Two accidents in one day
A fatal accident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. Monday night near the intersection of Puerco Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway that involved a single driver in a van and three females in another car.
Broad Beach resident Lisa Marlowe said in a telephone interview Tuesday that she was on her way home when she arrived on the scene of the accident minutes after it happened. She said she observed a silver van that had been turned upside down, with the driver’s side crushed. Marlowe stated the man was pronounced dead on the scene and that only one lane of traffic was closed.
Fireman William Hoehne of Malibu Fire Station 88 said he responded to the accident and confirmed the fatality. He said the accident is still under investigation and that he had no knowledge of who is at fault or if speeding was a factor. The identity of the dead man was not released.
Calls to Detective Curry, head of investigation for the accident at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, were not returned as of Tuesday night.
Marilyn Arbetman, an employee of The Malibu Times, said Tuesday she witnessed an accident that occurred Monday at approximately 2 p.m. involving a vehicle that had overshot a turn on Malibu Canyon Road, went over the road guard and landed upside down near the bottom of the canyon.
Arbetman could not confirm how many passengers were in the car or if there were any fatalities. The West Valley California Highway Patrol could not release any information about the accident on Tuesday because they said an accident report had not yet been filed. The West Valley CHP said information would be available beginning Wednesday.
Malibu man arrested for wire fraud
A Malibu man was arrested in an alleged $15 million Ponzi-like scheme that financed a lavish lifestyle that included private jets and the production of a movie.
According to a story published on CBS News, Malibu resident Charles G. Martin, 43, was arrested Jan. 6 in Los Angeles, federal agents said. A second defendant, John E. Walsh, 60, of Glencoe, Ill., was also picked up in the Chicago area on Jan. 6, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Both men were charged with one count each of wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint filed Jan. 6 and unsealed Jan. 7, officials said.
Martin, who has a Malibu address, and Walsh were allegedly principals of a Winnetka- and New York-based firm called One World that purportedly specialized in trading foreign currency, prosecutors said.
According to the complaint, between April 2006 and December 2007, the two men engaged in a scam to obtain One World customer funds earmarked for over-the-counter foreign currency trades for their own use and to finance lavish lifestyles, including helping finance a movie that was never released.
A former One World employee, according to court papers, told investigators that Martin “spent money like a billionaire.” Credit card and bank statements show he spent more than $1 million at a strip club and restaurants, nearly $1 million at elite hotels and another $1 million renting private jets, officials said.
Martin bought a fleet of luxury cars, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to celebrity charity events and hired security guards to accompany him in public, according to the allegations. Similarly, Walsh allegedly used his One World credit card to charge personal expenses, including more than $140,000 in jewelry, papers show.
Martin made his initial court appearance on Jan. 7 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Walsh was expected to appear before a federal judge in Chicago the same day.
Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.
Counterfeit money being used throughout city
The Malibu Chamber of Commerce stated Monday in an e-mail that it received a call of warning from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department last week stating that multiple people in Malibu have been paying for items using counterfeit $50 bills. The Chamber of Commerce advises all to check any cash obtained using markers that can be obtained at Office Depot or Staples stores.
Planning advises council to tentatively deny Trancas development
Going against staff recommendation, at its Jan. 6 meeting, the Planning Commission recommended the city council deny an application for a Local Coastal Program Amendment to change the zoning of Trancas PCH’s 35.19-acre property located at 6155 Trancas Canyon Road from rural residential to public open space and multifamily residential.
At the start of the meeting, Planning Commissioner John Mazza sought to make a motion for the commission to omit a hearing about the Trancas Canyon Road property because he said he believes the application is legally flawed. Mazza said the applicant is asking for the recommendation to designate private land to a public open space, something “we are not allowed to grant.”
The Planning Commission further recommended that the City Council direct the applicant to return with a specific project description including a clean water element, affordable housing, open space, density limitations and a full environmental impact report with a reasonable range of feasible alternatives.
Malibu Democratic Club hosts upcoming reception
The Malibu Democratic Club Inaugural Celebration and 2009 New Membership Welcome Reception will take place on Jan. 20 and will feature special guests including State Sen. Fran Pavley, who was endorsed by the organization at its 2008 Annual Meeting and Candidate Endorsement Forum.
The reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the home of Janey and Al Sweet. More information can be obtained by calling 310.457.1614.
Ryan O’Neal pleads guilty to felony meth possession
Ryan O’Neal pleaded guilty Jan. 9 at the Malibu Courthouse to felony possession of methamphetamine, but the charge will be wiped from his record if he completes a court-approved drug diversion program.
The “Love Story” actor must undergo 18 months of treatment and counseling to earn the dismissal, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
He was arrested Sep. 17 at his Malibu home after Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, conducting a probation search on his son, Redmond, found drugs in the actor’s bedroom.
Redmond O’Neal, whose mother is Farrah Fawcett, also was charged with drug possession. At the time of his arrest, the 23-year-old was on probation for felony possession of heroin and methamphetamine and misdemeanor driving under the influence. He is due in court next month.
-Olivia Damavandi