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Central Basin Water Director Vasquez Party to Lawsuit Against Own District Seeking Millions

Wednesday January 22, 2013, 11:06 a.m.

Central Basin Water District Director Leticia Vasquez, who took office only one year ago, is a party to a whistleblower lawsuit against the very district she was elected to represent.

Central Basin Water District Director Leticia Vasquez, who took office only one year ago, is a party to a whistleblower lawsuit against the very district she was elected to represent.

 

By Brian Hews and Randy Economy

Hews Media Group-Community News has obtained documents that indicate Central Basin Municipal Water District Director Leticia Vasquez is a party to a “Qui Tam” whistleblower lawsuit against CBMWD, suing the district for the now infamous $2.7 million “slush fund,” an unprecedented move by an elected official and one that could net Vasquez over $2 million.

A “Qui Tam” action is also known as the False Claim Act and allows whistleblowers to bring civil fraud lawsuits filed on behalf of the government against companies and individuals that are allegedly cheating the government.

CBMWD could be on the hook for triple damages amounting to over $8.1 million plus fraud charges if found guilty.

Vazquez, as a plaintiff herself, could walk away with over $2 million.

Vasquez, who was recalled as a Councilmember in scandal plagued Lynwood, and according to sources, avoided prosecution by turning state’s evidence that helped send many of her then-colleagues to prison, is now a self-proclaimed whistleblower.

Vasquez was elected to CBMWD under a cloud of shady dealings and contributions from questionable sources. Engineering firm HDR, Sedgewick attorney Doug Wance, Ernie Camacho and his company Pacifica, MLJ Properties, owned by Camacho’s children, and Ron and Tom Calderon gave Vasquez over $14,000 for her campaign. Most of the contributors are now targets of the FBI and its investigation of CBMWD and the Calderons.

In addition, in February an exclusive HMG-CN investigation revealed that Vasquez’ campaign was financed by convicted felon Rick Meyer and Angle Gonzalez, who was charged with a felony but pled down to a misdemeanor.

Documents and interviews point to Vazquez having the lawsuit in mind from the very start of her term at CBMWD using insider information not available to the general public to file the lawsuit against her own public agency.

Vasquez was sworn into office on January 7, 2013. By then Vazquez knew of the $2.7 million slush fund through administrative briefings given by then General Manager Chuck Fuentes, Assistant GM Ron Bielke, and CBMWD Attorney Arnold Glassman.  It was Fuentes, Bielke and Glassman who originally found the obscure fund.

Within days of the swearing-in, Vasquez formed a voting-bloc majority that included President James Roybal and Director Bob Apodaca. The three immediately moved to suspend provisions of the Administrative Code and circumvent the proper selection of a Board President, ousting Director Art Chacon, who was the most vocal critic of the slush fund, and removing Chacon and Director Phil Hawkins from several committees.

In a highly unusual and controversial move, Vasquez voted to fire Fuentes, Bielke, and Glassman, removing those responsible for finding the slush fund.

The three were preparing to hire a firm to audit the fund but Sedgewick LLP, the firm paid over $1,000,000 from the fund and their attorney Douglas Wance, were slow in giving the documents.

But the fact remained, and Vasquez knew, that an investigation had started and information was being reported, which resulted in Director Chacon dubbing it the slush fund.

The question remains as to why Vazquez put a stop to the investigation by firing Fuentes, Bielke, and Glassman.

HMG-CN became aware of the whistleblower lawsuit when the item was “reported out” of Closed Session following the October 3, 2013 Board meeting.

The report showed that the Board had discussed a “Qui Tam whistleblower matter” and that CBMWD hired special counsel Craig Engle with the State’s Attorney General Office to represent the District. The case number is BC 518653.

An audio of the Jan. 6 Special Board meeting indicates attorney Richard Padilla warning Vasquez of a potential financial conflict in relation to Item 3B which was discussed in closed session. Vasquez participated in the session ignoring Padilla’s warning.

Item 3B referred to at the Jan. 6 meeting had the same case number as the case Padilla reported out of closed session on October 3rd, 2013, confirming that Vasquez filed the lawsuit or is a party to the lawsuit.

Ignoring Padilla’s warning and remaining in the discussion about the lawsuit also gave Vasquez additional inside information, which could be a violation of federal laws.

HMG-CN requested legal billings for all legal services billed in relationship to the matter. It is rumored that that the financially troubled water district has spent in excess of $50,000 to date.

Because the slush fund was administered by District legal counsel under the secretive veil of “litigation” strategy, little is known of how the $2.7 million was actually spent.

The water agency has retained the law firm of Arnett Fox to conduct a full inquiry and analysis.  It is also reported that federal authorities are also actively investigating the secretive fund.

HMG-CN contacted other CBMWD Directors but they declined to speak on the matter.

But sources close to the district expressed doubt that a sitting Director could legally be a plaintiff against the agency they represent.  “This is probably unprecedented; an elected official does not attempt to reap a financial windfall from suing the organization they were elected to serve, but this is Leticia Vasquez we’re talking about here. This is probably a scheme concocted by her ambulance chasing boyfriend to make a quick buck, she was acting with the benefit of insider information given her position, which makes the case all that much more preposterous.”

The source added, “Vasquez sees this as a win-win situation where she can come off as a hero to the public being a “whistleblower” trying to make some quick cash legally for her efforts.”

 

 

  • Snap, Crackle, Pop says:

    What a pig, literally and figuratively. Her boyfriend sounds like scum too. Please don’t censor my post!

  • Mike Tyson says:

    What more can be said about Leticia Vasquez? This woman is just plain insane. Nothing is ever her fault and she’s always innocent. How could she have ever thought she could away with this hair-brain plan? Did she actually think anyone would believe that she discovered the so-called Slush Fund and thus deserved a finders fee? She’s even dumber than any of us thought.

    Her downfall will be her reliance on her boyfriend (another one who thinks his sh*t don’t stink…glad they both flush it in another neighbor in the “different” part of town).

    Her other downfall will be the fools she’s sided with. Apodaca is a disgusting degenerate who fattened his pockets for years thanks to the crooks that ran this place before her and her majority. All of us her know who brought in Aguilar, Calderon, Cedillo Wance and Camacho. You know he got his back then and now the FBI will give it to him again, but it won’t be his pockets being stuffed this time!

    Her other other downfall will be the town drunk himself, our own Royalty Mr. Roybal. Sir James thinks he’s the glue holding this bunch of monkeys together. I can’t wait till his kingdom falls apart and he becomes everyone bitch!

    Of course if everything works out for these misfits, then hopefully either Apodaca or Vasquez can spend a little of that cash on a new shirt for the King. His ONLY shirt, yeah the puke green one, must have holes in it by now. Of course, all his shirts were probably white once before he puked on them.

  • Lee Irvin says:

    Money money money! None of these phony’s have any shame. They lie about wanting to serve the public when in fact, all they want to do is screw the hard working tax payer by stealing as much money, goods and services as they can. I wish the evil Queen leticia would work as hard at her job at the water district, as she does scheming to fleece the tax payer. And being a lackey for that Teachers Jail inmate King ROYBAl and his Homie Apodaca. Karma is coming for you thieves and scoundrels. And it’s usually a Bitch! Just ask former Bell crook Rizzo and his Homie Spaccia. Can’t wait for leticia’s lawsuit to hit the courts. I’m gonna have a front row seat!

  • Bert Rodriquez says:

    I’m waiting for Leticia’s claim that she’s innocent and misunderstood. Perhaps she realizes that I understand perfectly, that she’s a crook and scumbag.

  • Wayne Carter Sr. says:

    This latest story is very disturbing. Ms. Vasquez seems to have no ethical boundaries. It is growing more evident with each passing day that this young lady is unfit to serve in an elected capacity. Obviously the lessons learned in Lynwood by Ms. Vasquez have become a distant memory.

    After a year of reading about the various exploits of Ms. Vasquez and her two equally unethical colleagues Roybal and Apodaca, one has to question why the appropriate authorities haven’t taken necessary action?

    There appears to be a complete collapse within the District Attorney’s office under the guidance of Ms. Lacey. Mr. Cooley displayed an iron fortitude when it came to public corruption that Ms. Lacey perhaps fears she is incapable of replicating? This newspaper has amased a wealth of investigative research which should provide the basis for a comprehensive investigation.

    Ms. Vasquez should do the right thing and resign to spare herself the embarrassment of either another recall or worse, her prosecution for public corruption. Those served by the Central Basin deserve better.

  • Leticia Vasquez says:

    Brian,

    The information in your email article http://hmg.theserver.me/loscerritosnews/2014/01/22/central-basin-water-director-vasquez-party-to-lawsuit-against-own-district-seeking-millions/ once again is woefully inaccurate and filled with false information. Please retract your statements. There is no lawsuit by me against the Central Basin. I ask that you make the necessary corrections.

    Leticia Vasquez

  • Victor says:

    THAT’S A MAN BABY. FUGLY

  • Jose Luis says:

    OMG! WHat the hell is that thing. The story is cruel enough and then you go and run that picture. Is it for real? You mean people actually voted for that cow? I wouldn’t even let her touch our water let alone anything else near me. That poor chair. That poor cigar!

  • Kill Me Now says:

    That’s a drag queen right? Seriously??

  • Corruption Survivor says:

    Gotta love Leticia proclaiming her innocence as expected. Somehow there’s no lawsuit yet the attorney claimed she should recuse herself as she may have a “financial conflict”?? Yep, innocent as usual. I’m very impressed that this newspaper stands by their facts.

    She played these same games in Lynwood even as they all crashed and burned. She a regular Tricky Dick Richard Nixon..”I am not a crook”. This newspaper should look into her arrest for smuggling cocaine across the Mexican border when she was just a minoir.

    This woman and her pathetic old man boyfriend who she started dating when he was the attorney for Lynwood when she was on the counsel is bottom of the barrel scum. The guy thinks he’s brilliant even though every city he’s been hired by has dumped his incompetent butt. No doubt he’s the idiot behind this Qui Tam. Easy Buck Ronnie and Ghetto Leticia are the perfect team.

  • Poor Taste Patrol says:

    No seriously, where did that picture come from? Is it photoshop’d? As much as I dislike this woman politically, she should sue for defamation if it’s altered. If it’s not, then she’s got bigger problems to worry about than the backlash of her suing her own agency.

    • Brian Hews says:

      We are a legitimate news organization, we do not alter pictures. We were told by our high-level source within CBMWD that this was taken in Sacramento when Vasquez was on official business.

  • Poor Taste Patrol says:

    Ok Brian, I believe you. I’m just shocked a picture this pathetic exists. This woman is truly one of a kind. She’s tacky, tasteless and extremely disgusting. Having viewed this picture, I will never again doubt a word printed about this woman in this paper. In my opinion, Leticia Vasquez is everything that is wrong about Southeast politics- serve serving, over indulgent, morally bankrupt and instantly corruptable garbage that has polluted our political system.

  • SCUM FLOATS TO THE TOP says:

    COCHINA!!!