Daniloo fraud counts grow

Couple plead not guilty; he could face 40-year term

By TODD MILBOURN
BEE STAFF WRITER

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Tony Daniloo, the former head of DreamLife Financial, and his wife, Nansi Masihi Daniloo, pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges that they conned elderly Bay Area homeowners out of millions.

The Daniloos entered the pleas in Alameda County Superior Court during a hearing in which Judge Alfred Delucchi allowed prosecutors to add 14 charges to the case, for a total of 55 counts against the Turlock couple.

If convicted, Tony Daniloo, 30, faces up to 40 years in prison, and Nansi Masihi Daniloo, 29, up to seven years.

The Daniloos were arrested in late December, just months after they and DreamLife pledged millions of dollars to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock and California State University, Stanislaus.

The hospital and university rejected the gifts after reports in The Bee raised questions about the Daniloos' finances and past business practices.

DreamLife, which was headquartered in Modesto, closed its offices shortly before the Daniloos were arrested.

Alameda County prosecutors say Tony Daniloo convinced several homeowners to let him oversee their finances and then exploited that trust to deplete bank accounts and obtain properties. Prosecutors claim Nansi Masihi Daniloo was her husband's accomplice.

An attorney for the Daniloos could not be reached Thursday.

Tony Daniloo is being held in lieu of $800,000 bail at Alameda County's Santa Rita jail. His wife is out on bail. A federal investigation continues.

The Daniloos have filed a motion seeking to throw out some of the older charges, dating back to 1998, saying the statute of limitations had run out.

Prosecutors say the charges are legitimate because the Daniloos concealed the alleged crimes for years. According to the complaint, a 72-year-old Newark woman did not find out until 2002 that her home was in foreclosure, after reading about it in a newspaper.

Another judge is expected to rule on the statute of limitations issue April 8.

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