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arcadiaweekly.com
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO.71
MONROVIA’S MINI MADOFF SENTENCED
Sierra Madre and
Monrovia Prepare for Possible Fire Activity
BY TERRY MILLER As the Station Fire continues to consume the Angeles National Forest, nervous residents in local foothill cities are hoping the fire continues on the northerly path, away from homes and communities
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-Photo By Terry Miller
Station Fire Burns 140,000 Acres and Counting Two Arrested For Human-Caused Monrovia and Sierra Madre Cut Fire Lines in Preparation for Possible Advance Grand Theft Auto Outside Denny’s BY JOHN STEPHENS AND TERRY MILLER
Couple Was Carrying Methamphetamine Prior to Wednesday Afternoon Arrest Arcadia officers implemented a high risk after traffic stop on Santa Anita in the parking lot of Denny’s on the corner of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita. As Arcadia police ran the plates of the suspect vehicle, they learned that the vehicle they had stopped, a white 1993 model Honda Accord, was reported as stolen in the jurisdiction of the LAPD. An involvement at gunpoint ensued as officers carefully approached the vehicle. The two suspects, John Alvardo, 30 from Los Angeles and Jennifer Estrada, 18 from Glendora were taken into custody after they were ordered out
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Though the state has spent $21 million battling the Station Fire, and over $108 million since the first of July, it will be nearly impossible
to calculate monetarily the cost of California’s largest fire since 1897. With over 140,000 acres of forest and 53 homes already destroyed, thousands displaced by mandatory evacuations, untold damage to Angeles Forest
flora and fauna and the loss of two firefighters, the true toll of the Station Fire is far from tallied. Two firefighters - Capt. Tedmund Hall, 47, of San Bernardino and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie”
Quinones, 35, of Palmdale - were killed when their vehicle fell off a mountain road on Sunday as they veered to avoid a burst of flames. Quinones’ wife is expecting a child in two weeks
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Colasuonno Ponzi SEEKS YOUTH TO FILL POST Scheme Victim Shares Her Story
SIERRA MADRE COMMISSION BY BILL PETERS The seven-member Community Services Commission of the City of Sierra Madre is shy one position—that is the post held by the board’s youth member. The vacancy has occurred since the current appointee, Kelly Harman completed her two-term service on the Commission on June 30. Applications are now being sought for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 who reside in Sierra Madre and have an interest in learning first-hand about how City government works. The applicant must be available
to attend Commission meetings, held the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, for a period extending through June 30, 2010. Those successfully completing service would then be eligible to be appointed for an additional year. The Community Services Commission is an advisory body to the Sierra Madre City Council providing links between the community, the City Council and the Director of Community and Personnel Services regarding recreation and community service. The Commission is responsible
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BY SUSAN MOTANDER Monrovia’s citizen of the year, Iris Award recipient, Donna Baker wasa among the victims of the Tax Doctor, Mark Colasuonno. Baker, who appeared in court for the sentencing of Monrovia own Mini Madoff explained that she had invested money with the defendant and that it is now gone. She said that she had money in savings and that it was not earning much interest. Colasuonno had been her tax preparer for several
BY SUSAN MOTANDER On Friday, August 28, Mark Colasuonno, Monrovia’s own Mini Madoff was sentenced to four years in state prison. In addition, Judge Teri Schwartz of the Superior Court in Pasadena, ordered that he pay $3,222,535.91 in restitution to 19 of his victims. This plea bargain was reached with the approval of the Deputy D.A. Stephanie Buccat and Colasuonno’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Sempda Kedia. Charges were first filed against Colasuonno in July of 2008 on charges of embezzlement. In this case he was alleged to have embezzled more than $100,000 from Paige and Frank Lopez. As a result he was charged with the embezzlement in addition it was alleged that the amount of theft was 4329,166.14. This means that the charge was enhanced by the amount of the loss. He posted bail on this charge and was released. When he appeared in court in August of this year for trial, he was rearrested on other counts. Colasuonno and booked for three new counts, 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
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MORE LAWSUITS TO COME IN MINI MADOFF MATTER BY SUSAN MOTANDER
years and she turned to him for investment advice. “I felt I could trust him as we had a long standing business relationship,” she said. “I sold his parents home for them and I sold Mark’s home as well. I also acted as his agent when he bought his home in Covina.” Colasuonno told Baker that by acquiring a second deed of trust on a home she could earn 10% interest per year on her investment. She wrote a check to American
The attorney for the Paige and Frank Lopez has said that he will file a civil action against at Mark Colasuonno within the next 30 days. Additionally, attorney Ernest Algorri has said that he is representing the Lopez brothers in this matter and that he file the lawsuit soon. Unfortunately, by pleading no contest rather than guilty, Colasuonno has made the lawsuit even more compli-
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