Newport Architect Jailed for Forgery
A Newport Beach architect pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in jail Friday for forging documents so his customers’ homes could exceed city height limitations.
Andrew Goetz, 43, also will lose his architectural license and spend three years on felony probation, according to a plea bargain agreement reached in Orange County Superior Court.
Between March 2001 and August 2003, according to prosecutors, Goetz submitted a number of forged and altered surveys to support construction and renovation plans for homes he was working on in Newport Beach.
As a result, authorities said, the city approved building permits for some homes that later had to be modified or rebuilt.
In one case, authorities said, a couple had to remove the top floor of their three-story ocean-view home because it exceeded the city’s building height limit. The alteration cost them more than $100,000.
Other unsuspecting customers, they said, suffered long and costly delays.
A restitution hearing is scheduled April 15.
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