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Voodoo shrine doesn’t help defendants in Downey real estate fraud case
LOS ANGELES – The owners of a used car dealership and a mortgage company in Downey were convicted in a real estate fraud case, despite the fact that one of the defendants had a voodoo shrine with the names of prosecutors and investigators, the District Attorney’s Office announced today.
Ruben Hernandez, 34, the owner of Downey Motorcars, was found guilty late Wednesday of four counts of filing a false application and three counts of grand theft, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Jurors deadlocked on one count of evading arrest and two counts each of filing a false application and grand theft He faces up to 13 years behind bars.
Co-defendant Joel Rodriguez, 44, the owner of Coast to Coast Mortgage, was convicted of six counts of filing a false application and five counts of grand theft. Jurors deadlocked on a sixth grand theft charge. Rodriguez is facing a maximum term of 14 years and four months in prison.
According to prosecutors, Hernandez bought six properties using false Social Security information and bank statements, and Rodriguez used false Social Security numbers to buy two properties, get home equity lines of credit and open a bank account.
Rodriguez was arrested shortly after the case was filed in January 2008.
Hernandez was arrested in Pasadena on Feb. 12, 2009, at the end of a brief pursuit. At the home where he had been staying, authorities discovered a voodoo shrine that included the names of the prosecutor, (more…)
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