Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 25, 2019

7

ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain View News Saturday, May 25, 2019 

Memorial Day Service 
and a Call for Veterans

Baseball Author Night 
Doubleheader with Jason 
Turbow and Ron Rapoport

Con Man Pleads Guilty in 
Real Estate Fraud Scheme

 


 A career con man pled guilty 
last week in a federal fraud case 
stemming from a real estate 
scam that targeted distressed 
homeowners, many of whom 
were elderly individuals who 
were scammed out of their 
homes, including properties in 
Pasadena. 

 Michael “Mickey” Henschel, 
70, of Van Nuys, pleaded guilty 
to mail fraud in relation to the 
scheme that generated more 
than $17 million in profits and 
caused homeowners to suffer 
approximately $10 million in 
losses when they lost title to 
their homes and when they were 
defrauded into giving Henschel 
and his co-conspirators money 
as part of the scam. Henschel’s 
fraudulent conduct also caused 
losses to mortgage lenders 
and purchasers of foreclosed 
properties.

 According to court 
documents, Henschel – who 
used various aliases, including 
“Frank Winston,” “Steve 
Lopez” and “Ron Berman” – 
and his co-conspirators tricked 
distressed homeowners into 
signing fraudulent deeds on 
their properties with false 
promises that the deeds would 
help homeowners protect their 
properties from creditors. 
The fraudulent deeds allowed 
Henschel and the others to 
fraudulently file documents 
on the titles to the targeted 
homeowners’ properties. For 
example, they filed fraudulent 
grant deeds that purported 
to convey an interest in the 
properties to entities that 
Henschel controlled. They 
also filed fraudulent trust 
deeds based on fictional loans 
supposedly guaranteed by the 
targeted homeowners and 
fraudulent liens that recorded 
an interest in the properties 
based on fictional debts.

 Henschel and his co-
conspirators benefited from the 
fraudulent filings in a variety 
of ways, including through 
outright theft of the properties, 
mortgages that co-conspirators 
obtained on the properties, 
and rental payments that 
they obtained from tenants 
living in the properties. The 
schemers also made money 
by demanding payments from 
the targeted homeowners to 
clear up the title, and from 
fraudulent state court civil 
actions that Henschel and 
his co-conspirators used to 
leverage settlement payments.

 As a result of his guilty plea, 
Henschel is facing a statutory 
maximum sentence of 20 years 
in federal prison. The other six 
defendants each face up to five 
years’ imprisonment. Henschel 
is scheduled to be sentenced 
by United States District 
Judge Virginia A. Phillips on 
August 12, and the four other 
conspirators who recently 
pleaded guilty are scheduled 
to be sentenced on August 26. 
Surabi and Alvarez are expected 
to be sentenced later this year.

 As part of his plea agreement, 
Henschel agreed to forfeit 
money and property that 
represent proceeds of the 
fraudulent scheme, including 
more than $100,000 in cash 
seized from a bank account and 
various residential properties 
in the San Fernando Valley, 
Glendale and Pasadena.

 All Star baseball authors Jason 
Turbow and Ron Rapoport will 
team up for an Author Night 
1-2 punch on Thursday, June 6 
at 7 p.m. in the South Pasadena 
Public Library Community 
Room. The potent lineup will 
make solid contact during the 
lively panel discussion on two 
of the season’s most timely hits. 
Jason and Ron will be joined 
by moderator Mark Langill, 
the Team Historian for the Los 
Angeles Dodgers. 

 Jason Turbow will tell 
the rollicking tale of the 
Dodgers’ crazy 1981 season 
that’s colorfully documented 
in his “They Bled Blue: 
Fernandomania, Strike-Season 
Mayhem, and the Weirdest 
Championship Baseball 
Had Ever Seen.” During the 
discussion, Ron Rapoport 
will reveal the inside story of 
Ernie Banks, the first ballot 
Hall of Famer and All-Century 
shortstop who outslugged 
Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and 
Mickey Mantle in their prime 
in his most recent page-turner 
“Let’s Play Two: The Legend 
of Mr. Cub, The Life of Ernie 
Banks.”

 In 1981 the Dodgers were 
led by the garrulous Tommy 
Lasorda—a full-time Hall of 
Fame manager and part-time 
cheerleader—who regularly 
called on the “Big Dodger 
in the Sky” and claimed to 
bleed Dodger blue. Tommy’s 
office hosted a regular stream 
of Hollywood celebrities, as 
well as top notch players like 
Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, 
Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, the 
most durable infield in major 
league history. The members of 
long-established quartet were 
unaware that 1981 would spell 
the end of their unprecedented 
run together. The season’s 
biggest story, however, was 
completely unpredictable: a 
20 year-old stocky lefthander 
straight out of Mexico would 
take the league by storm 
with his wild delivery which 
included a skyward glance 
before he’d deliver an almost 
unhittable screwball as his out 
pitch.

 The Dodgers had been 
trying for decades to find a 
Hispanic star to activate the 
local Mexican-American 
population as “true blue” fans. 
It didn’t take very long for 
Fernando Valenzuela to be 
the first to fit the role and his 
fame would soon sweep far 
beyond the confines of Chavez 
Ravine. “They Bled Blue” is a 
sprawling, mad tale of excess 
and exuberance which could 
only have taken place at Dodger 
Stadium at that time.

 Jason Turbow is the award-
winning writer of “Dynastic, 
Bombastic, Fantastic” about 
Charley Finley’s Oakland A’s, 
“The Baseball Codes” that 
finally articulated and explored 
the often mysterious unwritten 
rules of the national pastime, 
and the audiobook “Baseball 
Forever!” narrated by Bob 
Costas. Jason has also written 
for The Wall Street Journal, 
Sports Illustrated, Wired, and 
many other publications. He 
lives in Albany in the Bay Area.

 Ron Rapoport’s “Let’s Play 
Two” is the highly revealing 
and definitive biography of 
the Chicago Cubs’ legendary 
Ernie Banks, one of America’s 
most iconic, beloved, and 
misunderstood players. Ernie 
Banks is widely known for his 
public display of good cheer, 
even though it masked the 
fact he was a deeply conflicted, 
melancholy, and often quite 
lonely man. Banks endured 
poverty and racism as a young 
man --and later the scorn of 
manager Leo Durocher as 
an aging superstar. Despite 
his superstar-like status for 
so many years in between, 
Banks was never known to 
have complained or uttered a 
negative word, even though 
he spent his entire career with 
the woebegone Chicago Cubs. 
His signature phrase “Let’s play 
two,” has entered the American 
lexicon and exemplifies the 
enthusiasm and optimism 
that has endeared him to fans 
everywhere.

 Ron Rapoport was a sports 
columnist for the Chicago Sun 
Times and spent several years 
with Banks trying to help him 
write an autobiography that was 
never finished. Ron also wrote 
for the Los Angeles Times, Los 
Angeles Daily News, and the 
Associated Press. He served 
as the sports commentator for 
NPR’s Weekend Edition for 
two decades and has written 
many other books about sports 
and entertainment. He lives in 
Santa Monica.

 The free, fun event is ideal for 
baseball fans of all persuasions, 
including Dodgers fans 
still trying to get over the 
2017 and 2018 World Series 
Blues. A good dose of some 
of Ernie Banks’ enthusiasm 
and optimism, as well as 
reminiscences of the Dodgers’ 
1981 World Series victory are 
expected to exert a positive 
therapeutic effect on fans in 
attendance who bleed blue. The 
event for all ages is presented 
by the South Pasadena Public 
Library, The Friends of the 
South Pasadena Public Library, 
and Flintridge Bookstore & 
Coffeehouse. Special thanks to 
210eastsound, the Los Angeles 
Dodgers, Hachette Books, and 
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 
Autographed books will be 
available for purchase.

 The Library Community 
Room is located at 1115 El 
Centro Street. Admission is 
free and doors will open at 6:30 
p.m. No tickets or reservations 
are necessary, but space is 
limited. For more information 
call 626 403-7350.

 Join the City of San Marino as they pay tribute to the 
dedication and sacrifices the men and women of our 
Nation’s Armed Forces have made. The ceremony Monday 
May 27 will be held at Lacy Park at 9 a.m. The event will 
include recognition of Veterans, special guest speakers, and 
patriotic music. This event is open to the public. For more 
information, please call the Recreation Department at (626) 
403-2200 

SPARC Art Gallery Exhibits 
at South Pasadena City Hall

 

 The South Pasadena Arts 
Council presents Tinkering- 
Three dimensional constructs 
by Valerie Wilcox and 
Childhood 101 - Photographs 
by Kathleen Laraia McLaughlin 
at the SPARC Gallery at South 
Pasadena City Hall.

 Valerie Wilcox, a contemporary 
and mixed media artist, 
describes Tinkering as three-
dimensional constructs. 
They are “a reimagined, 
abstracted understanding of 
our built environment” and 
incorporating “the ideals 
of Wabi Sabi, a traditional 
Japanese aesthetic centered on 
the acceptance and beauty of 
transience and imperfection.” 
Wilcox’s Art pieces often 
feature wood with visible 
paint remnants, sourced from 
torn-down or remodeled 
houses. Based in Los Angeles, 
Wilcox is part of the artist 
collective Durden and Ray. 
Exhibitions of her work have 
been featured at the Torrance 
Art Museum, the San Jose 
Institute of Contemporary Art, 
Irvine Fine Arts Center, Mount 
Saint Mary’s University, Palo 
Alto Art Center, QiPO Art 
Fair in Mexico City, Kölner 
Liste Art Fair in Cologne; 
and in numerous other local 
and international galleries. 
Tinkering will run through 
June 30, in South Pasadena City 
Hall. 

 In Childhood 101, South 
Pasadena-based photographer 
and educator Kathleen Laraia 
McLaughlin who is known 
for her “compassionate and 
curious lens,” documents the 
playful activities of her two 
sons and their friends at their 
South Pasadena home, in their 
backyard, on the road, and 
around town, remembering 
her own treasured outdoor 
playtime as a child. A Fulbright 
Senior Scholars, and recipient 
of the, IREX IARO Grant from 
the National Endowment for 
the Humanities, and a Houston 
Center for Photography 
Fellowship McLaughlin has 
exhibited nationally and 
internationally. Her images are 
in permanent collections at 
the Museum of Photographic 
Art in San Diego, Western 
Virginia Museum of Art, and 
the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. 
Childhood 101 runs through 
June 30, in the 2nd floor SPARC 
Gallery at South Pasadena City 
Hall. 

Multi-media Event to Honor 
‘No on 710’ Freeway Fighters

 A free public event to honor 
the aptly nicknamed “Freeway 
Fighters,” will be presented 
in the South Pasadena Public 
Library Community Room at 7 
p.m. on Friday, June 7. The event 
will feature the screening of 
about ten “digital stories” made 
by local residents. In them they 
tell their personal stories about 
their vital involvement in the 
70-year resistance movement 
to protect South Pasadena from 
the 4.5 mile Because of the 
Freeway Fighters’ dedication 
and tenacity, still no freeway 
runs through it.

 The Freeway Fighters, once 
called Citizens United to Save 
South Pasadena (CUSP), are 
a multi-generational band of 
South Pasadena residents (some 
now gone) who have waged 
their tireless “David vs. Goliath” 
efforts to keep the 710 out, no 
matter if it’s above ground or 
in a tunnel. They argued that 
the 710 extension, linking 
Interstate 10 and Interstate 210, 
would carry more than 100,000 
vehicles a day –many of them 
trucks—and destroy much of 
one of the most picturesque 
enclaves in LA County, while 
wiping out 1,500 homes, 10 
historical properties, and 7,000 
trees. They also countered 
that the overall cost could add 
up to billions of dollars and 
drastically reduce the quality 
of life and air. Interstate 710 
Freeway interchange that 
threatened to carve through its 
midsection. South Pasadena 
is situated in the middle of 
several major transportation 
corridors between the major 
metropolises of Pasadena and 
Los Angeles.

 The Library event will feature 
opening remarks by Mayor 
Marina Khubesrian, MD and 
Councilmember Richard D. 
Schneider, MD, who both have 
played important roles in the 
movement. It will also feature 
songs written and performed 
by singer/songwriter Brad 
Colerick, whose latest album 
“Nine-Ten-Thirty” is named 
after the city’s zip code, and a 
relevant poem read by South 
Pasadena Poet Laureate Ron 
Koertge. Author and Journalist 
Chip Jacobs, who has written 
about the Freeway Fight for 
the Los Angeles Times and 
the Pasadena Weekly will 
offer a brief overview of the 
longstanding struggle, as well 
as author and Journalist Frank 
Girardot, who previously 
served as Editor of the Pasadena 
Star-News.

 The Library event’s digital 
storytellers participated in 
a 2-day ‘California Listens’ 
Digital Storytelling Workshop 
last summer. The workshop, 
made possible by a grant from 
the California State Library, 
was attended by Freeway 
Fighters who developed their 
uniquely personal 2 to 4 minute 
productions that utilize video, 
music, narration, and photos. 
The videos they created will 
become part of a statewide 
archive of stories about various 
aspects of life in the Golden 
State. They will also be made 
available later via the Library’s 
homepage on the City of South 
Pasadena website.

 The Community Room is 
located at 1115 El Centro Street 
and no tickets or reservations 
are necessary. Doors will open 
at 6:30 p.m. and seating is 
limited.

Public Comment on Draft 
Budget Open through May 31

 The public is invited to comment on the draft South 
Pasadena city budget for the fiscal year 2019-2020. The 
public comment period closes May 31.

 Please email comments to budget@southpasadenaca.gov 
or deliver written correspondence to the City Clerk’s office, 
1414 Mission St.

 Go to southpasadenaca.gov to view the draft budget.

South Pas Film Screening: 
To Climb a Gold Mountain

 

 The Library, the South 
Pasadena Chinese-
American Club (SPCC) 
and the Friends of the 
South Pasadena Library 
are pleased to present a 
screening of the award-
winning documentary To 
Climb A Gold Mountain: 
A Portrait of Struggle and 
Triumph in honor of Asian/
Pacific American Heritage 
Month. 

 Thursday, May 30, 7:00 p.m. 
in the Library Community 
Room

 Free and open to the public. 
Refreshments provided by 
the Friends of the South 
Pasadena Public Library 
Hospitality Committee.

 The screening will be 
followed by a Q&A with the 
director.

 Director Alex Azmi’s 
moving documentary tells 
the stories of four women of 
Asian descent who lived in 
America from the 1850s to 
the

present day. The women came 
from different backgrounds 
and lived dramatically 
different lives. Some of the 
women featured in the film, 
like Anna May Wong, have 
reached success and fame. 
Still others, like Sing Ye, 
who lived in the 1800s and 
fought for freedom, are all 
but forgotten. Each woman’s 
story represents a distinct 
theme of struggle and 
triumph, and ushers in the 
succeeding story. Through 
these stories, the film tracks 
the progression, evolution 
and legacy of immigrants in 
this country as they integrate 
into the fabric of America.

 Alex Azmi is an Emmy 
Award winning filmmaker. 
He is interested in 
documentaries and films 
that deal with social and 
human issues in the United 
States and around the 
world. His latest work, 
“the MAN and Machine”, 
which is in development, 
explores the forces behind 
advancements in technology 
and their impact on society. 
Alex won the International 
Humanitarian Platinum 
Award with co-director 
Rebecca Hu at the 2017 
World Humanitarian 
Awards and the film has 
been recognized at festivals 
around the world.

 Upon request made no 
later than four (4) business 
days before the event, 
the City will provide a 
reasonable accommodation 
for a qualified person with 
a disability to have equal 
access to the event. Please 
contact ADA Coordinator 
and Human Resources 
Manager, Mariam Lee Ko, 
at (626) 403-7312 or at 
southpasadenaca.gov.


The Return of South Pasadena 
Community Baseball Night

 The South Pasadena 
Community Services 
Department and the Parks & 
Recreation Commission are 
happy to announce the return 
of the Community Dodger 
Night on Monday, June 17th 
at 7:10 p.m. The Dodgers 
will be playing against the 
San Francisco Giants. Get a 
group together and join your 
community for a night of 
baseball. Tickets are $45 at the 
Preferred Loge Box and $46 for 
the All You Can Eat Pavilion. 
Tickets must be purchased now 
through Friday, May 31.

 For more information 
or the buy tickets visit: 
southpasadenaca.gov

ALTADENA CRIME BLOTTER


Sunday, May 12th

1:30 PM – A vehicle burglary 
occurred in the 2400 block 
of E. Washington Boulevard. 
Suspect(s) entered the 
vehicle by removing the door 
lock. No items reported 
stolen.

Monday, May 13th

9:28 AM – A residential 
burglary occurred in the 
1800 block of Mar Vista 
Avenue. Suspect(s) entered 
the residence by shattering 
the kitchen window. No 
items reported stolen. 

8:00 PM – A residential 
burglary occurred in the 
2200 block of KinclairDrive. 
Suspect(s) entered the 
residence by kicking the 
front door. Suspect(s) 
initially tried to enter the 
residence by shattering the 
rear sliding door. Stolen: 
black safe and a personal 
documents. 

Tuesday, May 14th

8:00 AM – A vehicle 
burglary occurred in the 
1700 block of N. Altadena 
Drive. Suspect(s) entered 
the vehicle by punching the 
door lock. Stolen: Burberry 
sunglasses and currency. 

2:31 PM – Monica Arroyas, 
40 years old of Pico Rivera 
was arrested in the area of 
Washington Boulevard and 
Grand Oaks Avenue for 
possession of a controlled 
substance. 

Wednesday, May 15th

5:00 PM – A petty theft 
occurred in the area of Hill 
Avenue and Washington 
Boulevard. Stolen: 
cellphone. Suspect has been 
identified. 

7:25 PM – Jesus Torres, 
30 years old of Altadena 
was arrested in the area of 
Washington Boulevard and 
Altadena Drive for carrying 
a concealed weapon. 

Thursday, May 16th

2:00 AM – A domestic 
violence incident occurred 
in the 2400 block of Lake 
Avenue. Suspect has been 
identified. 

Friday, May 17th

7:41 PM – Austin Mackey, 
31 years old of Los Angeles 
was arrested in the area 
of Mendocino Street and 
Norwic Place for drunk in 
public. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com