Saturday, September 17, 2011

Ex-'Monster House' Owner Gets Probation On Grand Theft Charge Alleging $1M In Fixture Ripoffs After Mansion Foreclosure

In Vista, California, The San Diego Union Tribune reports:
  • A woman accused of stealing $1 million in fixtures from an Olivenhain mansion that became known as the “Monster House” pleaded no contest Monday to a misdemeanor grand theft charge in Vista Superior Court and will serve three years’ probation and pay a $968 fine.


  • Suzy Brown was also sentenced to four days of custody, but received credit for time served, said Deputy District Attorney Robert Eacret.


  • Brown in 2006 completed a $13 million, 16,000-square-foot home in Encinitas that was to be used as a high-end drug rehab center. Neighbors complained and quashed those plans, while dubbing the home the “Monster House.”


  • Without income from the potential patients, Brown and what she has said were 60 other investors defaulted on the loan in 2009 when Capital One was still owed $6.5 million. The home sold for $2 million to a couple last year.


  • After foreclosure, Brown was accused of stealing several fixtures from the house, including a 300-year-old Egyptian door, brass faucets and toilets and hand-carved cabinets. She moved out March 22, 2009; the items were reported missing four days later.

For the story, see Former Encinitas Monster House owner sentenced.