A Santa Barbara man has been criminally charged with money laundering and other felonies for allegedly embezzling about $700,000 from his property management company clients, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said this week.
The felony complaint filed against Adam Michael Pirozzi, 40, includes six counts: money laundering a value of more than $5,000; money laundering a value believed to be more than $50,000; theft from an elder or dependent adult by unlawfully obtaining a value of more than $950; preparing false documentary evidence; and two counts of fraudulent intent to appropriate a value in excess of $400.
Additionally, Pirozzi faces allegations of aggravated white collar crime for fraud and embezzlement that resulted in a loss of more than $500,000 from victims, according to the criminal complaint filed Thursday.
The alleged embezzlement occurred from Dec. 16, 2019 to Jan. 30, 2021, according to the complaint.
Pirozzi is a licensed real estate broker, according to the California Department of Real Estate, and is the registered officer for AMPCore, Incorporated, which does business as Harborside Real Estate & Investments; Harbor View Homes; Harbor View Real Estate; Harbor View Real Estate & Investments, and Harbor View Realty.
The Santa Barbara Association of Realtors directory lists Pirozzi as a broker for Harbor View Real Estate and Investments, with an address of 219 W. Carrillo St., Suite C&D.
“The investigation stems from the suspect’s operation of a local property management company called AMP Core, Inc., which went by several fictitious business names including Santa Barbara Property Management and Harbor View Real Estate,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement this week. “Pirozzi’s property management company had approximately 100 clients, and the complaint alleges that he embezzled nearly $700,000 from those clients.”
Pirozzi is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Aug. 26.
The investigation is currently ongoing, and anyone with information can contact investigator Kristin Shamordola at 805.560.1044.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
