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Stories by Don Bauder

Activist Pallamary, "diabetic in distress"

Michael J. Pallamary, land use consultant and local political activist, filed a suit in Superior Court July 5 complaining that he was a victim of mistreatment at a Chargers game November 6 of last year. …

July 9, 2017
Encinitas arson spree ends with arrest

On July 5, Tyler Carender, 20, was arrested on federal charges of that in fall of last year he committed three arsons at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and Oak Crest Middle School in his home …

July 6, 2017
Even in Miami, politicians getting smart

Increasingly, the media, politicians, and city leaders around the U.S. are understanding that taxpayer subsidies of pro stadiums are complete scams. Yesterday, the New York Times panned Marlins Park, the Miami stadium that will host …

July 6, 2017
Local lawyers slapped by state bar

The State Bar of California has announced actions against three San Diego County lawyers. Jerry Lane Hefner of Julian was disbarred by default for failing to participate in proceedings to determine whether a prior conviction …

July 4, 2017
Heaven's Gate still has website

The 919 Gang, a daily online newsletter mainly for former and current Union-Tribune employees, reports today (July 2) that Heaven's Gate, the group that entered into a mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe in 1997, …

Brick & mortar vs. Amazon

Fifty years ago, shopping malls were the local gathering places. Days and nights, they were jam-packed with people of all demographic groups. But by 2014, almost 20 percent of American malls were considered in trouble …

June 28, 2017
Von Metzke "groomed" underaged girls by texting

Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were best friends — and both were active in San Diego Junior Theatre, and had had sex with Eric von Metzke, a junior theatre teacher, when they were …

June 25, 2017
SD Junior Theatre teacher going to prison

Eric von Metzke, a long-time teacher at the San Diego Junior Theatre, was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison. On May 12, he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a …

June 22, 2017
Daughter of ex-Lemon Grove mayor in jail

Anna Sessom Baker, daughter of former Lemon Grove mayor and council member Mary Sessom, is in jail today. Yesterday (June 20),she, along with Jonathan Ibarra and Hector Fernando Garcia, were arraigned and charged with possession …

June 20, 2017
Somalian, Nigerian immigrants fleeced

Two local tax preparers and the recruiter who brought them victims were sentenced to 30 months in prison yesterday (June 19). Rahim Ali Cummings and Rashad Abdul-Rahim were sentenced for conspiring to commit mail fraud, …

June 20, 2017
San Diego attorney James Davis couldn't find Bit Torrent movie thieves

Catching thieves who steal and distribute movies using BitTorrent software is a difficult business. San Diego County attorney James Davis last year sued John and Jane Does that had stolen a movie called Cell. Early …

June 19, 2017
Bitter La Jolla divorce burns hotter

One-time La Jolla socialites Dianne York-Goldman and Dr. Mitchel Goldman were divorced in 2009, but the dissonant music lingers on. In October of 2008, Pennsylvania-based Avidas Pharmaceuticals announced a new anti-aging product, Vitaphenol Complex. It …

June 17, 2017
San Onofre — another Chernobyl?

A terrorist attack that could endanger 8.5 million people. Who cares? A tsunami or earthquake that could spread even wider damage. Yawn. A potentially disastrous meltdown. Fuhgeddaboudit. A utility stock that zooms upward, paying fat …

June 14, 2017
San Diegans shell out 39.6 percent of income to mortgage

Buying a home in California coastal metropolitan areas takes twice the percentage of median income as in the United States overall, according to a new study by Zillow, the real estate statistical compiler. In the …

June 12, 2017
Judge Curiel gets another tough one

On Friday, June 9, another possibly controversial lawsuit landed in the lap of federal Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, who made headlines for his handling of the Trump University case, which ended with President Trump agreeing …

June 11, 2017
Did she want to become a U.S. mud wrestler?

Yesterday (June 8), Jose Camargo-Alejo, who also goes by the name Jessica, an undocumented Mexican, was convicted of assaulting a United States patrol agent. It happened on or about November 30. She was detained at …

June 9, 2017
Former Navy commander pleads guilty in Singapore scandal

Former United States Navy Commander David Kapaun pleaded guilty in Hawaii yesterday (June 6) to lying about his relationship with Leonard G. Francis, the Singapore-based defense contractor at the center of a long-running bribery and …

June 8, 2017
Three men pose as Homeland Security officials

Yesterday, June 7, three individuals — two of them pretending to be Homeland Security officials — were arrested for falsely promising to provide immigration status to individuals. The three allegedly fleeced $6 million from at …

June 8, 2017
Safe healthcare investment turned out to be shaky student debt

William M. Malloy III, who says his fortune goes back to the early 1800s, has been sued in federal court for his alleged role in a Ponzi scheme that is rocking the state of Oregon. …

June 3, 2017
Zapf's husband files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

On May 12 in bankruptcy court, Eric David Zapf, husband of second district city councilwoman Lorie Zapf, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or liquidation. Lorie Zapf was named as a codebtor. They live at 4622 …

June 3, 2017
Prebys's close associates won't surrender to his furious "life partner"

Laurie Anne Victoria, the late Conrad Prebys's long-time second-in-command and chief financial officer who is now chief executive of the firm that made him a billionaire, has hired two top Los Angeles attorneys to battle …

June 1, 2017
San Diego Junior Theatre keeps up the Oz-like curtain

A tragicomedy is a stage production that contains both tragedy and comedy. The local stage scene is a bit like that: the San Diego Junior Theatre for youngsters may be foundering close to a tragedy, …

May 31, 2017
Surprise! James Y. Lee banned from securities industry

On May 22, the Securities and Exchange Commission banned James Y. Lee, formerly of La Jolla, from the securities industry. Lee didn't show up for the hearing. One reason: he is in Taft Correctional Institution …

May 26, 2017
Prebys foundation president Debra Turner sues other board members

In Superior Court May 17, Debra Turner, who lived with billionaire philanthropist Conrad Prebys for more than 16 years, sued the other board members of the Conrad Prebys Foundation. Turner is president of the foundation, …

May 23, 2017
San Diego unemployment rate of 3.8 percent lowest since December of 2006

The unemployment rate in San Diego County was 3.8 percent in April, down from a revised 4.2 percent in March. According to Emerson Figueroa of the Employment Development Department, the 3.8 percent is the lowest …

May 20, 2017
Billionaire Conrad Prebys cut his son out of will

Billionaire real estate tycoon Conrad Prebys, who died last July at 82, gave hundreds of millions of dollars to nonprofit groups, but he cut his only child, son Eric Prebys, out of the will two …

May 18, 2017
NFL owners’ noses growing while their pants burn

Since its founding in 1920, the National Football League has proclaimed it opposes gambling, but the league was actually launched by gamblers and has been tied to and supported by gambling ever since. The league …

May 17, 2017
Singapore slings: numbers 21 and 22 of Navy scandal.

Neil Peterson and Linda Raja, former executives of Singapore's Glenn Defense Marine Asia, pleaded guilty in federal court today (May 9) to fraud charges, confessing that they submitted phony claims and invoices to the United …

May 11, 2017
Tyson Foods knocks some value off Circle Foods

Three years ago, Tyson Foods, the big Arkansas food company, purchased San Diego's Circle Foods, which makes foods such as tortillas and India flatbreads that can be cooked quickly in the home. When a company …

May 9, 2017
San Diego slowdown is factor in SeaWorld's poor results

Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment narrowed its first quarter loss, but disappointed analysts' expectations, the company reported today (May 9). The company lost $61.1 million, or 72 cents a share, from $84 million, or $1.00 a share …

May 9, 2017
The value of Stanford vs. UCSD

What makes the Silicon Valley economy tick and other California metro areas — San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — lag behind? One factor is that Silicon Valley recruited engineering talent as a result …

May 3, 2017
David Meza killed his boyfriend to get inheritance, including Rosarito condo

David Enrique Meza of Imperial Beach was convicted by jury this morning (May 2) of killing his boyfriend to get his inheritance. The lover, Texas retiree Jake Clyde Merendino, was stabbed 24 times exactly two …

San Diego rated most kid-friendly in U.S.

San Diego is the most child-friendly U.S. city for a family to visit, concludes Reward/Expert, a statistical aggregator that helps travelers negotiate the world of frequent flyer programs and credit card awards. The City of …

May 2, 2017
Brouhaha or foofaraw at San Diego Junior Theatre?

A brouhaha is a public clamor over a critical matter. A foofaraw is a clamor over a petty matter. At Balboa Park's Junior Theatre, a group of parents and attendees believe there have been serious …

April 30, 2017
NPR, SDSU, UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders beat back Encinitas attorney

On April 20, the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, agreed with a lower court decision assailing an Encinitas attorney for making himself the recipient of the fortune of an elderly, mentally ailing client, who …

April 30, 2017
U-T using charities to boost circulation

The Union-Tribune has a new gimmick to boost circulation -- possibly losing money in the process. The paper is advertising that you can get a one-year Sunday subscription plus all-digital access for a mere $4.68 …

April 29, 2017
Appellate court reverses child molest decision

On April 20, the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, reversed a lower court decision of alleged 2013 child molestation by John Landis Wismer, then in his late 60s, who was a close friend of …

April 29, 2017
In new book, Filner admits his sex addiction, mistakes

Former Mayor Bob Filner, who was forced to resign from office after a short stay, has written a self-published book, Trumping Trump: Making Democrats Progressive Again. It is available on Amazon. One irony is that …

April 24, 2017
A&D General Contracting and Action Telecom fraudulently got contracts for disabled veterans

Owners of two companies were arraigned in federal court yesterday (April 21) for allegedly using fraud to get contracts of $11 million that had been specifically marked for service-disabled, veteran-owned businesses. Andrew Otero and Roger …

April 22, 2017
KOGO Radio financial stock tout arrested in Utah

The Securities and Exchange Commission three years ago charged him and his firm, Total Wealth Management, with fraud. The agency said he got kickbacks for touting stocks without divulging the ruse to his clients. Some …

April 22, 2017
County unemployment rate stays low

The San Diego County unemployment rate for March was 4.2 percent, the same as the revised figure for February. California was 5.1 percent and the nation 4.6 percent in the same period. The county gained …

April 21, 2017
He didn't pay taxes, then fled before trial

Louis Joseph Vadino of Ramona was sentenced today (April 19) to 102 months in federal prison for evading federal taxes, then vamoosing right before his trial, stashing money in an offshore bank (in Greece), and …

April 20, 2017
Tax havens with funny names – Mauritius, Brunei, Niue, Vanuatu.

At least one good thing may come out of this year’s investigation of the Trump campaign’s alleged Russian ties and last year’s Panama Papers scandal. The public may learn how oodles of money is stashed …

April 19, 2017
Swedish businessman used Lucky Lady Casino on El Cajon Blvd. for racketeering

Peter Magnus Karlsson, a Swedish businessman, pleaded guilty today (April 13) to engaging in an international racketeering conspiracy using Lucky Lady Casino and Card Room on El Cajon Boulevard between 55th and 56th streets as …

April 14, 2017
St. Louis sues Rams and NFL over team's departure

St. Louis, St. Louis County, and the local Regional Convention and Sports Complex are suing the National Football League, 32 of its teams, and some owners individually over the departure of the Rams to Los …

April 13, 2017
Engineers’ group bullish on H-1B reform

Lots of talk on H-1B visa reform — action doubtful.

April 12, 2017
Two local stock touts hit by securities commission

San Diegan Craig Keolanui and El Cajon resident Ciaran Thornton have been spanked by the Securities and Exchange Commission for violating anti-fraud and anti-touting provisions of federal securities laws. Both published articles on investment websites …

April 11, 2017
The Hedgecocks sue city over Pacific Beach sidewalk slip

Cynthia Hedgecock and her husband, Roger Hedgecock, former mayor and retired radio talk show host, have sued the city in Superior Court over an accident. The city was served with the suit in November and …

April 10, 2017
Supervisor embezzled to go to Super Bowl

Edward Abellana was accounts payable supervisor from 2011 to 2015 at Argen Corp., a San Diego metals company. He embezzled $1.9 million during the period he was overseeing credit card accounts, according to federal Judge …

April 8, 2017
Mayoral whopper: "Hundreds of millions" will be lost if convention center not expanded

Mayor Kevin Faulconer sent an email yesterday (April 7) promoting his plan for a ballot measure that would raise tourist taxes to provide money for fixing the streets (long overdue) and expanding the convention center …

April 8, 2017

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