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“What’s it like to drive the Ferrari that once belonged to Dan & Diane Harkey?” I am frequently asked.
And then I pause for a moment because the answer is not simple. The first and most overwhelming thing you feel racing this thing down the highway is POWER. Power and indifference. There is a feeling that rules are for other people and don’t apply to you. Also, interestingly, I noticed that when I saw senior citizens on the road, indeed anyone older than me, I was overcome with a feeling of withering contempt, and wanted to hurt them. And not just geezers driving in front of me slowing me down, but ALL old people.
Perhaps driving a Harkey car has the effect of exaggerating the worst, most anti-social parts of one’s personality, while allowing the patient and altruistic parts to wither and atrophy – a lot like having possession of Tolkien’s Ring for example, or running a blog.
Or maybe I’m just too sensitive, preternaturally attuned to the spiritual vibrations of previous owners. Other stronger souls might be able to own and drive these cars without such ill effects. I turn around and head back to the auction at Blair’s Towing in Lake Forest, hollering “Get off the road, you stupid old bitch!” at a sweet septuagenarian puttering along in her Hyundai.
What I’m trying to say is, the Orange Juice Blog took yet another field trip this past weekend, to view the beginning of the auction of four of the Harkeys’ “exotic cars,” and one fancy-ass motorcycle, which have been taken possession of by a cadre of the Harkeys’ financial victims or “creditors,” and the proceeds from which will produce, at best, a tiny percentage of the $11 million Harkey has been ordered to pay them in restitution, and has been avoiding with bankruptcy and complex shell games.
We share pictures of the Harkey Fleet here as a service to the plaintiffs; they hope to net perhaps as much as $200K, which would go to the “receiver;” then it’d probably be another decade before impoverished Harkey victims like our old friend Kurt Sipolski, crippled by polio and surviving on social security, see a penny even of this. (Hang in there, Kurt!) Plaintiff Jeff Gomberg points out the obvious: “If Harkey had an ounce of humanity, he would just admit his mistakes and pay the judgment – he can easily afford it.”
On Saturday, plaintiff Lloyd Charton surveyed the small fleet, and wondered aloud how Harkey’s notoriety would impact the auction take. “It’s a funny world we live in, Vern. Do you think people would spend more, or less, to own a car that once belonged to Bernie Madoff?” I had no answer. But remember, the Harkeys in their heyday had 12 of these fancy cars, so none of them have much wear and tear. E-mail bids can be submitted until Jan. 20 to receiver Christopher Blank, at clblank@pacbell.net. Let’s see what we have here:
1. 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – red
Crown jewel of the fleet and currently the author’s favorite ride – only 18,000 miles on this beauty. Wikipedia tells us that “The design, especially the large side scallops and the headlights, pays homage to the custom 1954 Ferrari 375 MM that director Roberto Rossellini had commissioned for his wife, Ingrid Bergman.”
From the high artists of European film to the low artists of Orange County swindle: Local legend has it that it was in this very car that Dan and Diane made the very painful decision to divorce, so that her wages as Board of Equalization member could not be garnished for the couple’s crimes, as they had been when she was assemblywoman. And then, it is whispered, the criminal Harkey couple had sex. But don’t worry, the interior has been steam-cleaned more than once.
2. 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera – red
This Porsche has the least miles on it – only 17,000! Remember, this dates back to Dan and Diane’s heyday – right around when Dan paid himself $13 million out of his Ponzi-gotten gains, and had as many as a dozen cars to buzz around the Southland in, hoodwinking the elderly. CarAndDriver.com weighs in: “The 911’s classic, time-weathered shape has never looked better. The wider fenders give a beefy, more purposeful look that complements the silhouette. And the packaging benefits of the rear-engine layout are as handy as ever. For the first time, the 911 is longer than the Corvette. And the Porsche, at least, still has room for a couple of kids in the back seats.”
It is bruited about – in those Dana Point bars and bistros where things get bruited – that it was in this very vehicle that Dan convinced Diane to file suit against her Board of Equalization opponent Mark Wyland, for telling voters the truth about their financial crimes. Ten million dollars they decided, in this very car, to demand from Senator Wyland for “severe and grievous mental and emotional suffering, fright, anguish, shock, nervousness, and anxiety” he’d caused her, and for “medical treatment” she claimed to have therefore “required on a number of occasions” which would “continue for an indeterminable length of time.” At that point, according to local folklore, the criminal Harkey couple laughed and laughed, and then had some sex. But the car is perfectly clean.
3. 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo.
Oh, the history with this one! – And yet, with its 24,000 miles, it’s in nearly mint condition. This little baby saw the couple through the launch of Diane’s juggernaut of a political career, borne on the wings of hubby’s ill-gotten millions: Dana Point City Council and Mayor, the heartbreaking loss to Tommy Harman in 2006’s bare-knuckles State Senate race, and the 2008 ascent into a six-year Assembly stint, from which Diane decried government waste while demanding a pay raise, and decried frivolous lawsuits while launching the mother of ’em all against Mark Wyland.
Don’t let the 2002 date sour you! CarAndDriver wittily raved of this car, in their review entitled The Power and the Glory Get Even More Refined: “The bad news about the new Porsche 911 Turbo is that its owners are probably going to get a lot of speeding tickets. The good news is that if they can afford its $110,000 price, they can probably afford the tickets.” It is not known if the criminal couple had sex in this vehicle; one can only conjecture, if one is so inclined.
4. 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG – “Brilliant Silver!”
This gorgeous monster, with 43,000 miles on it, was reportedly Dan’s favorite ride to “go make a killing” … generally at a Senior Center or Old Folks’ Home somewhere across the Southland. A common memory among the bilked is the sight of a grinning Dan Harkey, leaning on this Mercedes while flashing his Rolex watch, as much as to say, “All this and more could be yours, if you just take my advice and put ALL your savings into Point Center Financial!” Then, unless these elderly folks are remembering wrong OR lying, he would jump into the car and have sex with his politician wife. But it has been cleaned thoroughly, just in case!
Car And Driver rhapsodizes of this model, “How do you say FORMIDABLE in German?” and gives it high marks for “Prodigious thrust, execujet style, and execujet comfort.” You are seriously going to want to own this automobile if you aspire to be ANY kind of a shameless sociopath, even if just a LITTLE BIT of one.
5. 2005 BMW R1200GS.
Finally, the famed and mysterious BMW motorbike on which Dan used to make his most nefarious runs. It is widely whispered in OC political circles – no, seriously, I overheard it at both Newport’s Gulfstream and Anaheim’s The Catch – that it was on this bike that Dan first visited Tony Rackauckas, presented him a canvas sack bulging with an unknown amount of cash for the DA’s re-election campaign, and persuaded him (with no effort) to join his wife’s re-election team (so that there’d be a conflict preventing T-Rack from ever investigating or prosecuting the Harkeys’ crimes.) I cannot vouch for the veracity of all of this, or of what they reportedly did next: but allegedly, Tony hopped on the back of that bike with a 2-by-4, and the two of them roared across the central county all night, while taking turns whacking minority youths, Muslims, and old people on the back of the heads.
BMW itself proudly lavishes praise on this bike: “…how can we make such a consummate enduro even better? By refining every single detail without losing sight of the unique character embodied by the R 1200 GS. The result presents technical revolutions in the typical opposed twin look. The core of the new R 1200 GS is the powertrain concept with liquid cooling and vertical flows through the cylinder heads. The extremely stable suspension is uncompromising when transferring the maximum performance to the road or rough terrain. And thanks to the flexible ergonomics, the rider of the new R 1200 GS can experience every new adventure with ease. The new R 1200 GS – the perfection of an icon.”
Our previous coverage:
The Harkey Files: South County’s Rabid Wolverine Encounters Some Setbacks.
Harkey Husband Hits New Low, Sues His Own Fraud Victims!
Harkey-versary: Two Years After Judgment, Criminal Power Couple Has Paid Their Victims NOTHING.
Harkey Hall of Shame Continued: The Endorsers-of-Diane Wing.
“or running a blog.”
LOL.
Man Vern, I’m filled with admiration and pride in how you have become a significant force in OC Politics of late. Youve come a long way kid. i hate to sound passe’, but hell, it applies.
This bitch is in my top targets. She just sent me a friend request the other day. Don’t know why,. But anyway, I have posted this on Bartleltt’s page. And I plan to do that with other CC GOP OC members I know. If they don’t launch and effort to purge these parasites, they are in my cross-hairs. Period.
“top targets” .. “cross-hairs” .. unhinged ….
*Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Don’t let the kids put anything plastic
from the Dollar store in their mouths….and make sure that new Lionel Train does not run
off the tracks……
Sweet Article Chairman Vern…….excellent. Thanks for the gift that keeps on giving.
This is the most precise and detailed account of their overwhelming greed I have seen. Your waves will become tidal and sweep over their Dana Point estate to Sacramento!
I’m just glad that she ended up in jail.
Wait — no, sorry — I was thinking of Mimi Walters over the residency thing. Wait — no, sorry —
MAYBE Carlos. I mean, when you forcibly detain WAY too many of the young female county employees you oversee, and masturbate in front of them WAY too many times, for WAY too many years – THAT is going too far, sir, for even a well-connected Republican politician in the OC.
Short of that, you’re golden.
UPDATE from Mr. Blank:
Written bids on the Receivership Vehicles were submitted by five bidders. The high unconditional bids on each vehicle were as follows, and those bids have been provisionally accepted by the receiver subject to court approval and overbid.
Ferrari – $76,000, Mike Gertner.
Porsches – $43,700 for the red one and $31,700 for the black one, Nick Faicchio.
Mercedes – $19,000, Mike Gertner.
motorcycle – $4500, Jerry Barbanell.
TOTAL – $174, 900.
The receiver expects to file a motion to approve the sales on or before January 29, 2016. The expected hearing dates for the motion are March 22, 2016 or March 29, 2016 at 9:30 AM. The hearing will take place in Dept. C25 of the Orange County Superior Court, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA. Further details will follow regarding the overbid auction.
They got smoking hot deals on those cars but the victims get fucked. they should have given those vehicles to the victims to sell at a much higher price than an auction. the receiver victimized these people the second time.
Here we are three years later, and Diane is running for CONGRESS, as a proud supporter of EVERYTHING BAD – from Donald Trump to the 241 toll road extension into San Clemente! But it looks like the Democrat is on the way to beating her! I didn’t root for Mike Levin in the primary (I have a lotta problems with him) but I sure wish him luck helping to knock this horrid woman out of politics. (And Mike was always the best on the toll road as well, better than the other Dems.)
Our friend Kurt Sipolski is featured in this fine video about the Harkeys, from the Levin campaign: