14 new counts alleged against Daniloo

Two more elderly homeowners lost money in swindle, Alameda claims

By TODD MILBOURN
BEE STAFF WRITER

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Alameda County prosecutors asked a judge Thursday to add 14 felony counts to the case against former DreamLife Financial Chief Executive Tony Daniloo of Turlock.

Daniloo, 30, and his his wife, Nansi, 29, already face 41 counts of felony grand theft and elder abuse for allegedly swindling at least $1.3 million through real estate transactions, much of it from a 72-year-old Newark woman who had trusted Tony Daniloo to oversee her finances.

Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday alleging that Daniloo also conned Carol Hull, 73, of San Francisco and another elderly Bay Area homeowner out of tens of thousands of dollars, said Bill Denny, head of the Alameda County district attorney's real estate fraud unit.

If Judge Alfred Delucchi agrees to the new charges, Daniloo will face a maximum of 40 years if convicted, Denny said. He currently faces a maximum of 30 years.

Nansi Masihi Daniloo isn't mentioned in the additional charges. She is facing seven years for her part in the alleged fraud.

Tony Daniloo has yet to enter a plea. He is being held at an Alameda County jail in lieu of $800,000 bail. Nansi Daniloo has pleaded not guilty and is free on $100,000 bail.

Just months before the Daniloos' Dec. 20 arrest, the couple and DreamLife were lauded for pledging a total of $5.5 million to Emanuel Medical Center and California State University, Stanislaus. In exchange, the Daniloos and DreamLife received naming rights to a cancer center and pediatric wing at the hospital and an athletics arena and practice complex at the university.

The university hoisted the DreamLife corporate logo atop its arena with much fanfare.

Both institutions rejected the gifts after learning about the Daniloos' troubled past and a pending criminal investigation from articles in The Modesto Bee.

The Daniloos also may face federal charges. Internal Revenue Service investigators raided DreamLife offices in Modesto and the couple's Turlock home in December.

In an affidavit, authorities said they suspect Tony Daniloo diverted at least $4 million from homeowners' escrow accounts for personal use, including purchase of a Lamborghini and Rolex watches.

DreamLife went out of business amid the scrutiny. The next hearing is scheduled Feb. 10.

Bee staff writer Todd Milbourn can be reached at 578-2339 or tmilbourn@modbee.com.