NEXTDOOR — SAFE? THINK AGAIN!
Nextdoor — hunting ground for criminals & conmen.
Contrary to Nextdoor marketing the online community as a “safe place to share information about crime and neighborhood activities”, the community has become a hunting ground for criminals. The notion Nextdoor is a private social network for you, your neighbors, and your community is false. Anybody can advertise and anybody can view your posts and profile you.
Nextdoor boasts -“Over 90% of US neighborhoods use Nextdoor to get recommendations, help find lost pets, receive safety alerts, and much more”.It’s the “much more”, Nextdoor doesn’t tell you about that is alarming.
I was recently victimized by a conman Manny Regalado AKA Manny Leon Regalado II. He has a current and active advertisement on Nextdoor as a handyman/remodeler under A to Z Contracting Corp. The Nextdoor ad links to a website enticing seniors, women and charities, offering services at a discounted rate. I am not a regular Nextdoor user, and joined to help reunite pets brought in to the animal shelter I founded over 30 years ago. Whisker City is located in Shoreline, Washington and serves King County. One of our volunteers found Regalado’s Nextdoor ad and used him for a small job. While he was working on her house he made a point of endearing himself to her neighbors. By the time she recognized his shoddy workmanship, he had started small jobs for a couple of those neighbors. She was too embarrassed to warn others or share her story at Whisker City. I was his next victim.
Regalado is a hardened criminal. Once he selects his victim, he infiltrates their space and minds with overly friendly and inappropriate comments and conduct. He weaves stories of wealth and celebrity and talks endlessly about himself and achievements, all convincingly fabricated. I’ve spoken to many of his victims and we all share the same observations. Like myself, they never liked the guy and he made them feel uncomfortable. When Regalado is caught in a lie he claims the listener misunderstood or forgot what he said. When flawed workmanship is pointed out he blames the sub-contractors or offers to come back and fix the mistake. If and when he returns minus the sub-contractors, his lack of skill is revealed and he causes more damage. When I complained about the leaks on the bathtubs and faucets he used pliers against the chrome fixtures and tightened against the chrome without protection, severely scarring fixtures. He yelled at me, “why didn’t you tell me these needed new washers?” All the plumbing and fixtures have to be replaced by the new contractor.
Best advice — Trust Your Gut
His victims all share the gut feeling “there is something wrong with this guy”. In my case he bought gifts of flowers and wine and played romantic music on his boom box. When I asked him to stop he would talk about how he only dated older women. I and uses terms like “friend” and “nothing but love”. He brags about spending $200 on dinner for himself and the daily massages he deserves. He makes a point of knowing your neighbors, employees and anyone who comes on premises. Many times I wanted to get rid of him and pointed out his annoying behavior directly to him. He would employ a childlike voice, tucking his head with an upward gaze begging “pity me”. While working with homeowners in Los Angeles, he pretended to be a 5 Star Brentwood Designer, switching gender identity to win over targets. He was able to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends, associates, charities, subcontractors and suppliers. Eleven judgments are recorded in Los Angeles County against Manny Regalado. He is now in King County roiling through Shoreline unchecked.
There is no doubt, Manny Regalado is a predator and passes writer, Carolyn Stebers summation of how to recognize a sociopath. He avoids arrest primarily because law enforcement is ill equipped to deal with embezzlement, construction and insurance fraud. I filed a police report on Saturday, October 12, 2019, case # c19039144 with King County Sheriff’s office. Today, nine days later I received an email a detective has finally been assigned my case. Fortunately, for this detective, I’ve already done the work. I compiled the credit card charges of nearly $6000 in purchases Regalado embezzled along with nearly $6000 in Home Depot store cards he got with items returned without receipts from materials purchased for my job. I met with his landlord and discovered he has not paid rent in four months and his garage is filled with many of the tools he purchased on my cards. He was observed on Sunday, October 20, 7:30 AM loading his truck from that garage housing my tools, most likely heading to the home of another victim he gleaned from his Nextdoor advertisement.
Back to the dangers of Nextdoor. Two weeks ago, after I discovered Regalado’s embezzlement and damage to my home, I posted my entire story on Nextdoor. Neighbors thanked me and shared by post. A Nextdoor administrator disabled my account for violating community standards. I created another account and this time listed a website with all the information I had discovered about Regalado. Nextdoor cancelled that account for self- promotion and violating the rules. I messaged the CEO Sarah Friar from Linkedin essentially begging her to disable his ad. Still no response. Good on ya, Sarah.
Manny Regalado is at large in Shoreline, Washington appears to be unstoppable. Will you be next?
Larceny or embezzlement — Specification.
In an indictment or information for larceny or embezzlement of money, bank notes, certificates of stock, or valuable securities, or for a conspiracy to cheat or defraud a person of any such property, it is sufficient to allege the larceny or embezzlement, or the conspiracy to cheat and defraud, to be of money, bank notes, certificates of stock, or valuable securities, without specifying the coin, number, denomination or kind thereof.
[ 1891 c 28 § 38; Code 1881 § 1023; RRS § 2074.]
Larceny: Chapter 9A.56 RCW.
Ownership of property, proof of: RCW 10.58.060.
