Possible Ponzi Scheme Sighted In South County

Orange County real estate lender Dan J. Harkey is being sued by investors for $15 million. Mr. Harkey, who’s married to State Assemblywomen Diane L. Harkey (R-Dana Point) (more on her later), is said to have mislead investors with slick marketing tactics which included the mass mailings of DVD 's featuring Harkey leading investor meetings. If anyone has one of these please feel free it in.

Mr. Harkey is said to have paid off non-renewing investors with money from new investor. The alleged ponzi scheme, has purportedly been reported the Security and Exchange Committee and the FBI have been notified. The former has said to have subpoenaed thousands of documents.

The lead Plaintiff in the case, retired Orange County attorney Lloyd Charton, said he was owed more than $1 million and had this to say about Orange Counties Bernard Madof, "He scammed us. The representations that Dan Harkey made about the safety of the loans were untrue. He was bringing in new money to pay off investors on the same loan, and that's a Ponzi scheme."

To add further intrigue, the lawsuit claims that a portion of the proceeds were used to finance the Mrs. Harkey's recent election campaign. Shockingly, Dave Gilliard, the assembly woman's political consultant has said that the $1.7 million she contributed to herself was money she had made independently of her husband.

In his defense, Mr. Harkey contends that he’s a victim of the current state of the market and called the ponzi scheme allegation "nonsense". Whether the allegation will stick has yet to be seen, but I suspect these type of stories will began to appear more frequently.

A-Town Is Not A Rapper

Anyone remember "A-Town"?

Me either.

Here's what I found.

Once upon a time A-Town was to be the Crown Jewel in Anaheim's Platinum Triangle. The plan was turn the once-industrial area into a modern urban village. The area between the 5, 57, and 405, was to consist of high-rise buildings, with views of Angel Stadium, parks and boutique shops. The plan was to create an instant modern day Greenwich Village, replete with Bridge and Tunnel crowds, Jamba Juice and smog. In total, the 54-acre development would= total about 3,813 homes, including 14 high-rise towers, along with about 200,000 square feet of retail space. its portion of the development would contribute 22 million in tax revenue a year. However, the project currently, the development is stalled. The Anaheim City Council recently allowed the Lennar Corp a 5 yea r extension on the project, which despite the current state of mess, they say are still committed to the overall, Lennar closed deals worth about $300 million to snatch up the land, said Louis Tomaselli, a broker with Voit Commercial Brokerage in Orange

Now the land sits empty. In November, the City Council granted Lennar a five-year extension on its agreement. It will be interesting to see what happens with the project and all the money wrapped up in it. As always, we'll keep you updated.

Not Sure What To Do With That Extra 25 Million Laying Around?

An 8-acre lot in downtown Laguna beach just hit the market for $25 million bucks. The site is broken down into 4 separate lots and is believed to be the largest undeveloped swath of land in the city. The lot which is broken down down into one, 7.75 acre parcel and 3 smaller plots, sits above above City Hall and police department.