In November, board
members were charged with stealing more than $2 million from
the homeowners association. Five people in leadership with
the HOA were arrested on charges from racketeering, to grand
theft, to money laundering.
Rundle said she’s working on a plan to hold HOA leaders more
accountable from having to be more transparent with
documents to tough consequences for those who break the law.
“Large HOAs need to have some rules and some regulations,”
Rundle said. “There needs to be enforcement. There need to
be authority.”
Officials say the group allegedly turned the HOA into a
criminal enterprise.
Rundle said those arrested allegedly set up shell companies,
stealing millions of dollars from the association for years.
Resident Carlos Villalobos said his monthly HOA fee went
from $87 to more than $300 a month.
“Many people lost their homes or they were about to lose
their homes,” Villalobos said. |
|
State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle spoke to
dozens of residents part of the Hammocks Community Association
Tuesday on the need for new laws to protect them from becoming
victims again. NBC 6’s Kim Wynne reports
|