Is Simona Farrise Really a Fraud or Is This Just Hijinks?

From the desk of Basil Kimbrew: 

Personal Injury Lawyer and candidate for California's 62nd Assembly District, Simona Farrise, was reportedly arrested in connection with a 26-count felony real estate fraud scheme in the East Bay area of Northern California.

Records show Simona Farrise, who is also known by the aliases Simona Hunt, Simona A Farris, and Simona Morgan, has been listed in documents on over a dozen real estate transactions throughout the state of California over the last decade. A preliminary investigation values these transactions at over $15 million dollars.

Ms. Farrise entered the race to replace termed-out Assemblymember Steven Bradford in February of this year. Largely financing her campaign through loans to herself, Ms. Farrise reportedly moved into the district in December of 2013 after purchasing a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester for $1.3 million, paid for in cash by Ms. Farrise.

California has seen a recent spate of felony arrests against sitting members in the State Senate with three office holders currently on paid leave as they negotiate through various stages of their defense.

Charges against those elected officials run the gambit from voter fraud, public corruption, perjury, bribery scandals, pay to play legislation efforts, and international arms deals trading shoulder-fired missiles for campaign funding. This comes on the heels of a rough five years for Southern California local governments where small city officeholders enriched themselves through illegally inflated salaries and pensions at the expense of city services and municipal effectiveness.

Ms. Simona Farrise, booked in 1992 under the name Simona Hunt, was arrested as an accomplice in 17 of the felony counts related to the defrauding of 11 victims in various bogus real estate transactions including Emeryville City Councilwoman Nellie Hannon and her son.  Councilwoman Hannon now runs a shelter for the homeless and families in need.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle article "Real Estate Dealer Jailed in Oakland on Fraud Charges" (author Bill Wallace, 11/7/92), Farrise and her accomplice were booked in connection to charges of stealing property titles, passing bad checks to buy out unsuspecting property owners of their equity, making false and misleading statements, grand theft, and failing to comply with real estate transaction laws among other charges.

Also included were charges related to efforts by the duo to prey upon homeowners attempting to avoid foreclosure.