PASADENA “Gotcha, Mark!”
pasadenaindependent.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 - AUGUST 19, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO. 33
More Charges Filed Against Monrovia’s Mini Madoff BY SUSAN MOTANDER
Trisha Zhang, wife of founder Ed Kuckelkorn, donated $1,000 to Huff’s 2012 re-election campaign committee on June 29, almost a month before the college unexpectedly closed down on July 30. Zhang’s generous donation came just a month after her and her husband’s school was named Small Business of the Year by Senator Huff. Senator Huff, representative of the 29th Senate District said he did not know the college was struggling financially, and has announced that he will return the donation made by Zhang.
A settlement agreement between the city and two hillside developments ran into opposition from residents who fear the real estate project will end up as a visual, environmental and even a muddy mess. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the agenda item resulted in a lengthy discussion that sent the proposal back to negotiators. A report and a settlement proposal named Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release was delivered to city council members prior to the meeting with the hope that the document could produce an agreement to settle various issues surrounding the Stonehouse Homes and One
On Tuesday Mark Colasuonno appeared in a Pasadena court for the beginning of his trail for Grand Theft by embezzlement. But that trial did not begin. Instead Colasuonno was arrested, yet again, on three additional charges. In the courtroom, Monrovia Police Detective Sergeant Glen Coleman arrested the “Tax Doctor” on three more felony charges. As for the first matter - the charges for which Colasuonno was originally scheduled to appea r on Tuesday - the proceedings were trailed (delayed) until this afternoon (Thursday). Colasuonno is currently in custody, and he most likely will stay there, having told Monrovia Police Detective Rich Doney that he does not have funds necessary to meet the $307,000 bail. But this may just be the beginning. “We believe there are as many as 38 victims, with losses totaling approximately $8 million,” said Doney, who went on to say that “around half [of the victims] were senior citizens”. Coleman added they were investigating the cases of several other victims but that “it takes a great deal of time to document all the information.” In this new case, Coleman arrested and Monrovia Police booked Colasuonno on three new counts including 470(a) Forgery, 368(d) Fiduciary Abuse of an Elder, and 487(a) Grand Theft. The victim in this new case is John Greco, who was born in 1936. The amount alleged to have been stolen from Greco was almost $240,000. Greco’s wife, Marie, contacted this newspaper in February following our original story which first cast public light on the charges against the former Tax Doctor. In a story which ran in our March 5 edition, Greco recounted the painful story
Continued on 7
Continued on 20
Continued on 14
Beacon Media’s official request to photograph Mark Colasuonno in court Tuesday morning was denied. His attorney, Sumpba Kedia, is pictured here leading the former “Tax Doctor” away from our cameras on Tuesday morning outside the Pasadena Superior Court. Later than morning, Colasuonno was arrested and led away in handcuff’s. -Photo By Terry Miller
Campaign Contribution Made Following Senator’s Award to Private School HUFF VOWS TO RETURN CASH AFTER ABRUPTLY SHUTTERED SCHOOL LEAVES STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OWED THOUSANDS BY KYLE KHANDIKIAN Shortly after being named Small Business of the Year by State Senator Bob Huff, the Montecito Fine Arts College of Design abruptly closed its doors in July, leaving students and teachers alike dumbfounded without pay, and without answers. However, Montecito Vice President and wife of the college’s founder showed no restraint when donating $1,000 to Huff’s re-election campaign a month after the college received his award. According to state election records, Vice President REAL ESTATE NOTES
DESIGN SENSE
BY BILL PETERS
FOOD
BOOKS
Beach pizza with a side of dip
Defaulting now an option for home owners? Learn how defaulting on a mortgage can save you thousands. PAGE 11
Builder, Residents, City Council Spar over One Carter, Stonehouse Properties
With small, inexpensive touches make small spaces the place to ride out the summer. PAGE 13
Cook up a tasty vegetable pizza with a corn dip and munch away at the beach. PAGE 6
An ode to bad behavior Russell Brand, the slithering, electric-haired UK rocker. PAGE 5
$0.00
THOUSANDS OF MINDS, HUNDREDS OF SIGNS, AND A CONGRESSMAN BY TERRY MILLER AND JOHN STEPHENS It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, all depending with whom you spoke Tuesday evening in Alhambra. The meeting Tuesday was perhaps a microcosm of the nation’s pulse
T hrough t he cheers and the jeers, Rep. Schiff attempted to provide an update on the health care proposal (H.R. 3200) currently under consideration in Congress. But opponents would hear nothing of it and hundreds in the audience expressed their disgust with the plan in no
Participants in the Health Care Reform Town Meeting in Alhambra Tuesday evening ranged not only in age and socio-economic levels but also in vastly different opinions on how the proposed bill reads. At times those at the podium had to struggle to get their message across. -Photo By Terry Miller More photos at pasadenaindependent.com
on the issue. Amid scattered cat calls and the occasional “recall Schiff”, 29th District Representative Adam Schiff hosted a boisterous and spirited town hall meeting moderated by NBC4’s Dr. Bruce Hensel.
uncertain terms. One African American gentleman who held an altered image of President Obama depicted as Adolph Hitler was in attendance as a representative of the Lyndon
Continued on 12
TRAVEL
This Downtown getaway is home to more than just the Coliseum, but museums, a Rose Garden and a great farmers market. PAGE 5
Visit your paper’s website, and click on "Print Edition" for a look at our newly improved digital archives.