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
|