Lawndale Case Given to District Attorney

Lawndale City Atty. David J. Aleshire has asked the district attorney’s office to investigate possible criminal violations by a city maintenance supervisor who is suspected of charging the city for building supplies used for private remodeling projects.

Aleshire said Tuesday that he has obtained sufficient evidence in his initial investigation to warrant asking the district attorney’s office whether embezzlement charges should be brought against maintenance supervisor Floyd (Bud) Marez.

“I believe we now have reason to suspect that a crime has been committed,” Aleshire said in a three-page letter to the district attorney’s office.

The criminal investigation will focus on the use of city-paid materials on private projects, Aleshire said. In a separate investigation, the city is looking into possible personnel policy violations, including using city vehicles and equipment for private work and performing personal work on city time.

Last week, Marez, a supervisor in Lawndale’s Municipal Services Department, and a co-worker, Thomas Gomez, were suspended with pay from their jobs for 10 working days while Aleshire conducted his investigation, according to City Manager Daniel P. Joseph.

Aleshire identified Marez as “the principal focus” of the investigation.

Marez and Gomez declined to comment.

Because the 10-day suspension expires Monday, Aleshire asked the district attorney’s office to investigate as soon as possible.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Herb Lapin confirmed Tuesday that he has received Aleshire’s request and said he will investigate the case. The crime of embezzlement carries up to four years in state prison, he said.

Aleshire said he plans to report tonight to the Lawndale City Council on the progress of his investigation, which was prompted by allegations brought to the council by Gary McDonald, chairman of the Planning Commission.

The council met in two closed-door sessions last week to discuss the matter.

No details were made public by the council, but McDonald told reporters he has found records at City Hall that show Marez and Gomez used city charge accounts to pay for supplies--including two skylights and a large quantity of wire mesh used for stuccoing. Such supplies are not used by the city, he said.

McDonald said Marez and Gomez worked on private remodeling projects when they were supposed to be on duty for the city. He said they made deliveries of materials in city trucks.

Those allegations were supported by a Norwalk homeowner, Yolanda Candelaria, who said she hired Marez and Gomez last spring to do a $30,000 remodeling job on her home.

In an interview with The Times, she said that a number of times she saw men in orange-and-brown city uniforms delivering truckloads of materials to her home during late morning hours. She said Marez and Gomez failed to complete the remodeling and left her home in a shambles. She said she had paid them a $20,000 deposit on the work and materials.

Aleshire said in his letter that he believes the Candelaria home and another residence in Norwalk represent “the best evidence” of wrongdoing. “However,” he added, “there may be several other private construction projects undertaken by Mr. Marez over the last two to three years, which involve the same practices.”

McDonald also asked the city to investigate whether Marez and Gomez had used city materials when remodeling the homes of city personnel analyst Grace-Marie Johnston and city housing Director Paula Burrier.

Aleshire said the investigation has not turned up any evidence that city materials were used at Johnston’s or Burrier’s homes.

In an interview last week, Burrier said she paid Marez $9,000 to remodel her home, but she said she has no reason to believe city materials were used.

Johnston was not available for comment.

Meanwhile, a supervisor for the Contractors’ State License Board said Marez does not have a contractor’s license for the remodeling work he has been doing.

A contractor’s license is required when builders perform construction work that costs $300 or more for materials and labor, according to Warren Drayton, state board supervisor. Marez could be subject to a fine of at least $1,500 if it is determined that he performed unlicensed work, Drayton said.

Marez gave his customers the license number of a Redondo Beach building company, B & J Remodeling, without the company’s knowledge or permission, company officials said.

The company discovered Marez was using its license number when a homeowner’s attorney contacted B & J to complain about remodeling work Marez performed, according to Bill Turner, a company spokesman. Asked if the company had knowledge of or association with Marez, Turner replied, “None whatsoever.”