Minuteman president linked to property tax scam

[The Straight Story]

Minuteman president linked to property tax scam

PHOENIX – On Aug. 14, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard announced he had filed a complaint and obtained a temporary restraining order to stop the perpetrators of an alleged fraud that claimed property owners qualified for a “property tax reduction review.”

The civil complaint names Property Tax Review Board, Inc. (PTRB) of Granada Hills, Calif.; PTRB’s CEO and Director Michael McConville of Simi Valley, Calif.; and Carmen Mercer of Tombstone, Ariz., the individual authorized to collect mail delivered to PTRB at its post office box in Phoenix.

Around Aug. 3, Maricopa County Assessor Keith Russell said his office began receiving numerous calls from Maricopa County residents about a solicitation they received in the mail titled “2009 Property Tax Reduction Form.”

The solicitation from PTRB offered property owners a “tax reduction review” for $189, citing their property “may be over assessed for tax purposes” and included an “estimated savings” that might be realized by the property owner.

http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2009/090819/FrntPgMinuteman.html