Harold Hal Tobin

Nearly 400 investors have filed suit against Huntington Beach developer Harold "Hal" Tobin, alleging Tobin and his now-collapsed investment company defrauded them of millions of dollars. The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, claims that Tobin Investment Corp. lured investors with promises of big returns from Tobin's housing developments in Southern California and Las Vegas.

Investors in real estate developer Harold E. Tobin's housing projects alleged Monday that former bankers and contractors conspired with him to bilk them of more than $35 million. The investors, many of whom lost their life savings, detailed their charges in an expanded lawsuit that accuses Tobin, his wife, his son, his bankers and others of racketeering and conspiracy, as well as fraud and negligence.

Investors in real estate developer Harold E. Tobin's housing projects alleged Monday that former bankers and contractors conspired with him to bilk them of more than $35 million. The investors, many of whom lost their life savings, detailed their charges in an expanded lawsuit that accuses Tobin, his wife, his son, his bankers and others of racketeering and conspiracy, as well as fraud and negligence.

Nearly 400 investors have filed suit against Huntington Beach developer Harold "Hal" Tobin, alleging Tobin and his now-collapsed investment company defrauded them of millions of dollars. The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, claims that Tobin Investment Corp. lured investors with promises of big returns from Tobin's housing developments in Southern California and Las Vegas.

From a bustling but modest office in Huntington Beach, Harold (Hal) Tobin attracted investors for his housing developments with a sales pitch that had worked for years: himself. "He'd ask you about your golf game; he knew everybody by their first name," said Ted Lewis, a Costa Mesa resident who invested $25,000 of his savings in Tobin's housing developments. "If somebody asked you whether to invest with him, you had to say, 'Sure,' because you knew you could trust him."

From a bustling but modest office here, Harold (Hal) Tobin attracted investors for his housing developments with a sales offering that had worked for years--himself. "He'd ask you about your golf game; he knew everybody by their first name," said Ted Lewis, a Costa Mesa resident who invested $25,000 of his savings in Tobin's housing developments. "If somebody asked you whether to invest with him, you had to say, 'Sure,' because you knew you could trust him."

State authorities have ordered Tobin Investment Corp. to stop violating real estate laws, an action that is largely symbolic since the investment company shut down early this year, leaving investors with up to $60 million in losses. The state Department of Real Estate issued its desist and refrain order against the defunct Huntington Beach operation, former owner Harold E. (Hal) Tobin and sales representative J. Chris Reynolds.

State real estate regulators, who ordered defunct Tobin Investment Corp. last week to stop violating state laws, filed accusations Wednesday that seek to revoke the real estate licenses of the Huntington Beach company and its owner, Harold E. (Hal) Tobin. Tobin's real estate development and investment operations, which he shut down early this year, left about 300 mostly elderly Southern California investors with up to $60 million in losses.

From a bustling but modest office here, Harold (Hal) Tobin attracted investors for his housing developments with a sales offering that had worked for years--himself. "He'd ask you about your golf game; he knew everybody by their first name," said Ted Lewis, a Costa Mesa resident who invested $25,000 of his savings in Tobin's housing developments. "If somebody asked you whether to invest with him, you had to say, 'Sure,' because you knew you could trust him."

From a bustling but modest office in Huntington Beach, Harold (Hal) Tobin attracted investors for his housing developments with a sales pitch that had worked for years: himself. "He'd ask you about your golf game; he knew everybody by their first name," said Ted Lewis, a Costa Mesa resident who invested $25,000 of his savings in Tobin's housing developments. "If somebody asked you whether to invest with him, you had to say, 'Sure,' because you knew you could trust him."