2 Charged in Scheme to Rent Vacant Sites

Two Orange County men were ordered this week to stand trial on charges of conspiracy, burglary and possession of stolen property after allegedly breaking into vacant properties, changing the locks and illegally renting the sites out to unsuspecting new tenants.

Henry Richard Michael Aguilar, 58, and Lance Christopher Kipper, 25, were arrested in January and are suspected of posing as owners of more than a dozen homes in Irvine and other cities, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Aguilar also faces charges of grand theft and filing false documents. Prosecutors and police say Aguilar allegedly filed fraudulent deeds and claims on the properties, frustrating the efforts of true owners to get the property back.

Irvine Police Det. Henry Boggs said the suspects allegedly tracked down recently foreclosed properties and then made bogus claims to them, creating a paper jumble that confused mortgage companies and Realtors trying to sell the homes. That paper trail, though, also led to the arrests, Boggs said.

Boggs said authorities filed burglary and theft charges because the suspects removed furniture and fixtures from the properties that weren’t completely empty. Dozens of homes were likely rented out, including multimillion-dollar properties, he said.

“We’re seeing more cases like this,” Boggs said. “News travels fast apparently.”

The pair are being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail each and will be arraigned in Superior Court on March 26.