News
Encino home sold fraudulently by Caroline Herrling and deceased by suicide
Miracle Williams shared with a federal judge the tragic circumstances that led to her partner’s suicide, shedding light on the woman she holds responsible for his untimely death.
Robert Tascon had been caught in a legal battle since 2021, Williams tearfully recounted, over his home in the upscale neighborhood of Encino. Investigators revealed that in September, a woman named Caroline Herrling deceitfully sold his property for $1.5 million.
Last year, Herrling, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was handed a 20-year sentence by Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong.
“He was trying to sell the house so we could start our lives over,” Williams emotionally shared with the judge during Herrling’s sentencing. “The situation made him feel helpless.”
Tascon hailed from a wealthy family in California that had established two trusts for him, providing him with substantial financial resources. However, as per a report from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Tascon developed an issue with alcohol and eventually moved to Abilene, Texas, with Williams in 2018 to distance himself from negative influences.
Despite still receiving monthly trust payments, Tascon’s Encino residence was his sole remaining asset, although it had been inhabited by squatters. The circumstances surrounding how Herrling came to discover the property remain unclear.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Herrling orchestrated the sale of Tascon’s home by utilizing a co-conspirator with fraudulent identification to pose as the rightful homeowner. Presenting herself as a licensed California attorney representing distressed property owners, Herrling deceived the buyer and proceeded to set up bank and E-Trade accounts to receive the sale proceeds, all executed through identity theft.
Tascon’s attorney, Travis Hartgraves, informed investigators that the house was sold for half of its actual value, with Herrling using the money from the transaction to assist in purchasing a residence in West Hills.
Following the fraudulent sale of his home, Tascon initiated a lawsuit in an effort to reclaim the property, but would ultimately express his resignation, conceding, “I am never going to get my house back,” to Hartgraves.
The emotional toll of the deceitful sale proved too much for Tascon, leading to his tragic suicide on September 11, 2022, at the age of 53. The police report indicated a history of mental illness and involvement in fraud litigation.
During a January 2023 interview with investigators, Herrling denied any involvement in the sale of Tascon’s property, claiming she simply drove him to a notary for the transaction and was only compensated around $150. However, when pressed for details about Tascon, Herrling struggled to provide any specific information, ultimately admitting to profiting from the sale but asserting that she did not leave Tascon destitute.
At the sentencing, Herrling’s defense attorney, Alex Kessel, maintained that there was no direct evidence linking his client to Tascon’s death, emphasizing Tascon’s preexisting mental health struggles and referencing a past suicide attempt in 2021. Kessel stated, “We never know why somebody kills themselves… I haven’t been given in evidence any suicide note where he laid out his state of mind and mental state at the time.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown underscored that Tascon had lost his sole property due to the fraudulent sale, a devastating blow that ultimately contributed to his tragic decision.
Agreeing with the prosecution, Judge Frimpong recognized the impact of the property loss on Tascon’s mental state, stating that there was substantial evidence implicating it in his suicide.
Despite Tascon’s plans to leave his assets to Williams, his common-law wife, the deceitful sale of the Encino home left him with nothing to bequeath.
Testifying in court, Williams acknowledged Tascon’s fragility but emphasized how the sale of his home exacerbated an already delicate situation.
Williams, visibly emotional, held onto a framed photo of Tascon as she spoke, describing him as her “best friend.” Struggling to cope with his passing, she revealed that she too had attempted suicide following his death.
“This lady is a big manipulator and a con artist and she’s gotten away with using the dead,” Williams told the judge, urging accountability for Herrling to prevent similar tragedies from befalling others. “Hold her accountable and don’t let her do this to anyone else. Because this has ruined my life.”
News
Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?
The price of gold has climbed to record highs recently and has remained strong through much of April. And, that growth continued until the precious metal traded at around $2,390 per ounce on April 19, 2024. But since, growth in the price of the precious metal has cooled, with gold’s price now hovering around $2,300 per ounce.
This lull in gold’s price may represent an investment opportunity.
In general, investing is centered around buying assets when prices are low and selling them when prices are high – generating a profit on the difference between the two. So, considering the declines in gold’s price over the past few days, now may be the time to make your investment. But is buying gold during this lull in prices really a good idea?
Compare your gold investment options among leading brokers now.
Gold prices have cooled. Should you buy in now?
With gold’s price down from recent highs, you may be wondering if now is the right time to buy in. There are several reasons the dip in gold’s price may represent an opportunity to buy. Here are some of the biggest:
Prices may rise again
If looking at a gold price chart shows anything for certain, it shows that changes in the overall growth of the medal come in fits and spurts. Periods of price growth are typically followed by periods of declines and vice versa.
But with inflation rising in recent months – and with gold’s reputation as a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation – it only makes sense that the price of the precious metal will eventually start to head up again in the future. While attempting to time that directional change may be tricky, buying the precious metal while the price is down gives you the opportunity to take advantage of any upward movement that may be ahead.
Add gold to your portfolio now before prices have a chance to rise.
You may be able to make a quick profit
Gold isn’t known as an asset in which you can earn a quick return, but in today’s market, that may be the case. Don’t forget that in January, gold was trading at just $2,000 per ounce. And, by mid-April, the commodity’s price had climbed to around $2,400 per ounce. That’s about 20% growth in a matter of months, much of which happened since March 1 – an impressive climb for any investment asset.
Perhaps more importantly, gold’s price growth through the beginning of 2024 shows that the commodity doesn’t have to be a buy and hold style investment that you keep in a safety deposit box or precious metal depository for years to come. There’s also the possibility that the commodity’s price could climb further ahead, making it a compelling way to potentially generate a quick profit.
There are other benefits of investing in gold
There are other benefits of investing in gold that have little to do with the price growth seen thus far in 2024 – or the lull in prices seen over the past couple of days. Those benefits include:
- Inflation protection: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge, and for good reason. When inflation drives the prices of consumer goods and services up – and the value of the dollar down – gold’s price tends to rise. So, it could be used to maintain the value of your portfolio during inflationary economic conditions. That’s important in today’s economic environment as stubborn inflation continues to weigh on the value of the dollar.
- Portfolio diversification: Gold’s price doesn’t always move in the same pattern that bonds or stocks do. So, mixing a reasonable amount of gold into your portfolio (up to 10% of your portfolio assets) as a diversifier could protect you from losses should one or more of your traditional portfolio assets fall in value. “If you have less than 5% – 10% of your net worth in commodities & FX (forex), you should absolutely consider adding exposure to gold and other precious metals,” says Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at the wealth management firm, Regal Point Capital.
The bottom line
Gold’s price has fallen from recent highs – which may represent an opportunity to tap into growth ahead. However, gold isn’t simply a “buy while it’s low and sell while it’s a high” kind of investment opportunity. The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we’ve seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.
-
News2 weeks ago
Juno discovers massive lava lake on Io
-
News2 weeks ago
Kevin McCarthy, former House Speaker, seeks revenge
-
News2 weeks ago
Possible Future Colleague of Trump: David Lammy, a Close Associate of Obama
-
Entertainment2 weeks ago
Bethenny Frankel reveals that her mother Bernadette Birk passed away from lung cancer
-
News2 weeks ago
Voyager 1 Communications Restored by NASA
-
News2 weeks ago
Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?
-
Entertainment2 weeks ago
Kim Kardashian completes strange task before having her coffee