Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón on Thursday filed burglary, grand theft and identity theft charges against a Long Beach man and two others who allegedly “preyed” on low-income homeowners by promising free home improvements from their solar energy company, but instead used victims’ personal information to apply for loans that nearly ended up costing dozens of people their homes.
Long Beach resident Kelliams S. Chavistad, 42, faces six counts of residential burglary, 20 counts of identity theft, 20 counts of false personation, three counts of financial elder abuse, 20 counts of causing a forged instrument to be recorded and 21 counts of grand theft.
Also listed in the 159-count complaint are 37-year-old Norbertas Sinica of Thousands Oaks and 27-year-old Selena Garcia of Riverside.
Sinica was charged with 10 counts of residential burglary, 32 counts of identity theft, nine counts of financial elder abuse, 32 counts of false personation, 32 counts of causing a forged instrument to be recorded and 34 counts of grand theft. Garcia, meanwhile, has been charged with six counts of residential burglary, 16 counts of identity theft, 16 counts of false personation, six counts of financial elder abuse, 22 counts of causing a forged instrument to be recorded and 23 counts of grand theft.
There are 32 victims cited in the complaint.
Prosecutors allege that Sinica used his company Eco Technology, which advertised tankless water heaters and other energy-efficient products, to defraud customers and then steal their information to apply for loans to benefit the company.
Chavistad and Garcia, who were both employees under the company, would be sent to “in-home sales calls” from 2018 to 2019 where they would offer homeowners, many of whom were elderly and did not speak English, free energy efficiency upgrades, according to the DA’s office.
After collecting the personal information of the homeowners, the three would use that information to apply for loans through the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which allows property owners to finance energy improvement projects as a tax assessment on their property tax bills, officials said.
In most instances, the homeowners were not aware that an assessment had been recorded against their property until they received their tax bills, which had increased significantly, according to the DA’s office.
“They thought they were getting a deal on home improvements, but they ended up living in fear of losing their homes,” Gascón said in a statement. “Let these charges serve as a warning to anyone thinking about scamming consumers in Los Angeles County: we will work tirelessly to stop your schemes and hold you accountable.”
Because most of the tax levies were later discharged by the lenders, it cost PACE $1.3 million and the energy trading company Energy Efficient Equity, Inc. $2.1 million, according to the DA’s office.
The three were arrested today and are expected to appear for arraignment Friday in Department 30 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
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