Geovanny Avendano of Hayward, accused of diverting funds, will be arraigned today.
SAN FRANCISCO -- A father and daughter from what San Francisco prosecutors called a "crime family" have been charged with defrauding a 71-year-old woman out of her home, the district attorney's office said Wednesday.
Karla Parada, 26, and her father, Carlos Parada, 49, both of Antioch, offered to help the woman after she fell into financial trouble when her husband died in 2006. They ended up selling the woman's home out from under her, prosecutors said.
Carlos Parada pleaded not guilty Wednesday to grand theft, conspiracy, money laundering, burglary and elder abuse. He is being held on $2.6 million bail. Karla Parada, who faces similar charges, is still being sought.
A third defendant, 27-year-old Geovanny Avendano of Hayward, will be arraigned today.
Carlos Parada presented himself as a priest and offered to help sell the woman's home on the 300 block of Lisbon Street in the Excelsior neighborhood, said Erica Terry Derryck, spokeswoman for District Attorney George Gasc�n.
While filing escrow documents, the Paradas created false notes stating that the woman owed $100,000 to Avendano, prosecutors said.
After receiving the money, Avendano allegedly diverted $90,000 to Karla Parada's bank account. She in turn gave some of the money to her father, Derryck said.
Carlos Parada then persuaded the woman to allow him to invest $65,000 from the sale of the property, promising a 17 percent return, said Assistant District Attorney Sandip Patel. The woman, identified only as Delia G., never received any money from the investment, the prosecutor said.
The scheme was similar to several that Carlos Parada's brother, Edwin Parada, allegedly engineered several years ago, Gasc�n said.
Edwin Parada, 33, was arrested in 2008 for allegedly defrauding 31 people out of a total of $2.2 million. He is still awaiting trial. The woman who lived in the Excelsior approached prosecutors after she saw news reports about his case, authorities said.
The Paradas, all three of whom were licensed real estate agents, singled out Spanish-speaking immigrants in desperate financial situations, Gasc�n said. They gained trust by presenting themselves as upstanding members of their community, the district attorney said.
Gasc�n warned anyone facing foreclosure or trying to sell their homes to be wary of "unscrupulous practices."
"With the economy being what it is, we're having more people struggling," he said. "If you're struggling financially, seek out independent counseling. It is so important not to be so trusting."
This article appeared on page C - 3 of the San�Francisco�Chronicle
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