Category: Fraud

AKA Slick Con-Man Christian Andrews Deceives Downtown

REAL ESTATE NEWS  (May 25, 2017) Los Angeles, CA  —  Christian Andrews is a rich guy with a multi-million dollar trust in Los Angeles who has terminal cancer and wants to help those who are deserving by paying off their credit cards and buying them luxury condos before he passes, even paying the HOA dues and utilities, taxes, everything for a year in advance  — really taking care of those in need. In exchange, he wants nothing really, except for a bit of help in avoiding his interfering parents who are attempting to take control of his life and thwart his attempts to generously help people.  #drewdonovan #fraud

Sounds enticing, huh?  That is the story that the deceiver wants us to believe, but the real story is appallingly different. It starts with his fake name, and gets much worse from there. His real name is Drew Christian Donovan, and today he is perhaps L.A.’s most prolific and despicable con artist. A confidence man so named because he gets the attention and faith of his innocent victims by gaining their trust with phony enticements and fake payments, by appealing to their needs and capturing their sympathy so that he can defraud them out of thousands of dollars each.  #christianandrews

While the overloaded Los Angeles Police Department has hardly started their engines on this case (Fraud Report DR#1701-11966) and the victims wait to have their phone calls hopefully returned soon by the police investigators, the L.A. Loft Blog has already blown the lid right off this illegal scheme that has penetrated deep into Downtown real estate, touching the Sky Lofts and wreaking havoc on Solaire Condominiums in Koreatown. We’ve learned that the perpetrator has already defrauded more than 100 individuals, families, mothers, children, elderly, disabled out of more than $1,000,000. The insidious aggressor is recently getting even more desperate and dangerous, going so far as to kidnap a mother for several hours, telling her that she may not leave to go tend to her children, while extracting every dime possible from her. Victims are left financially devastated and families potentially homeless in the aftermath Donovan’s wickedly crafted web of deception. The 48-year-old fraudster and identity thief from San Clemente is now at large in Los Angeles, bilking and milking the most needy, gullible and compassionate, taking advantage of those who care to help the phony ailing millionaire. After providing fake electronic payments from non-existent bank accounts and writing fake private bank checks from his own blank check stock using an account that does not exist, the highly skilled smoothie convinces his marks to provide him with cash and credit card use in order to help hide the hustler from his supposedly interfering parents. The real story is that the flim-flam man is blowing the loot on his depraved lifestyle of anonymous sex and drugs while hiding out from his previous victims, and evading the law.

The criminal has purported to have a female assistant helping in the transactions by the name of Melissa Ramsey, likely an accomplice who is conspiring in a criminal enterprise. Recovered evidence shows documentation that indicate police impersonation by Donovan, while photos show the crook enjoying a life of leisure and travel on his swindled funds.

Paul Cheatham, a K-town local who survives on a meager $1,017 per month with 100% disability due to health issues, met shyster Drew Donovan, who was going by the fake name “Christian Andrews”on Feb 28, 2017 through a mutual friend. “Mr. Andrews” asked Paul to help him hide out from his parents for a day. Andrews told Paul that Andrews was dying of thyroid cancer, and had millions of dollars in a trust that the family was interfering with.

Charlatan Christian Andrews (real name Drew Donovan) convinced his victim Mr. Cheatham that Andrews was a wealthy individual who is dying and wishes to distribute the wealth to those who are deserving. The quack requested personal information in order to add these individuals to his trust. The offender offered to pay Mr. Cheatham’s bills, credit cards in full, rent for three months. To gain the confidence of Mr. Cheatham, the ripoff artist provided bank account numbers and routing numbers to pay Mr. Cheatham’s bills. The liar explained to Mr. Cheatham, that in exchange for helping the hoaxer hide from his make-believe meddling family, the offerer would provide millions in cash, credit car payoffs, and real estate. Two days later, scammer Andrews requested that Mr. Cheatham provide a social security number and California ID, address, mothers maiden name.  Andrews led Mr. Cheatham to believe that a financial trust account was set up to help Mr. Cheatham live comfortably. The trust was to also include a car and a luxury condominium unit, plus a year of pre-paid HOA dues.

At 8:30 PM Sunday, March 5, con-man Christian Andrews brought Mr. Cheatham to Sky Loft Condominiums in Downtown Los Angeles at 801 S Grand Avenue to look at condo units for sale. Andrews called a local real estate agent, Corey Chambers, to help view properties for sale over the next several days. At the direction and coordination of Andrews, Mr. Cheatham went into escrow on the purchase of a $1,300,000 property at Solaire condominiums at 3785 Wilshire Bl.  Innocent victim Mr. Cheatham had no knowledge that Andrews provided a fake proof of funds, as well as a fake earnest money deposit bank wire transmission receipt.

SOLAIRE KOREATOWN FOR SALE   |   NEW HOMES   |   UNLISTED HOMES

Andrews gave to Mr. Cheatham a big, fat fake check in the staggering amount of $6,439,543.31 from a non-existent account of City Private Bank, along with another bogus check in the amount of $17,241.18 to be used for personal expenses. Andrews later offered to pay the bills of the real estate agent Corey Chambers after convincing Mr. Chambers that pretend philanthropist Andrews is helping old friend Mr. Cheatham. Andrews also convinced Mr. Chambers that Andrews was dying of terminal cancer and needed help spending his multi-million dollar trust fund in a way that would help Mr. Cheatham while giving money to those who are needy and deserving. On April 6, 2017, Andrews told agent Corey Chambers that Andrews would like to pay some of Corey’s credit card bills that have a large balances in exchange for helping them. Unaware of the scam, Mr. Chambers allowed the bilker to “pay” an American Express bill of $3,409 (which 7 days later was returned as unpaid from Andrews’ fake account on April 13).  Andrews then told Mr. Chambers to provide a credit card for Andrews hotel room, plus $500 cash so that Andrews can successfully complete the real estate transaction using Andrews’ own trust funds. Shiny new cars were also promised — another mirage.

The master hustler Christian Andrews convinced Mr. Cheatham to rent a car until a new car arrives that Andrews promised to pay for. Andrews told Mr. Cheatham that the trust had already confirmed and arranged to pay for everything.

Mr. Chambers informed Mr. Cheatham of his suspicions that Christian Andrews was behaving in a way very similar to con artists and fraudsters. Mr. Cheatham gave to swindler Andrews a total of $30,000 in cash, credit card use and other credit use, such as car rentals. Mr Chambers and Mr. Cheatham reported the fraud to LAPD Rampart office and created an initial Investigative Report on 4/19/17.

On April 20, Mr. Cheatham inadvertently found and recovered a bounty of evidence from room #323 at the Normandie Hotel after Mr. Chambers tipped off the inn as to the nature of their fraudulent, non-paying guest Christian Andrews (Drew Donovan). The mountain of evidence includes computer files with many victim credit cards, stolen identities, evidence of accounts and online services that Andrews utilized to meet men to exchange money and sex, services for anonymous communications, services for travel, and financial accounts of fraud victims. The digital evidence also includes photographs of victims and photographs of perpetrator Andrews. Physical evidence obtained from the hotel room after Andrews skipped town include blank check stock, printouts of fake transactions, written credit card numbers, drivers license numbers and names of many of Drew Donovan’s AKA Christian Andrews’ victims. “He really had me fooled,” admits Mr. Cheatham, “He’s a very skilled con-artist.

The personal effects show that Donovan has long been stealing from friends of friends, rich and poor in order to finance his own lavish lifestyle and depraved need for anonymous sex and drugs. The perpetrator is targeting married men and their families to steal from, and he is not slowing down, but is speeding up the pace of his dirty work, putting disabled and families with children into risk of homelessness so that he can feed his own never-ending desire to binge on pleasure and excitement.

The stories of Paul, along with families who have come forward but do not wish to be public, are a small sample of many, many recent victims of fraud and identity theft.  The victims are asking for the public to help.  The L.A. Loft Blog is also working to put an end to swindler Drew Christian Donovan’s campaign of financial devastation.  Readers of the L.A. Loft blog can help to stop one of America’s top con artists currently on the loose and on a rampage in Los Angeles. Drew Donovan is devastating families daily. Here’s how to stop him and others like him:

Report to the police and to the L.A. Loft Blog any information on his whereabouts or recent criminal activities. Include the Fraud Report DR#1701-11966 and then submit the information to the L.A. Loft Blog consumer protection department at consumer@laloftblog.com. This article written by L.A. Loft Blog Publisher Corey Chambers, also a witness and victim of the frauds.

Update June 12, 2017: Additional police report has been filed by another victim at JotNot_06-12-2017-police-report-donovan

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Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with information provided by Corey Chambers. Descriptions of the suspect and alleged crimes are based on the accounts of victims, along with substantial evidence received by the L.A Loft Blog.