Clients

A Huntington Beach woman, who turned herself in to authorities Monday, on Tuesday denied authorities’ accusations that she bilked clients out of thousands of dollars in an alleged mortgage-adjustment fraud through her Costa Mesa business. “I feel that the police did not listen to my clients who had successful loan modifications completed. I feel my side of the story needs to be heard,” Vickie Khanhvi Dang, 28, said in a statement. “We have testimonials from dozens of grateful clients to support our work,” she added.

A Newport Beach financial advisor has been accused of ripping off two people, including a former intern from his company, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal use. According to a complaint filed Monday in federal court by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary R. Headding, 41, stole more than $274,000 from two of his clients at Envision Direct LLC, where he is president and chief executive. In April 2007, Headding was the only financial investor left at the company, which months earlier had more than 50 clients and $40 million in funds.

Newport Beach Mayor Mike Henn has long championed the revitalization of struggling Lido Village. He led the city's efforts to improve the commercial area's streetscape, redesign streets and parking, and bring more shoppers through its stores. When residents or council members suggested they slow down or focus on other struggling parts of town, such as Mariner's Mile, Henn insisted that Lido Village remain the top priority. "It's good for all the residents of Newport Beach," Henn said in an interview.

An Irvine attorney was sentenced to one year in jail and restitution for embezzling more than $150,000 and defrauding his clients, authorities said. Tuan Thanh Tran, 44, pleaded guilty Friday to 10 felony counts of embezzlement by a fiduciary of trust, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Prosecutors said that between May 2011 and February 2012, Tran represented five clients seeking compensation for damages they suffered in traffic accidents through civil lawsuits.

A former Irvine attorney is accused of embezzling more than $150,000 worth of insurance claims and defrauding his clients, according to prosecutors. Tuan Thanh Tran, 43, pleaded not guilty Friday to 11 felony counts of acts constituting forgery and five felony counts of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Prosecutors allege that Tran represented five different clients who sought damages for traffic accidents between May 2011 and February 2012.

COSTA MESA — When she was a girl, Cynthia Stamper Graff willingly served as a guinea pig for her father's research into weight management. "He had us fasting every Monday," said Graff, chief executive of the Lindora Clinic, recalling how her dad, Dr. Marshall Stamper, had her follow a dieting technique known nowadays by Lindora clients as "Protein Mondays. " The technique has the dieter consume mostly proteins throughout the day as a way to counter weekend over-eating, she said.

A Newport Beach man who pleaded not guilty to stealing money from his oil and gas business' clients is scheduled to go to trial next month. Thomas Labry, who had his Costa Mesa-based Cherokee Gas Systems Inc. shut down earlier this year by the Securities and Exchange Commission, pleaded not guilty May 3 to stealing more than $1.4 million of his clients' money between 2008 and 2009. Labry is accused of using automated equipment to make cold calls to Oklahoma residents offering them pieces of land to develop oil and natural gas wells for $25,000 a piece.

NEWPORT BEACH - Some people call them teacher of the year, family doctor, engineer or Girl Scout leader. Nancy Clark calls them clients. For 15 years, Clark has run a shoplifting addiction treatment program on Old Newport Boulevard. Many clients attend in lieu of possible jail or prison sentences. Despite stereotypes about petty thieves snatching items out of financial desperation, many of the folks in the program are well-to-do. They see shoplifting as an addiction that gives an endorphin rush on par with drugs.

An Irvine attorney was sentenced to one year in jail and restitution for embezzling more than $150,000 and defrauding his clients, authorities said. Tuan Thanh Tran, 44, pleaded guilty Friday to 10 felony counts of embezzlement by a fiduciary of trust, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Prosecutors said that between May 2011 and February 2012, Tran represented five clients seeking compensation for damages they suffered in traffic accidents through civil lawsuits.

A Costa Mesa chiropractor was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a client during a massage, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Dennis Durbin, 65, pleaded guilty to one felony count of sexual battery by fraud against a 28-year-old female client. In 2011, Durbin treated the victim for an injured knee at Sky Park Chiropractic in Irvine. She returned in July 2012, and Durbin offered massage therapy in addition to the standard treatment. In August 2012, during a massage, the defendant inappropriately touched her on "intimate parts of her body," a news release from the district attorney's office said.

A Newport Beach man who falsely claimed he handled investments for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and other athletes received 13 years in state prison Friday for defrauding clients of $198,000. An Orange County Superior Court jury found Calvin James Calvin, 48, guilty in January of seven felony counts of grand theft and four felony counts of making untrue statements in the purchase or sale of securities. The defendant, who represented himself, defrauded at least seven victims whom he had met through church or business, gaining their trust by talking to them about family, faith and sports.

The owners of a small but growing catering business packed their truck full of Costco produce and headed toward a commercial kitchen space rental in Laguna Beach. The goal: to prepare 200 dinners. But once they got to the space, Newport Beach residents Shelby Coffman and Christie Frazier found the doors padlocked. The owner, who was in Las Vegas, had forgotten to leave a key. "All we were to them was additional income," Coffman said of that day three years ago. "We told ourselves, 'never again.' There had to be a simpler way to do this.

The most anxiety-fueled, suspenseful, nerve-wracking, emotional and ultimately explosively joyful day of the year is coming this week for anyone who represents prospects for this year's National Football League Draft. The long "second season" of All-Star games, the scouting combine, pro scouting days on campus, and individualized interactions which constitute postseason scouting are done. NFL teams have compiled a draft board which lists their assessment of every potentially draftable player by an overall rating number and then by position.

FONTANA — In a fire retardant driving suit, shoes and socks, helmet and a neck restraint, German Santibañez squeezed into the driver's seat and was helped with the many buckles strapping him down so he could barely move. The metallic whining mixed with the earsplitting guttural groan of the engine announced he was ready — and then he was going 140 mph — slow, he said, because of the rain — around the road-race track. "It's hard to say, it's like an adrenaline rush," he said.

Dave Rahn straddles two worlds. One is defined by numbers, losses, gains and the intricacies of investments. The other does not rely on mathematical precision: It is the world of art. The 61-year-old president of First Foundation Bank is both a banker and an artist, able to intermingle both traits as an executive and overseer of the bank's Art Services division. The banking world is "filled with people who don't understand art, and all they're trying to do is turn a dime," he said.

An attorney for a private investigator who called Costa Mesa police to report Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer as a possible drunk driver said Friday that he doubts charges will be filed. "From what he's said, he has nothing to hide," attorney Tony Kimbirk said of his client. Kimbirk is representing Menifee-based private investigator Chris Lanzillo in Orange County Superior Court proceedings that will determine what evidence seized by authorities can be used by the Orange County district attorney and what falls into the category of attorney-client privilege.

A former Irvine attorney is accused of embezzling more than $150,000 worth of insurance claims and defrauding his clients, according to prosecutors. Tuan Thanh Tran, 43, pleaded not guilty Friday to 11 felony counts of acts constituting forgery and five felony counts of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Prosecutors allege that Tran represented five different clients who sought damages for traffic accidents between May 2011 and February 2012.

Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer took to the steps of City Hall on Tuesday to criticize a law firm that until recently represented the city's police association. Righeimer said Lackie, Dammeier & McGill's negotiating tactics are having a "chilling effect" on elected officials throughout Southern California who want to reform pay and pension packages for public safety personnel. "They're forcing you to vote against the best interests of your community," he said. During the press conference, Righeimer and city council members from Buena Park, Fullerton and Irvine claimed that the Upland-based firm and its clients have harassed city officials leading up to elections and contract negotiations.