Claims arise against Globe House Buyers,LLC and Michael Candelario

By Carol Broeder and Linda Gross

A Buckeye man with business ties to Globe is out on bail after his December 2019 arrest in Maricopa County. Michael Alexander Candelario, who bills himself as a real estate investor and the man behind Globe House Buyers, LLC, was featured in our article on home remodeling published in the January issue of Globe Miami Times. 

On Dec. 18, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force arrested Candelario in Phoenix.  The original warrant stems from Candelario’s failure to appear last year for a status hearing on his retrial for felony theft charges, said Det. Sam Hatley, with the Carson City (Nev.) Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division. The jury trial ended with a hung jury—11 to 1 in favor of conviction, Hatley said.

As the former owner of the Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, Candelario was arrested by CCSO deputies on a property theft-related warrant in 2016. The U.S. Marshals service states that Candelario advertised beer canning equipment for sale on a brewing industry website. The victim, who owned a brewery in British Columbia, Canada, made an agreement with Candelario to buy the equipment. Allegedly,while the victim paid more than $45,000, Candelario received the funds but never arranged for the equipment to be shipped to him.

A U.S. military veteran, the victim was allegedly forced to cash in his retirement to cover the losses. He filed a report with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia, which forwarded it to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrested Candelario without incident at his former brewing company, which closed in January 2016.

USMS also alleges that Candelario is involved with fraudulent activities across the nation, setting up fake companies taking money from hospitals in Virginia, Louisiana and California.

After his Phoenix arrest last month, Candelario appeared before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Judge Barbara L. Spencer.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Candelario was released on a $25,000 bond on Dec. 19, 2019, despite being the subject of a no-bail warrant out of Carson City, Nev.

After learning about Candelario’s release, Carson City District Attorney Jason Woodbury said, “We are working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s office to process a Governor’s Warrant from our jurisdiction so Mr. Candelario can be extradited back to our jurisdiction for trial.”

Asked if he was consulted prior to Candelario’s release, Woodbury said no, adding that at first he was “very concerned because the process in our jurisdiction is different.”

“In Carson City, a person will be held in jail for an out-of-state warrant until he or she waives extradition, is actually extradited or posts the bail required by the warrant,” Woodbury said. “I was worried that Mr. Candelario had been authorized to post a bond not authorized by our warrant and we would not see him again.”

Since then, however, Woodbury learned that Maricopa County’s process is different, “or at least it was in this case,” he said.

“He is allowed to surrender himself on the warrant in Nevada if he chooses,” Woodbury said.  “Otherwise, he is required to appear before the Maricopa County Court every 30 days pending extradition.”

Candelario is scheduled for fugitive from justice hearings on Jan. 29, Feb. 12 and March 11, all on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. Spencer waived Candelario’s required presence at the Jan. 29 FFJ hearing.

Maricopa County contacted the Carson City Sheriff’s Office “fairly quickly after Candelario bailed out to let them know we’d have to go through the formal extradition process,” Woodbury said.

At this point, Woodbury’s office is proceeding with Candelario’s extradition, “which is exactly what we would be doing if he was still incarcerated and had not been allowed to post a bond,” he said.

“So, for our process, it makes no difference,” Woodbury added.

For his part, Candelario alleges that the USMS arrest was based on false and biased information provided by Hatley and Woodbury. He deferred further comment to his attorney, Paul Quade of Reno.

Quade said that he represented Candelario “related to the 2015 allegations of theft in Carson City,” agreeing to a phone interview on that case in the near future.

“I am advising him (Candelario) not to make any further statements regarding that case or the conduct of the prosecutors in Carson City given the circumstances,” he said.

In reponse to further questioning, Quade said that he would not comment on “any steps we may or may not take in the future related to the case in Carson City.”

“I can only tell you that the case is five years old, relates to a failed business venture; the alleged victim has already been reimbursed and the first trial resulted in a hung jury,” Quade said. “The allegations are extremely weak related to any ill intent on behalf of my client and I have not been party to such an unexplainable prosecution in my 25 plus years as a criminal defense attorney.”

On the subject of reimbursing the alleged victim, Woodbury said, “Among other lawsuits, Three Ranges Brewery—the victim in the criminal case—sued Mr. Candelario civilly. They were awarded a judgment of $82,073.13 (plus accruing interest) in May 2016.”

In April of 2017,  Candelario paid Three Ranges $45,000 of the judgement, which was the original amount the brewery had paid Candelario “for the canner that was never delivered,” Woodbury said.

Quade went onto say that the fugitive warrant is “primarily related to my retirement from criminal litigation and the transfer of counsel which did not work out for Mr. Candelario.”

” At this point, I decided to return to this unfinished business because I firmly believe Mr. Candelario is getting railroaded in Carson City,” he said. “We will be aggressively defending this matter, hopefully to a successful conclusion at the next trial.”

Meanwhile, back in Globe, Candelario is the defendant in four civil cases currently pending in Globe Regional Justice Court.

One of the plaintiffs is Wayne Williams, a former employee of Globe House Buyers who resigned on Sept. 9, 2019, and allegedly has yet to receive his last two weeks of pay. The plaintiff filed the complaint 11 days later, stating that Globe House Buyers owed him $1,731. 

Williams has since filed a new complaint seeking $7,600, which includes his meals, mileage and time spent trying to collect the payment due him.  

Candelario has filed a response which refutes Williams’ claims saying “The plaintiff has misled this court on his damages and claim.”  

With 30 years in the remodeling business, Williams said he responded after Candelario advertised on Craigslist, seeking a site foreman for his Globe-area projects. After signing a contract with Candelario, Williams said he moved from Florence to Globe in June to take the position. 

“From day one, payment was never made on time,” he said.

 Williams and Candelario are scheduled to have their day in court at 10 a.m Monday, March 9.

Candelario said that he is not the owner of Globe House Buyers, but rather its general manager, giving instead the name of his “boss” as Anthony Albano of Massachusetts. However, according to articles of organization filed July 16, 2019 with the Arizona Corporation Commission, Candelario is listed as the principal member and organizer of Globe House Buyers, LLC. Neither Albano’s name, nor that of anyone other than Candelario, is listed on the articles of organization for Globe House Buyers, LLC.  

Another plaintiff, who also claimed to be a subcontractor, filed a complaint on Sept. 23, 2019. He claimed that while he completed his work on a house in the 400 block of East Cedar Street in Globe, Candelario and Globe House Buyers did not pay him. The plaintiff asked for $900. 

At the plaintiff’s request, the case was dismissed Dec. 24, 2019 without prejudice, meaning that the matter could be revisited in court. On Dec. 16, 2019, the same plaintiff filed a new complaint against Candelario, this time asking for a total of $2,000. In addition to the $900 already owed him for labor, the plaintiff, who lives in Apache Junction, said he was suing for “lost time” as well as “wear and tear” on his vehicle, having driven back and forth to Globe “multiple times” seeking payment. 

“I have given plenty of time. The defendant has not returned calls; only text excuses,” the plaintiff stated in his complaint.

 

A fourth case was filed Sept. 30, 2019 by LeAllen Decker who said that Candelario agreed to pay him $600 for landscaping a yard on Cedar Street in Globe. He claimed that after Candelario gave him the deadline of 4 p.m. Aug. 26,  the landscaper completed it a half hour early.

“After repeated attempts to collect my money, Michael no-showed every time,” Decker said in his complaint. “I feel I have no other choice than to go to small claims court.” He is asking for $625. 

When contacted, Candelario claimed to have no knowledge of Decker. However, we followed up with Decker, who showed us more than two dozen text messages between Candelario and himself in which he tried to collect payment. The texts showed a string of excuses Candelario gave Decker over a two week period as follows: Aug. 27, “I’ll be there [Globe] in a couple of hours. I can leave it [the check] at the nursery;” Aug. 29: “I’ll have it there 100% tomorrow. I haven’t been back up to Globe. I apologize;”  Aug. 30: “I’m going to leave a check at the house;” Sept 4: “I’m really sorry. Very unusual. Let me get a plan ASAP and get back to you. I know someone going to Globe and I’ll try to coordinate with them.” Then, six days later it was, “In Buckeye, I’ll be there tomorrow. I can overnight a check if you prefer and send tracking.”

As of this article Decker is still trying to collect his money.

Hatley said he has been working on alleged fraud cases involving Candelario since 2015. “I still get calls from Candelario’s fraud victims or potential fraud victims from across the country,” he said. 

 

Update:

This article was updated to include Candelario’s response to Williams claims.