Skater Rob Dyrdek Accused of Defrauding L.A. of Millions

[pamacado]

http://celebsleaze.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/skater-rob-dyrdek-accused-of-defrauding-city-of-l-a-for-millions/

Discuss.

[Thrillho]

Favorite candy?

I know you're going to think I'm some sort of weirdo, but whatever.

I eat em with my Jager!

[Lurkatron]

Wait people in L.A. can complain about noise torture?  The fuck is that shit, they must be new.

[cornholio]

Is this for real?

[The Ghost of Lenny Kirk]

Like whoa.

[conqueso]

sounds like he was just doing what he could to get some skateparks built. fuck the man.

[grimcity]

The blog in the link is misrepresenting the legal documents linked to in the same article.

1.

Skater Rob Dyrdek is named in a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles. Recently released internal city documents show an investigation into allegations that Dyrdek, and his business associate Joe Ciaglia, are involved in dozens of felony crimes, including fraud, perjury, collusion and bid-rigging in the construction of skate parks all over the city. The complaints of criminal misconduct, and request for investigation into their business practices, stem from allegations made by former employees of Ciaglia, now turned whistle-blowers.

...Rob and his foundation are named, but not as defendants. Rob's name is brought up because of the conditional monies for park projects tied to Ciaglia, but the claim that Ciaglia has a "partnership" with Street League is contested. It's brought up to show a conflict of interest that Ciaglia has, but there's nothing in the documents accusing Dyrdek of anything wrong (though one could take issue that he'd offer up $$$ if California Parks got the gig and not extend that to Spohn, but it's not a legal issue, and on reading through and knowing how contracts go, it's not really unethical either... just kind'a lame).

2. From reading the whole thing, Ciaglia sounds like a really stupid piece of shit (unlike Rob, he IS involved in a shitload of legal drama with several cities). He also has no clue how email works.

3. Recommended reading if only for the Berrics part... look up the Chavis suit, it goes into detail about that truck that fell through the roof and has a shitload of quotable material. One thing of note... look up the part where the lawyer parses one of Berra's statements about skating being "lawless" and whatnot... it's just Berra saying some pretty basic shit about street skating, but the lawyers take his words and make them sound like he's a terrorist. Regardless of how you feel about Berra, reading the way they twisted his words up is mind fuck.

I know we've got some lawyers in here, but the internal city documents are a very quick and easy read.

[shitcunt]

I was with spohn ranch when they filed that suit against american ramp company, but it's pretty obvious that they're just trying to use the law to bully other skatepark builders. Their parks are only marginally better than american ramp companys anyway.

[Yushin Okami]

Any website that uses ".wordpress" in the URL and this photo in a story:

is clearly legit. This is for real, dudes.

[fuckedupretard]

if this means the end of street league, then i am fucking stoked

[McCly]

"Celebsleaze- Reporting on Your Favorite Sleazy Celebs"

Confirmed legit.

[john2010hill]

kinda makes rob seem like a badass for saying fuck da rules i'm buildin a park.

[grimcity]

kinda makes rob seem like a badass for saying fuck da rules i'm buildin a park.

...that's the thing though, he didn't. He helped financially, but Ciaglia sounds like he was on a fucking rampage.

[Schismatic]

I was with spohn ranch when they filed that suit against american ramp company, but it's pretty obvious that they're just trying to use the law to bully other skatepark builders. Their parks are only marginally better than american ramp companys anyway.

This was my first thought. Ciaglia does sound like a real scumbag, and Dyrdek might have some guilt by association, but Spohn Ranch builds shitty parks. Of the several Spohn parks I've skated I didn't see any as being really good, most were pretty damned bad. There might be a couple fun things to hit, but those are mixed with wall-ride steep banks hipped with quarters, rails and gaps with 10' run-up, street abstacles 4' from bowl deep ends, hubbas at 45 degree angles that you have to gap out to, tranny with ungrindable round lips, etc. You get the idea.

The biggest atrocity is referring to Spohn as a skatepark building company. They're owned by a playground building company and they're basically another Purkiss-Rose, minus the Hirata. Fuck those guys. Fuck Ciaglia and Dyrdek too, but better parks/plazas are nice, they should just be done the right way, even if that means more time/effort and less profit.

[herling]

Ciaglia does sound like a pile, but he built a sick park. Spohn ranch just pours a foundation for a park and ships in premade cement ramps so they can call it a cement park instead of prefab. I've been to one decent spohn ranch skatepark and probably ten that aren't worth taking your board out at.  It's a shame companies like that can even bid to built a "skatepark".

[thunderwood]

That website looks so bogus I'm not even gonna bother reading whatever tabloid garbage they came up with.

[Bobby Peru]

3. Recommended reading if only for the Berrics part... look up the Chavis suit, it goes into detail about that truck that fell through the roof and has a shitload of quotable material. One thing of note... look up the part where the lawyer parses one of Berra's statements about skating being "lawless" and whatnot... it's just Berra saying some pretty basic shit about street skating, but the lawyers take his words and make them sound like he's a terrorist. Regardless of how you feel about Berra, reading the way they twisted his words up is mind fuck.

From the report. Excuse the typos converting from the pdf scan. Their lawyers make Berra's dramatic personality look like Spongebob Squarepants in comparison.


On August 14,20 10, Conrad Chavis was dispatched by his employer,
pursuant to an order for concrete placed by Ciagla and SKATEPARKS and with the
knowledge and consent of Berra, Koston, Anonymous Content and THE BERRICS,
LLC.  Conrad Chavis was to deliver a fill ten cubic yards of concrete in his employer's
truck.  Upon arrival at the worksite at the Property, Conrad Chavis was invited onto the
property and ordered by agents andlor elnpioyees of Ciaglia, SKATEPARKS and Benics
to drive the txuck up a ramp to the rooftop area where he was fbrther ordered by such
persons that he was to deliver and unload the concrete at their direction and command.
Gates onto the property were opened and impediments to passage were removed by the
agents andlor employees of Ciaglia, SKATEPARKS and Berrics.  As ordered, Conrad
Chavis backed his truck up the ramp toward the site where he was to unload the concrete.
When he approached the top of the ramp, the ramp gave way, and the truck with Conrad
Chavis in it fell crashing through the ramp an entire story to the surface of the floor
below.

...

The wrongful conduct perpetrated by Berra, Koston, Ciaglia, THE
BERRTCS, LLC, SKATEPARKS and Doe defendants was extreme and outrageous and
was committed with the intention of causing, or with reckless disregard of the probability
of causing personal injuries and severe emotional distress.  These defendants knew or
reasonably should have known that, by failing to seek structural analysis, avoiding the
permitting process, refusing'to obtain permission of the Property owners or managers,
trespassing onto the property of others and altering it without permission and without
regard to structural integrity or the consequknces of their conslruction process that they
were proceeding dangerously, unlawfully, and with knowing disregard of the rights and
safety of others. Indeed, this plan was consistent with Berra's prior published philosophy
to do the essence of the very acts perpetrated here and with no care whatsoever that
someone could die as the result.  Berra's  philosophy on this issue was ratified by Koston
and THE BERRICS, LLC, and was known to Ciaglia  That Berra, Koston, THE
BERRICS, LLC, Ciaglia and the SKATEPARKS defendants conspired to cause the
injuries anddamages alleged herein evidences their danger to society. Berm's published
expression of arrogance, adopted by said defendants, indicates that he does not care about
harm caused to others and said that defendants are in agreement. Indeed, such conscious
disregard of the rights and safety of others was intended with the foreseeable result that a
human being such as Conrad Chavis would be subjected to tragic injuries, severe
anguish, anger, grief, humiliation and embarrassment and.even the risk of death. These
defendants gave little or no thought to the personal tragedy arising fiom the severe
injuries and emotional distress to be suffered by one such as Conrad Chavis and his
family.

...

The acts set forth herein were fraudulent, cruel, oppressive and so extreme
and outrageous as to cause such pain that no person in a civilized society shouId have to
endure.  The conduct of Berra, Koston, Ciaglia and some as yet unidentified Doe
defendants was malicious, despicable and oppressive - being so vile, base or
contemptible as to be looked down upon and despised by reasonable people.  These
defendants actually intended that someone in the position of Conrad Chavis would suffer.
These defendants actually intended that Conrad Chavis and his family would be subjected
to and experience severe and painful hardship - economic as well as personal and
emotional.  Conrad Chavis seeks punitive damages for the sake of example and by way of
punishing Berra and Koston, personally, and THE BERRICS, LLC, for which they are
managing agents; and Ciaglia, personally, and California Landscape and Design, Inc.,
and Califmia Skateparks, for which ciag1ia is a managing agent.

[ChronicBluntSlider]

Sounds pretty reckless on the Berrics part, but to say they intended for this to happen??? Like they're Monty Burns or some shit sending an employee down a shoot.

[apad88]

Rob's a badass!

[ROCKxADIO420]

Attorney Jeffrey D. Dermer filed the complaints on behalf of Spohn Ranch, a minority-owned skate-park construction company alleging that Ciaglia?s company, California Skateparks, engages in a ?low-bid and change-order? schemes.

pertinent details.

[ROCKxADIO420]

also who the shit eats good n plentys?

[GarglesCmen]

Like whoa.

Black Rob - Like Whoa	Small | Large

[Russel Crowe]

like damn! "sleazy celebs", I hope ridiculousness stays on the air after all of this hoopla...

[apad88]

like damn! "sleazy celebs", I hope ridiculousness stays on the air after all of this hoopla...

wannabe ass Tosh.0

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

If part of this is true, then its possible that Rob Dyrdek conned the city of LA into building a sick $3 million skatepark where an inferior one would exist. Stoner is a rad park and I'm glad its there.  The stupid thing about that story is that stoner has absolutely no signs, plaques or other way to tell that Dyrdek or street league had anything to do with it. It definitely wasn't a publicity thing. On top of that, the photo they show of the ribbon cutting isn't at Stoner park. Did Rob even do that at Stoner? If they were linking the carl's jr. plaza to him or westchester to the berrics they'd have a point, but not stoner.

Still, if this guy is known to be a con man and has several investigations going on about his dealings, its best not to work with him to create city contracts. Its asking to be pulled into a mess. It wouldn't surprise me if this other company is suing to bully competitors, but it would be much harder to do if it wasn't against such a clearly sleazy dude.

[tb303]

seems they have it in for him

http://celebsleaze.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/yes-rob-obstruction-of-justice-is-a-crime/

in other news www.googlehammer.com

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

I feel like that blog is written by an angry neighbor of the park.

[shone237]

that site is pretty gay. How the fuck can you put it on Rob where stoner was built? He's just a face, it was the people moving money and signing contracts that fucked it up for the neighborhood. It was Berra and some jackass city planners at stoner park opening day to claim responsibility for the awesomeness that is stoner park. Scares me that stoner park is in the middle of this mess, that is the best park ever and is constantly being contested.

[shone237]

I feel like that blog is written by an angry neighbor of the park.

yup

[miff]

The house I grew up in sits along side railroad tracks. Every night, every single fuckin night at least 1 long long long train would fly by with the engine laying on the horn almost the entire time. My entire family was able to sleep through this over time. This articles use of the term "torture" is in fact an exaggeration.

This is how you complain your way out of having a skatepark built in your town. Tell your grandparents.