Ventura County Takes Another Stab at Covering up Probate Fraud
Ventura County. It pulls up visions of the bucolic life, with rural communities and a refuge from the nearby rush and bustle associated with Los Angeles. However, the powers that be have nestled into Ventura County and its legal protections are suffering, as a result.
While Ventura County boasts of a generally low crime rate, Ventura County is safer than in decades, though crime fears remain it doesn't factor in the white collar crimes being perpetrated in its court system, crimes like murder and theft. A recent article in The Current Report The Ventura County Playbook: Inside the Coordinated Machine of Judicial Abuse Targeting Three Unrelated Litigants | The Current Report revealed a court system riddled with abuses.
A case in point is Ventura County probate court. According to a researcher, speaking under conditions of anonymity, "As of June 2023, 328 elders have died under conservatorship. Did they die from conservatorship abuse or from natural causes, is unknown. Also, this is only from a partial days of hearing – not every day, so the deaths are much higher." The figures become more alarming when one realizes the dollars and cents cost of conservatorship. According to the same researcher, approximately 300 million was transferred by the court to the guardians and their attorneys in the same time window. This figure rather notably excludes real estate. Properties are regularly "flipped" and there are other irregularities in property transfer, as both public and private entities tend to focus on the property of the elderly. What is Property Flipping, and is it Legal? – thebusinessonline.com
The fact that probate courts across the US are merrily attacking the legal rights of the elderly and putting them into conservatorships, where their remaining assets are quickly drained, is the subject of exposes How the Elderly Lose Their Rights | The New Yorkerand Abuse Plagues System of Legal Guardians for Adults - WSJ. This reporter has noted that the media coverage given conservatorships (some states call these guardianships) is inadequate as the press tends to do a detour around the involvement and culpability of the government in these cases, as represented by the judge. Does MSM Pervert the Truth? A Case Study | ZeroHedge
REPORT ON CONSERVATORSHIP ABUSE HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC OVERSIGHT
A couple of years ago, there was a tempest brewing in Ventura County, as Jeff Gorell, a member of the Board of Supervisors. commissioned a Major Crimes Investigation of the VC probate system. The subsequent report, however, was hidden from public oversight and the point person, a Detective Jason Cantrell, immediately resigned from the VCSD and moved to Idaho. Wayback Machine
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Multiple attempts by media and reporting parties to get a copy of the hidden report were unsuccessful.
And now it appears that the investigatory agencies in Ventura County are attempting to disappear evidence of more probate fraud.
Recently, a PI and former LAPD Detective named Moses Castillo arranged for a meeting with members of the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept over concerns about conservatorship fraud. In attendance were VCSD Deputy KLynn Jackson and VCSD Detective Amy Garcia, as well as a Jennifer Saeta. A hard drive containing evidence was turned over at that meeting. The next day, November 20, 2025,Castillo sent out the following email about the meeting--
From: Moses Castillo <moses@mosescastilloinvestigations.com>
To:
Subject: Update: Meeting with Ventura County Sheriff's Investigators re Joshua Saeta Case
Dear All,
Yesterday, Jennifer Saeta and I met with two investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department at the Moorpark Station to report crimes involving Jennifer’s brother, Joshua Saeta, a dependent adult. This meeting was prompted by the letter I sent to the Ventura County Grand Jury, which was also copied to the Ventura County Sheriff, Governor Newsom, the FBI, and the California Department of Justice.
I believe the meeting went well. Jennifer had met with the investigators on Monday, so they already had some context going into our discussion. During our time together, I referenced some of your cases as well—highlighting patterns of abuse and misconduct—and provided them with a report summarizing several of your individual matters. You should expect to hear from them.
The investigators asked thoughtful, pointed questions that gave us reason to believe they’ve already begun looking into this case. They shared that they have been—and will continue—consulting with the head of the Special Prosecutions Unit at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
When asked for my honest opinion, I told them I strongly believe crimes have been committed and that the scope may exceed their capacity. I recommended they bring in the DOJ and the FBI. I also referenced a recent case in the news where the FBI arrested and charged attorneys in the San Diego area—an investigation that began with the Azusa Police Department.
Let’s hope this marks the beginning of real accountability and justice by exposing corruption and holding those responsible to account.
Please note: this email group is strictly for updates related to this investigation. Do not send documents or sensitive materials through this channel.
Lastly, I provided the investigators with an external hard drive—courtesy of Andrew Rose—which contains a substantial volume of documents and information related to this case.
More updates to come.
Respectfully,
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As Castillo stated that the Special Prosecutor was "guiding" the investigation, I was alarmed to discover, via County Communications point person, Joey Buttitta, that there was no open investigation involving the SP. Buttitta, who curiously declined to put this in writing, suggested that possibly another county agency was handling the investigation.
THE MISSING HARD DRIVE
The next stop was the PIO for the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept, a Captain Robert Yoos, whose statements contradicted Castillo's report. Not only did Yoos assert that there was no VCSD investigation into conservatorship fraud, but he also maintained that no evidence of such was turned over to the VCSD.
Yoos also declined to put his statements in writing.
This reporter has reviewed some of the evidence that Castillo asserts was turned over to the representatives from VCSD. The hard drive contained documents prepared by Andrew Rose, whose father, Howard, was recently in a guardianship approved by Judge Roger Lund. The Rose hard drive contains documentation of a web of both public and private entities, who are preying on the elderly in the guise of assisting them. Rose has documented irregularities in deeds, transfer of funds and the use of LLCs to mask the predatory nature of the involved entities.
Speaking to this reporter this week, Andrew Rose, who has worked as a consultant in health care, had this to say--
"There is no place to go for help. Both public and private entities are involved in these abuses. There is no safe space."
In a publicized matter, Andrew was able to get the conservatorship of his father terminated. Family distraught after California county declares it 'owns' their ailing 92 year-old father | Daily Mail Online
He states that he is critically aware that others have been similarly victimized in Ventura County and the documents on the purportedly missing hard drive reflect this, citing numerous cases wherein the involved guardians and their attorneys exhibited problematic behaviors, including the entirely preventable death of conservatee Lester Moore, who passed away in a nursing home from an unattended to bowel obstruction. Quoting from one of the documents on the purportedly missing hard drive, Rose alleges the following--
Notable Themes and Potential Red Flags:
- Numerous links between probate/estate attorneys, county officials, and various business entities (many with overlapping real estate interests).
- Multiple criminal, licensing, or disciplinary issues tied to the individuals/entities named.
- Property assets, trusts, and business entities are recurrent vehicles for transactions among parties, some involving prior legal or ethical challenges.
- Several connections between those named and medical/legal controversies (embezzlement, fraud, malpractice, conservatorships, trust management abuses).
At the time of going to press, Moses Castillo was contacted concerning what he plans to do about the assertions by the VCSD that there is no active investigation and that no evidence was ever turned over. His response indicated he is not abandoning the effort to have the culpable parties prosecuted and is planning further meetings with the Ventura County authorities.
To be continued...
