Search
Polls
Latest Forum Posts
| Re:PHS: Track & Field Schedule phsrunner 15-05-08 10:32 |
| Re:PHS: Track & Field Schedule The Flash 14-05-08 02:31 |
| Re:PHS: Track & Field Schedule phsrunner 12-05-08 11:51 |
Login Form
| Former GM accused of stealing from nut co-op |
|
|
| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 17 May 2008 | |
|
“We saw some things and had some questions, and one thing led to another.” — Greg Nunes, Westside Hulling Association board member  Burtis Randy Burtis, former general manager of the Westley-based Westside Hulling Association cooperative, is named in two lawsuits regarding the allegations — one from his former employer and the other from the Le Grand-based Minturn Nut Co. Westside Hulling fired Burtis on Dec. 14, according to an April 11 lawsuit, alleging that he used the cooperative’s resources to purchase goods and services for personal use and then destroyed or altered receipts, invoices and bank records. Burtis was arrested Dec. 26 on charges of unauthorized use of personal identification, second-degree burglary, embezzlement, impersonating another person to make another person liable and altering entries in a book or records. He posted $25,000 bail that same day and has been out of jail ever since. “It was shocking and devastating to the membership,” said Greg Nunes, who sits on Westside Hulling’s board of directors. Nunes said he could not go into detail about what initially led co-op members to suspect something was wrong, noting that an investigation is ongoing. The lawsuit says the discovery was made in November 2007. “We saw some things and had some questions, and one thing led to another,” Nunes said. Missing records, missing money Burtis had served as general manager at the hulling association since March 2000, according to the association’s lawsuit. The suit alleges that he and his wife, Ronda, used the association’s bank and credit accounts for their own purposes and also had Westside Hulling employees perform labor for them. It also claims they received proceeds from the sale of byproducts at the cooperative. Burtis allegedly hid, destroyed or changed invoices, receipts of purchases and paperwork from the cooperative’s bank and credit accounts and drew checks on the association’s accounts. The suit also says Burtis concealed his actions by forging the names of people authorized to sign checks on behalf of the cooperative. Members did not realize what was going on because records were falsified, according to the suit. It says the association spent $15,461 to obtain information by cooperating with law enforcement agencies and paying for an accounting firm to review records. After Burtis left the company, the suit alleges he and his wife fraudulently transferred title of their rural Patterson home in January to Burtis’ parents, Alfred and Charlotte Burtis of Modesto. Lisa Jimenez, attorney for Westside Hulling, explained that a lien could be placed on Burtis’ home if a judgment was made against him, but that couldn’t happen if the home was not in his name. She said Randy and Ronda are thought to still live in the Patterson house, so the suit calls for the title to be returned to them. As a result, the Modesto couple and Ronda Burtis are named in the suit along with Randy Burtis. Neither Randy nor Ronda Burtis could be reached for comment this week, and a woman who answered the phone at the home of Alfred and Charlotte Burtis said the couple was out of town.  Randy Burtis, then general manager of the Westley-based Westside Hulling Association cooperative, grabs a handful of almonds in September 2006 at the association's hulling and shelling facility in Westley. Irrigator file photo. The suit seeks at least $418,000 in damages, as well as reimbursement for the $15,461 spent on obtaining information and the cost of legal fees. Nunes said individual members of the cooperative also may file suits of their own. Talk of conspiracy While Westside Hulling appears to seek only to recoup the money it lost, an April 1 suit from Minturn Nut Co. seeks $3.5 million in punitive damages, in addition to about $1.3 million for goods the suit alleges were fraudulently obtained. Minturn claims that its former plant manager, Turlock resident Robert Adams, was involved in an embezzlement scheme with wife Shelly Adams, Cal Nut employee Ron Salado and Randy Burtis. The suit alleges that between 2000 and 2006, the group sold Minturn stolen or embezzled almonds, low-quality “hash” and, in some cases, almonds that were never received. All were purported to be from “Clint Shaw,” whose name may derive from a stolen identity. Adams was fired from his job Feb. 7. According to the suit, Salado masterminded the scheme, while Burtis removed almonds and hash from truckloads and delivered them to Minturn. The Adamses, Salado and Burtis all shared the profits from the scheme, the suit claims. More than $1.28 million in checks were cashed for what was supposed to be $812,208 worth of almond shipments. The suit alleges that some proceeds from sales were used in real estate and financial investments. Looking ahead Case-management conferences for both suits are scheduled for August, though it could be some time before they go to trial. In the meantime, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department has an ongoing investigation. Sheriff’s spokesman Royjindar Singh said the probe started with the Westside Hulling incident but has since expanded to the Minturn affair. Westley-area almond grower Mike Lara, who is not a hulling association member, noted that there has been lots of talk among growers about the allegations. “If it’s all true, it’s going to be one hell of a thing,” he said. Nunes, of the Westside Hulling Association board, said he expects all the details of the case eventually will come to light. “There’s a lot of rumors floating around, so we’ll let the investigators do their thing, and they can sort out fact from fiction,” he said. He noted that Westside Hulling hired a new general manager, Louie Durrer, about six weeks ago, and things have been working out well. “We’re pleased, (Durrer is) pleased and we’ll move forward,” Nunes said. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 491 Comments
(0)
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed