Friday, May 31, 2013

Barna Pleads Guilty

https://www.calhomelaw.org/PDF/Barna Pleads Guilty May 30_13.pdf

From Marjorie Murray at the Center for California Homeowner Association Law comes yet another isolated instance of massive embezzlement in the community association industry:


"SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chris Barna, 35, of Manteca, pleaded guilty today to one count of 
bank fraud for his role in embezzling more than $950,000 from his employer M & C Association 
Management Services Inc., United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant 
United States Attorneys S. Robert Tice-Raskin and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
According to court documents, Barna was the controller for M & C, a company that provides 
community association management and developer services to numerous community 
associations in in Northern California. From April 2007 through May 2011, Barna 
misappropriated approximately 300 checks payable to M & C from third parties, 40 checks 
payable to third parties from M & C as well as two checks payable to the parent company of 
M & C. Barna forged the endorsements on the checks or wrote “deposit only.” He had the checks 
deposited into various bank accounts he controlled at Wells Fargo Bank. Barna then manipulated 
financial accounting records at M & C as part of an effort to conceal the fraud."

1 comment:

IC_deLight said...

M&C ASSOCIATION SERVICES is a subsidiary of Texas Senator John Carona's "Associa".

As noted on the Associa's M&C website:"THE M & C DIFFERENCE

M&C is not your typical community manager. Find out how we provide a level of service you never thought you could achieve."

Associa says the same of each of its other HOA management companies operating in many other states. Note the inherent assumption that readers would read something positive into this self-characterization.

Statements coming from this organization are equivocally stated. Consider the subject of the article this is in response to. Not sure others want to be provided with such a "level of service" that was not previously "achieved".