The Gold Country Lenders et al real estate fraud case being prosecuted in Nevada County Superior Court by the State Attorney General involves the alleged fraudulent real estate transactions by four individuals involving numerous victims and millions of dollars of real estate. Three of the four individuals charged have declared themselves indigent and deserving of Public Defender services. Assistant County CEO Alison Leaman says the Public Defender’s Office and other Indigent Defense costs are entirely funded out of the County’s General Fund which is already under stress due to the steep decline in property tax revenues. The Public Defender has had to conflict out of the case for legal reasons approved by the Court. Leaman says this means there are three private attorneys defending these three individuals at local taxpayer’s expense.
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Leaman says the projected cost to the County to litigate a case such as this would be equivalent to putting six deputies on the street, hiring eight child protective social workers, or ten road maintenance workers. County officials have contacted their legislative advocate and Senator Gaines office to seek assistance and relief in this matter.
The State Attorney General is also spending hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions to prosecute this case.
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