Huron's longtime mayor allegedly paid less than half the agreed-upon price for a piece of property, then illegally sold the land to a church -- which ended up collapsing as a result of the bad deal, court records say.
The details are contained in a search warrant affidavit in the case, which was made public Monday in Fresno County Superior Court.
The search warrant was for the residence of Huron Mayor Ramon Dominguez, 62.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims announced Dominguez's arrest last month but did not give detailed information.
Dominguez faces charges of grand theft and receiving stolen property. He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 3. Dominguez could not be reached to comment Monday.
According to the search warrant affidavit, the investigation started March 19.
The Sheriff's Department was given documents that showed Linda Mouren bought two properties at 11th and L streets in Huron in 1997.
She combined them into one lot, and in early 2002 Dominguez asked about leasing it with an option to buy.
Their contract gave Dominguez two years to pay the $20,000 purchase price in full.
By 2007, he had paid only about $8,600. Mouren initiated a foreclosure.
Meanwhile, in 2006, Dominguez allegedly sold the property to the Iglesia Apostolica De La Fe En Christo Jesus for $40,000. The church at the time was trying to gain a foothold in Huron.
The church made a $20,000 down payment, and then followed with monthly payments. In total, more than $29,000 was paid to Dominguez.
When church officials went to Huron City Hall to obtain permits to build a church on the property, they learned that Dominguez was not the owner.
They sued and won a $31,548 default judgment against Dominguez in Fresno County Superior Court.
At the time, the congregation had 20 members, but all quit because of the lost money.
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