FRAUD SQUAD – Special Update: DTLA Criminal At Large; Also Loft Litigation
Major Con Artist Set Free by LAPD
Lawsuits and Litigation: First, some Downtown L.A. loft litigation news to report. We are told by a resident of SB Grand that they are suing Barry Shy and the SB Grand HOA Homeowner’s Association for damage done to their loft by faulty construction and expansion of a penthouse above. They say the the added weight was not properly supported, and is causing cracks and rain water leakage into their loft unit. So far, the LA Loft Blog has been unable to obtain any confirmation from other residents, and we’ve seen no written documentation on this report.
It’s hard to find real cops in L.A., so here’s a phony.
PREDATOR$ — An update on a dangerous criminal on the prowl: Professional con man fraudster Drew Christian Donovan AKA Christian Andrews AKA Jimmy Wayne Jackson has reportedly been released from jail. While the San Diego police did a perfect job of quickly arresting the culprit and sending him to the correct jurisdiction for prosecution, it looks like the Santa Barbara prosecutor was not too successful at putting him away for long. The main reason could be that LAPD has been sadly unable or unwilling to contribute. The last we heard from the LAPD is that they refuse to receive any of our MOUNTAIN of evidence against the fraudster because the “matter is under investigation.” It’s profoundly ironic and destabilizing when the Los Angeles Police Department is using the weakest of canned responses because they are too busy to investigate all of the evidence of what could be the #1 most prolific con artist in the Greater Los Angeles Area, with hundreds of victims and millions in damages. Perhaps the cops should admit the facts that they don’t have the budget to investigate major fraud because they blew the funds on misappropriations such as a mind-boggling fleet of electric BMWs — and, besides, LAPD leadership has more important things to do than fight crime, such as driving one of the electric BMWs to the nail salon. #dtla #realestate #fraud
Enough ranting about the trying to get the LAPD to lift a finger to help stop one bad real estate fraudster. It comes down to the fact that prevention really the most important part of fighting crime.
Fraud Protection Tip:
Make sure that a friend who’s offering to gift a house, condo or loft is actually a real close friend and not just a con artist.
Buyers and sellers need make sure that earnest money deposits are real, and triple check that real earnest money deposits are sent to the real escrow accounts.
Renters: do not give personal information or money to any landlord, agent or manager who is out of town.
Following these tips will prevent about 90% of real estate fraud that we commonly see in Downtown LA.
Speaking of real estate law — Litigation and lawsuits remain one of Downtown’s biggest issues for lofts and condos. More that 25% of Downtown LA homes listed for sale have currently or recently had a lawsuit or litigation in the building. Get free information on Downtown loft litigation and lawsuits. Fill out the online form:
He tried to use Downtown real estate to take advantage of people. BIG MISTAKE! The prey turned out to be stronger than the predator.
Drew Christian Donovan aka Christian Andrews aka Jimmy Wayne Jackson
Victims of the fraudster all speak of his tremendous talent for evil. He was the embodiment and aficionado of the confidence trick, the game that gives money and excitement to the schemer at the expense of his mark. The victim loses not only money, but also loses confidence, and is robbed of the feeling of well-being. The loser suffers humiliation, feels debased and often further ashamed, possibly even blamed when the local police try to dissuade the damaged innocent from even filing a police report. The cops and detectives then go off on every tangent, sometimes accusing the victim rather than taking on the challenging task of going after the crafty, crooked fox himself. #DrewChristianDonovan #ChristianAndrews #JimmyWayneJackson
After bilking innocents by falsely promising free real estate, he’s now in jail. This story was just received from another of his hundreds of victims — Trina is one of several who would fight back:
I met Christian Donovan December 2016, through a friend, she had told me for a weeks this man was from a wealthy family and that he was dying of cancer. She said he was hiding from his wealthy family because they wanted to serve him conservator papers.
She said he had a trust, called Donovan dynasty trust. He was trying to get rid of the money so his family could not take it and he was trying to do it so he can run away to Germany, for cancer treatments and to be with a longtime friend. His family are owners of Donovan group llc, and his father was a wealthy lawyer in Beverly Hills.
Another of Drew Donovan’s many millions in fake checks
He said his name was Christian Andrew Donovan, born and raised in Beverly Hills. DOB 11/21/1968. He was going to wire 2.1 million to her and buy her sister a home, under the company name family greens. He even went as far as looking as houses and placing a bid and allowing the home to go through escrow, when the funds didn’t show up to allow the escrow to complete, he came up with a story that it was the realtors fault and he would just cut a check. The realtor kept calling and finally gave up and told my fiend they couldn’t get the house. He even asked if my wife could supply an invoice for a pool, from her company, he was going to use it to justify why he needed extra money from his trust. He took my friend to a few banks and everyone seem to know drew and he played it well, so she was some what convinced he was real. But certain things he did and said didn’t add up. So she called me to help her. To see if what she was seeing and hearing from him was real. she spent about a month to two months with him. even letting him sleep in her home. her brother in law even baby sat him, in return two cars. which i attached the fake transfer of those vehicles. which we never saw. according to him they were in storage. he even had a car impounded with is belongings in it, we believe it was rental and not even his.
I met with him and he told me his same story. I googled him and couldn’t find any information on him.
That weekend my friend asked if I would get a room for them under my name, it would be a deposit and his assistant would make the payment, and that he would wire me money from his trust. This was December 30th till Jan 1 2017 in orange county, CA. He even offered to gift me by paying my monthly bills. Which he did and they all came back as unpaid. As we sat with him that entire weekend. We snooped through his belongings because we were skeptical about him. My friend I became so suspicious we didn’t want to leave him alone or alone with each other, we wanted to watch him and see if we could find anything out about him. as we sat with him we kept him talking and telling us stories of his life, we googled all of it i even found a person on craigslist who was trying to warn people about him, i emailed this person and was getting information about drew. Which increased our suspicions. When the payments he pretended to make to my landlord for rent came back denied, he stated he would cut me a check.
Real court document about Drew Donovan’s history of fraud
It was New Year’s Eve 2016, he asked that we leave the room for a few hours because his assistant Melissa Ramsey was coming over to bring him a check for us. He asked us to leave the room and come back an hour later, so we sat in the parking lot and continue to texted him, asking if he wanted food and how long till she arrived. In reality we were in the parking lot watching the hotel entrance. When he texted us to say she was almost there, i hid in the stair well to the floor of the room, i had full view of the room door. My friend stayed in the car texting me and him. he had texted my friend that his assistant had arrived and she was on her way up the elevator, i watched that door for 3 hours and not once did anyone show up or leave. He even texted that his assistant had just left and he was walking her out. Again no one entered or left. When we got back to the room we smelled perfume and a check was on the desk. When he got in the shower we found the stack of blank checks and the bottle of perfume. He would have full conversations on the phone and we would hear a voice on the other end, so it made us wonder if he had an accomplice.
Come to find out he is a con artist, whose name is Jimmy Jackson from Michigan.
He has done federal time in 2009. He changed his name to Christian Donovan. He has been scamming people for years. He is a master manipulator, he’s convincing. He goes to urgent cares to obtain pills that he says he must take because of the pain from the cancer. We found an ex-boyfriend online. His father died of cancers and had leukemia. A story we think Christian Donovan adopted
I left my friend with him because my wife was really upset so I went home, when drew feel asleep my friend took his computer and cell phones (which she bought) and left. He then called me to tell me he didn’t understand why she took them this was 1 am. By this time i had already checked my bank statement. And saw that the hotel charged my card. He told me it was only a deposit and i would be returned that his assistance Melissa was paying for the room and he would take care of it. i already knew by then he was lying. i called the front office and explained he was a con man and I wanted him evicted. i then called the cops and made a report over the phone. When I called the hotel back they stated the manger when to his room to get a new card to put on file and he told him he would bring it down. When they went back to his room and made him go to the lobby they deactivated his room key till he updated his payment method. i told them the cops were in route, they had also called the cops to come and by the time they arrived he was long gone. All his belongings locked in the room.
We hadn’t heard from him in a few weeks then he re-appeared with my friend’s sister. She hid him in LA then brought him back to Moreno valley. we followed her to a hotel but we could not locate him. The last we hear he was back in LA. i have reached out to different victims that i found in his contacts and they all share the same story. they have all lost
He creates fake companies and convinces people to invest. He takes lines of credits out then takes all the money. i reached out to the FBI LA sheriff, Orange county Sherriff, and no one was able to help or willing to hear me out. After a few months I finally gave up. He was gone and no longer in my life, my friend’s life and i was able to salvage what he burned me on. i lost out on $1000.00 dollars due to late fees and hotel charges, it doesn’t ad up to the emotional stress it put on myself and my family. Luckily i got out before he could take me for all i got, i was one the lucky ones, i heard from people who are still trying to recover. My friend is still trying to recover as well as her sister. i pray they can build a strong enough case to keep him behind bars. Because if we is released he will go back to doing what he does best, being a con man.
— Trina
It takes great power to defeat the relentless, cutthroat liar. The power that finally stopped the monster came from the readers of the L.A. Loft Blog. Stepping foot into Sky Lofts was his biggest mistake, as loft lovers are not easily pushed over!
Are the members of this website among the most powerful people on earth? Yes, it has proven to be true. A magnet to movers and shakers, Downtown Los Angeles and the Loft Blog have attracted many great artists, captains of industry, numerous Grammy and Academy Award winners and the like. When the readers of this blog recently put the super-skilled rip-off artist behind bars by providing massive evidence and then calling the San Diego Police, it noted the clincher of how responsible, compassionate and strategic loft-lovers, Downtown dwellers and real estate enthusiasts truly have proven to be. Thank You to my fantastically powerful friends!!!!!
Corey Chambers, Publisher
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