Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Michael Fanghella Seeking $150,000 Job

A former executive from Rancho Santa Fe, Michael Fanghella, has posted his resume online. He wants a "CEO consultancy" position for a salary of $150,000. This would be doing much better than his last stop: prison. Fanghella was chief executive officer of PinnFund, the Carlsbad mortgage operation that turned out to be one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in San Diego history. In 2003, Fanghella was sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in the scam. It is not clear yet how he got out early. It appears he may have helped finger others. He initially went to jail in 2001 as the scam unfolded. I hope to get that information and post more. PinnFund was dealing in subprime mortgages before they became household words.

Initially, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged that Fanghella, PinnFund and others raised $330 million from at least 166 investors for the purpose of funding the writing of home mortgages. Investors were told they would get as much as 17% a year. However, charged the SEC, Fanghella spent lavishly on himself, diverting at least $10 million in investor funds to buy a $5 million home, furnishings, and provide a lush lifestyle for a girlfriend, Kelly Cook, a so-called "adult" film star. Criminal charges followed and eventually Fanghella pleaded guilty to six felonies including money laundering, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

In his online resume, Fanghella boasts that he has an excellent background working for such former Wall Street firms as Loeb Rhoades and Drexel Burnham (which is generally nothing to brag about.) He does mention he was with PinnFund from 1992-2001. He notes that he oversaw the management of the subprime servicing division.

As to his adventure at PinnFund, he says on the resume, "I would rather discuss that in person or by phone." So I called him. He was not in a mood to discuss anything: "How did you get my number?" he barked. (It was on one of the resume copies.) "I am trying to get my life together. I am not going to give any comments. I have served my term." After a few other words, he hung up.

I didn't have a chance to ask him several questions, such as what he plans to do about the $4.1 million that he owes the Franchise Tax Board, and how he is supporting that Rancho Santa Fe home.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Birding & Brews: Breakfast Edition, ZZ Ward, Doggie Street Festival & Pet Adopt-A-Thon

Events November 21-November 23, 2024

A former executive from Rancho Santa Fe, Michael Fanghella, has posted his resume online. He wants a "CEO consultancy" position for a salary of $150,000. This would be doing much better than his last stop: prison. Fanghella was chief executive officer of PinnFund, the Carlsbad mortgage operation that turned out to be one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in San Diego history. In 2003, Fanghella was sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in the scam. It is not clear yet how he got out early. It appears he may have helped finger others. He initially went to jail in 2001 as the scam unfolded. I hope to get that information and post more. PinnFund was dealing in subprime mortgages before they became household words.

Initially, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged that Fanghella, PinnFund and others raised $330 million from at least 166 investors for the purpose of funding the writing of home mortgages. Investors were told they would get as much as 17% a year. However, charged the SEC, Fanghella spent lavishly on himself, diverting at least $10 million in investor funds to buy a $5 million home, furnishings, and provide a lush lifestyle for a girlfriend, Kelly Cook, a so-called "adult" film star. Criminal charges followed and eventually Fanghella pleaded guilty to six felonies including money laundering, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

In his online resume, Fanghella boasts that he has an excellent background working for such former Wall Street firms as Loeb Rhoades and Drexel Burnham (which is generally nothing to brag about.) He does mention he was with PinnFund from 1992-2001. He notes that he oversaw the management of the subprime servicing division.

As to his adventure at PinnFund, he says on the resume, "I would rather discuss that in person or by phone." So I called him. He was not in a mood to discuss anything: "How did you get my number?" he barked. (It was on one of the resume copies.) "I am trying to get my life together. I am not going to give any comments. I have served my term." After a few other words, he hung up.

I didn't have a chance to ask him several questions, such as what he plans to do about the $4.1 million that he owes the Franchise Tax Board, and how he is supporting that Rancho Santa Fe home.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

$300 million allegedly bilked from investors

Rancho Santa Fe resident linked to Aequitas six years ago
Next Article

He Promised Investors 2% to 6% a Week; He's Headed to Prison

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader