Thursday, July 21, 2005

"High Cost of Dealing with a Powerful, Corrupt, Local Government Office!"

A nightmare in Las Vegas.
Ever heard the term "High cost of Living?"
Here's a new one - the "High Cost of Dealing with a Powerful, Corrupt, Local Government Office!"
It's not pretty. It's not happy. It's actually scary that this could happen in America. It's even more scary that it is happening to someone else right now and will happen again and again, unless something is done.
I'll convey the unbelievable turn of events that have taken place in my family's lives over the past four or five years, after trying to take care of my Mother In Law, Frances, an Alzheimer's Disease victim.
I'll tell the truth about the illegal way the local government in Las Vegas handled getting their hands on Frances because of her high income and the complete lack of concern or care the media, police, State and Federal Officials had towards this.
I'm going to post it all.
I'm going to include all the Nevada Revised Statutes (laws) that were broken. They've committed felonys; I've taken notes. Thank God Nevada puts their Statutes on the web, and that their laws are written with less legalize than other state's.
Many people in the world have or will have Alzheimer's Disease and will have a family that will want to care for them. This is a given. Many more people know a relative or friend with Alzheimer's. My mother-in-law has Alzheimer's and wanted her daughter (my wife) and me to take care of her. She stated it. She wrote it in her will. She wrote it in her power of attorney. We took care of her and were happy to do so.
My mother-in-law, Frances, is now a ward of the state of Nevada, Clark County. What they did to her and us to get her there is completely criminal.
Many of our friends have told me I need to write a book about this nightmare.
OK.

No Closing Attorneys Needed When Closing on a House In Nevada...

This was a document we came up with while trying to recoup the losses
we were initially hit with after buying a house that was supposedly in excellent shape,
according to the seller's signed and notorized disclosure form.


If you ever want to buy a house in Nevada, be extremely careful.

There are no laws that require that closing attorney's review all aspects of buying and selling a house.

This makes selling a house with a false disclosure statement rather easy.

Home Damages & Damages Repair Expense Report

The house had an inside pool. This structure was attached to the house, accessible from the master bedroom. It has a flat roof, with toungue-in-groove teaky cypress paneling for the walls, and toungue-in-groove poplar paneling for the roof. This structure had been majorly damaged from water pooling on the flat roof, but this had been covered up by a fresh coat of marine quality paint. It was also covered up by a paid-off home inspector (mentioned later...).

Properly Replace Plumbing Pipes – our choice of material: $12,000.00
Replace Roof – our choice of material: $35,000.00
Remove A/C & Ducts from Pool Roof: $5,000.00
Remove existing Pool Roof: $15,000.00
Properly Replace Pool Roof: $60,000.00
Properly Relocate A/C: $12,000.00
(Properly meaning legal and up to code...)
Water Damage from rusted-through plumbing pipes in attic: 25,000+
Insurance Deductible: 1000+
Lawyer’s Fees: 75,000.00

Notes

Property was not sold in as-is condition

The property’s MLS sheet stated that the builder of the house was the Howard Hughes Corporation and the Listing Agent (LA) stated that Howard Hughes actually built the property for his wife to occupy and that she did occupy the house. F & Z Construction, Inc. actually built the house.

The LA stated on numerous occasions that the property had been owned by the actor “Tony Randall.” Extensive descriptions of Mr. Randall’s numerous parties and guests were made. Tony Randall never owned or even occupied this house. The buyers of course didn’t buy the house based solely on this information, but feel it was a deliberate attempt by the LA to falsely add desirability to the property.

Twyla Finch Oaks and Frances P. Finch (Buyers) were informed up front, the very first time the Property was shown that the seller very much wanted to owner finance.

Initial bid acceptance of approximately $840,000 accepted. We had been pre-approved for a loan in accordance with this amount. Our lender chose Scotty Dugan’s appraisal company to perform appraisal that came in (after two weeks) at $500,000. We know the listing agent (LA) of Prudential Southwest Realty (PSR) knew the appraiser and feel the LA possibly affected the outcome of said appraisal to have a negative impact on our loan approval process, using subversive methods. Our lender would not loan us money on the house, under any circumstances, after the low appraisal price came in.

After finding out the appraisal information and discovering the associated problems with our obtaining a normal loan, we attempted to make offers on our two backup homes. The first home was in Sierra Vista Ranchos and was listed at $449,000. We offered asking price (in cash...) on this house and about five days later, were told by our realtor, Pamela Manning (BA) of Merit Realty (MR) that the house was "taken off the market." This house was sold about two months later.... We then went to our third and final choice, a new home just off La Mesa, listed at 700,000.00, prepared to take a final look and make an offer and were met around 6pm by someone who told us he was one of the builders and that the house was under contract. This house was never removed from the MLS. At this point, we were left with trying to negotiate a final price on Alice Hahnfeld’s (Seller) house at 7196 Mira Vista, due to the fact, known by at least the Buyers Agent, that we were facing a deadline on the completion of selling our two condos in Atlanta.

A final price of $735,000 and owner financing was agreed upon by the buyer and seller.

The seller opted not to disclose the condition of the “supply line” galvanized steel plumbing in the attic. According to her signed disclosure, the pipes were in good condition. They actually were extremely corroded and had approximately twelve temporary patches on them. The two plumbing companies that we know worked on these pipes were Larkin Plumbing and Abe’s Plumbing. The seller knew the condition of her plumbing and willfully chose not to disclose this information.

The seller opted not to disclose the condition of the property’s cedar shingle roof. According to her signed disclosure, the roof was in good condition. The roof actually was in a state of dire disrepair and we feel this was intensified by her having a non-licensed roofer chemically treat the roof for water proofness, a process that not only had become illegal in Las Vegas, but had also been proven to be detrimental by the National Roofer’s Association (who sent out a newsletter to all licensed roofing contractors in reference to this). Also, we feel that the seller had full knowledge of the roof having extensive leaks due to its useful life being shortened by improper if not illegal treatment. A roofing contractor showed us where the roof had leaked before.

The seller opted not to disclose the condition of the property’s roll composition covered flat pool roof. According to her signed disclosure, the pool area’s roof was in good condition. The pool roof ‘s ceiling is made out of tongue-in-groove paneling. The top layer or cover of the flat roof structure is a “rolled composition” asphalt material. Water saturation occurred over a long period of years prior to our purchasing the property. This condition was invisible to both the home inspector and us because of the seller’s caulking and painting patches of the tongue-in-grove ceiling that otherwise would have shown water and/or saturation damage. We feel the seller deliberately attempted to hide the major damage she was fully aware of, and in doing so, further ruined the pool roof’s usability by creating a sealed area of the tongue-in-groove paneling that would not allow water to pass through and did in fact create an area where saturation rotted out a large portion of material. At this time, the pool area is completely unsafe and therefore unusable.

The Home Inspector (HI) failed to notice and report the condition outlined in paragraph 8. Furthermore, the HI failed to notice the composition of the plumbing pipes. The HI also failed to notice the numerous temporary patches on said plumbing. The HI stated in writing on his report that the plumbing in the attic was copper and that it was in good condition. This dire act of negligence corroborated with the seller’s fraudulent claim in paragraph 8.

The HI inspected the property’s roofing material and stated that it “had another ten years of useful life.” The HI also verbally pointed out that the roof “simply needs to be ‘chemically treated’ by a roofing contractor every six months or so, to make it water-proof.” This in fact shows the HI’s absolute incompetence in relation to advisories emitted from the National Roofer’s Association as noted in paragraph 9. The HI’s written report stated that the roof was “aging and is capable of being serviced.” A false statement due to the fact that no licensed roofing contractor would treat the roof. This dire act of negligence corroborated with the seller’s fraudulent claim in paragraph 9.

The HI inspected the pool roof and stated that “it had some loose flashing and exposed nails that should have been taken care of so no-one got hurt.” Nothing was stated about any other type of damage. The HI was grossly negligent in failing to recognize or disclose the fact that ponding on a rolled composition roof would result in saturation of the roof’s structure and subsequent rotting of materials and also that the material used to temporarily aid the rolled composition roof was inadequately applied in a manner that still allowed the saturation to occur while adding an extra layer of insulation to the roof as described in paragraph 10. This dire act of negligence corroborated with the seller’s fraudulent claim in paragraph 8.

Paragraph 8 was first noticed by the buyer on May 27, 1999, due to a corroded section of the supply line galvanized steel plumbing bursting and subsequently flooding one of the property’s bedrooms. A plumber from Union Plumbing, through the home warranty company American Home Shield (AHS) notified us that all he could do was temporarily patch the centimeter-sized hole. He further explained to us that the section of bad pipe could not be replaced without irreparably damaging or destroying the existing pipes due to their high level of corrosion.

Paragraph 9 was first notice by the buyer on May 28, 1999, when USAA’s general contractor looked up through the 4 x 6-foot hole in the water damaged bedroom’s ceiling and saw the extremely high amount of light shining through the roof. He told us our roof was shot and probably had been for years. The buyer did see a single leak coming in through the ceiling in the property’s family room, the only room in the home that has a vaulted ceiling which resides approximately six to eight inches below the cedar shingles. There is no insulation between the tongue-in-groove ceiling panels in this room and the cedar shingle roof. The buyer, in accordance with and as a result of both the seller’s disclosure form and the HI’s written and oral statements assumed that the single area of the leak could be repaired by patching the roof itself. Further investigation on or about September 22, 1998, by the buyer revealed that the single leak in question could not be repaired itself by replacing a couple of shingles but that the entire section of cedar shingle roof would have to be removed and replaced with a different, approved material, due to the fact that cedar shingles no longer met regulations or building code.

Paragraph 10 was first noticed by the buyer on June 9, 1999, when parts of the tongue-in-groove ceiling broke away from the ceiling and fell into the pool, revealing the rotting material overhead. The seller’s homeowner insurance company, USAA, was immediately notified. USAA sent out an adjuster who unofficially noted that the A/C on the roof appeared not to have met “Building Permit” code due to the unsupportive nature of the roof itself. The Adjuster requested a structural engineering report - the pool house was condemned.

Upon final walkthrough before purchasing property, the buyer noted the following defect: the master bathroom toilet’s tank did not appear to refill very quickly. The LA stated that this toilet had a “water saver feature” and was supposed to work like this. After the pipe burst in May of 1999, a report was filed with AHS on slow flushing on three of the four toilets in the house. AHS assigned Active plumbing to this problem. Technicians from Active informed the buyer that the pipes were too internally corroded to allow adequate water to flush the toilets correctly. Active Plumbing told the buyer the only way to fix this is to re-pipe the house. This condition noted on the walk through by the buyer clearly proves the existence of a plumbing problem that should have been disclosed by the seller and the LA. Also proven here is the LA’s willful attempt to again mislead the buyer.

The LA informed the buyer that the seller would be glad to fix any problems found on the property. The seller noticed a single minor leak dripping off the second or middle vent in the pool area during regular rain and an additional leak coming from the edge of the A/C intake grate, two areas that appeared to simply be in need of caulking or sealing the metal duct and roof joint at the vent and maybe some caulking around the A/C unit. When the buyer asked the LA to ask the seller to repair the leaks as promised, the LA informed the buyer that “the seller was in no way responsible for repairing that.”

No building permits were taken out other than F & Z Constructions original building permit to build the house in April 1967 and a gas line permit in 1978.

The A/C unit on the roof was manufactured in 1989. The size of the platform this A/C is mounted on indicates that it was installed for this A/C only and therefore was installed by the seller. This improper, unlicensed installation caused the pool roof failure.

Initial Response to Ludicrousy

This is affadavit from Twyla just after the initial criminal bulls from Clark County

I, Twyla Oaks, have no knowledge that the Power of Attorney granted to me by Frances P. Finch has been legally revoked, per NRS 111.450, item 2. Per said Statute, I only have knowledge that POA was fully in effect from having attorneys in Georgia checking on it.


I have not acted in difference to the Family Court. The Family Court has not acted in a legal manner to effect proper revocation of the POA. This is a further example of the unconstitutional acts that have been perpetrated against us.


The item used to initiate this entire farcical series of felonious events, the police report, is inadmissible and criminally malicious. According to NRS 199.130, “a statement of what one does not know to be true is therefore known to be false.” This constitutes that the police record is false evidence. The report also contains prejudicial statements: the police officer, Lisa, tells Twyla “we do not live this way.” Lisa should have had no pre-determined idea of how we should live. Also, my husband and I are referred to as Mr. And Mrs. Rogers, Twyla Rogers, and “Officer” Oaks. The only thing that is true in the entire report is that we left the house that day – to the doctor for a surgical follow-up visit, while Frances was asleep. The same detective that said to me in front of Shelley Henderson and a uniformed police officer in my house was: “this is obviously not a case of neglect or abuse,” changes her mind and puts in writing, false accusations. Offering false evidence is a felony according to NRS 199.200. This entire case is based on a falsehood. I therefore pray this entire case be dismissed and the Public Guardian’s office be given a restraining order to keep at least 500 feet from Frances Finch, our property, and us.

We in no way abandoned or vacated our house. Our children had a track break combined with spring break, which gave them three weeks vacation. Russell has been forced to take FMLA leave, to deal with this emergency. We simply packed enough clothes to take a two to three week vacation, placed our dogs in a kennel, asked our neighbor to get our mail and went on vacation. The only intent of this vacation was to try to raise funds from friends and family “back east,” to pay the ungodly legal fees to our attorneys. We demand that the entire eviction process be deemed unlawful and we receive treble damages for the extra damages we have incurred. We demand to see the statute that was used to facilitate this eviction, since the Public Guardian only had temporary guardianship at this time and we were never tenants of this property, but owners, based on Frances’ wishes, shown in December 1999. The person who accused us of vacating our house was incorrect. All actions taken against us as a result of this are completely illegal, have caused us great suffering and damages, both financial and personal. We fully intend on filing charges.

If, for some reason, we cannot have the trial dismissed, we move that Commissioner Henry and Judge’s Lueck and Voy be deemed biased and prejudiced and that this trial be moved to civil court.

Two thirds interest in the property at 7196 Mira Vista St., Las Vegas, NV 89120, was given as a gift from Frances P. Finch to me, her daughter, Twyla F. Oaks and her son-in-law, Russell D. Oaks, of her own volition and full knowledge, via quit-claim deed. This was done in the presence of Attorney Barry Levinson. Frances was ready to have the deed recorded immediately but I said to wait until we researched the financial and taxation impact of being on the title with Frances. I stopped the deed from being recorded and subsequently, I asked for it to be filed, according to Frances’ original wish in December, 1999. No Power of Attorney was used in this act. Simply, fulfilling Frances’ oral request. Even it the POA had been used, it was completely in effect, thanks to Commissioner Henry’s not sending the revocation order to Fulton County, which she could have easily done, since we had provided the document to the Public Guardian’s office through their attorney in January of this year (book and page number…). This is a completely legal transaction, unlike almost every thing the public guardian and her attorney’s have done.

The property located in Georgia was moved into a LLC for protection purposes only, in accordance with General George G. Finch’s last will and testament and Frances’ verbal request, prior to her contracting dementia via the following process: upon arriving in Georgia, we went directly to the Fulton County Courthouse and inquired on the validity of Frances’ Power of Attorney naming Twyla Finch Oaks as her Attorney-In-Fact. We found that no encumbrances or revocations had been levied, so we obtained a freshly sealed, certified legal copy, created the LLC, and transferred the title via Warranty deed, utilizing the valid Fulton County Power Of Attorney, see NRS 111.450, item 2. Frances’ Power of Attorney requires that I act in ways to protect her assets. I am simply conforming to Frances’ Power of Attorney by protecting the building from premature sale and sure mis-management that we feel will happen if the Public Guardian has control of said property, per Nevada Statutes. Furthermore, General Finch’s will clearly states that the building is not to be sold during Frances’ lifetime. No rental funds have been entered into the LLC bank account, due to the Public Guardians interference. I will deposit rental payments into the LLC account and be more than willing to prove I am properly managing this family asset. I have also been advised by highly competent attorneys that the property located within the state of Georgia falls under the jurisdiction of Georgia Real Estate Law and that protective actions taken by us were well within legal parameters. We have full confidence that the Public Guardian Will sell this property (if) as soon as they get their hands on it.

Furthermore, Frances’ Power-of-Attorney clearly states that it can only be revoked by her written instrument, not withstanding her mental incapacity. It also clearly names me, Twyla F. Oaks, to be her Guardian, without bond. This is also directed in both of Frances’ wills. Not having been found guilty of a Felony, I have every right to petition for legal guardianship, pursuant to NRS 159.059. I have only heard of criminal charges which boil down to their only being used as leverage.

We question the actions taken by the Public Guardians office and their attorney, Shelley Krohn. We aver the following discrepancies, both legal and moral, have been performed by said entities: Frances’ Power-of Attorney has never been read by their office, Frances’ last will and testament has never been read by their office, General Finch’s will has never been read by their office, the Public Guardian’s Office has NEVER been granted permanent guardianship according to the minutes of each hearing and the PG’s office knows this. The PG’s office, knowing they only have Temporary Guardianship, per affidavits from Shelley Krohn and Kathleen Buchanan, where they both reference “pending Guardianship,” ( which constitutes their admitting there is no form of permanent guardianship at this time), have broken quite a few laws as a result of either illegally obtaining permanent guardianship, proven from Shelley Krohn’s letter/reply to Ms. Wachsman, stating that “they acted prematurely when her office requested permanent guardianship, and that it was an accident” (it’s actually a felony...) or by sending letters of permanent guardianship to creditors, banks, etc. without having been granted said level of guardianship.

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Here is an affadavit from a friend of ours that knew us very well.

This was furnished in an attempt to try to protect household goods and furniture that was stolen and sold at auction anyway.

I, Name Withheld, do hereby swear that I have knowledge of Russell and Twyla Finch Oaks’ personal and full ownership of the items listed herein. My husband, the deceased Colonel James ... and I accompanied General Finch (alone) on many trips to Europe and the Orient where General Finch told my husband and I he was purchasing items for his daughter, Twyla. General Finch did purchase items for his wife, Frances, but these were primarily clothing, handbags and shoes, as these were the types of items Frances most enjoyed and appreciated. While in Japan, General Finch had a Silver and Mahogany Meat Cart, made for Twyla. General Finch also purchased a oriental carved bar with matching stackable tables, two large carved trunks, two large painted clay elephant stands, two oriental Foo Dogs, two large blue and white oriental vases, a black Carltonware Tea Set, a small teak server/buffet with a sliding top, and a Mt. Fuji silk picture, for Twyla. While General Finch was in Japan after WW2 helping them to rebuild their economy, he made very good friends with the Noritake family. The Noritake family sent him many plates, saucers, and vases over the years. General Finch told me these items were for Twyla, since she was already showing interest and appreciation for them. In Thailand he bought two blue and gold silk pictures, two prayer/pagoda rubbings, two red and gold prayer panels, solely for Twyla. In Morocco, General Finch purchased two large brass trays, one large copper tray, and four large brass candle sticks for Twyla. He also purchased some brass stand telephones there for her. In England, at the London Silver Vaults, General Finch purchased silver candle sticks, silver candelabras, various silver trays, a silver Lazy Susan, silver salt and pepper shakers, and a silver Punch Bowl, specifically for Twyla. At another store, he purchased Twyla a very large Hepplewhite Breakfront and matching Buffet. He also purchased a mahogany claw-foot breakfront, and a mahogany Tea Cart for her there. Other items purchased for Twyla in England were a Brass Cash Register and an old Roll-top desk, with a green felt desktop surface. He also purchased her an old orange metal shield and two very old wooden carved shields there. In Germany, General Finch purchased for Twyla a very large old carved wooden bar, made in Poland, and various scenic pictures of German countrysides, castles, and cities, and a few carved wooden German plates. He also purchased Twyla a lot of Hock, multicolored glasses. He purchased her a November (for her birth month) Goebel Figurine and at least twenty more Goebel / Hummel Figurines. In Switzerland, General Finch purchased for Twyla an ornate jewelry box – with inlaid wood in the design of a flower. He also purchased her watches and jewelry. Other things General Finch purchased for Twyla were an old wooden phone, for her playhouse. I spoke with Frances prior to their moving out to Las Vegas and she told me that the only items that were being moved out to Vegas that belonged to her, were her bedroom furniture, her clothes, her shoes, and her handbags. She said that they had just had a garage sale and that she had sold most of her household items, but that was ok because the kids, Russell and Twyla, had enough furniture to furnish the house they were moving into.
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