Westminster : Couple, Daughter Face Grand Theft Charges

A Westminster couple and their daughter were arrested Tuesday and charged with several counts of grand theft in connection with a property management service company they operated that allegedly bilked homeowner associations of more than $1 million, a police spokesman said.

Jack Edward Miller, 51; Marjorie Lynne Miller, 47, and their daughter, Terry Lynne Edwards, 25, surrendered to police and later were released on their own recognizance, said police spokesman Larry Woessner. Their arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 11.

Woessner said the arrests came after a 2 1/2-year investigation by Westminster police and the district attorney’s office. He said the three people allegedly bilked clients of $1,359,000 between September, 1983, and February, 1984.

According to investigators, the three suspects ran Community Assn. Management Service (CAMS) at 14600 Golden West St., which was owned by Jack Miller. The company was employed by about 300 homeowner associations and was in charge of collecting monthly dues and paying expenses for the associations.

Investigators said that CAMS placed the money collected in one bank account and later transferred the funds to other accounts to pay the associations’ expenses but that in many cases the transfers either were delayed or not made. The associations supposedly never knew their payments were not being made, Woessner said.

The investigation began when CAMS closed in February, 1984, and 79 individuals filed complaints against the defunct company, Woessner said. Some associations claimed to have lost as little as $1,500, but others reported losing as much as $60,000, he said.