Tamarac HOA president charged with forging checks
BSO: About $200,000 stolen from residents of Mainlands home community 

Article and Video Courtesy of Local Channel 10

By Bob Norman

Published August 22, 2014

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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO CONDOCRAZE & HOAs WITH GUEST STEVEN SOLOFF -- 

THE MAN WHO JUST BROUGHT DOWN THE PRESIDENT OF HIS TAMARAC CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION WHO WAS ARRESTED FOR STEALING CLOSE TO $180,000.00.

   

TAMARAC, Fla. - A South Florida community is dealing with the sting of betrayal, as a once-trusted homeowner's association president is charged with forging her own neighbor's names in a years-long embezzling scheme.

 

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Michelle Changar-Coe, who was president from 2009 through last year, stole about $200,000 from the homeowner’s association of the Mainlands home community in Tamarac.

Changar-Coe was also a former chairwoman of the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

Deputies said Changar-Coe wrote dozens of forged HOA checks to false names similar to her own that she was able to cash.

    

One alleged victim is Nancy Ballhorn, a local realtor and the association's current treasurer. Deputies said Changar-Coe forged 22 checks in Ballhorn’s name.

  

Former HOA board member Peggy Schwartz said suspicious began to fall on Changar-Coe when another board member noticed a check with his signature on it.

"He saw a check that he knew he didn't sign and that started the ball rolling," said Schwartz.

Among the allegations is that Changar-Coe wrote a monthly check of $2,575 for a city liaison position that never existed.

  

And this is not Changar-Coe’s first run-in with the law. In 1997 she was charged with grand theft and forging checks.

The community’s HOA has since hired a new management company and law firm to represent it in a bid to clean up the association.

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