IT TAKES
A VILLAGE
George Argyros
Category: Big Developer
Industry: Real Estate Development
Donations to Prop 32: $11,320
The wealthy Argyros is a major Republican fundraiser, and has himself spent more than $2 million on California elections since 2000. Argyros also served as George W. Bush’s ambassador to Spain.
Political Donations Between 2000-2013: $2,050,567
George Argyros is associated with much scandal. Google search his name and see the results.
George Argyros owns dozens of companies, these are two that you might recognize:
Arnel Development
Follow the link for the complete list of Argyros companies
Like Argyros President, Like Argyros Son
By Matt Coker Wed., May 10 2006 at 11:05 AM
In September, Stephen Mensinger, the president and chief operations officer for billionaire developer/GOP Sugar Daddy/ex-Ambassador to Spain George Argyros' Arnel Management Co. apartment slumlord division, walked into an Alaska Airlines office next to John Wayne Airport's baggage carousel to find out what happened to his bags containing guns and game meat he'd just brought back from a hunting trip. The attendant Mensinger approached was in the middle of helping another customer, so she suggested he double check the carousel and fill out a claim form. The Arnel executive apparently exploded, calling the attendant a "dumb blonde." When the attendant made a disparaging remark about hunters into her phone -- a shocked supervisor on the other end of line wondered who the asshole was -- Mensinger then yelled, "I'm a sheriff!" He snapped pictures of the woman with his cell phone and said he could get her fired. The attendant was so frightened she wanted to call in security, but the same department Mensinger (pick one) ...
1) mistakenly;
2) illegally
... claimed to be employed by--the Orange County Sheriff's Department--patrols the airport.
Well, wouldn't you know it, after Mensinger made his scene and left, the airlines called the sheriff's office and discovered the slumlord was not a "sherff," hell, he wasn't even a deputy or a reserve. He's an "honorary reserve," which means he has no police powers because he has no police training. What he has -- thanks to the thousands of dollars he, his boss Argyros and Arnel have showered on Carona, Carona's buddies and GOP candidates nationwide, is an honorary badge, department identification, a permit to carry a concealed weapon and a nifty decoder ring.
24. GEORGE ARGYROS JR.
Son of billionaire developer/Spanish ambassador George Argyros. Junior is best known for impersonating a police officer in Idaho after confronting a motorist he thought was driving too slow, flashing an Orange County Sheriff's Advisory Council medallion and threatening to arrest the man. That stunt got him two and half days in jail, plus a $300 fine.
The rotten apples obviously don't fall too far from the Argyros tree.
George Argyros connected to yet another alleged business scam
By R. Scott Moxley Thursday, Aug 30 2001
George Argyros, the conservative Newport Beach billionaire and U.S.-ambassador-to-Spain designee, is fast becoming Orange County's real bad boy.
Argyros is already under suspicion for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud thousands of his apartment tenants over two decades. Now federal prosecutors are negotiating a fine against Apria Healthcare Group Inc. for allegedly cheating Medicare out of at least $103 million while Argyros served as the company's chairman.
Argyros helped build Apria into one of the nation's largest suppliers of home respiratory and infusion therapies. He left the board after a whistleblower revealed the alleged billing scam to federal authorities in 1998.
The Newport Beach resident remains one of Apria's largest individual stockholders. As of late August, Argyros controlled almost 2.8 million shares worth more than $76 million.
​
The countys most sensational two-day trial youve never heard about
By ANTHONY PIGNATARO Thursday, Mar 21 2002
They told the court the plane didn't belong to Argyros but to a company called Sunbird Aviation. They said the plane was part of Sunbird's "business inventory" because it was "offered for lease to the public." As such, they claimed, the plane was exempt from taxation.
The county counsel's office offered a different story. It was "abundantly clear," deputy county counsel Robert Overby said during the trial, that Argyros' claim that Sunbird actually owned the plane "is a sham."
Overby introduced evidence that Sunbird's headquarters is 949 South Coast Dr., Suite 600, in Costa Mesa—which also happens to be the address of Argyros' office. In addition, he revealed, Argyros owns 99 percent of Sunbird, with the remaining 1 percent owned by another company called Sunbird Aviation Services (SAS). That company was located at—surprise—949 South Coast Dr., Suite 600. Overby described Argyros as "president and sole employee of SAS."
