OAKLAND A major Northern California home developeron Thursday pleaded guilty to bank fraud on behalf of his home sales company and was ordered to pay $11 millionfor a builder bailout scam that he contends he knew nothing about. Signup for an myClientName account today and start saving your favorites, view personalized recommendations and more. But the developers promised to also build a youth recreation center at the project site and preserve 265 additional acres of land as open space. It always felt like your last day wishing that they would end this horrible cycle and you would have a life on the other side. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. All rights reserved. 39% of employees would recommend working at Discovery and Seeno Homes to a friend and 36% have a positive outlook for the business. Contact Information Customer Contact Ms. Nancy McMillin, Executive Assistant Additional Contact Information Phone Numbers (888) 414-6637. Login to your MyDeNova Homes account.Dont have an account? All rights reserved. Discovery was founded by a member of the Seeno family, which has built and managed properties in Contra Costa County for several generations. It wont, Seeno III said during an apology to the judge. Last year, the city reached a dead end with former master developer Lennar Corp., which walked away after refusing to hire local labor for construction work. This is our third home, however, our first home purchased from Seeno. The 1,650 homes, as approved last year by the City Council, would be clustered in valleys along the ridgeline, encompassing 341 acres. 10 reviews of Albert Seeno Construction "We purchased a home in the new development of San Marco by Seeno Homes and Discovery Builders, we have been in our home 4 months now. Carey Hendrickson and Jason Sterlino, sales managers for Seeno properties, were previously charged. The Seeno family of development companies wants to build 1,650 homes in the hills that overlook the Concord Naval Weapons Station. driving a golf cart and free Biscotti cookies at the office. Faria Land Investors, a Seeno/Discovery Builders associate, wants to build some 1,500 homes clustered in the valleys in the southwest Pittsburg hills, which overlook the former Concord Naval . We are very happy with the courts decision.. It would fragment open space and damage wildlife corridors. Enthusiasm and dedication, thats what drives our team to provide exceptional leadership and even better results. Ft. 1 - 2 Bed 1 - 2 Bath. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Seeno III, who is the president of Discovery Sales, said he trusted his staff to run Discovery Sales while he focused his attentions on the building development side of his business, which includes A.D. Seeno Construction Co. started by his father Albert Seeno Jr., and Seeno Homes and Discovery Homes. This Website Has Moved to ContraCosta.news, East Bay Regional Park District Celebrates Green Friday. And in 2018, Seeno filed a lawsuit to halt the naval weapons station from being developed by a company that beat it and other groups to become the project's master developer. The district is creating a large regional park on the former weapons site. They also successfully pressed for a development agreement that precludes the companies from suing the city at some future point. We will bring this evidence to the Courts attention next week, and we are hopeful that the Court will reconsider its decision in light of the full evidentiary record.. It was very hard to have a life outside of Seeno. Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. The park district opposed the project. The project as approved by the city authorizes the development of a major, new residential subdivision on 606 acres of ridgeline and hillside grazing land in what is currently unincorporated Contra Costa County, immediately south of the City of Pittsburg. To see all the homes youve saved, visit the My Favorites section of your account. According to an August 21, 2020 media release by EBRPD: This approval paved the way for the Park District to begin work on park and trail development of the 2,540-plus-acre regional park at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station and was the product of two decades of community advocacy and partnership amongst the Park District, U.S. Navy, National Park Service, City of Concord, with overwhelming support from the residents of Central Costa County. No effort is made when new people start to introduce them to others in the company or provide any kind of orientation or overall training. One being in middle school, one in elementary and one toddler. If you are interested in a career with DeNova Homes, please send us an email hr@denovahomes.com with a copy of your resume to inquire about open positions and opportunities. For more information on Pittsburg development plans, go to http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/, For more on the planned Concord Hills Regional Park, go to https://www.ebparks.org/parks/concord_hills/default.htm. The U.S. Navy transferred almost 2,216 acres of the defunct weapons station to the district in 2019 to create a new regional park in partnership with the National Park Service. Enter your email address and well send you a link to reset your password. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Discovery and Seeno Homes. Under proposed rules now under review, La Habra would be required to plan for the construction of more than 300 affordable housing units by 2030. Verify your email to use filters. The development team includes Seeno companies Discovery Builders, Inc. and Faria Investors LLC. The extensive grading would increase landslide risks and degrade creeks and streams. Shahid was the president of DSI, which was the sales arm of affiliated residential construction companies, including Discovery Home Builders and Albert D. Seeno Construction Co. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The owner of the company might pop into your community occasionally but he is always really humble and tries to blend like a regular buyer. Specifically, the line of credit could be reduced or terminated, or additional collateral would be required to secure the line of credit. To the dismay of Seenos critics, the exclusive negotiating agreement also effectively prevents the council from arbitrarily changing its mind, Bjerke said. The final vote to formally approve Seeno might happen this October. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. I really enjoyed working for Seeno Homes, as it was the first builder to hire me with little experience. A lot of favoritism. In a plea deal accepted by the judge on Thursday, Seeno III agreed to pay $3 million in restitution toFannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two taxpayer-sponsored financial services companies, within 120 days. Please click "I Accept" to acknowledge our policy and the use of this information to help operate our site and for analytics, personalization and advertising purposes. EVERYONE takes lunch at the same time, 12 noon to 1pm. Plans to develop the hills date back to 2005 when voter-approved Measure P moved the Faria site within Pittsburgs urban boundary. Just as Pittsburg residents criticized the Faria development, Concord residents last year took the council to task for handing the citys future to the Seeno companies. James Colopy of Farella Braun + Martel, the legal firm representing Discovery Builders, said his client years earlier had expressed concerns about converting the former weapons station to a large public park. The districts board of directors approved the parks land-use plan and associated environmental impact report on July 7, paving the way for development of the more than 2,540-acre regional park. He agreed to pay a $8 million fine, with interest, over five years. Since we have been here, our kitchen has flooded from a fridge water supply line that malfunctioned, exhaust fans sound like freight . The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bank fraud is 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or twice the gain or loss and restitution to be decided by the court. Actual porch and window configuration varies from artists renderings. The buyers were not required to possess or post any of their own money when buying a home; DSI, the builders and their affiliates provided money to buyers to make down payments. It would be nice to have a weekend off once in a while. He has been tracking rents and home prices, and has explored solutions to critical problems such as Southern Californias housing shortage and affordability crisis. "I wanted to write and thank you all at Seeno Homes and tell you how much I've appreciated your help when I had questions about the purchasing process and the house. Northern California is the perfect region. Part of the councils decision stemmed from a desire to proceed with the project after a long dormancy. Among other flaws, the EIR lacks adequate analysis of numerous impacts, including biological resources, water supply, wildfire, traffic, and land use. wheeler and thompson funeral home; albert seeno net worth. We very much appreciate owning a Seeno built home and would not hesitate to purchase another one. We need workers that are getting good on-the-job training, said Israel Avila, a local carpenter, and we need the council to support good partners like (the Seeno team).. According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Discovery and Seeno Homes employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. 39% of Discovery and Seeno Homes employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Colopy said that although his client informed the park district of its concerns, they were not considered during the approval process. It is the third largest fine ever ordered within the criminal division of the U.S. District Courts Northern District of California, according to Hemann, the prosecutor. NewHomeSource.com is a trademark of Builders Digital Experience, LLC and all other marks are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. His voice sounded full of emotion at times during the hour-long hearing. From San Jose to Petaluma to Manteca, DeNova Homes builds better communities with thoughtful design. We all know Seeno runs Pittsburg, and is the areas worst example of environmental consciousness. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Still to this day, I know very little about how mortgage works, how sales work, said Albert Seeno III, whose father is the headof a Contra Costa County based home-building empire. Save Mount Diablo Sues Seeno Discovery Builders to Protect Major Ridgeline in Pittsburg, Again this Website has Moved to ContraCosta.News, Yes! It is refreshing to be an owner of a home from a company that not only builds quality homes, but also stands behind their product with a chain of personnel committed to having happy and satisfied homeowners. Discover your perfect home in a DeNova community. Shahid admitted he and others took steps to ensure information that would reflect poorly on the value of the homes was kept out of bank loan files. According to Shahids plea agreement that was unsealed today, DSI was created to sell new homes built by Discovery Builders Inc. (DBI), Albert D. Seeno Construction Co. Inc. (AD Seeno) and other entities affiliated with Albert Seeno III and the Seeno family. You have to do a thorough analysis of your projects impacts before you lock in project approvals, Winter King, the environmental groups attorney, said in a statement. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. Seeno III has also been the subject of controversy. Seenos Discovery Builders and Faria Land Investors filed suit to stop the new regional park. The Faria site is rugged, landslide prone, and badly suited for development, which will only be possible with massive grading. The fraud happened during the housing downturn so the Seenos could maintain large lines of credit. Developer Albert Seeno III walks outside the Federal Courthouse after pleading guilty to bank fraud on behalf of his home sales company, Discovery Sales, in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Dec.. The city council ignored hundreds of letters and public comments that opposed the project. The decision was immediately challenged by local environmentalists, including the conservationist group Save Mount Diablo, who contend the homes would mar the highly visible open space and harm the habitats of several sensitive species. Because Discovery Sales holds no assets as the sales arm of the Seeno company, the millions will be paid by Seeno personally and through his other business interests, attorneys said. Having problems? Although it felt as if they were pushing you off a ledge almost every week at the end of the day if you worked hard for them they would take care of you. 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