SHERMAN OAKS : Man Arrested in House Swindle Case

A Simi Valley man who had avoided arrest for two months after being indicted for allegedly conning a woman into signing over her home in a Sherman Oaks hotel has been arrested by U. S. postal inspectors, authorities said.

Bernard Gross, 47, was arrested Wednesday in Pasadena, where he had gone to complain to postal authorities about their efforts to track him down, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.

Gross was indicted Oct. 7 on one count of grand theft and three counts of civil infractions in connection with the purported swindle, in which he promised to save the home of a Huntington Park woman from foreclosure.

The woman met with Gross at a Sherman Oaks hotel, where he told her he would invest between $10,000 and $15,000 to save her home from foreclosure, said Deputy Los Angeles City Atty. Ellen Pais.

Instead, Gross persuaded the unnamed woman to secure the signatures of her two children--the legal owners--on a form, which turned out to be a grant deed, Qualls said.

“The victim, who never received any money in the deal, was unaware she had signed over her home to the defendant until he began demanding that she pay him rent to continue living there,” said City Atty. Jim Hahn.

After a warrant was issued for Gross’ arrest, investigators were unable to locate him, Qualls said.

Gross was taken to Los Angeles County Jail, where he was in custody Thursday in lieu of $100,000 bail, Pais said.

Each of the four misdemeanor counts carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail, and fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.