Charges against Maria Carmen Ordaz Aguiar; Falsification of Documents

Many American realtors in San Carlos believe that the information that is contained in this blog and our in print San Carlos Wireless news paper is bad for San Carlos and bad for business. I am reminded of a time two winter seasons ago when we started the San Carlos Wireless and Ines was out selling advertising, the Wireless is free of charge and you will note that San Carlos TV is completely free of advertising and not monetized. Ines walked into Karen Stewards real estate company Sea Side Realty and asked Karen if she would like to advertise. Boy were we in for an earful. Karen told Ines that not only was she not interested in advertising but yet the information that we reported on was quote “bad for San Carlos”. We didn’t mind Karen not advertising with us but what kind of bugged me was her attitude that some how discussing and exposing real estate fraud was actually worse than the fraud itself. I thought what was bad for San Carlos were the actual acts of fraud that have been perpetuated against investors in this town, not the actual act of talking about it and exposing it for what it was and who was responsible. I still believe that to this day. Covering things up only empowers more corruption and fraud. Years ago one could try to talk about fraud on either of the two forums in San Carlos but often the forum moderators would close the thread or delete it all together. One of the forums apparently has become more tolerant on this subject than the other.

For decades the family name Ordaz has often become synonymous with words such as fraud, false charges, harassment, lying, cheating and stealing. More details are going to start to come out on this subject in the coming months. There are many many cases out there were Snowbird or Star Realty simply did not delivery what they were paid to deliver. I have been recently approached by two people who still do not have their trust for properties they purchased years ago. They are starting to sweat and now are scrambling to look for someone else to help them with their paper work. If this is your case please contact us and we may be able to refer you to someone who can help you clear up your paper work for you.

I also would like to say that residents of San Carlos and especially the real estate agents and land developers in the area (the honest ones that is) owe a special thanks to those who actually stood up to the Ordaz’s and refused to be taken by their fraudulent actions.  Arguably the beginning of the end of the Ordaz real estate empire actually can be traced to several cases were individuals refused to be taken and spent endless amounts of time and money to fight not only corrupt individuals but a corrupt judicial system were the deep pocket is usually the one that wins. Of course sometimes justice is served no matter how deep ones pockets really are.

Carmen Ordaz has been indicted by an attorney general for the state of Sonora on the charge of falsification of legal documents. She was arrested the 30th of September and made bail the 15th of October.

Her bail supposedly was set at 5 million pesos but I have been unable to confirm that number but what ever the number was apparently it took a full two weeks to come up with bail. Catalina Ordaz was also arrested on the same day as Carmen (in relation to Costa Bella) but was not held in custody because she had obtained an amparo (injunction) previously. This amparo will only keep her from being arrested for around 60 days. When the amparo expires she may well then be indicted.

Bail was difficult for Ordaz to come up with for several reasons. One due to the new anti racketeering laws in Mexico; you have to show were the money is coming from. You simply can not show up with a suitcase full of unmarked 500 peso notes. You can be assured that Hacienda, Mexico’s IRS, was standing right at the jail house door asking were the money came from. The bail would have to be accounted for. Ordaz could put up properties that she owns as collateral for bail but there appears to be a small problem with that logistically. Sources have confirmed with us that since Ordaz knew she might be indicted she had a third party put liens on the most valuable of her properties so that they could not be taken from her easily. Now these very same properties could not be used as collateral for bail. She could have gone to a bail bondsman in Guaymas and borrowed the money but again with out being able to put up any lien free properties as collateral no bail bonds man in his right mind would touch her. She is a huge flight risk with good reason since her brother Javier has been in hiding for several years now trying to avoid exactly what is happening to his sisters. An ironic catch 22 if there ever was one. So Ordaz spent a full two weeks behind bars.

More information will come out in the coming weeks. In the end no matter what happens it is best for San Carlos that these cases get aired out in public once and for all. This case and others about to be reported on should serve as a warning. If you lie, cheat and steal here in San Carlos don’t expect to be able to easily get away with it anymore. If you do not get tried in a court of law promptly you will be tried in the court of public opinion. The internet has changed the game now on all of that. Do your due diligence before you invest in property or take on Mexican partners in a land development project. If the developer of Costa Bella would have done this, the project would be finished by now and all the lawyers involved in this case far poorer.

Below are some of the highlights from the posted documents which essentially say that there is ample evidence to back up the accusations against Ordaz and that it is now her turn to provide evidence to the court that will prove that she is not guilty of the charges against her.

El C. Agente Investigadora del Ministerio Publico del ?Guero Comun del Sector dos de esta cuidad consigno la Averiguacion Preva numbero A.P. 207/14, insturida en contra de Maria del Carmen Ordaz Aguiar por su probable responsibilidad en ls comision de delitos de Falsificacion de Documentos.

The Researcher Agent C. For the District Attorney of Sector two of this city assigns the investigation number AP 207/14, evidenced against Maria del Carmen Ordaz Aguiar for her alleged responsibility in the commission of crimes of Forgery of Documents.

Se ordena solicitar las antecedentes penales de la hoy procesada Maria del Carmen Ordaz Aguiar por los delitos de Falsification de documentos

It is ordered today to apply for the criminal record of Maria del Carmen Ordaz Aquiar to be processed on charges of Falsification of documents.

So for all those who have been swindled by an Ordaz and those who have stood up, for all you do, the following documents below are for you.

44 Responses to Charges against Maria Carmen Ordaz Aguiar; Falsification of Documents

  1. Feel free to leave a comment, I recently spoke with a woman who purchased a property from Carmen Ordaz 17 years ago and never received her title. She continues to live in the house but has no trust for the property. I will be interviewing her and anyone else who would like to discuss with us the dealing of Snow Bird or Star Realty.

  2. I hope these charges will stick. But, this “Crime Cartel” may be able to once again slip out of the charges. Just like the “Teflon Don”, this could be the Teflon Dona. I will keep my hopes High, but I am going to Wait and See.

  3. We are a retired couple that were con’ed by Carmen and John at Star Reality. I will not go into my situation. Expect to say Thank You for getting out the Truth about these dishonest people.

  4. I just spoke to another person who purchased a property from an Ordaz and never got the paper work done and are terrified they will be thrown out of their house some day. The number of reports are piling up and it really is starting to amaze me at the shear number of people coming forward. I have also spoken to people who did get their paper work done properly from an Ordaz related deal. Clearly not everyone who had dealings with them were taken but clearly many were.

  5. Hey Vinny, as usual it always comes down to “shoot the messenger” when talking about bad news…. Great job you do, and as far as I’m concerned you are the ONLY person in San Carlos that will tackle the bad situations and report on them…. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

  6. Any chance you could do an investigation on Golf Towers? We lost our investment and have been fighting this with a SC lawyer through the justice system for 5+ years with no resolution. We have given up hope that this will be resolved, which has left a bitter taste. This has left us feeling very frustrated with both the owners of the property and the ‘justice’ system.

  7. Yes I am interested in the gulf towers, the problem here is that there are so many bad deals and so little time in which to talk about them. Please email me or call me and we can chat on that subject. Thanks!

  8. Re; a woman who purchased a property from Carmen Ordaz 17 years ago and never received her title. She continues to live in the house but has no trust for the property

    My question is…. Has the woman been charged for and paid the yearly property taxes all that time?

  9. Hey Vinny, just a couple of after thoughts, I think it’s very good that you expose these types of dirty dealing/fraud that goes on in San Carlos. When there is some transparency and disclosure, that is the only avenue to expose and not let these types of people thrive. There are people in San Carlos that represent themselves as “real estate” professional agents, which are anything but, there are attorneys in San Carlos which also represent themselves as such, who are not. There are bandito’s who disguise themselves in police uniforms. It’s the wild west without much oversight or checks & balances. Corruption and extortion is the name of the game. Unsuspecting folks with good faith will be eaten whole. Keep holding feet to the fire……

  10. Great job you are the eyes and the years and the safety of San Carlos thank you so very much

  11. I appreciate the reporting of the news here in San Carlos. I agree that fraude should be exposed and reported. The recent reports concerning events and persons here in San Carlos will be good for San Carlos in the long run.

    My problem with your reporting is that you paint the picture with a very large brush. I have heard very little from your publication about the efforts of the local section of AMPI toward creating an environment where real estate transactions can be done with a high degree of transparency and ethics and lower risk. Due diligence is the responsibility of each and every participant in a real estate transaction. Our member offices and member agents are all licensed real estate agents by the State of Sonora. In order to be licensed each agent attends about 120 hours of courses in order to qualify for the license. All must be approved by the local police as persons without record for violating the law. Also, each member must be a member of the AMPI. AMPI is an organization like NAR in the United States. In fact many members of our the AMPI Section Guaymas-San Carlos are also members of the National Association of Realtors in the United States. You might say, “So What!”. Well the fact is that members of our organization are highly motivated to do Real Estate Transactions professionally and ethically while completing real estate transactions that are legal and complete for the public(Both Mexican and Foreigners}.

    Along those lines why don’t you publish some useful information about how a person here in Sonora can assure themselves that they have professional, ethical, and competent representation while engaged in the purchase or sale or real estate. I believe that prevention is well worth the effort. People who come to mexico should not believe the first person that they encounter. Due diligence is the responsibility of each and every one who comes to Mexico. Things are very different here, however, you can still conduct business here if you just take the time to take care of the due diligence.

    Members of the AMPI Section Guaymas San Carlos will assist any buyer or seller with the necessary due diligence that is needed to conduct a clean transaction. Have we encountered problems? Yes we have and from those problems we have learned a great deal about Sonora Real Estate, Notarios, Sonoran Law, Mexican Law, and may other facets of the business of Real Estate here in Sonora. If Buyers/Sellers/Investors do not avail themselves of competent, honest, ethical representation then the problem created belongs only to the persons who fail to due the appropriate due diligence. ITS EASY! FIND A BROKERAGE THAT DISPLAYS THE BLUE LOGO OF “SCMAR” IN THEIR OFFICE WINDOW and/or THEIR CAR BUMPER. SIMPLY ASK FOR REFERENCES, CREDENTIALS, LICENSE NUMBERS. I would be more than happy to point anyone in the right direction if they can simply ask the question. You will be way ahead in the race to complete your due diligence.

    Keep up the good reporting work!

    However, I would like to challenge you to do some reporting that will result in better Real Estate Transactions. There are some very good Real Estate Agents in San Carlos. Give the positive side of Real Estate here in San Carlos a bit of press! Help point people in the right direction to begin with and perhaps the “bad” guys will have less and less income with which to sustain their questionable practices.

    Michael J Beddoes
    President AMPI Section Guaymas-San Carlos

  12. Actually I think that is your job Michael, and you just did it here! Good job. The reason that I have reported the bad cases is because in the past these cases were not reported. Thus the bad deals of certain realtors has continued for decades.

    My blog is open to anyone who would like to post so I would be happy to invite yourself or any of your real estate agents to send me a post on any or all of these subjects regarding real estate and I will be happy to publish it on the blog.

    You should understand as I have stated before, this blog is not monetized. I actually have a day job so I do this in my spare time which is limited.

    So the invitation is open to you guys, any time at all if you would like to post something on the positive note I am all for it!!

  13. great job vince
    i did not realize how ugly she really is till you posted here picture. what a old dog !!!
    maybe one day will see a good old hanging here.

  14. What does the SCMAR logo have to do with AMPI membership in Sonora or NAR in the US? My question is not a challenge.. just an honest question.. I don’t know what SCMAR stands for? Does it stand for San Carlos Marketing Company?

  15. You know I really don’t know the answer to that. Hopefully Michael will follow this thread and answer that question. I will send him an email just in case and ask him to follow up.

  16. Do we have a troll here? The comment sounds like it may have come from an asswipe. Pointy chin?

    C’mon back and let us see who you are dude.

  17. I just deleted another useless comment from Gadfly and then some other wack job making a comment about my wife.

    As I have told GG before he can insult me all he likes over at his sand box but not over here on my blog.

  18. It is pointy, yes. Look at her next time you see her drive around town.

    You can see me climbing El Creston for the best wifi reception in S.C. when I haggle for used tires in Guaymas.

  19. I decided that this comment about my wife should be restored. The person who made this comment has an email address of af.media.solutions@gmail.com

    and after emailing him to see if he would like to meet me in person to discuss my lovely wife’s chin according to gmail the owner of the accounts name is Ernesto Martinez-Ordaz.

    I removed a second comment from this person regarding my wife in which he insinuates that he stalks her. I have no idea at the moment if this person is really related to an Ordaz who has recently been indicted but it is an interesting coincidence.

  20. Here is Ernesto’s profile on linkekin, http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ernesto-martinez-ordaz/9/3b6/4a9

    at the bottom of the resume it states he was the marketing director for a company called AF media

    Marketing Manager
    AF Media
    Self-Employed; Myself Only; Internet industry
    January 1998 – November 2004 (6 years 11 months)

    Designed and sold Search Engine Optimization packages, providing enhanced visibility for customers. Uses Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Omniture as popular metrics tools to improve on customer’s search engine rankings.
    Managed website content for a list of clients.
    Increasing sales, enhancing the company’s profile through presentations and marketing tools.
    Managed projects from initial conception to final completion, including electronic branding, copywriting, market research, direct online marketing and promotions.

  21. Figures Jose Martinez’ clan would get involved in harassment. Been too quiet from their camp. Ernesto’s mother Mercedes Ordaz used to pound on my door and yell at me to leave her poor sister alone. It appears some of that clan live in Illinois now.

  22. Hello Guys!

    As a Mexican is sad for me to see that great people came to San Carlos and they have to face with this.

    I would like to give you a simple advice.
    The easy, safe and the only legal way to buy a property as a foreign in Mexico is with a trust and that can given ONLY BY BANK.

    There is no way that A foreign in Mexico can buy a property outside of a Bank.

    Make sure your real state agency provides you that and you will be safe.

    Best Reagards.

  23. Hello Guys!

    As a Mexican is sad for me to see that great people came to San Carlos and they have to face with this.

    I would like to give you a simple advice.
    The easy, safe and the only legal way to buy a property as a foreign in Mexico is with a trust and that can given ONLY BY BANK.

    There is no way that A foreign in Mexico can buy a property outside of a Bank.

    Make sure your real state agency provides you that and you will be safe.

    Best Reagards.

  24. Thank you Carlos for reminding people that trusts must by law come from a banking institution. Years ago Sanowbird Realty convinced many people to enter into a private trust called San Carlos Trust. Later they found out the papers they signed gave all the rights to Catalina Ordaz and her partners Jimenez Fox and Wenceslao Coto. Basically, when the owner of the property died their family had no rights and the property went to her.

  25. Yes Susan is right on several counts.

    First the dude who made comments on Ines is listed as living in Chicago on Linkedin.

    Second, I spoke with two men today and one of them indeed was offered the bogus private San Carlos Trust business that Catalina set up. The gentleman I spoke with after many months went down to the Notario himself to find out where his paper work was. He was then informed that he had no paper work on his trust what so ever. He promptly shit canned Catalina and of course eventually got his trust completed.

  26. I decided to let both the Assurance Fuel Max comments stay, I guess these comments are meant to intimidate me?

    Here is a screen shot of our brief email exchange

    A F media intimidation

  27. The dude who I had the brief email exchange with about my wife has scurried to some where dark not unlike a cockroach. I suspect he will resurface some time at a later date though.

  28. This reply is directed to Peter about his question on the meaning of “SCMAR”.

    When you see “SCMAR” it will be on a bumper sticker or in the window of a real estate office here in San Carlos. It is a logo for the organization, AMPI Section Guaymas San Carlos. The members of AMPI Section Guaymas San Carlos are members of AMPI. AMPI is an acronym for “Asociacion Mexicana Profesionales Inmobiliarios. This organization was formed in 1956 and is the professional organization that provides education, training, and a code of ethics which governs how we operate as Real Estate Agents. Every member of the local section of AMPI is a member of AMPI national and the local Section of AMPI. Some people call the local section SCMAR, however, SCMAR does not convey who we are as it refers to REALTOR. An agent can be a member of AMPI without being a member of NAR. However, many member of AMPI both local and national are members of NAR International.

    Both organizations are governed by a code of ethics. That is one code of ethics for NAR and one code for AMPI. Both codes are similiar and provide professional guidance for members in three areas: 1) Client relationships, 2) Relationships with other agents, and 3) relationship with the Organization and profession. There are provisions for penalties against agents who violate any of the provisions of the code of ethics. We take the code of ethics very seriously and there is an official position designated in each local section. This position is the Commission on Honors and Justice. Anyone may make a complaint to the commission, however, the commission does not have jurisdiction outside of our organization. So if you are eager to make a complaint against someone who is not a member you may as well save your time. We cannot sanction non-members.

    Many members of the local AMPI section are or have been real estate agents in the United States or Canada. It is possible then that USA Real Estate agents may have the right to be referred to as REALTORS. I generally do not refer to any member as a REALTOR as it is a registered trademark of the National Association of Realtors. You must be a member of NAR to use that designation. Therefore I leave that to the individual agents to display the R signifying “REALTOR”. I do not consider it mandatory to be a “REALTOR” since the AMPI Code of Ethics is our governing document. Other benefits may be claimed by a member of NAR such as access to the NAR website for property listings. That in itself is sufficient to entice me to be a member of NAR International. AMPI has on various occasions offered membership in NAR as a benefit of membership in AMPI.

    The bottom line to all of this is that our organization is an organization that promotes transparency, ethics, professionalism, and complete loyalty to clients whether the client is a seller or a buyer. Even if the “client” is not yet a client they are afforded the same courtesies and loyalties as actual active clients. We subscribe to full transparency, however, there exists information that is not in the public domain and as such is kept confidential by any member agent. It is in fact required by the AMPI code of ethics and the NAR Code of Ethics. For those of you who wish to sell property on our MLS thru by a member agent you must sign a written contract specifying the terms of the list and or the purchase. Written contracts provide a measure of protection to the customer/client.

    Remember that it is you the customer who is ultimately responsible for the due diligence necessary to protect your interests. If you want help I can refer you to any member of AMPI Section Guaymas San Carlos. Each member will assist you with the due diligence necessary to protect your investment. Do not get into a real estate deal without investigating the deal and its participants. Find competent help! If you need help with that call me. I am next to Jax Snax in San Carlos.

  29. Correction to previous post:

    Foreigners can purchase property in Mexico Fee Simple. It is NOT NECESSARY to have a fideicomiso to purchase property outside of the Restricted Zone. The Restricted Zone as defined in Article 27 of the Constitution is all land located within 100 Kilometers(62 miles) of any mexican national border and within 50 Kilometers(32 miles) of any ocean. In 1972 a Fideicomiso was defined in order to get around the problem of foreign ownership in the Restricted Zone. For those of you living in the restricted zone and on “beach front” property you probably need to have a Federal Zone Permit. Without that you may lose your property.

    Also, foreigners may form a mexican corporation and purchase property in the name of the corporation. This is obviously a mechanism for comercial activities.

    The law of mexico are very different from the laws in the United States and Canada. The USA tradition of law is based upon the common law legal tradition of England. Mexico’s law is based upon Roman, Greek and French systems of law. Mexican law is more like the law of Europe than the laws of the United States. Take heed if you think you know something of USA laws. Generally it does not apply here. While I do enjoy history and the law I am by no means a schooled lawyer. Call it a hobby. I have a great deal of respect for the USA system of law as well as the Mexican system of Law. Both are incredibly interesting and incredibly different.

    Please realize that I am NOT a lawyer. I am not giving anyone here legal advice. If you want or need legal advice find a lawyer and get the correct guidance from them.

  30. To Admin:

    No those organizations were never member of the local section. The local section was formed about 6 or 7 years ago. I have had conversations with members of those organizations and I do remember that at one time at least one of them was a “charter member” of AMPI, however, I cannot tell you when. We have had 3 administrations for our organization and during that time I believe that no one from those orgs were members. I was elected 4 years ago to a two year term and re-elected 2 year ago. I will finish my term in January when we will have another President to take us forward.

  31. Thanks for that Michael. I have had several people coming forward lately who have had this specific issue with their trust. They purchased a home from one of the three agencies I listed and now 8 to 17 (yes that is seventeen) years later still have no trust papers on their house. What would you recommend to someone in this situation. I have been asked to give advice and I have a few ideas on what path might be taken by these indiviudals but perhaps you could give some advise on this?

    Thanks!!

  32. My opinion is that anyone who has waited a long time for a trust should immediately findd a good lawyer and clarify your situation. The longer you wait the more complicated your situation may become. The death of anyone associated may drastically change the situation. If you think that you own your home and you do not have a trust/fideicomiso in your name which is written by a notario then you may be at risk. It is the notario who records your property in your name at the public registry. My opinion is that if you have used “presta nombre” or have a private contract you should get a lawyer and come to an understanding as to your ownership status. As a real estate agent I am prohibited by our local association and AMPI from listing a property which is in the name of a third party. The name which is recorded on the property is the only person that I can represent in the sale of a property. The Agents of the local association cannot list a property for someone other than the owner. I think that this should be obvious. Once again get a good lawyer and clarify your situation. Any member of AMPI Section Guaymas San Carlos can help you get started and help you locate someone to assist you.

  33. Hola Amigo Vince, Thank You for sharing the story of real estate fraud in San Carlos. It is very interesting that the first person I was referred to when I mentioned that I was looking for property to build a home or to purchase a condo was Catalina who I assume is Carmen’s sister. This was on my 2nd trip to San Carlos in 2007, the first being on a spring break trip in March of 1986; but, that is another story “My Bad Tequila.” 😉 Well, when I met Catalina, I did not feel comfortable with her and did not return to meet her again the next day, instead I went to ReMax location near in a small mall area where there was also a Pemex gas station. After walking out of the Remax realty office I noticed some flyers on a nearby window about some new condos being constucted. Thank goodness I saw that flyer and walked in, there to greet me was Susan Sarnoski and I was introduced to the condo resort Bahia Delfin which had been started. The reason I mention this is because if I had put my retirement savings into a project that did not get completed such as the Gulf Towers or others I would want to end that person or person’s life for taking my hard earned dinero and life savings away from me due to FRAUD! I am very thankful that “I got Lucky” in Mexico and San Carlos by meeting legitimate and honest builders such as Ken & Susan Sarnoski, Steve & Charlotte Habkirk as we look forward to the day that we can stay in San Carlos for a couple months at a time, not just enjoying a short vacation on the Sea of Cortez overlooking Tetakawi Mountain.

  34. thanks for that info Rico, it is always good to get lucky and sometimes you make your own luck! Your case is interesting and well worth note. You shopped around and that was really key. Many people meet a realtor like Carmen or Catalina and since they speak pretty good English decide to go with them without shopping around. So important to do your due diligence, especially with your life saving’s!! Thanks again for sharing the info!

  35. Is there a running list of people in the community that have dealt with them? I ask because I am having problems with the sister today and I found this article when I googled Catalina.

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