Fraud Ventura County

A 28-year-old Palms woman suspected of soliciting hundreds of donations of horses over seven years was arrested this week on suspicion of abusing, neglecting and selling the animals for profit, Los Angeles police said. Renae Ferguson claimed to be the head of a nonprofit riding academy for disadvantaged children, but police say the business was a front.

A 28-year-old Palms woman suspected of soliciting hundreds of donations of horses over seven years was arrested this week on suspicion of abusing, neglecting and selling the animals for profit, Los Angeles police said. Renae Ferguson claimed to be the head of a nonprofit riding academy for disadvantaged children, but police say the business was a front.

After recently receiving numerous complaints of bunco operators in the Oxnard area, the Oxnard Police Department has issued a warning for residents to be wary of con artists preying on Spanish-speaking victims. "There is definitely a ring working this area," said Oxnard Police Detective Len Newcomb of the department's fraud unit. About half a dozen of the con jobs have been reported in past weeks, Newcomb said.

Ray Emery Lamb, once the chief of Ventura County's largest real estate brokerage, surrendered to U.S. marshals Friday to answer charges of bankruptcy fraud. Lamb, 50, of Thousand Oaks, appeared briefly before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen J. Hillman after a grand jury indicted him on charges that he hid his part ownership of a Pacoima coin-operated laundry from creditors, then sold it for a hefty profit.

Former state Sen. Alan Robbins, serving a prison term on federal corruption charges, has been accused by a business partner of defrauding him of $2.5 million in a Ventura County land deal. Michael R. Goland charged in a lawsuit that Robbins, aided by a Chicago title insurance firm, received some proceeds from the sale of a Thousand Oaks parcel without Goland's knowledge or permission. Goland said the nine-acre parcel was sold for nearly $9 million.

An elderly Ventura woman was apparently defrauded when she sent money to a sweepstakes firm that told her she had won $10,000 but needed to pay the taxes first, police said. The woman received an official-looking packet in the mail from "Break the Bank Sweepstakes," which she believed to be legitimate, police said. She first followed instructions to send $12.97 needed to process her forms, police said.

Former state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), serving a prison term on federal corruption charges, has been accused by a business partner of defrauding him of $2.5 million in a Ventura County land deal. Michael R. Goland charged in a lawsuit that Robbins, aided by a Chicago title insurance firm, received some proceeds from the sale of a Thousand Oaks parcel without Goland's knowledge or permission. Goland said the nine-acre parcel was sold for nearly $9 million.

An Oxnard woman's suspicion led to the arrests of two people Wednesday in connection with a fake gold bar scheme similar to one that has left a trail of victims throughout Ventura County in the past year, police said.

Ray Emery Lamb, once the chief of Ventura County's largest real estate brokerage, surrendered to U.S. marshals Friday to answer charges of bankruptcy fraud. Lamb, 50, of Thousand Oaks, appeared briefly before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen J. Hillman after a grand jury indicted him on charges that he hid his part ownership of a Pacoima coin-operated laundry from creditors, then sold it for a hefty profit.

A network of immigration law practitioners headed by Orange County businessman Jan D. Vouziers was sued last week by Ventura County immigrant workers who were allegedly bilked of thousands of dollars. The lawsuit alleges that Vouziers, under the fictitious business name of Oscar Salinas, made false promises of legalization in Spanish-language radio programs that were broadcast from the Central Valley to the Mexican border in the late 1980s.

Ventura County prosecutors and the FBI have launched a statewide investigation into an international construction management firm that allegedly overbilled clients for projects ranging from a $64-million performing arts center in Thousand Oaks to a new federal courthouse in San Francisco, The Times has learned. Federal search warrants were served this week on the Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks offices of Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc.

An elderly Ventura woman was apparently defrauded when she sent money to a sweepstakes firm that told her she had won $10,000 but needed to pay the taxes first, police said. The woman received an official-looking packet in the mail from "Break the Bank Sweepstakes," which she believed to be legitimate, police said. She first followed instructions to send $12.97 needed to process her forms, police said.

After recently receiving numerous complaints of bunco operators in the Oxnard area, the Oxnard Police Department has issued a warning for residents to be wary of con artists preying on Spanish-speaking victims. "There is definitely a ring working this area," said Oxnard Police Detective Len Newcomb of the department's fraud unit. About half a dozen of the con jobs have been reported in past weeks, Newcomb said.

An Oxnard woman's suspicion led to the arrests of two people Wednesday in connection with a fake gold bar scheme similar to one that has left a trail of victims throughout Ventura County in the past year, police said.

Former state Sen. Alan Robbins, serving a prison term on federal corruption charges, has been accused by a business partner of defrauding him of $2.5 million in a Ventura County land deal. Michael R. Goland charged in a lawsuit that Robbins, aided by a Chicago title insurance firm, received some proceeds from the sale of a Thousand Oaks parcel without Goland's knowledge or permission. Goland said the nine-acre parcel was sold for nearly $9 million.

Former state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), serving a prison term on federal corruption charges, has been accused by a business partner of defrauding him of $2.5 million in a Ventura County land deal. Michael R. Goland charged in a lawsuit that Robbins, aided by a Chicago title insurance firm, received some proceeds from the sale of a Thousand Oaks parcel without Goland's knowledge or permission. Goland said the nine-acre parcel was sold for nearly $9 million.

Ventura County prosecutors and the FBI have launched a statewide investigation into an international construction management firm that allegedly overbilled clients for projects ranging from a $64-million performing arts center in Thousand Oaks to a new federal courthouse in San Francisco, The Times has learned. Federal search warrants were served this week on the Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks offices of Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc.

Olen B. Phillips, once considered the mastermind of the biggest fraud in Ventura County history, was sentenced to probation and 60 days in jail while his right-hand man received nearly eight years in prison in the same case. The sentences by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Frederick A. Jones stunned prosecutors and investors, who said Phillips deserved a prison term as long as that of his associate, Charles J. Francoeur.

A network of immigration law practitioners headed by Orange County businessman Jan D. Vouziers was sued last week by Ventura County immigrant workers who were allegedly bilked of thousands of dollars. The lawsuit alleges that Vouziers, under the fictitious business name of Oscar Salinas, made false promises of legalization in Spanish-language radio programs that were broadcast from the Central Valley to the Mexican border in the late 1980s.