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Hearing date set for David Crisp, Carl Cole
| Wednesday, Apr 23 2008 2:06 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Apr 23 2008 5:06 PM
David Crisp, Carl Cole and three former Crisp, Cole & Associates employees accused of fraud in a state regulatory complaint are scheduled to appear in front of an administrative judge in Bakersfield this summer.
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David Crisp and Carl Cole
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A trial to examine the charges in a 25-page complaint filed by the Department of Real Estate last fall has been set to start on July 28 and run for three weeks, according to the Office of Administrative Hearings, the state department that runs such trials. Those named in the complaint, which alleges the group misled lenders in obtaining more than $12 million worth of loans, could be stripped of their real estate licenses.
Neither Crisp, 28, nor Cole, 60, could be reached for comment Wednesday.
They did post “notices of defense” in the administrative case, which triggered the trial, according to California Department of Real Estate spokesman Tom Pool. Several pre-trial hearings are scheduled for Los Angeles in June, and the case may still be settled before it makes it to a hearing, Pool said.
If the administrative trial takes place, it will resemble those held in criminal and civil courtrooms, with lawyers presenting evidence and calling witnesses to testify, he said.
The complaint detailed a variety of alleged wrongdoing, including paying employees to sign loan applications, “dishonest dealing” and “substantial misrepresentation of material facts.” Ex-employees Jill Louise Pinheiro, Sneha Mohammadi and Robinson Nguyen were also charged.
In addition, office worker Janie Stockton, Crisp’s wife, Jennifer Crisp, and his mother-in-law, Leslie Sluga, were also identified in the report. The three are not licensed real estate agents or brokers and are not subject to agency penalties.
Officials are looking for an appropriate venue to hold the trial, Pool said. A Bakersfield Masonic Temple is being considered as the trial site, but nothing has been finalized, he said.
As of October, Cole, Crisp and Nguyen were represented in the administrative case by lawyer Daniel Alan Nassie, with the Doss Law firm in Irvine. Nassie did not return a message left Wednesday.
The regulatory complaint was filed on Sept. 10. Two days later, federal agents searched 13 Bakersfield locations associated with the former Crisp & Cole Real Estate agency.
A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment on what bearing the administrative proceedings might have on the federal investigation into Crisp & Cole Real Estate.
The FBI’s investigation is continuing, special agent Steve Dupre said Wednesday.
As of April 16, more than $70 million worth of loans linked to Crisp, Cole, family members and associates have been foreclosed on or defaulted on, according to an ongoing Californian tally.