Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty in Real Estate Scam

VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that on April 29, 2019, Los Angeles County resident Andrew Levy (DOB 9/13/1958) pled guilty to two felony counts of Penal Code section 115, recording a false document. Levy also admitted a special allegation that his crimes caused a loss in excess of $200,000. The plea was the result of an investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit and the Los Angeles Police Department.

REFAT INMATE APR copyLevy conspired with other charged co-defendants to file a fraudulent lawsuit in the Ventura County Superior Court. The lawsuit falsely claimed a Los Angeles property owner reneged on an agreement to sell her property to one of Levy’s co-conspirators, Patricia Jenkins (DOB 1/8/1955). Levy, a disbarred attorney, initially identified and targeted the property, then drafted the fraudulent lawsuit for Jenkins’ signature. Another charged co-conspirator (Theodore Brian Childers, DOB 6/24/1938) is charged with filing paperwork with the court falsely claiming the property owner was provided notice of the fraudulent lawsuit.

Since the property owner was unaware of the lawsuit, she never appeared to contest it. As a result, a Ventura County Superior Court judge issued a judgment awarding her property to Jenkins.  Another charged co-conspirator (Delano Bonier Hankins, DOB 2/11/1971) is charged with using the judgment to open escrow in Los Angeles. The property was then sold to an unsuspecting buyer for $428,600.

Levy will be sentenced on May 28, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. It is expected he will be sentenced to five years in state prison. Levy will also be ordered to pay restitution. Jenkins pled guilty last year and will be sentenced on August 14, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12. Childers’ and Hankins’ cases remain pending in the Ventura County Superior Court; they are due back in court on May 13, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12.

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The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

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