One of Two Held in Burglary Suspected of Housing Scam

Two Laguna Niguel men have been arrested on charges of stealing $80,000 worth of belongings from a Nellie Gail home over the Christmas holiday, and one also has been charged with leasing out vacant homes that didn’t belong to him, sheriff’s officials said.

Henry Aguilar, 55, and Lance Kipper, 25, were arrested Thursday morning after they tried to flee from deputies through the back door of a home where they were living, Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson said.

Sheriff’s Investigator Dominick Derado and Deputy Steve Shandrick learned of the men’s whereabouts while investigating the burglary of a Nellie Gail home in the 27000 block of Lost Colt. The thieves had taken linens, furniture, cookware, clothing and even children’s toys.

Officials said they recovered about $40,000 worth of the belongings Thursday in Aguilar and Kipper’s home.

In addition, Wilkerson said Aguilar is suspected of a complex real estate fraud scam, in which he and others pretended to be the owners of homes vacated during foreclosure and then leased the homes to unsuspecting tenants.

The legal owners were, in most cases, banks or financial institutions, but Aguilar pocketed the lease payment, police said. The tenants ultimately were evicted by the lawful owners, Wilkerson said.

The pair were arrested as deputies served a search warrant on one such home on Agia Street in Laguna Niguel. Aguilar and Kipper were living at the home, which did not belong to them, police said.

Both men are being held at the Orange County Jail, Wilkerson said. Aguilar is charged with burglary, theft, receiving known stolen property and filing false or forged deeds. He is being held without bail. Kipper is charged with burglary and receiving known stolen property. His bail is set at $25,000.

Anyone who believes they may have been victimized should call Investigator Don Lambert at (714) 647-7486.