From 2023: the food and drink vendors at Petco Park donate around 10% to charity every year. But the biggest charity operation at Petco Park doesn’t actually exist, it’s just two dudes in Chula Vista who pretended to run a youth softball league but actually just took millions of dollars for themselves
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/08/28/nonprofits-get-a-cut-of-petco-park-food-proceeds-but-one-of-the-biggest-nonprofits-at-the-stadium-doesnt-exist/
edit: the District Attorney and FBI are both investigating, h/t u/mlaislais
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2024/03/31/cup-of-chisme-ghosted-by-the-padres/
Doesn't look like they're in jail (yet). Wheels of justice turn slowly though.
In the meantime, Rebollo has a Facebook account you can look up. He's wearing Dodgers gear in his profile pic.
Tagging u/VoiceofSanDiego to see if they know anything
I read an article in December that the FBI had opened an investigation into them in August after the Voice article came out. So if after a 6 month investigation with all the evidence the Voice gave them they still haven’t filed charges, it’s likely their investigation turned up something much larger than the nonprofit scam. My guess would be money laundering with the amount of cash they are probably able to get rid of by operating those stands…
DUDE the rolling roots guy!!!! Remember it was a vegan black owned food truck and he said he was getting racist threats until eventually they burn his truck down. Huge scandal in the community everyone donates to the go fund me…..turns out he lied! Scammed everyone! He burned his own truck down!
That one hurt. I really liked Rolling Roots's sandwiches, and he seemed like such a cool dude when I talked to him. I donated and reposted his stuff on social media, too.
This was so huge back in the day. Everyone seemed to know someone connected to them. I knew a couple lawyers. He was president of the bar.
There were also multiple bad guys and murderers who were from law enforcement. CHP Craig Peyer who killed Cara Knott on I-15 was the most famous. The deputy killed by another deputy who burglarized houses. The cop raping women in lifeguard towers. I'm missing a few.
Sadly some other serial rapists, one being the lead singer of that oldies band. Dr Feel Good?
Even the elder millennials here weren’t around for that. I got retroactively invested when it came out that Barbara Walter’s, who had the exclusive interviews with her that the world was talking about, ended up becoming too close with Betty which caused a whole kerfluffle because of how not-black and white the case was and the public used to hold journalists to a standard.
Anyways I believe they became besties til the end.
Dunno if it's a scandal per se, but what about that time a dude stole a tank and drove it down the 163?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_San_Diego_tank_rampage
We got sent home from SCHOOL because they couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t the start of a widespread terrorist attack! Turns out it was just a dude who’d lost his marbles, managed to steal a tank, drove it around a neighborhood running over cars and power poles for 30 min, and got shot to death. No one knows why he did it.
They were all living in a rental home in Rancho Bernardo. The landlord took care of everything house related, including pest control. My dad worked for the pest control company that had their business, and did their pest control service several times. He never talked to or saw any of the tenants. They never answered the door.
I’ll add more as they come to me. Heaven’s Gate is memorial for me as I was at my friends house when his Dad called, his dad was either the ME or Coroner for the SD Sheriff, telling him about it and to stay tuned for the news was just about to break on it. It was all very surreal. Then the news broke and it got weirder.
The company I worked for, General Instruments, changed our name to Next Level Systems, and spent millions rebranding. Problem was, [nextlevel.com](http://nextlevel.com) was owned by Applewhite or the cult itself. They were unreachable, and could not make the transfer? The URL went to their cult's front page.
> Robert Alton Harris
> One of the arresting officers, Steve Baker, was the father of one of the murdered boys, but did not realize the victim was his son until later.
That sucks.
Andrew Cunanan, the man that murdered Gianni Versace and Lee Miglin was from National City.
After committing suicide, his body was brought back to San Diego. His mom was very much involved in Catholic church. Because he was a murderer and a suicide victim, the Catholic church refused to give a funeral mass. Then steps in
Monsignor Pattison and Father Joe Carroll at Saint Rita's Catholic church. His mom came to the church and asked both of them, if they could do anything. So in secret, with only 6 people in attendance (myself included) they did a mass. Not a funeral mass, but something to ease the hearts of his family. I remember talking to Father Joe Carroll in the day leading up to the mass. He was very conflicted. He didn't want to break Church Canon. But he felt like it needed to be done so his family can put him to rest. It was a big struggle for him. But in the end, he said what they did was the right thing.
I met Cunanan when I was about 15.
My best friend’s sister worked at the Thrifty Jr. in RB where he was an assistant manager, I think.
It was hot as hell that day and we were riding our bikes around town and went there to buy some soda. She told us it was cheaper to buy a 2 liter bottle and we could go get cups from the water cooler in the break room.
He was in there with his feet up smoking a cigarette. We only had a brief back and forth but I never forgot him. Years later when he was committing his spree my friend called me up and said, “Dude, Thrifty Jr…” and I immediately put 2 and 2 together.
He just had an intense aura. I was only a kid at the time but he was kind of magnetic but unsettling at the same time.
My friend and I would bring him up for years after that. Kind of an inside reference we shared. Like I said, mind blown once we realized who he was and what he was doing at the time.
His mom was my babysitter. We tried to find her for years after he died but she fell off the face of the earth. She was the kindest woman. My mom remembers when his mom was so confused at the items in his room. She brought my mom in to show her his collection of Rolexes and other expensive items and was confused on how he had such an expensive assortment of things as he just worked at rite aid. My mom suspected he was a prostitute but didn’t want to say anything. The truth was even more wild. So tragic.
The san ysidro shooting at the mcdonalds. Joan krock ended up donating the land mcdonalds sat on to the city who then turned it into a southwestern college campus
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre
Quick note because this seems a bit par for the course the past decade.
This was a HUGE and I mean, HUGE deal. The whole “going Postal” thing had just started so mass shootings were extremely rare and would take the news cycle over for weeks
Man, havent thought about the McDonalds Massacre in years. Had a professor in college that was a detective on that case.
He told us the complete case and shared the crime scene photos, told us about the survivors.
Those crime scene photos still haunt me and it’s been a longgggggggg time.
Such a tragic nightmare for all involved.
It was the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history at the time, and is still the deadliest mass shooting in California history.
Such a horrible story. The day before, "he called a San Diego mental health clinic, requesting an appointment. Leaving his contact details with the receptionist, Huberty was assured the clinic would return his call within hours. According to his wife, Huberty sat quietly beside the telephone for several hours, awaiting the return call, before abruptly walking out of the family home and riding to an unknown destination on his motorcycle. Unbeknownst to Huberty, the receptionist had misspelled his name as "Shouberty". His polite demeanor conveyed no sense of urgency to the operator, and he had elaborated in the phone call that he had never been hospitalized for mental health issues; therefore, the call had been logged as a "non-crisis" inquiry, to be handled within 48 hours."
Good ol Mike, the OB landlord. Doing his part to eff us all over.
[Tenants sue Ocean Beach landlord who acquired 114 short-term rental licenses – NBC 7 San Diego (nbcsandiego.com)](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/tenants-sue-ocean-beach-landlord-who-acquired-114-short-term-rental-licenses/3260301/)
I was just wondering about this one the other day. Totally forgot it was in San Diego. With somebody that rich and connected (the bf), you just can’t give the benefit of the doubt. Way too many question marks to cleanly rule anything out.
💯!! I'm shocked this hasn't made its rounds by now, I've seen like 5 different versions of the Cecil Hotel or the Murdaugh Murders and this one is still somehow left in the dark.
It was a $400 million ponzi scheme.
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2021/03/31/san-diego-businesswoman-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison-for-ponzi-scheme/
I hate her because The Patio on Lamont was absolutely one of my favorite spots. Nothing has taken over its location either, it’s just sitting there empty.
Man I miss their chilaquiles and bottomless mimosas. The quinoa salad with an over easy egg on top was awesome too. The lush inside/outside garden setting was far above many other restaurants. A PB culinary gem lost forever.
It's not a "scandal" but weird when you learn that an alien cult is headquartered in El Cajon. I never cared much to go in there but my friends would yank open the door and yell profanities etc etc
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unarius\_Academy\_of\_Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unarius_Academy_of_Science)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth\_Norman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Norman)
I'm middle aged, born and raised in El Cajon, and I can not remember a time when the Unarius Academy was not there in that same building with weird displays in their window.
Poway school superintendent fired for bullying and harassing students who did not cheer sufficiently loud enough for her daughter. Wild stuff https://www.kpbs.org/news/education/2024/04/30/poway-unified-board-votes-to-terminate-superintendent-following-investigation-of-student-bullying#
The Stephanie Crowe murder. Cops botched a number of things in the investigation.
The police coerced a confession out of her brother and friends. All the confessions were thrown out. They arrested a homeless dude for the murder, but his conviction was eventually overturned years later. Also there were some ALLEGEDLY unseemly things mentioned about the parents’ social/sexual life, But those conversations never came out in the public.
Millions of dollars were paid after the requisite lawsuits.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Stephanie_Crowe
Why isn’t this upvoted more.
Cops brutally interrogate a 14 year old like he is a hard core criminal - without his parents’ knowledge and without legal representation.
Three kids end up INCARCERATED for 6 mos pre-trial. Eventually everyone realizes they messed up and kids let go.
Escondido cops knew they messed up, DA knew it too. So what do they do…slow walk the case for 2 years.
The suspect is on trial and walks out of the courthouse and takes a bus out of town.
Guy ends up doing like 4 years on a 13 year sentence because the evidence was so botched. After many many years verdict overturned and he is cleared also.
The Crowe family sues and is awarded $7+M from Oceanside and Escondido.
Ended up being the end of Paul Pfingst DA career and big reason why Bonny Dumanis gets elected.
I’m guessing all the cops retired without any issues.
Check this video out. Guy found a loophole to legally take over the yellow deli. Cops got involved. It’s insightful and incredible: https://youtu.be/FXa6NltaOmM?si=nWZBibTK9lahI4lT
Please !!! If you’re reading this and are interested please do not spend your money there: they are a racist, homophobic cult who believe in child abuse as part of their prophecy and start whipping the kids as soon as 6 months old!! All the way to 18 and not only do the parents do this other elders are allowed to also discipline them. For things like biting their nails, or crying during church. They also make the kids work for free from 5 years of age. None of the members get paid for labor ever.
A big reason they don’t leave is they have zero money or belongings. Even cell phones are taken away and banned.
Please do not support these monsters
Tony McCune, who owned car dealerships in National City(McCune Chrysler & used to do TV commercials. Got busted for taking cars from the dealership to go pick up hookers lol
The old timers around here will remember this one...The San Diego Church ritual abuse case was a case of a developmentally disabled individual charged with child sexual abuse in 1991 as part of the satanic ritual abuse moral panic. After a 9-month trial, the accused was found not guilty by the jury.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith\_Chapel\_Church\_ritual\_abuse\_case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Chapel_Church_ritual_abuse_case)
To this day I'll bring that case out as the reason why I don't give police or DAs the benefit of the doubt. They tried to railroad a guy because he was mentally disabled and looked different.
The song “I Don’t Like Mondays” was inspired by the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego in 1979. When the shooter (a 16 year old girl) was asked why she did it, she said “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”
Wait! There's more!
The Irish band Boomtown Rats, together since 1975, were mildly successful in the UK until "I Don't Like Mondays" came out in 1979. Bob Geldof, the lead singer for the Boomtown Rats, leveraged the international success, fame, and access to VIPs from this single, to engage in political activism. In 1984, Geldof used his contacts to coordinate "Band Aid", the mobilization of top UK pop artists to sing "Do They Know It's Christmas?", in order to bring aide and attention to the deadly famine killing hundreds of thousands of people in Ethiopia. Over $24 million was raised through the sales of the song. He also organized multiple "Live Aid" concerts for the effort that raised multiple millions more.
But wait, there's more! Band Aid motivated Harry Belafonte to organize USA for Africa, mobilizing top US pop artists to sing "We Are the World". The sales of this single raised over $80 million for famine relief.
So, the tragedy that occured at Cleveland Elementary School in 1979 was indirectly responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of private aid going to Africa; money that probably wouldn't have made it there if it wasn't for that tragedy.
Lots of Old Town scandals when that used to be the only developed area of SD. The marriage of Henry Fitch and Josefa Carillo. Violet Whaley shooting herself in the chest after her husband of 2 weeks left her. Mary Chase Walker, SD’s first school teacher, inviting black women to eat lunch in an establishment they were not welcome at- she had to resign from her teaching career just after a few months because of the fallout from that.
The Spreckels family falling out was quite scandalous as well.
yessss
I'm doing a thesis on the Stingaree (abt 30 yrs after the Old Town scandals) and it was insane. Sooo many murders. Also, youngest mayor we've ever had (Carlson, he was 26) was def. in the pockets of the crime bosses, and later ends up in jail in the PNW for selling plots of land that didn't exist.
Craig Peyer. Serial rapist and murderer. He was CHP stationed in San Diego. Then there was the SDPD officer raping and murdering in the beach area. Forgot his name though.
This one is long before my time. The former owner of the Hotel Del, M. Larry Lawrence, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. And later disinterred when it was found that he had lied about his military service. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Larry_Lawrence.
And this one is even more remote, but more interesting. King Edward VIII of Great Britain abdicated the throne when he was not allowed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Legend has it that they met at the Hotel Del.
Maybe I just remember this because I lived close by but I see no mention of the lady selling drugs to kids at Cathedral!!
https://www.10news.com/news/sentencing-for-mother-of-cathedral-catholic-high-school-student-who-supplied-drugs-to-minors
Strippers
“This case is about scheming, cheating, cheating the people of San Diego, and corruption of the political process,” Cook told jurors in his opening statement.
SAN DIEGO — A federal prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that two City Council members took illegal contributions from a strip-club owner and his employees in a plot “to cheat the people of San Diego out of honest government.”
Assistant U.S. Atty. Paul Cook said extensive phone taps and conversations recorded by an undercover informant will show that Deputy Mayor Michael Zucchet and Councilman Ralph Inzunza took the money in exchange for promises to help change city law to allow nude dancers to touch their patrons.
But attorneys for Zucchet and Inzunza said that the contributions were reported on campaign disclosure forms and that the two officeholders never promised to try to change the “no-touch” law.
“Why would he risk his career, risk his liberty, by raising $5,000 [in contributions]?” attorney Michael Pancer said of his client, Inzunza. “Does that make sense? It doesn’t and it didn’t happen.”
Pancer said that jurors should not believe the prosecutor’s undercover informant, a former bouncer at the Cheetahs Totally Nude strip club. The bouncer, Pancer said, was paid $100,000 by the government.
U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller has ruled that taped conversations involving Lewis can be played for the jury. “Lewis’ words are still with us,” Cook said.
Cook conceded that the bouncer, who was called Tony Montagna, has a criminal record and comes “with baggage.”
Zucchet and Inzunza are on trial along with Lance Malone, a former lobbyist for Cheetahs, and Dave Cowan, a former aide to the late Councilman Charles Lewis. Lewis, Inzunza, and Zucchet were indicted in August 2003 after a two-year investigation. Lewis died in August 2004 while awaiting trial.
Pancer and Zucchet’s attorney, Jerry Coughlan, said that it is common for people to call council members to try to influence their votes.
But Cook said the coziness that existed between Malone, Cheetahs’ owner Michael Galardi, and the council members went beyond normal discussions between officeholders and people with business before the council.
“This case is not politics as usual,” Cook said. “They concealed their corrupt purpose.”
None of the recordings show council members promising to attempt to change the law in exchange for the contributions.
But prosecutors insist that the tenor of the conversations provide proof that Malone and the council members had become partners in trying to change city law. In one tape, Inzunza calls himself Malone’s “humble servant” and on another, Zucchet promises Malone access to his office if elected.
*
Times special correspondent Neal Putnam contributed to this report.
The newspaper did a story on scandals back in 2015. The 12ftio blocks javascript so the formatting is awful, however just scroll down to the end for the text.
https://12ft.io/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2015/02/23/sd-history-scandals-scoundrels-abound/
911 hijackers from the Clairemont Islamic Center[https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego](https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego) https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego
Kristin Rossum and the poisoning of her husband.
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-13-me-rossum13-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-13-me-rossum13-story.html)
Union Tribune reporter Don Bauder wrote an excellent book on this scandal:
https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Money-Golden-Girl-Affair/dp/0151155011
Totally worth reading!
heres a good local one...look up helix high teacher scandals: [https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/02/05/helix-high-stands-by-actions-in-sex-cases/](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/02/05/helix-high-stands-by-actions-in-sex-cases/)
went to hs there during that time. 4 teachers in a span of 2 years...WE WERE GOING FOR A RECORD. e. stupid hyperlink isnt working
There was a hazing scandal at RB High in the 90's where some baseball players hazed another kid in the lockeroom by sodomizing him with a broom handle
https://www.rcfp.org/school-district-claims-settlement-rape-case-must-be-disclosed/
There is and was a network of bars, 3-5 stories underground in the downtown area. During the prohibition this network of bars connected via tunnels supplied the booze and prostitutes to the mobsters and politicians. I use to do suppression systems for commercial kitchens around 2010. I serviced “The Yardhouse” which was a popular restaurant at the time. Next door there is a motel that believe is still there. Well, we had to access the lower floors to examine some old water lines and such. The maintenance guy took me to this very old crappy creepy elevator that took us down about 4 floors. There, a lot of junk and miscellaneous items were stored. I noticed a lot of tables and smaller closets with beds. And some stripper poles. I mentioned it to the older maintenance guy who had been servicing the building for 40 years. He chuckled and told me all about it. Yes, they were stripper poles. And the closets were tiny bedroom where you can have your way with a prostitute. He then showed me a a wall that was covered by a rug, there was the outline of a tunnel but it was blocked off by a poor cement patching job. It was so crappy you could still see the outline of the circular tunnel that was about 6 feet in diameter. There he told me that this tunnel was connected to a handful of other similar bars where the Rich and connected went to hide and enjoy themselves.
Massive fraud at Peregrine Systems (which former Padres owner John Moores made hundreds of millions from, although it was never proven that he participated in or knew about the fraud)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine\_Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Systems)
A guy serial killed multiple unhoused people by stabbing them with railroad spikes and setting them on fire in 2016:
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/life-sentence-for-san-diego-man-who-murdered-4-victims-in-2016-homeless-killing-spree/2494269/
How about the fact that billionaire Irwin Jacobs bought his granddaughter a San Diego congressional seat.
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/sep/10/ticker-irwin-jacobs-99-million-granddaughter/
And her BF, I forget his name, ran for district 51(?)
The one Daryl Issa currently occupies. And it’s not a scandal, per se, but it’s interesting how he left his old district because he knew he wouldn’t win and later ran in a more red district. Duncan Hunter’s empty seat.
Recent scandal that is still unfolding is the abrupt closure of PIRCH, a luxury appliance retailer.
They filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy last month.
https://businessofhome.com/articles/pirch-bankruptcy-filing-reveals-staggering-debt
The Leucadia pizza embezzlement case. Book keeper embezzled $545k in about 4 years. This was 2009-2013 so it was worth more then.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/06/17/da-leucadia-pizzeria-defrauded-of-545000/
This thread has filled my entire day with reading/researching every scandal yall have posted 😅 just settled in for the night, and going to watch a documentary on one of these. Thanks OP!!
Not really a scandal per se but jackasses none the less...Bum Fights
https://www.wave3.com/story/4741416/bumfights-video-producers-settle-lawsuit-with-men-they-filmed/
I hate how this has been memory-holed by all the other news cycle stuff since then. $100million taxpayer dollars give or take wasted for a useless building. Even if it was pristine and not full of asbestos, mold, structural deficiencies, etc, the advent of widespread remote work makes the building obsolete from the beginning.
I like the idea of converting it to homeless & low-income housing, but the costs to convert it and run it would be millions more.
And the advisor that kindly donated his time to help the city find a building and was secretly in an agreement with the company selling the building to get a portion of revenue from the sale if the city picked that building.
Christian Clews running a [child porno ring](https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/san-diego-rancher-sentenced-child-exploitation-probe) out of his house. His family also donated quite a bit of money to the Catholic Church off the 56. That church looks straight onto his ranch on the otherside of the 56!
I immediately thought of Dora Jones being held as a slave by a shit couple in Coronado until 1947.
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/mar/15/feature-slavery-trial-draws-all-eyes-san-diego/
Gonna do a little edit because it sounds like I said she was enslaved in Coronado for her whole life, she was actually only there a relatively short period and it ended there. The trial was in San Diego.
Nashwan Habib of Angelo's towing and great western towing illegally tows cars with permits obtained through bribery despite the fact he is not allowed to hold city contracts due to his multiple felonies.
Recently while I was in small claims court I noticed two separate people suing them on the same day, which lead me to these articles on google:
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/11/10/the-refugee-who-built-a-towing-empire-and-a-record-of-crime-and-lies/
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/11/12/all-the-times-local-governments-missed-red-flags-about-san-diegos-towing-king/
https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-diego/profile/towing-company/angelos-towing-recovery-1126-30002405/complaints
https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/magtsh/western_towing_using_predatory_towing_to_swindle/
Not super scandalous, but this former model and tennis pro opened a terrible restaurant in Normal Heights, which later shuttered. Her biggest scandal involved being photographed with hunted wild animals, and her estranged husband was accused of smuggling art, among other things.
https://www.sandiegoville.com/2021/11/pachamama-restaurant-ends-run-in-san-diego.html?m=1
City Counsel Corruption
Ralph Inzunza and two other city councilmen, [Charles L. Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_L._Lewis_(California_politician)) and [Michael Zucchet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Zucchet), were indicted on August 23, 2003, on federal charges of [extortion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extortion), [wire fraud](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_fraud), and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for taking campaign contributions from a strip club owner and his associates, allegedly in exchange for trying to repeal the city's "no touch" laws at strip clubs.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-4) Inzunza and Zucchet were convicted by a jury on July 18, 2005; the conviction forced them both to resign from the city council.[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-5) Inzunza filed multiple appeals for the next six years while working as a consultant for nonprofit agencies. Finally in January 2012 his final appeal was denied and he was ordered to start serving a 21-month prison sentence.[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-6) Zucchet's conviction was overturned November 10, 2005 and on September 1, 2009, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Zucchet's acquittals emphasizing the lack of evidence against him.[^(\[7\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-7) Inzunza served time in a federal penitentiary in [Atwater, California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atwater,_California) and was released in April 2013.[^(\[8\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-8) [^(\[9\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-9)
Current: Awaken “Church”
Far right conspiracy theorists masquerading as an evangelical church and rapidly expanding their footprint in SD. Related to C3 and Hillsong. These people are beyond bizarre. See if you can find footage of their “men’s camps.” Or their hosting of traveling right wing grifter carnivals. Absolutely insane that they don’t have to pay taxes.
Both major candidates for 2012 mayor (BF vs CD) each (allegedly) having sexual misconduct scandals. I don't know if the allegations against CD [https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/carl-demaio-allegations-masturbation-bathroom-city-hall-voice-of-oc/1958359/](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/carl-demaio-allegations-masturbation-bathroom-city-hall-voice-of-oc/1958359/) were validated but those against BF certainly were)
A former owner of Cheetahs bribed three city councilmen in the "Strippergate" Scandal.
[https://voiceofsandiego.org/2007/03/22/strip-club-owner-sentenced/](https://voiceofsandiego.org/2007/03/22/strip-club-owner-sentenced/)
I don't remember who was involved, but they built a bunch of houses on landslide prone areas on mt soledad in the 80s. I think the developers paid off the mayor or something because it wasn't going to be approved otherwise.
Mayor Susan Golding's (1993-2000) ex-husband Richard Silberman was caught up in a money laundering scandal involving Columbian cocaine traffickers.
Charles Keating and the 1980s Savings and Loan crisis.
Murder of Danielle van Dam (2002).
The mayor (1986-92) [with a serious-ass gambling problem](https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2013/02/14/former-san-diego-mayor-gambled-away-1-billion-fami)
I remember two from my high school. RBHS. We had the thong check scandal and also the baseball bat hazing incidents… They both were reported nation wide.
Jahi Turner was a small boy playing in a park near Balboa Park when he disappeared while his Dad was getting a soda or something. Questioned everyone, searched everywhere even the landfill. Never found the boy. I still call it Jahi Turner park.
No Jews were allowed to buy homes in La Jolla until UCSD was being planned.
From Wikipedia:
Antisemitism
The Camp Matthews site for the university was selected with some hesitation; one of the concerns was "whether La Jollans in particular would lay aside old prejudices in order to welcome a culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse professoriate into their midst".[20] La Jolla had a history of restrictive housing policies, often specified in deeds and ownership documents. In La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Hermosa, only people with pure European ancestry could own property; this excluded Jews, who were not considered white. Such "restrictive covenants" were once fairly common throughout the United States; the 1948 Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer ruled them to be unenforceable, and Congress outlawed them twenty years later via the Fair Housing Act (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968).[23] However, realtors and property owners in La Jolla continued to use more subtle ways of preventing or discouraging Jews from owning property there.[24] Revelle stated the issue bluntly: "You can't have a university without having Jewish professors. The Real Estate Broker's Association and their supporters in La Jolla had to make up their minds whether they wanted a university or an anti-Semitic covenant. You couldn't have both."[25] The issue was overcome; La Jolla now boasts a thriving Jewish population,[26] and there are four synagogues in La Jolla.[27]
How about the current mayor.
Accepted big money from the billionaire behind the midway rising project to get him elected as mayor.
Then when the midway development project was open for bidding. The billionaire developer behind midway rising magically had his bid chosen by the city due to its “merits”.
Local media barely covered this blatant corruption.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/11/03/poway-halloween-hanging-still-a-mystery/
Where I grew up in Poway, north county San Diego there was some wild things here and there
Ken C. Griffin who has several billion dollars more in securities sold not yet purchased than he has dollars thanks to the Madoff rule exemption for market makers to naked short stocks. But he’s got a Komodo dragon exhibit named after him at the zoo.
The city waited 4 years to shutdown a single open air drug market.
The one building with asbestos the city overpaid for.
The 56 freeway getting 1 lane added several years after it was promised based on new homes built, and now it needs 2 and they’re still building more homes.
Officials Upset to Learn of City Attorney Deal with Broker Accused of Conflict in Hotel Purchases
Broker Jim Neil would return $1 million he collected in fees for brokering the purchase of the Mission Valley hotel and another in Kearny Mesa, during the summer of 2020.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/former-congressman-duncan-d-hunter-sentenced-11-months-prison-stealing-campaign-funds#:~:text=Hunter%20was%20sentenced%20today%20to,was%20otherwise%20drowning%20in%20debt.
Duncan Hunter stole a quarter million dollars over 10 years in campaign finance money and spent significant amounts of it on vacations with his five mistresses.
After learning about this scandal the people of east county/50th congressional district decided to vote him back in anyway. The scandal was so significant that republicans didn't allow him to work in fear it would damage the reputation of the party.
He was sentenced to a year in prison but pardoned by Donald Trump.
Interestingly enough when former President Donald Trump was convicted of multiple felonies for spending campaign finance money on his mistress the Republicans rallied behind him. I bet hunter was pissed.
> "The indictment says that when Hunter wanted to buy some shorts for himself, his wife suggested that he falsely report the purchase as "golf balls for wounded warriors".[153][154] On another occasion he tried unsuccessfully to arrange a tour of a Navy base as a cover for a family vacation trip to Italy.[155] When the Navy couldn't arrange something on the date Hunter wanted, Hunter told his chief of staff to "tell the Navy to go fuck themselves."[156]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_D._Hunter
Unofficial scandal that affects most HS campuses. Youth football is poorly governed and often figureheads on boards will “sublet” field access back to their own organizations and pocket most of that money. They will also do nothing about the gambling on the matches as they are happening let alone address the alcohol consumed at the games. The organizations of youth football in SD are an absolute blight to children’s sports.
EDIT: They keep getting access to fields by unofficially giving a cut of their “proceeds” either to the same school’s athletic budget effectively washing some of the proceeds and / or giving facilities manager a piece of the pie themselves.
Here’s a good one. The city of Poway Unified School District now has to pay a $billion back on a $108 million loan the principal cannot be paid for 20 years and it’s a 40 year loan.
This was 2008 before the bubble burst. Greedy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Albert_Gardner
Not scandal just sad, but my parents stopped going to Hernandez Hideaway after Chelsea King and Amber Dubois
San Diego had a drought in the early 1900s so they hired the “San Diego Rain Man” to create cloud seeding. They said they will pay him if he brought rain but he actually ended up creating so much rain that he caused flooding. The city told forced him to pay for all the damages and stoled his technology.
From 2023: the food and drink vendors at Petco Park donate around 10% to charity every year. But the biggest charity operation at Petco Park doesn’t actually exist, it’s just two dudes in Chula Vista who pretended to run a youth softball league but actually just took millions of dollars for themselves https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/08/28/nonprofits-get-a-cut-of-petco-park-food-proceeds-but-one-of-the-biggest-nonprofits-at-the-stadium-doesnt-exist/ edit: the District Attorney and FBI are both investigating, h/t u/mlaislais https://voiceofsandiego.org/2024/03/31/cup-of-chisme-ghosted-by-the-padres/
Holy shit! Fuckers
I'd love to know what's going on with these clowns now. Did anyone act on this?
Doesn't look like they're in jail (yet). Wheels of justice turn slowly though. In the meantime, Rebollo has a Facebook account you can look up. He's wearing Dodgers gear in his profile pic. Tagging u/VoiceofSanDiego to see if they know anything
Dodgers gear!?? Jail. NOW.
I read an article in December that the FBI had opened an investigation into them in August after the Voice article came out. So if after a 6 month investigation with all the evidence the Voice gave them they still haven’t filed charges, it’s likely their investigation turned up something much larger than the nonprofit scam. My guess would be money laundering with the amount of cash they are probably able to get rid of by operating those stands…
That would explain the padres org not making a public apology about it. Hopefully that’s it instead of just sweeping it under the rug.
I'd be surprised if there were no tax issues.
Wow! Great mention.. this was a fascinating article!
As of March 2024, no updates and Padres won’t comment on it. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2024/03/31/cup-of-chisme-ghosted-by-the-padres/
Nice! Not sure how I missed this. Thanks for the update!!
Lol! This reminds me of the plot of My Blue Heaven, which also takes place in SD.
Arugula, it’s a vegetable.
You're so hot you are gonna melt all this stuff
DUDE the rolling roots guy!!!! Remember it was a vegan black owned food truck and he said he was getting racist threats until eventually they burn his truck down. Huge scandal in the community everyone donates to the go fund me…..turns out he lied! Scammed everyone! He burned his own truck down!
That one hurt. I really liked Rolling Roots's sandwiches, and he seemed like such a cool dude when I talked to him. I donated and reposted his stuff on social media, too.
[удалено]
How was the food in state prison
I donated to that guy, too.
Betty Freakin’ Broderick! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Broderick Did her husband cause her to lose her mind?
This was so huge back in the day. Everyone seemed to know someone connected to them. I knew a couple lawyers. He was president of the bar. There were also multiple bad guys and murderers who were from law enforcement. CHP Craig Peyer who killed Cara Knott on I-15 was the most famous. The deputy killed by another deputy who burglarized houses. The cop raping women in lifeguard towers. I'm missing a few. Sadly some other serial rapists, one being the lead singer of that oldies band. Dr Feel Good?
Even the elder millennials here weren’t around for that. I got retroactively invested when it came out that Barbara Walter’s, who had the exclusive interviews with her that the world was talking about, ended up becoming too close with Betty which caused a whole kerfluffle because of how not-black and white the case was and the public used to hold journalists to a standard. Anyways I believe they became besties til the end.
“Dirty John” Season 2 on Netflix is about her!
It is soooo good
I had to stop watching it when they mentioned an 858 area code...which didn't exist until like the mid or late 90s
Dunno if it's a scandal per se, but what about that time a dude stole a tank and drove it down the 163? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_San_Diego_tank_rampage
Only a scandal that it's only happened once.
Dude, I'm from the East Coast, and we even heard about this!
We got sent home from SCHOOL because they couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t the start of a widespread terrorist attack! Turns out it was just a dude who’d lost his marbles, managed to steal a tank, drove it around a neighborhood running over cars and power poles for 30 min, and got shot to death. No one knows why he did it.
Some of the scandals not mentioned yet: Heavens Gate Craig Peyer / Cara Knott Brenda Spencer Robert Alton Harris To name a few…
Thought of heaven’s gate too
They were all living in a rental home in Rancho Bernardo. The landlord took care of everything house related, including pest control. My dad worked for the pest control company that had their business, and did their pest control service several times. He never talked to or saw any of the tenants. They never answered the door.
Rancho Santa Fe not RB
That had to be knocked down because after they all unalived themselves in the house, no one would buy it. They even changed the street name.
I’ll add more as they come to me. Heaven’s Gate is memorial for me as I was at my friends house when his Dad called, his dad was either the ME or Coroner for the SD Sheriff, telling him about it and to stay tuned for the news was just about to break on it. It was all very surreal. Then the news broke and it got weirder.
The company I worked for, General Instruments, changed our name to Next Level Systems, and spent millions rebranding. Problem was, [nextlevel.com](http://nextlevel.com) was owned by Applewhite or the cult itself. They were unreachable, and could not make the transfer? The URL went to their cult's front page.
Oh man Cara Knott.
Brenda is the Garfield girl? When asked why she shot all those kids she said because she hates Mondays??? Did not know that was SD!
> Robert Alton Harris > One of the arresting officers, Steve Baker, was the father of one of the murdered boys, but did not realize the victim was his son until later. That sucks.
Andrew Cunanan, the man that murdered Gianni Versace and Lee Miglin was from National City. After committing suicide, his body was brought back to San Diego. His mom was very much involved in Catholic church. Because he was a murderer and a suicide victim, the Catholic church refused to give a funeral mass. Then steps in Monsignor Pattison and Father Joe Carroll at Saint Rita's Catholic church. His mom came to the church and asked both of them, if they could do anything. So in secret, with only 6 people in attendance (myself included) they did a mass. Not a funeral mass, but something to ease the hearts of his family. I remember talking to Father Joe Carroll in the day leading up to the mass. He was very conflicted. He didn't want to break Church Canon. But he felt like it needed to be done so his family can put him to rest. It was a big struggle for him. But in the end, he said what they did was the right thing.
I met Cunanan when I was about 15. My best friend’s sister worked at the Thrifty Jr. in RB where he was an assistant manager, I think. It was hot as hell that day and we were riding our bikes around town and went there to buy some soda. She told us it was cheaper to buy a 2 liter bottle and we could go get cups from the water cooler in the break room. He was in there with his feet up smoking a cigarette. We only had a brief back and forth but I never forgot him. Years later when he was committing his spree my friend called me up and said, “Dude, Thrifty Jr…” and I immediately put 2 and 2 together.
What was it he did that you couldn't forget about him?
He just had an intense aura. I was only a kid at the time but he was kind of magnetic but unsettling at the same time. My friend and I would bring him up for years after that. Kind of an inside reference we shared. Like I said, mind blown once we realized who he was and what he was doing at the time.
Myself included?????
I worked at the church for a few years. Mainly secretarial duties. But also locking up the church, school and other buildings at night.
His mom was my babysitter. We tried to find her for years after he died but she fell off the face of the earth. She was the kindest woman. My mom remembers when his mom was so confused at the items in his room. She brought my mom in to show her his collection of Rolexes and other expensive items and was confused on how he had such an expensive assortment of things as he just worked at rite aid. My mom suspected he was a prostitute but didn’t want to say anything. The truth was even more wild. So tragic.
I am loving this thread. Thanks for sharing.
Oh I forgot about him! He was a proud alum of The Bishop’s School.
I agree even though Cunanan was a monster
The san ysidro shooting at the mcdonalds. Joan krock ended up donating the land mcdonalds sat on to the city who then turned it into a southwestern college campus https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre
Quick note because this seems a bit par for the course the past decade. This was a HUGE and I mean, HUGE deal. The whole “going Postal” thing had just started so mass shootings were extremely rare and would take the news cycle over for weeks
Man, havent thought about the McDonalds Massacre in years. Had a professor in college that was a detective on that case. He told us the complete case and shared the crime scene photos, told us about the survivors. Those crime scene photos still haunt me and it’s been a longgggggggg time. Such a tragic nightmare for all involved.
It was the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history at the time, and is still the deadliest mass shooting in California history. Such a horrible story. The day before, "he called a San Diego mental health clinic, requesting an appointment. Leaving his contact details with the receptionist, Huberty was assured the clinic would return his call within hours. According to his wife, Huberty sat quietly beside the telephone for several hours, awaiting the return call, before abruptly walking out of the family home and riding to an unknown destination on his motorcycle. Unbeknownst to Huberty, the receptionist had misspelled his name as "Shouberty". His polite demeanor conveyed no sense of urgency to the operator, and he had elaborated in the phone call that he had never been hospitalized for mental health issues; therefore, the call had been logged as a "non-crisis" inquiry, to be handled within 48 hours."
Nathan Fletcher’s fall from grace
when Bob Filner was Mayor of SD for a few months lol
The animated reenactments were gold https://youtu.be/hsqfnoCQ_QU?si=vP_BHxWrtfoejGbd
I feel so dirty after watching this video I think I need to take a shower.
Make sure to confirm Filner isn’t right behind you when you do. He’ll get you with that headlock maneuver!
He got rid of the red light cameras. Legend.
Even used car salesmen thought Bob Filner was slimy
Good ol Mike, the OB landlord. Doing his part to eff us all over. [Tenants sue Ocean Beach landlord who acquired 114 short-term rental licenses – NBC 7 San Diego (nbcsandiego.com)](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/tenants-sue-ocean-beach-landlord-who-acquired-114-short-term-rental-licenses/3260301/)
Rebecca Zahau https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/rebecca-zahau-an-id-murder-mystery-2-bodies-in-2-days https://www.aol.com/rebecca-zahau-family-shares-details-070011215.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGZITiP44VWnoNISJpb6HyKE3mlxhNpWX4ESKGHzeJlGhffEnTlNuhRLRDx4wXdtBUv-cAOvuM9lYpHcDpELLMHRIVWRCmb4hY-O785CzPXTmo5fHjrKPR-xkWXIQIqZavVsY6aLtfOyC5WsnohLhw-u2GAajyD264cFaxZ0AnUg
I was just wondering about this one the other day. Totally forgot it was in San Diego. With somebody that rich and connected (the bf), you just can’t give the benefit of the doubt. Way too many question marks to cleanly rule anything out.
Someone call Netflix. This needs a docuseries.
💯!! I'm shocked this hasn't made its rounds by now, I've seen like 5 different versions of the Cecil Hotel or the Murdaugh Murders and this one is still somehow left in the dark.
The police were involved in this, you cannot convince me otherwise.
Yeah, she bound, gagged, & hung HERSELF?! WTAF, crooked cops..
With hands tied BEHIND her back.
There was the drama with the lady who owned the restaurant the patio. She stole a lot of money I believe. I think she’s in jail.
It was a $400 million ponzi scheme. https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2021/03/31/san-diego-businesswoman-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison-for-ponzi-scheme/
I hate her because The Patio on Lamont was absolutely one of my favorite spots. Nothing has taken over its location either, it’s just sitting there empty.
Man I miss their chilaquiles and bottomless mimosas. The quinoa salad with an over easy egg on top was awesome too. The lush inside/outside garden setting was far above many other restaurants. A PB culinary gem lost forever.
Yes! The Patio! I forgot about that place! They had really good food at one time!
Ahh the things I’d do for that banana foster dessert
[KONY 2012](https://youtu.be/LKwW8PNZpOQ?si=j_uS3jx6ofk1Bi6k)
Good addition
It's not a "scandal" but weird when you learn that an alien cult is headquartered in El Cajon. I never cared much to go in there but my friends would yank open the door and yell profanities etc etc [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unarius\_Academy\_of\_Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unarius_Academy_of_Science) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth\_Norman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Norman)
I'm middle aged, born and raised in El Cajon, and I can not remember a time when the Unarius Academy was not there in that same building with weird displays in their window.
Had never heard of this, thanks for giving me a new rabbit hole to go down!!!
Their tv show is a classic!
Poway school superintendent fired for bullying and harassing students who did not cheer sufficiently loud enough for her daughter. Wild stuff https://www.kpbs.org/news/education/2024/04/30/poway-unified-board-votes-to-terminate-superintendent-following-investigation-of-student-bullying#
The Stephanie Crowe murder. Cops botched a number of things in the investigation. The police coerced a confession out of her brother and friends. All the confessions were thrown out. They arrested a homeless dude for the murder, but his conviction was eventually overturned years later. Also there were some ALLEGEDLY unseemly things mentioned about the parents’ social/sexual life, But those conversations never came out in the public. Millions of dollars were paid after the requisite lawsuits. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Stephanie_Crowe
Why isn’t this upvoted more. Cops brutally interrogate a 14 year old like he is a hard core criminal - without his parents’ knowledge and without legal representation. Three kids end up INCARCERATED for 6 mos pre-trial. Eventually everyone realizes they messed up and kids let go. Escondido cops knew they messed up, DA knew it too. So what do they do…slow walk the case for 2 years. The suspect is on trial and walks out of the courthouse and takes a bus out of town. Guy ends up doing like 4 years on a 13 year sentence because the evidence was so botched. After many many years verdict overturned and he is cleared also. The Crowe family sues and is awarded $7+M from Oceanside and Escondido. Ended up being the end of Paul Pfingst DA career and big reason why Bonny Dumanis gets elected. I’m guessing all the cops retired without any issues.
What’s that one sandwich deli that’s a front for a cult?
Yellow Deli. Great food but lousy service.
They used to (maybe they still do) set up at the La Jolla farmer's market. Their avocadoes were insanely good.
Those weirdos use to buy a lot of their supplies at a Costco I used to work at. Very strange dudes!
Check this video out. Guy found a loophole to legally take over the yellow deli. Cops got involved. It’s insightful and incredible: https://youtu.be/FXa6NltaOmM?si=nWZBibTK9lahI4lT
The Yellow Deli
Please !!! If you’re reading this and are interested please do not spend your money there: they are a racist, homophobic cult who believe in child abuse as part of their prophecy and start whipping the kids as soon as 6 months old!! All the way to 18 and not only do the parents do this other elders are allowed to also discipline them. For things like biting their nails, or crying during church. They also make the kids work for free from 5 years of age. None of the members get paid for labor ever. A big reason they don’t leave is they have zero money or belongings. Even cell phones are taken away and banned. Please do not support these monsters
Duke Cunningham bribery scandal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Cunningham Duncan Hunter campaign finance scandal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_D._Hunter
Duncan Hunter jr was also responsible for a friendly fire incident that killed Marines.
The duncan hunter(s) are assholes
Punchline of the Duncan story is that he got re-elected after it all went public.
The Hunter family closet is a cemetery, so many skeletons.
Tony McCune, who owned car dealerships in National City(McCune Chrysler & used to do TV commercials. Got busted for taking cars from the dealership to go pick up hookers lol
“There’s only one dog on the lot, and she’s just…not for sale. Honest.” Always wondered what happened to him. Thought he was dead.
The serial rapist owner of Voce Del Mare in Bird Rock that drugged waitress's interviewing for jobs at the restaurant.
This is truly terrifying. He’d drug and rape them when they showed up for job interviews?
Yep, 40 year sentence on 20 counts of rape and sexual assault. Can only imagine how many others there were that never spoke up.
The sexual assault and murder of 7 year old Danielle van Dam by neighbor David Westerfield in Sabre Springs in 2002.
Then the media and the defense claimed her parents were swingers.
This was such a tragic event that I still talk to people about. Poor girl.
Such an incredibly awful case. I remember following that trial closely.
The old timers around here will remember this one...The San Diego Church ritual abuse case was a case of a developmentally disabled individual charged with child sexual abuse in 1991 as part of the satanic ritual abuse moral panic. After a 9-month trial, the accused was found not guilty by the jury. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith\_Chapel\_Church\_ritual\_abuse\_case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Chapel_Church_ritual_abuse_case)
This was the first thing that popped into my mind. Dale Akiki. What a nightmare he went through.
To this day I'll bring that case out as the reason why I don't give police or DAs the benefit of the doubt. They tried to railroad a guy because he was mentally disabled and looked different.
If serial killers count, this guy who lived in my apartment complex (as did some of his victims) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleophus_Prince_Jr.
Murder of Cara Knott by a police officer in 1986 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Cara_Knott
The song “I Don’t Like Mondays” was inspired by the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego in 1979. When the shooter (a 16 year old girl) was asked why she did it, she said “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”
Wait! There's more! The Irish band Boomtown Rats, together since 1975, were mildly successful in the UK until "I Don't Like Mondays" came out in 1979. Bob Geldof, the lead singer for the Boomtown Rats, leveraged the international success, fame, and access to VIPs from this single, to engage in political activism. In 1984, Geldof used his contacts to coordinate "Band Aid", the mobilization of top UK pop artists to sing "Do They Know It's Christmas?", in order to bring aide and attention to the deadly famine killing hundreds of thousands of people in Ethiopia. Over $24 million was raised through the sales of the song. He also organized multiple "Live Aid" concerts for the effort that raised multiple millions more. But wait, there's more! Band Aid motivated Harry Belafonte to organize USA for Africa, mobilizing top US pop artists to sing "We Are the World". The sales of this single raised over $80 million for famine relief. So, the tragedy that occured at Cleveland Elementary School in 1979 was indirectly responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of private aid going to Africa; money that probably wouldn't have made it there if it wasn't for that tragedy.
Brenda Spencer.
Lots of Old Town scandals when that used to be the only developed area of SD. The marriage of Henry Fitch and Josefa Carillo. Violet Whaley shooting herself in the chest after her husband of 2 weeks left her. Mary Chase Walker, SD’s first school teacher, inviting black women to eat lunch in an establishment they were not welcome at- she had to resign from her teaching career just after a few months because of the fallout from that. The Spreckels family falling out was quite scandalous as well.
yessss I'm doing a thesis on the Stingaree (abt 30 yrs after the Old Town scandals) and it was insane. Sooo many murders. Also, youngest mayor we've ever had (Carlson, he was 26) was def. in the pockets of the crime bosses, and later ends up in jail in the PNW for selling plots of land that didn't exist.
What was the deal with the Russian hookers at Searsucker in Carmel valley / Del Mar in the mid-2010s
Craig Peyer. Serial rapist and murderer. He was CHP stationed in San Diego. Then there was the SDPD officer raping and murdering in the beach area. Forgot his name though.
This one is long before my time. The former owner of the Hotel Del, M. Larry Lawrence, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. And later disinterred when it was found that he had lied about his military service. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Larry_Lawrence. And this one is even more remote, but more interesting. King Edward VIII of Great Britain abdicated the throne when he was not allowed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Legend has it that they met at the Hotel Del.
Maybe I just remember this because I lived close by but I see no mention of the lady selling drugs to kids at Cathedral!! https://www.10news.com/news/sentencing-for-mother-of-cathedral-catholic-high-school-student-who-supplied-drugs-to-minors
Strippers “This case is about scheming, cheating, cheating the people of San Diego, and corruption of the political process,” Cook told jurors in his opening statement. SAN DIEGO — A federal prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that two City Council members took illegal contributions from a strip-club owner and his employees in a plot “to cheat the people of San Diego out of honest government.” Assistant U.S. Atty. Paul Cook said extensive phone taps and conversations recorded by an undercover informant will show that Deputy Mayor Michael Zucchet and Councilman Ralph Inzunza took the money in exchange for promises to help change city law to allow nude dancers to touch their patrons. But attorneys for Zucchet and Inzunza said that the contributions were reported on campaign disclosure forms and that the two officeholders never promised to try to change the “no-touch” law. “Why would he risk his career, risk his liberty, by raising $5,000 [in contributions]?” attorney Michael Pancer said of his client, Inzunza. “Does that make sense? It doesn’t and it didn’t happen.” Pancer said that jurors should not believe the prosecutor’s undercover informant, a former bouncer at the Cheetahs Totally Nude strip club. The bouncer, Pancer said, was paid $100,000 by the government. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller has ruled that taped conversations involving Lewis can be played for the jury. “Lewis’ words are still with us,” Cook said. Cook conceded that the bouncer, who was called Tony Montagna, has a criminal record and comes “with baggage.” Zucchet and Inzunza are on trial along with Lance Malone, a former lobbyist for Cheetahs, and Dave Cowan, a former aide to the late Councilman Charles Lewis. Lewis, Inzunza, and Zucchet were indicted in August 2003 after a two-year investigation. Lewis died in August 2004 while awaiting trial. Pancer and Zucchet’s attorney, Jerry Coughlan, said that it is common for people to call council members to try to influence their votes. But Cook said the coziness that existed between Malone, Cheetahs’ owner Michael Galardi, and the council members went beyond normal discussions between officeholders and people with business before the council. “This case is not politics as usual,” Cook said. “They concealed their corrupt purpose.” None of the recordings show council members promising to attempt to change the law in exchange for the contributions. But prosecutors insist that the tenor of the conversations provide proof that Malone and the council members had become partners in trying to change city law. In one tape, Inzunza calls himself Malone’s “humble servant” and on another, Zucchet promises Malone access to his office if elected. * Times special correspondent Neal Putnam contributed to this report.
The newspaper did a story on scandals back in 2015. The 12ftio blocks javascript so the formatting is awful, however just scroll down to the end for the text. https://12ft.io/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2015/02/23/sd-history-scandals-scoundrels-abound/
911 hijackers from the Clairemont Islamic Center[https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego](https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego) https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2011/09/06/retracing-story-911-hijackers-san-diego
Yup. The dudes were staying with an *FBI informant.* The whole thing is bizarre and largely forgotten.
The Hep-A outbreak, the bike lane scandal are a few that come to mind
Umm the 14yo girl they found on base… https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna93283
Whatever came of this? It’s like they never mentioned it again after they found her
Investigators found the girl lied repeatedly about her age in person and on Tinder or whatever dating app they met on, and no charges were brought
Scott Peterson https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/digital-originals/scott-peterson-murder-case-timeline-2024/3567183/
Kristin Rossum and the poisoning of her husband. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-13-me-rossum13-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-13-me-rossum13-story.html)
Leo Hamels gun trafficking conviction for purchasing off-roster weapons from the Sheriff's Department.
J. David Dominelli ponzi scheme in the 80’s.
Union Tribune reporter Don Bauder wrote an excellent book on this scandal: https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Money-Golden-Girl-Affair/dp/0151155011 Totally worth reading!
heres a good local one...look up helix high teacher scandals: [https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/02/05/helix-high-stands-by-actions-in-sex-cases/](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/02/05/helix-high-stands-by-actions-in-sex-cases/) went to hs there during that time. 4 teachers in a span of 2 years...WE WERE GOING FOR A RECORD. e. stupid hyperlink isnt working
There was a hazing scandal at RB High in the 90's where some baseball players hazed another kid in the lockeroom by sodomizing him with a broom handle https://www.rcfp.org/school-district-claims-settlement-rape-case-must-be-disclosed/
There is and was a network of bars, 3-5 stories underground in the downtown area. During the prohibition this network of bars connected via tunnels supplied the booze and prostitutes to the mobsters and politicians. I use to do suppression systems for commercial kitchens around 2010. I serviced “The Yardhouse” which was a popular restaurant at the time. Next door there is a motel that believe is still there. Well, we had to access the lower floors to examine some old water lines and such. The maintenance guy took me to this very old crappy creepy elevator that took us down about 4 floors. There, a lot of junk and miscellaneous items were stored. I noticed a lot of tables and smaller closets with beds. And some stripper poles. I mentioned it to the older maintenance guy who had been servicing the building for 40 years. He chuckled and told me all about it. Yes, they were stripper poles. And the closets were tiny bedroom where you can have your way with a prostitute. He then showed me a a wall that was covered by a rug, there was the outline of a tunnel but it was blocked off by a poor cement patching job. It was so crappy you could still see the outline of the circular tunnel that was about 6 feet in diameter. There he told me that this tunnel was connected to a handful of other similar bars where the Rich and connected went to hide and enjoy themselves.
Also this heartbreaking story https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/s/2mnVPn8MeA
Massive fraud at Peregrine Systems (which former Padres owner John Moores made hundreds of millions from, although it was never proven that he participated in or knew about the fraud) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine\_Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Systems)
Heaven’s Gate
Pauly Shore trolling Mission Beach in the 90s.
A guy serial killed multiple unhoused people by stabbing them with railroad spikes and setting them on fire in 2016: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/life-sentence-for-san-diego-man-who-murdered-4-victims-in-2016-homeless-killing-spree/2494269/
How about the fact that billionaire Irwin Jacobs bought his granddaughter a San Diego congressional seat. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/sep/10/ticker-irwin-jacobs-99-million-granddaughter/
And her BF, I forget his name, ran for district 51(?) The one Daryl Issa currently occupies. And it’s not a scandal, per se, but it’s interesting how he left his old district because he knew he wouldn’t win and later ran in a more red district. Duncan Hunter’s empty seat.
Ammar Campa-Najjar. He’s been a US Naval officer since August 2023.
That CorePower Yoga founder dude falling off his house or whatever always seemed a little fishy to me
When the restaurant Seersucker in Del Mar was basically exposed as a brothel.
I can’t stand Brian Malarky please tell me more 🙏🏻
Alicia Gwynn misusing funds from her and Tony’s charity.
Recent scandal that is still unfolding is the abrupt closure of PIRCH, a luxury appliance retailer. They filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy last month. https://businessofhome.com/articles/pirch-bankruptcy-filing-reveals-staggering-debt
The Leucadia pizza embezzlement case. Book keeper embezzled $545k in about 4 years. This was 2009-2013 so it was worth more then. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/06/17/da-leucadia-pizzeria-defrauded-of-545000/
This thread has filled my entire day with reading/researching every scandal yall have posted 😅 just settled in for the night, and going to watch a documentary on one of these. Thanks OP!!
Not really a scandal per se but jackasses none the less...Bum Fights https://www.wave3.com/story/4741416/bumfights-video-producers-settle-lawsuit-with-men-they-filmed/
In the same vein of exploitation, the Girls Do Porn scumbags.
That 101 ash st building thing.
I hate how this has been memory-holed by all the other news cycle stuff since then. $100million taxpayer dollars give or take wasted for a useless building. Even if it was pristine and not full of asbestos, mold, structural deficiencies, etc, the advent of widespread remote work makes the building obsolete from the beginning. I like the idea of converting it to homeless & low-income housing, but the costs to convert it and run it would be millions more.
And the advisor that kindly donated his time to help the city find a building and was secretly in an agreement with the company selling the building to get a portion of revenue from the sale if the city picked that building.
Christian Clews running a [child porno ring](https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/san-diego-rancher-sentenced-child-exploitation-probe) out of his house. His family also donated quite a bit of money to the Catholic Church off the 56. That church looks straight onto his ranch on the otherside of the 56!
I immediately thought of Dora Jones being held as a slave by a shit couple in Coronado until 1947. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/mar/15/feature-slavery-trial-draws-all-eyes-san-diego/ Gonna do a little edit because it sounds like I said she was enslaved in Coronado for her whole life, she was actually only there a relatively short period and it ended there. The trial was in San Diego.
I thought this said San Diego Sandals. I was gonna say flip flops and jeans, DONT DO IT.
As a guy pushing 40. Fuck it, it’s comfortable and I’m not trying to impress anyone when I’m outside my house
If you said this in OB you’d probably catch hands haha. I thought the same thing tho. Still waking up.
That lady who owned breakfast bitch and stole money from a basketball players wife, thru scams and schemes. And she went to jail
Full article worth reading about her: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/style/serial-con-artist-tracii-hutsona.html
101 Ash, Jason Hughes; Andrea Cardenas Chula Vista councilmember COVID fraud; Fat Leonard; UCSD-USC alzheimer’s research dispute
Nashwan Habib of Angelo's towing and great western towing illegally tows cars with permits obtained through bribery despite the fact he is not allowed to hold city contracts due to his multiple felonies. Recently while I was in small claims court I noticed two separate people suing them on the same day, which lead me to these articles on google: https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/11/10/the-refugee-who-built-a-towing-empire-and-a-record-of-crime-and-lies/ https://voiceofsandiego.org/2015/11/12/all-the-times-local-governments-missed-red-flags-about-san-diegos-towing-king/ https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-diego/profile/towing-company/angelos-towing-recovery-1126-30002405/complaints https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/magtsh/western_towing_using_predatory_towing_to_swindle/
Not super scandalous, but this former model and tennis pro opened a terrible restaurant in Normal Heights, which later shuttered. Her biggest scandal involved being photographed with hunted wild animals, and her estranged husband was accused of smuggling art, among other things. https://www.sandiegoville.com/2021/11/pachamama-restaurant-ends-run-in-san-diego.html?m=1
Didn’t she also stiff her employees when they closed?
City Counsel Corruption Ralph Inzunza and two other city councilmen, [Charles L. Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_L._Lewis_(California_politician)) and [Michael Zucchet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Zucchet), were indicted on August 23, 2003, on federal charges of [extortion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extortion), [wire fraud](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_fraud), and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for taking campaign contributions from a strip club owner and his associates, allegedly in exchange for trying to repeal the city's "no touch" laws at strip clubs.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-4) Inzunza and Zucchet were convicted by a jury on July 18, 2005; the conviction forced them both to resign from the city council.[^(\[5\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-5) Inzunza filed multiple appeals for the next six years while working as a consultant for nonprofit agencies. Finally in January 2012 his final appeal was denied and he was ordered to start serving a 21-month prison sentence.[^(\[6\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-6) Zucchet's conviction was overturned November 10, 2005 and on September 1, 2009, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Zucchet's acquittals emphasizing the lack of evidence against him.[^(\[7\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-7) Inzunza served time in a federal penitentiary in [Atwater, California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atwater,_California) and was released in April 2013.[^(\[8\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-8) [^(\[9\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Inzunza#cite_note-9)
Former DA, Paul Pfingst & Gina Champion-Cain come to mind.
The 2 terrorists that flew into the Pentagon were here in San Diego the year prior and learned to fly at Montgomery Field.
Current: Awaken “Church” Far right conspiracy theorists masquerading as an evangelical church and rapidly expanding their footprint in SD. Related to C3 and Hillsong. These people are beyond bizarre. See if you can find footage of their “men’s camps.” Or their hosting of traveling right wing grifter carnivals. Absolutely insane that they don’t have to pay taxes.
Both major candidates for 2012 mayor (BF vs CD) each (allegedly) having sexual misconduct scandals. I don't know if the allegations against CD [https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/carl-demaio-allegations-masturbation-bathroom-city-hall-voice-of-oc/1958359/](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/carl-demaio-allegations-masturbation-bathroom-city-hall-voice-of-oc/1958359/) were validated but those against BF certainly were)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Cara_Knott
Heavens Gate is a gnarly one https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_(religious_group)
A former owner of Cheetahs bribed three city councilmen in the "Strippergate" Scandal. [https://voiceofsandiego.org/2007/03/22/strip-club-owner-sentenced/](https://voiceofsandiego.org/2007/03/22/strip-club-owner-sentenced/)
Sagon Penn.
I don't remember who was involved, but they built a bunch of houses on landslide prone areas on mt soledad in the 80s. I think the developers paid off the mayor or something because it wasn't going to be approved otherwise.
Mayor Susan Golding's (1993-2000) ex-husband Richard Silberman was caught up in a money laundering scandal involving Columbian cocaine traffickers. Charles Keating and the 1980s Savings and Loan crisis. Murder of Danielle van Dam (2002).
David Alan Westerfield Zodiac victims in OB Randy Kraft you cant make this stuff up
The mayor (1986-92) [with a serious-ass gambling problem](https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2013/02/14/former-san-diego-mayor-gambled-away-1-billion-fami)
McDonald’s massacre in the 80’s
I remember two from my high school. RBHS. We had the thong check scandal and also the baseball bat hazing incidents… They both were reported nation wide.
Jahi Turner was a small boy playing in a park near Balboa Park when he disappeared while his Dad was getting a soda or something. Questioned everyone, searched everywhere even the landfill. Never found the boy. I still call it Jahi Turner park.
No Jews were allowed to buy homes in La Jolla until UCSD was being planned. From Wikipedia: Antisemitism The Camp Matthews site for the university was selected with some hesitation; one of the concerns was "whether La Jollans in particular would lay aside old prejudices in order to welcome a culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse professoriate into their midst".[20] La Jolla had a history of restrictive housing policies, often specified in deeds and ownership documents. In La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Hermosa, only people with pure European ancestry could own property; this excluded Jews, who were not considered white. Such "restrictive covenants" were once fairly common throughout the United States; the 1948 Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer ruled them to be unenforceable, and Congress outlawed them twenty years later via the Fair Housing Act (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968).[23] However, realtors and property owners in La Jolla continued to use more subtle ways of preventing or discouraging Jews from owning property there.[24] Revelle stated the issue bluntly: "You can't have a university without having Jewish professors. The Real Estate Broker's Association and their supporters in La Jolla had to make up their minds whether they wanted a university or an anti-Semitic covenant. You couldn't have both."[25] The issue was overcome; La Jolla now boasts a thriving Jewish population,[26] and there are four synagogues in La Jolla.[27]
How about the current mayor. Accepted big money from the billionaire behind the midway rising project to get him elected as mayor. Then when the midway development project was open for bidding. The billionaire developer behind midway rising magically had his bid chosen by the city due to its “merits”. Local media barely covered this blatant corruption.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2009/11/03/poway-halloween-hanging-still-a-mystery/ Where I grew up in Poway, north county San Diego there was some wild things here and there
Ken C. Griffin who has several billion dollars more in securities sold not yet purchased than he has dollars thanks to the Madoff rule exemption for market makers to naked short stocks. But he’s got a Komodo dragon exhibit named after him at the zoo. The city waited 4 years to shutdown a single open air drug market. The one building with asbestos the city overpaid for. The 56 freeway getting 1 lane added several years after it was promised based on new homes built, and now it needs 2 and they’re still building more homes.
Rent
Officials Upset to Learn of City Attorney Deal with Broker Accused of Conflict in Hotel Purchases Broker Jim Neil would return $1 million he collected in fees for brokering the purchase of the Mission Valley hotel and another in Kearny Mesa, during the summer of 2020.
The Voice of San Diego does these types of things all the time. You should check out their website and listen to their podcast!
Judge Roy Beans' brother was a SD mayor
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/former-congressman-duncan-d-hunter-sentenced-11-months-prison-stealing-campaign-funds#:~:text=Hunter%20was%20sentenced%20today%20to,was%20otherwise%20drowning%20in%20debt. Duncan Hunter stole a quarter million dollars over 10 years in campaign finance money and spent significant amounts of it on vacations with his five mistresses. After learning about this scandal the people of east county/50th congressional district decided to vote him back in anyway. The scandal was so significant that republicans didn't allow him to work in fear it would damage the reputation of the party. He was sentenced to a year in prison but pardoned by Donald Trump. Interestingly enough when former President Donald Trump was convicted of multiple felonies for spending campaign finance money on his mistress the Republicans rallied behind him. I bet hunter was pissed. > "The indictment says that when Hunter wanted to buy some shorts for himself, his wife suggested that he falsely report the purchase as "golf balls for wounded warriors".[153][154] On another occasion he tried unsuccessfully to arrange a tour of a Navy base as a cover for a family vacation trip to Italy.[155] When the Navy couldn't arrange something on the date Hunter wanted, Hunter told his chief of staff to "tell the Navy to go fuck themselves."[156]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_D._Hunter
Unofficial scandal that affects most HS campuses. Youth football is poorly governed and often figureheads on boards will “sublet” field access back to their own organizations and pocket most of that money. They will also do nothing about the gambling on the matches as they are happening let alone address the alcohol consumed at the games. The organizations of youth football in SD are an absolute blight to children’s sports. EDIT: They keep getting access to fields by unofficially giving a cut of their “proceeds” either to the same school’s athletic budget effectively washing some of the proceeds and / or giving facilities manager a piece of the pie themselves.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SDSU/s/SA35MkcoPf SDSU neighborhood
Rodger Hedgecock and Bob Filner. Just Google those names! Yikes!
Here’s a good one. The city of Poway Unified School District now has to pay a $billion back on a $108 million loan the principal cannot be paid for 20 years and it’s a 40 year loan. This was 2008 before the bubble burst. Greedy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Albert_Gardner Not scandal just sad, but my parents stopped going to Hernandez Hideaway after Chelsea King and Amber Dubois
The Compton cookout
San Diego had a drought in the early 1900s so they hired the “San Diego Rain Man” to create cloud seeding. They said they will pay him if he brought rain but he actually ended up creating so much rain that he caused flooding. The city told forced him to pay for all the damages and stoled his technology.
Anyone remember the guy setting homeless people on fire in like 2017?
Mayor Roger Hedgecock forced to resign-https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-10-me-15670-story.html