could it be like the townspeople, they FEAR reprisals from a lawless, vindictive and punitive board?  Could it be the indoctrination into obeying authority figures and the acceptance of imposed roles to conform to the group’s rules, right or wrong (See, “Why do people harm others in HOAs?)?
Could it be a malaise, a general apathy as described in The HOA apathy affliction: a political dynamic and The role of the HOA apathy affliction in circumventing public policy on how the HOA lawyers work apathy in their favor?   While these acts describe a particular aspect of HOA oppression, in total, it must be understood that the pro-HOA laws (no punishment for board violations) and the unconscionable adhesion CC&Rs contract favoring the HOA contribute to the failure to develop a bona fide community spirit and a community centered civic virtue.
The development of a healthy community spirit and civic virtue are essential to eradicating apathy. Virtue can be defined simple as “conformity to a standard of right,” civic virtue as “a commitment to democratic principles and values,” and community spirit as “an involvement in and concern for one’s local community.”
CAI defines community spirit as having “pride in a community and offers steps to produce this emotional identification: getting involved in activities outside the HOA, holding entertainment party and events, and becoming active in the community (Best Practices, “Harmony and Spirit”). No mention at all about civic virtue as a necessary part of creating a healthy community, and that a concern for the community must address issues of civic virtue. 
How can civic virtue and a healthy community spirit develop when the homeowner is placed in an environment and culture that opposes any such proactive activities?  As investigative reporter Ward Lucas points out in his new book, Neighbors At War!
Welcome to the weird world of HOAs . . . where life, liberty and property are in the hands of your neighbors, neighbors who are unconstrained by law . . . . That’s right!  These boards for the most part are not obligated to protect or respect any human or civil rights. . . . The very structure of Homeowners Associations gives them the ability to exert bully power on a completely arbitrary basis.
The apathy, the lack of HOA civic virtue, and the lack of a genuine, healthy community spirit that allow lawless rogue boards to violate the law and governing documents is the result of the above mentioned HOA legal structure and dynamic forces.  The legal structure of the HOA is secessionist, rejecting the principles and values of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence for a fascist contractual government focused on maintaining property values. Where, as in fascism, individual rights, freedoms, and privileges and immunities guaranteed to all citizens do not matter. 

HOAs undermine our constitutional democracy!

Israel is dealing with Hamas: Pillar of Defense


 Posted By CotoBlogzz


Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  As you read this, over a million Israeli citizens, a lot for a country the size of New Jersey, are spending the night in bomb shelters, thanks to Hamas.

In response to the incessant rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip - more than 800 have struck Israel since the beginning of the year, and more than 120 since Saturday, Israel has begun a targeted operation called "Pillar of Defense." The goal of this operation is to deal a serious blow to the terrorist group's military command structure.

The Gaza Strip. Located Southwest of Israel, tis a small enclave  controlled by Hamas, which is categorized by the U.S. and Europe as a terrorist organization. Israel withdrew from the area in 2005, and not a single soldier or civilian resides in Gaza. It is entirely in the hands of Hamas, who are well equipped with missiles, rockets, and guns from Iran.

Pillar of Defense, has two main goals: to protect Israeli civilians and to cripple the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza

In a joint operation of the IDF and the ISA, Ahmed Said Halil Jabari, chief of the Hamas military arm in the Gaza Strip, was killed. Jabari was responsible for all Hamas terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip during the last decade.

Jabari was involved in planning and arranging funding for military activities and terrorist attacks against Israel. Jabari became the operational head of the militant wing at the height of the armed Palestinian terror war against Israel from 2000-2007, which claimed the lives of over 1,500 Israeli civilians

Israel’s Prime  Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say:



 "Hamas and the terror organizations have elected in recent days to escalate their attacks on Israel's citizens. We are not prepared to make peace with a situation in which Israel's citizens are menaced by the terror of rocket fire. No country would agree to such a situation; Israel is not prepared to reconcile itself to such a situation.


Today we have damaged the strategic targets of Hamas in a precise fashion; we have substantially damaged the launch capabilities of rockets from Gaza to central Israel and we are damaging the launch capability to Southern Israel.The terror organizations hurt our citizens with premeditation, while they deliberately conceal themselves behind their own citizens. We in contradistinction refrain to the extent possible from harming civilians; this is a fundamental difference between us and them.  

They would simply like to wipe us off the face of the earth and they have no reservations about harming innocent civilians.

Today we transmitted a clear message to the Hamas organization and to other terrorist organizations and should the need arise, the IDF is prepared to expand the action. We will continue doing everything to protect our citizens."





Israel's Air Force has been surgical and restrained in its response to the Hamas missile escalations, and has not targeted the long-range missiles stored in mosques, schools, and hospitals. The Fajr-5 rockets have the longest range of all of Hamas' arsenal, of 75km.   A gift from Iran