"Business Deals Gone Bad" Defense Lets Thief Off w/ Handslap; Some Screwed Over Scam Victims To Get 41 Cents On Dollar Restitution; Others Get Stiffed
In Kennewick, Washington, The News Tribune reports:
- A Richland real estate developer pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree theft after being accused of bilking Tri-City residents out of $380,000 they had given him for real estate
investments.(1) Armen Lucius B. Weishaar, 49, could be sentenced next week in Benton County Superior Court to up to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution.
- That reflects only a portion of more than $500,000 he is accused of collecting in potentially fraudulent property dealings from people in the Tri-Cities, Western Washington and
Arizona.(2) As part of a plea agreement, five Benton County theft charges against Weishaar will be dropped. He originally pleaded innocent to six counts involving two couples and four individuals.
- It's not an ideal outcome, said Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller. But it was acceptable to most of the Tri-City residents who accused Weishaar of taking their money to invest in real estate but never completing the transactions or returning the cash. [...] The guilty plea gives Weishaar a felony record, which victims wanted, Miller said. It could help protect those he might do business with in the future.
- Miller believed Kennewick police did a good job of investigating allegations and that he had "a very defensible case." But the prosecution still had to prove Weishaar made the deals with criminal intent and that they were not just business deals gone bad [aka "business deals gone bad" defense], Miller said. Neither Miller nor Weishaar's attorney, Sal Mendoza, were sure a jury wouldn't find Weishaar guilty on all charges or innocent of all charges, they said.
(1) Some of the alleged victims dipped into retirement money or used home equity to invest with Weishaar, prosecutor Miller said.
(2) According to the story, the $80,000 in restitution will be split only among the Tri-City victims, according to the prosecutor. In addition to the $380,000 Weishaar was accused of taking in Tri-City deals, he also has been accused of taking $124,000 from people in Western Washington and Arizona, the story states. The agreement to pay restitution apparently stiffs the remaining alleged victims.
1 comment:
Important update you should read:
Mr. Weishaar was never given a voice in his defense, with The Tri-City Herald or during his per-trial hearing.
Mr. Weishaar is innocent. He was never convicted of a crime, rather plead guilty (he was told that this was a political matter and had no alternative) and still maintains his innocents.
Investigative journalism is finding, reporting and presenting facts
which other people try to hide. It is very similar to standard news
reporting, except that the people at the center of the story will
usually not help you and may even try to stop you doing your job. Not the Tri-City Herald or Annette Cary, the Reporter didn't do her do diligence by getting fair and balanced facts from both sides. The Tri-City Herald reported one side of the story. The Tri-City Herald never called, emailed or extended any offer to get Mr. Weishaar's story.
The job of journalists is to let people know what
is factually going on in the community, the society and the world around them.
Journalists do this by finding facts and telling them to their readers
or listeners. The Tri-City Herald and Reporter Annette Cary didn't report the facts or the victims names in the article, WHY?
In much of their work, the facts are easy to find
in such places as the courts and depositions Defense Attorneys and so on. Not the Tri-City Herald or Annette Cary. She just sat down and interviewed liars and reported the story (gonzo media). Creating a story, not reporting the truth.
All the personal loans were secured with Deeds of Trust and Promissory Note Drawn by
Attorneys and Title Companies). Payments were made to the creditors.
Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/...
All the loans and transaction were secured with Deeds of Trust and Promissory Notes (Drawn up by
Tri-City Attorneys, Real Estate Broker and Title Companies).
It is a fact that all these people lied during their Deposition with the Sr. Prosecuting Attorney and Mr. Weishaar's Defense Attorney Sal Mendoza. That is a fact documented by the Court system.
1. Katie Carlson
2. Bob and Sheila Goody
3. Kim and Bob Castleberry
4. Scott Kiehn
5. Vicki Montague
6. Kevin Self
7. Chad Crithfield (refused to give a deposition)
8. The Wilson's
Finally, the FBI was never involved in this case, in fact, they declined to investigate or prosecute Mr. Weishaar.
Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/03/26/953356/richland-developer-pleads-guilty.html#disqus_thread#storylink=cpy
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