In 2018, a Seeno family subcontractor bulldozing land for new housing development on a Patwin tribe burial ground uncovered human remains. Not good, at least not for the top-floor tenants. It made me cry, said Stillwell. The family has drawn some notoriety for suing public agencies and environmental groups. Includes trails and parks on and around Mount Diablo and Los Vaqueros watershed. His lawyer, Kent Robison, said the investigation was the result of an investigation into a Bay Area local official, and federal authorities were collecting documents from everyone who had made political donations to that official. Mr. This case was filed in Contra Costa County Superior Courts, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse located in Contra Costa, California. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Its horrible what they did.. . A Reno police spokesman did not return a call seeking a comment. 'Zero visibility' conditions: All roads to Tahoe are closed, One of the largest movie theaters in SF to close permanently, Report: Matthew McConaughey has a massive Salesforce paycheck, 'Really cool sight': Rare waterspout forms in Northern California, My meal at this landmark SF spot was too expensive to be so bad, A different horse': Bay Area will likely continue to see rain, Man shot dead near San Francisco Ferry Building, 'Lady in the fridge' murder victim ID'd as Bay Area mother of 3, These East Bay gems are a haven for music lovers, Buster Posey has weak answer on Giants owner's politics, 'Life threatening': Tahoe braces for massive blizzard, Snow shuts down over 70 miles of I-80 in Northern California. Staff writer Lisa Vorderbrueggen contributed to this report. Former Discovery Sales Vice President Ayman Shahidwho will be sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraudassisted federal investigators in their probe of the powerful East Bay familys mortgage business. Youll receive news and email updates from Save Mount Diablo. But their building ethics were praised in 2001 when a Seeno construction crew unearthed ancient remains at a West Sacramento site. When he's not rearranging the landscape, Seeno keeps a low profile -- in a high place. The amphibian was immortalized by Mark Twain in the short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.. Antioch . Concord-based Seeno Construction Co., which has plans to build 152 homes on the site, received about $300 in fines from county code enforcement for illegally bulldozing the trees. Part of their success, Seeno said, is their commitment to their employees. They also paid a multimillion-dollar judgment in the 1980s in a case filed by Sparks homeowners who said a Seeno subcontractor created dust storms while grading a nearby construction site. Total expenses. $65 million contribution towards a Campus District community center/library. By a 3-2 vote after hours of public comment across two meetings, Seenos Concord First Partners lost its contract to serve as the master developer of 2,275 acres at the former Naval Weapons Station, also known as the Concord Reuse Project. "Let's just say that the trade-off allowed us to get the project we wanted," Julie Pierce, a Clayton City Council member, recalls delicately. until now, after the land use plan has been approved., Powerful East Bay Developers Accused of Extortion, Theft, Threats, Seeno Construction Accused Of Destroying Pittsburg Creek, FBI, IRS, Secret Service Raid Seeno Family Development Offices, Call in Pittsburg to Stop Seeno/ Developer at Center of City Elections, Killing of Endangered Frog Brings Charges / Builder Accused of Draining Ponds, Developer Gets $300 Fine for Destroying Trees, Seeno Firm to Pay $3 Million for Destruction of Habitat in Antioch, Developer a Throwback to Old Days / Al Seeno Has History of Bulldozing Plans Through, Seenos Sued Again in Nevada for Creating Intolerable Working Conditions, Seeno Company Linked to Suspected Southern California Mortgage Fraud Ring, Criminal Complaint Alleging Seeno Company Involved in Kickback Scheme, Seeno Company Accused of Destroying Owl Habitat, Another Former Seeno Employee Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Help Feds, Pittsburg Homeowners Sue Seeno Company Alleging Questionable Sales Tactics, Seeno Family Casino Chain Fined $1 Million over Slot Machine Shenanigans. 01/20/2012: Party Number: Party Type: Party Name: Attorney: Categories. In 2010, agents with the FBI, Secret Service and the IRS raided the Concord, Calif., offices of the Albert D. Seeno Construction Company and Discovery Homes. "They know what they want, and they're not shy about going after it.". He also wanted a much larger development than is now there, so large that Clayton fought him every step of the way. Coincidentally, Whittemore's sister, Ellen Whittemore, wrote the Seeno's initial defense brief responding to the gaming commission complaint, and Las Vegas gaming lawyer Frank Schreck later took over the case. threatened to kill me last June, even though I had relocated myself and my family to Southern California to escape the threats and intimidation by the Seenos that was already occurring as a result of my cooperation with the government, [Shahid] wrote the judge. . He ordered his team to fill in the frog ponds with dirt. The state Gaming Commission eventually levied a $775,000 fine against Seeno Jr., while Seeno III was fined $25,000. WNG created dangerous and harassing working conditions that included threats of violence against Mamer and coercion to relay the threat of violence to another WNG employee, the counterclaim states. I have that trust in the Seenos unequivocally. At the top of the hill, nearly hidden from view, is the sprawling mansion of bigtime developer Albert Seeno III. Rossi said Mr. Seeno worked alongside his construction crews whenever he could. In October 2012, Seeno's son, David, approached Puckett to see whether he had any bighorn sheep available to hunt. We appreciate your support. Updated: November 11, 2011 Biography ID: 85367528 "I vouched for him at the time," Paganetti said of Whittemore. If you want unlimited digital access, please consider a subscription. In the lawsuits, Albert . Now the controversies. The developments came to light in legal documents filed last week by Brad Mamer, the former CEO of Wingfield Nevada Group, who sued the Seenos and other top executives claiming they were involved in racketeering and had violated labor laws regarding his employment. Thank you for reading eight articles this month! The Seeno family has sued and been sued countless times. We want Reno to do well as a market. A developer, his contractor, and the owner of a vacant piece of land outside the Pittsburg city limits have been cited by the county for allowing a dozen trees to be chopped down, then dumping the debris in a dry creek bed last month. As Albert D. Seeno III seeks to strike a deal with Concord officials to lead the Bay Area's largest development project, his father is trying to fire him as CEO of five companies in the family's building empire. The Seeno family finds itself on the wrong end of another lawsuit involving the crumbling Wingfield Nevada Group company, as a former employee has countersued the family, saying they created intolerable working conditions by threatening him and asking him to relay threats to others. The results show a range of builder quality locally. Voila! He conveniently forgot his check book after the hunt; I had to wait three weeks to get paid., He has no chance of winning, Puckett said of the court battle, adding Seeno only wants to cost me money to teach me a lesson., Its his company, and hes not here to take responsibility for what his company has done? the judge asked two attorneys representing the Seeno company. meria .kg (in Kyrgyz and Russian) Bishkek ( Kyrgyz: ), IPA: [bikek] ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. accounts, the history behind an article. Power survey of major builders, check with state and Better Business Bureau records for open construction-defect complaints, check for any quality-control certificates the builder holds, research the builders history of lawsuits, and ask other people how they feel about the builder. I could live 100 lifetimes and not have another partnership like this. Albert Seeno III, the owner of Discovery Builders and Albert Seeno Construction Co., appeared in U.S. District Court in Oakland on Thursday morning on the single criminal charge. His attorney said if I didnt make a deal with Mr. Seeno, he would make the lawsuit get very expensive very quickly, Puckett said. A human being just doesn't need that kind of extravagance. Seeno apparently does not dispute that he said he would kill Mr. Shahid, he simply claims he was angry and did not really mean it. . 2.2 million square feet towards an Innovation District, supporting more than 5,000 new jobs. Low around 35F. A lawsuit accuses the leaders of a powerful Contra Costa County family of threatening to kill a prominent Nevada lobbyist and friend of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid after a business deal went bad. Thank you for Reading! Meanwhile, the family is still operating in the state of California, and are . The case status is Pending - Other Pending. Seeno Mansion (Clayton, California) USA / California / Clayton / Clayton, California / Eagle Peak Avenue , 1970 Despite broad support from local construction unions, Concord Council members Laura Nakamura and Carlyn Obringer joined Mayor Laura Hoffmeister in saying they didnt trust Seeno to develop the sprawling expansion of Concord. Initially, the Gaming Control Board prohibited the Seenos from allowing Bustos on any of their casino properties, but the board has since lifted that restriction and he now has permission to be on those premises, Schreck said. Albert D. Seeno, Sr. . Seeno ultimately paid $1million in damages, and had to set aside over 100 acres of land for frogs habitiat. This property has an improvement value of $6,550,000. First, he said that the ponds his company, West Coast Home Builders, destroyed. . John King is The San Francisco Chronicle's urban design critic, taking stock of everything from Salesforce Tower to sea level rise and how the pandemic is redefining public space. Matthias Gafni is a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for the Bay Area News Group. He was released on $1 million bail, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons said. In August 2010, with the development market crumbling, Albert Jr. became disgruntled and accused Whittemore of embezzlement, fraud and other criminal activity. When the Coyote Springs litigation and allegations emerged in the Mamer Complaint where Brad Mamer alleged Seeno Family stole, threatened and intimidated him as a witness I personally support those allegations. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Mr. Seeno died after a brief illness Friday at the age of 84. This case was filed in Contra Costa County Superior Courts, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse located in Contra Costa, California. Seeno didn't fare so well in Reno a few years later, when the company was ordered to pay $9.4 million to residents near 47 acres that Seeno was developing. By then, the company was worth $500 million to $1 billion. The public overwhelmingly supports the creation of this regional park, district general manager Robert Doyle said. Former Wingfield employee Brad Mamer, who emailed his supervisor in September that he would not commit any crimes for the Seenos, said Albert III, of Pittsburg, once brought him into his office and told him We (expletive) everybody thats the Seeno way, according to Whittemore. Federal agents raided the headquarters of the Seeno family development empire Thursday, hauling out stacks of documents from two office buildings at the heart of a 70-year-old home-building dynasty that has shaped much of East Bay suburbia. Even though he was a millionaire, he lived in a two- bedroom house in Pittsburg and was known for his down-to-earth demeanor. A press release written by the public relations firm representing Seeno said that a 1979 environmental impact report failed to identify any water features on the property, and the city of Antioch did not require further studies during the almost 20-year build-out of the project.. Save Mount Diablo, All Rights Reserved. Note regarding the Seenos and their development companies such as Discovery Builders: well remind you about a variety of the Seenos previous controversies. Tech, restaurant, logistics layoffs trigger more than 300 Bay Area job cuts, Shooting in Oakland hotel parking lot puts man in critical condition, Super sandwiches: 16 of the Bay Areas best sandos to try right now, Antioch: Homicide suspect arrested in Brentwood home, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Save Mount Diablo is a tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Starting with a grandfather named Gaetano who helped rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, the Seeno family has constructed homes and shopping centers throughout the Bay Area and five other states since the 1930s and later added hundreds of acres of property in Northern Nevada to their development plans. The Seenos were not accused of wrongdoing in that case, he said. Grants made by The Albert D Seeno JR Family Fndtn. Seeno III, 42, is the son of family patriarch Albert Seeno Jr. Federal Judge Donna Ryu set Seeno III's bail at $1 million, and he was released after his family posted bond. There are 40 other people named Albert D. Seeno Iii on AllPeople. "We've invested well over $1 billion in this state," Paganetti said. As the Seeno family and current and former associates appear in more and more litigation, sorting out whos who can be difficult. The California red-legged frog is a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1996. Don't Threaten. The project has the potential to be the citys greatest asset or biggest mistake. They invested more than $400 million into the Peppermill property construction handled by Seeno Homes, including adding the Tuscan facades, pools and restaurants, he said. 2,687 acres transferred to the East Bay Regional Park District to form the Thurgood Marshall Regional Park. Staff Reporter. The last assessment recorded was taken in the year 2015 with a value of 7900000. The son and grandson of East Bay housing empire patriarch Albert Seeno Sr. personally directed a mortgage fraud scheme uncovered by the FBI, and the illegal incentive programs were approved by a company attorney and outside counsel, according to a former executive and key government witness in the nearly concluded seven-year case. "Albert and Tom had been 'fighting' for years, and they saw the WNG investment as a way to bring the brothers back together," according to the suit. A partnership led by Seenos Discovery Builders along with Lewis Planned Communities and the California Capital and Investment Group won the contract with an earlier City Council. The chemical spraying and other concerns were raised by residents in meetings with city planners on Thursday and Monday. . I'd never seen anything like this," Paganetti said. Sophocles needs a seven!"). The act was discovered when police stopped two trucks leaving the site at night. His dream, Rossi said, was to provide affordable houses to the working class, especially the people of Pittsburg. Found 1 colleague at Jacksnipe Duck Club, LLC. Welcome! Recommended Reviews for Albert Seeno Construction. Case CIVMSC11-00195 - ALBERT D SEENO, JR VS MAYNARD MANSION Case CIVMSC11-00195 - Complaints/Parties. One of their most serious legal battles came in 2004 when the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a 28-count complaint against Seeno Jr. for violating Nevada gaming licensee laws against committing crimes. "But this guy was spending $40,000 or $50,000 on parties. "Ask any planner in the county. Experts encourage those in the market for a new home to do five things when choosing a builder: Read the J.D. Destroyed wetlands on the site were also suitable habitat for the California tiger salamander, which is protected by state law, authorities said. The Albert D. Seeno Construction Co., which Mr. Seeno started in 1938, has built more than 30,000 homes and dozens of shopping centers, apartment buildings and offices, mostly in eastern Contra Costa County. He said he has been in business with the Seenos for 33 years and has never had an argument or cross word with either brother. Also that year, a Pittsburg couple that had trouble getting traditional bank loans was directed by a Seeno employee to apply for a loan through a Southern California mortgage broker that the FBI claims had set up a mortgage fraud ring. Shahid devised and managed a scheme to give secret monetary incentives to unqualified homebuyers, allowing the sales of Seeno homes to continue to be sold during the financial crisis starting in 2007, according to the indictment unsealed Monday. Whittemore, the Las Vegas gaming, alcohol and tobacco lobbyist, alleges that Seeno Jr. threatened to take down the states political machine by going to the FBI with alleged financial misappropriations. In the latest flurry of Seeno-related legal troubles, a second executive from the familys failed Nevada company sued three members of the family and their associates this week, accusing them of racketeering involving such criminal activities as extortion, tax fraud, and mail and wire fraud. About Jacqueline Seeno Homes. Seeno Homes expanded into Northern Nevada in the early 1980s, Albert Seeno said, when they acquired hundreds of acres near McCarran Boulevard and Mae Anne Avenue from a man who claimed he won the land in a poker game. A group of eight families who bought homes from Discovery Homes and its Seeno family-related affiliates have sued the builder, claiming the companys sales associates and other representatives deceived them by failing to warn them of an expensive special tax assessment on the Pittsburg homes. "So, when I throw a party, we cook up some ribs and maybe spend $40 or $50, and that includes the barbecue beans," Seeno said. The act of a desperate man doing desperate things, Robison said. The Whittemores responded Feb. 1 with a suit of their own filed in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, accusing Albert Seeno Jr., Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno III of racketeering, extortion, conspiracy to defraud the Whittemores and the federal government and breach of contract. The lawsuit also includes tales of rifts and family secrets among the tight-lipped Seenos, including one brother who allegedly threatened to murder another. Seeno III is a powerful, wealthy man with a history of threatening conduct, and an experienced sharpshooter who also somehow still holds a permit to carry a concealed handgun apparently, Madison wrote. In a plea agreement unsealed Monday, Ayman Shahid implicates companies owned by the powerful East Bay family in the scheme, which he said involved inflating home sales prices to mislead banks about the companies financial health. And in the end, the Whittemore case will be resolved by a judge, Seeno said. Albert D. Seeno Jr., left, has sued his son alleging that Albert D. Seeno III, after his appointment in July 2020 as chief executive officer of his father and uncle's businesses, improperly spent money and tried to shut them out from their own companies. The suit filed in a Nevada federal court Wednesday,. . The creek is gonethey simply graded it out of existence.. Albert D. Seeno, Iii Family Foundation it's now 5 years . 2020. Paganetti said he was the one who introduced the Seenos to Harvey Whittemore a meeting that happened during one of Paganetti's family events. They started "in the days when you could build a house in the Bay Area for $39,000," Seeno said. The Seeno family collectively owns companies worth more than $4 billion, and have a net worth of up to $2 billion, according to Whittemore. Three Bay Area men, including justice reform activist, plead guilty in Norteo RICO murder case, Californias hardest to book campground isnt in a famous park. In a letter for public . Total assets. They know what they want, and theyre not shy about going after it.. "Where else is there a true destination resort? Enjoy unlimited access to your local news. In a stunning public airing of the internal fight for control of the businesses, Albert D. Seeno Jr., 78, has sued his son alleging that Seeno III, after his appointment in July 2020 as chief. Albert Seeno: 16000 Hearst Rd, Willits, CA 95490 (626) 844-**** Albert D Seeno: 1850 Mt Diablo Blvd #440, Walnut Creek, CA 94596: Albert D Seeno: 2132 Montoya Ct, Pittsburg, CA 94565: Albert D Seeno, age 78: 1970 Eagle Peak Ave, Clayton, CA 94517: Albert D Seeno: 2236 Jacqueline Dr, Pittsburg, CA 94565: Albert D Seeno: 3445 Edgefield Pl, Carmel . Whittemores attorney declined to comment because of the litigation. In 1997, Seeno wanted to deface a hillside with a Greco-style casino ("C'mon, baby! Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. I tell them no, the country club's not as big.". Oracin a San Judas Tadeo para atraer la buena suerte, el dinero y la prosperidad. Click here to add your comment to the story! He didnt tell the U.S. Most of these quote news articles. "When he was arrested, he told the feds everything and when it came time for him to be sentenced, the prosecutor and the court agreed that he should receive the shortest mandatory sentence. The Albert D Seeno JR Family Fndtn is a private foundation in Concord, CA, which was founded in 2001 and most recently had $60,000 in revenue and no employees. I wasn't a BeyHive member. 2000-01-24 04:00:00 PDT PITTSBURG -- Services will be held tomorrow for Albert Seeno Sr., the son of an immigrant fisherman who became one of the East Bay's most prominent real estate developers. Num. Harvey has a little different moral compass than the rest of us.". But in 1995, while on a trip to Napa with his wife, Paganetti said he made a discovery that would change the way they operated the Peppermill and their other casino properties forever. The FBI investigation into the Seeno family companies started six years ago and led to indictments for former employees, but the family members themselves escaped prosecution for the scheme. What's your favorite place for morning coffee in East Contra Costa County? Holy Cross Cemetery. We'd love to hear eyewitness Mr. Seeno was also remembered for his humility. After his plea, Seeno paid fines and restitution topping $1 million and wrote an apology that was published in the local newspaper, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Bessette, who handled the case. Developing the former Concord Naval Weapons Station will be a huge project in Concord, with more than 2,300 acres at stake. But their most recent Nevada partnership has exploded into a high-profile, high-stakes legal battle with Harvey Whittemore one of Nevada's most powerful and well-known lobbyists, lawyers and political players after they claimed in a lawsuit that Whittemore embezzled and misappropriated funds from their partnership company, Wingfield Nevada Group, which owns the Red Hawk Resort in Sparks, the Coyote Springs development near Las Vegas and other businesses. "He had a real desire to win for your hometown.". We (expletive) everyone!. $60,000. Once their first casino, the Peppermill, was up and running, they bought and remodeled Western Village in Sparks, added the Rainbow in Henderson and two more properties in Wendover, he said.