GUILTY CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3

[borndem]

I haven't been posted in ages but saw the news about Almena yesterday. Mr. Lobe the Building Inspector and I followed this case intently for months and we are DISGUSTED at the outcome.
Bless all the precious souls lost and we hope their families and friends can find some semblance of peace in their hearts.
Just as heartbreaking now as when it happened...
Also, sending huge hugs for Gitana.

bbm
Yes, we all send hugs to our GypsyGirl, her brother, and all the others who lost a loved one on that terrible, terrible night.

Karma, my WS friends, Karma...

 

[LinasK]

I met with Gitana and her brother at the time to try to give her some moral support. It was truly heartbreaking to see the building, and one of the victims mothers showed me her final text to her on her phone. Just heartbreaking...

 

[borndem]

I met with Gitana and her brother at the time to try to give her some moral support. It was truly heartbreaking to see the building, and one of the victims mothers showed me her final text to her on her phone. Just heartbreaking...

Oh, @LinasK, I am so glad to hear what you did for our Gitana and her brother -- I'm sure neither of them will ever forget it.
Your being there was also a wonderful thing as well for all of the victims and their loved ones.
I'm also sure you'll never forget seeing the building and you won't forget the feelings you had there that day.

I remember the first time I saw Ground Zero -- in May, just months after it happened -- some of the building remains were gone, but it still needed a lot of work. Before we got there, I was sure I would be sad and would cry, but when I actually got there, I was overcome with pure rage. It surprised me that pure anger would be my first reaction. All this is just to say that the same thing may have happened to you when you first saw the warehouse site. Nothing wrong if you did, nothing at all.
You are a Good Soul!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson scheduled sentencing for March 8, when she will determine whether he will pay restitution, continue to be monitored electronically at his home in rural Northern California and be subject to supervised probation. Families of the victims will be allowed to give victim impact statements at that time.

Ghost Ship fire: Warehouse tenant pleads guilty to 36 deaths

 

[LinasK]

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson scheduled sentencing for March 8, when she will determine whether he will pay restitution, continue to be monitored electronically at his home in rural Northern California and be subject to supervised probation. Families of the victims will be allowed to give victim impact statements at that time.

Ghost Ship fire: Warehouse tenant pleads guilty to 36 deaths

Absolutely he should have to pay restitution and continue to be monitored! 12 years wasn't enough. This was criminal negligence. There's no way that he or Max didn't know that the building was a fire hazard/deathtrap accident waiting to happen.

 

[Niner]

Monday, March 8th:
*Sentencing Hearing (@ am PT) - CA - Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire in Oakland on Dec. 2, 2016 killing 36 people: Cash Askew, 22, Em B (Em Bohlka), 33, Jonathan Bernbaum, 34, Barrett Clark, 35, David Cline, 24, Micah Danemayer, 28, Billy Dixon, 35, Chelsea Dolan, 33, Alex Ghassan, 35, Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Michela Gregory, 20, Sara Hoda, 30, Travis Hough, 35, Johnny Igaz, 34, Ara Jo, 29, Donna Kellogg, 32, Amanda Kershaw, 34, Edmond Lapine, 34, Griffin Madden, 23, Joseph Matlock, 36, Jason McCarty, 36, Draven McGill, 17, Jennifer Mendiola, 35, Jennifer Morris, 21, Feral Pines, 29, Vanessa Plotkin, 21, Wolfgang Renner, 61, Hanna Ruax, 32, Benjamin Runnels, 32, Nicole Siegrist, 29, Michele Sylvan, 37, Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, Alex Vega, 22, Peter Wadsworth, 38, Nick Walrath, 31, and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32. – for *Derick Ion Almena (47/now 50) charged (8/10/17) with 36 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. Plead not guilty. Almena remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $750,000 bond (was $1.8M reduced on 8/4/17) & reduced (4/17/20) to $150K bond and face up to 39 years in prison if convicted. Posted bond & released (5/4/20) due to COVID19.
Trial (retrial) was set to begin on 7/6/20 rescheduled to 10/5/20 or if COVID-19 pandemic causes delay scheduled for 2/22/21 & rescheduled for 4/2/21. (Almena-Hung jury & Max Harris was acquitted (9/5/19) of all charges). Trial was cancelled due to a guilty plea on 1/22/21.
Court info from 10/7/19 thru 10/1/20 reference post #974 here:
GUILTY - CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3
1/17/21 Update: Almena is expected to accept a plea deal that will keep him from prison & prevent him from undergoing a second trial, a victim’s family member said. Derick Almena, the master tenant of the Fruitvale neighborhood warehouse, is expected to plead guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter on Jan. 22. In return, he will be sentenced to nine years in custody & three years of post-custody supervision. There is a disposition & setting hearing scheduled on 2/5/21 & hearings on 2/26, 3/1 & jury selection to start on 3/8/21 with trial to start on 4/2/21.
1/22/21 Update: Almena plead guilty Friday to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, avoiding a second trial and will be back in an Alameda County courtroom March 8 for sentencing. In May, Almena posted a $150K bail & was released to his Lake County home after being jailed since his arrest in June 2017. In return for pleading guilty, Almena would be sentenced to 9 years in jail & 3 years of post-custody supervision. Based on time served & good behavior, Almena could be out in less than 2 years. He also could finish his sentence at home under house arrest because of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena sentenced in deadly Oakland warehouse fire

Master tenant Derick Almena was sentenced today.

He already has 2,470 days credit for time served toward a full sentence of 12 years.

Almena will now complete about 1.5 years on home detention with electronic monitoring followed by a three-year probation.

Under the probation, Almena cannot use or traffic drugs, cannot possess firearms, can't leave California without prior permission, and no contact is allowed with former co-defendant Max Harris.

UPDATE: Judge Accepts Ghost Ship Fire Plea Deal; Derick Almena To Serve Remainder of Sentence At Home

 

[Niner]

From the article above (post #987):

A hearing on Almena’s restitution to the victims in the case is scheduled for April 30.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

My heart goes out to all those affected, especially our WS member here that this affected her loved ones.

 

[Niner]

Friday, April 30th:
*Restitution Hearing (@ am PT) - CA - Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire in Oakland on Dec. 2, 2016 killing 36 people: Cash Askew, 22, Em B (Em Bohlka), 33, Jonathan Bernbaum, 34, Barrett Clark, 35, David Cline, 24, Micah Danemayer, 28, Billy Dixon, 35, Chelsea Dolan, 33, Alex Ghassan, 35, Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Michela Gregory, 20, Sara Hoda, 30, Travis Hough, 35, Johnny Igaz, 34, Ara Jo, 29, Donna Kellogg, 32, Amanda Kershaw, 34, Edmond Lapine, 34, Griffin Madden, 23, Joseph Matlock, 36, Jason McCarty, 36, Draven McGill, 17, Jennifer Mendiola, 35, Jennifer Morris, 21, Feral Pines, 29, Vanessa Plotkin, 21, Wolfgang Renner, 61, Hanna Ruax, 32, Benjamin Runnels, 32, Nicole Siegrist, 29, Michele Sylvan, 37, Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, Alex Vega, 22, Peter Wadsworth, 38, Nick Walrath, 31, and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32. – for *Derick Ion Almena (47/now 50) charged (8/10/17) with 36 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. Plead not guilty. Almena remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $750,000 bond (was $1.8M reduced on 8/4/17) & reduced (4/17/20) to $150K bond and face up to 39 years in prison if convicted. Posted bond & released (5/4/20) due to COVID19.
Trial (retrial) was set to begin on 7/6/20 rescheduled to 10/5/20 or if COVID-19 pandemic causes delay scheduled for 2/22/21 & rescheduled for 4/2/21. (Almena-Hung jury & Max Harris was acquitted (9/5/19) of all charges). Trial was cancelled due to a guilty plea on 1/22/21 to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Court info from 10/7/19 thru 1/22/21 reference post #986 here:
GUILTY - CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3
3/8/21 Update: Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson accepted a plea deal Monday from Almena who plead guilty. As part of the plea deal, Almena is expected to receive a 12-year sentence. But because of his time served, he will most likely not see the inside of a jail again, as he is expected to serve the rest of his sentence on an ankle monitor at home. After he serves that sentence, Almena will then enters a period of three years of supervised release. Defense attorney Tony Serra also read a statement from his client at the hearing: “I am sorry. I am very afraid to say more. I am sick with shame. I am so sorry. My shame cannot stand as any defense, but it’s what I’m responsible for. It’s my fault.” Earlier Monday, family members of those killed in the fire finally got a chance to address Almena and they didn’t mince words. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the family members were able to confront Almena through a video feed. A hearing on Almena’s restitution to the victims in the case is scheduled for April 30.

 

[Niner]

Former Ghost Ship master tenant may be ordered to pay millions in restitution

April 30, 2021

OAKLAND, Calif. - Former Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena may be ordered to pay at least $10 million in restitution, following a plea deal and sentencing in the case of the deadly 2016 fire that killed 36 people.

Judge Trina Thompson held a restitution hearing Friday discussing costs and how to make the victims’ families whole. After some debate and discussion, Thompson indicated a final ruling won't be issued until a July 23 hearing.

"Victims’ families are entitled to all of their out of pocket loss," Thompson said. "And they want clarity."

Prosecutors requested more than $11 million, according to court documents but defense attorneys argued that a lack of supporting documentation demonstrated restitution should not exceed roughly $1.5 million.
[.....]
Almena spoke with KTVU following the hearing and said he wants to pay back what he owes.

"I’m not PG&E and I’m not the city, I’m just me right now," Almena said. "I’m going to do everything I can for the rest of my life to pay back what I can."

As part of his plea deal, Almena was ordered to pay $181,000 for funeral expenses and counseling.

Families and lawyers will have a couple of months to file repayment requests, bills and supporting documents with the court for consideration.

 

[Laughing]

IMHO not enough, but at least a statement and a step forward.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[borndem]

IMHO not enough, but at least a statement and a step forward.

jmho ymmv lrr

Yes -- it's something. He needs to be hurt by this tragedy in some real way, for the rest of his life, IMO.
At least it could tie up whatever assets he has (maybe worth 10 grand??) and a wage attachment of some kind (not the correct words, I'm sure) to all his future earnings. Maybe at least it might put him in a crunch for the remainder of his days.
At least it might hurt him somehow...

 

[LinasK]

Former Ghost Ship master tenant may be ordered to pay millions in restitution

April 30, 2021

OAKLAND, Calif. - Former Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena may be ordered to pay at least $10 million in restitution, following a plea deal and sentencing in the case of the deadly 2016 fire that killed 36 people.

Judge Trina Thompson held a restitution hearing Friday discussing costs and how to make the victims’ families whole. After some debate and discussion, Thompson indicated a final ruling won't be issued until a July 23 hearing.

"Victims’ families are entitled to all of their out of pocket loss," Thompson said. "And they want clarity."

Prosecutors requested more than $11 million, according to court documents but defense attorneys argued that a lack of supporting documentation demonstrated restitution should not exceed roughly $1.5 million.
[.....]
Almena spoke with KTVU following the hearing and said he wants to pay back what he owes.

"I’m not PG&E and I’m not the city, I’m just me right now," Almena said. "I’m going to do everything I can for the rest of my life to pay back what I can."

As part of his plea deal, Almena was ordered to pay $181,000 for funeral expenses and counseling.

Families and lawyers will have a couple of months to file repayment requests, bills and supporting documents with the court for consideration.

I wonder why it was postponed until July 23rd? Thank you for the update Niner. I was checking back yesterday for one.

 

[Niner]

I wonder why it was postponed until July 23rd? Thank you for the update Niner. I was checking back yesterday for one.

I was surprised to find an article about the hearing so quickly - usually it takes about a few days to get current articles over here. And yes, the final ruling from the Judge will be on July 23rd.

 

[borndem]

Thanks for the update, Mz. 49ers fan -- you are the best!

 

[Niner]

Thanks for the update, Mz. 49ers fan -- you are the best!

Ah shucks! Thanks!

 

[Niner]

Friday, July 23rd:
*Restitution Hearing-Final Ruling (@ am PT) - CA - Ghost Ship Warehouse Fire in Oakland on Dec. 2, 2016 killing 36 people: Cash Askew, 22, Em B (Em Bohlka), 33, Jonathan Bernbaum, 34, Barrett Clark, 35, David Cline, 24, Micah Danemayer, 28, Billy Dixon, 35, Chelsea Dolan, 33, Alex Ghassan, 35, Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, Michela Gregory, 20, Sara Hoda, 30, Travis Hough, 35, Johnny Igaz, 34, Ara Jo, 29, Donna Kellogg, 32, Amanda Kershaw, 34, Edmond Lapine, 34, Griffin Madden, 23, Joseph Matlock, 36, Jason McCarty, 36, Draven McGill, 17, Jennifer Mendiola, 35, Jennifer Morris, 21, Feral Pines, 29, Vanessa Plotkin, 21, Wolfgang Renner, 61, Hanna Ruax, 32, Benjamin Runnels, 32, Nicole Siegrist, 29, Michele Sylvan, 37, Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, Alex Vega, 22, Peter Wadsworth, 38, Nick Walrath, 31, and Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32. – for *Derick Ion Almena (47/now 50) charged (8/10/17) with 36 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. Plead not guilty. Almena remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $750,000 bond (was $1.8M reduced on 8/4/17) & reduced (4/17/20) to $150K bond and face up to 39 years in prison if convicted. Posted bond & released (5/4/20) due to COVID19.
Trial (retrial) was set to begin on 7/6/20 rescheduled to 10/5/20 or if COVID-19 pandemic causes delay scheduled for 2/22/21 & rescheduled for 4/2/21. (Almena-Hung jury & Max Harris was acquitted (9/5/19) of all charges). Trial was cancelled due to a guilty plea on 1/22/21 to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Court info from 10/7/19 thru 1/22/21 reference post #986 here:
GUILTY - CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #3
3/8/21 Update: Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson accepted a plea deal Monday from Almena who plead guilty. As part of the plea deal, Almena is expected to receive a 12-year sentence. But because of his time served, he will most likely not see the inside of a jail again, as he is expected to serve the rest of his sentence on an ankle monitor at home. After he serves that sentence, Almena will then enters a period of three years of supervised release. Defense attorney Tony Serra also read a statement from his client at the hearing: “I am sorry. I am very afraid to say more. I am sick with shame. I am so sorry. My shame cannot stand as any defense, but it’s what I’m responsible for. It’s my fault.” Earlier Monday, family members of those killed in the fire finally got a chance to address Almena and they didn’t mince words. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the family members were able to confront Almena through a video feed. A hearing on Almena’s restitution to the victims in the case is scheduled for April 30.
4/30/21 Update: Almena may be ordered to pay at least $10 million in restitution, following a plea deal & sentencing in the case of the deadly 2016 fire that killed 36 people. Judge Trina Thompson held a restitution hearing Friday discussing costs & how to make the victims’ families whole. After some debate & discussion, Thompson indicated a final ruling won't be issued until a July 23 hearing. Prosecutors requested more than $11 million, according to court documents but defense attorneys argued that a lack of supporting documentation demonstrated restitution should not exceed roughly $1.5 million.

 

[Niner]

Ghost Ship criminal case meets its end with restitution order

July 23, 2021
OAKLAND — After four years, the criminal case resulting from the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people has reached its end with a $5.8 million restitution order that those involved doubt will ever be paid.

At a Friday morning court hearing, master tenant Derick Almena was ordered to pay $209,000 in restitution, which comes out to about $5,800 for each of the 36 fire victims. The remaining $5.6 million was split between attorney fees and other court costs, according to an Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman.

The money is intended to cover funeral costs and the cost of victims’ lost property, the spokeswoman said.

OAKLAND — After four years, the criminal case resulting from the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people has reached its end with a $5.8 million restitution order that those involved doubt will ever be paid.

At a Friday morning court hearing, master tenant Derick Almena was ordered to pay $209,000 in restitution, which comes out to about $5,800 for each of the 36 fire victims. The remaining $5.6 million was split between attorney fees and other court costs, according to an Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman.

The money is intended to cover funeral costs and the cost of victims’ lost property, the spokeswoman said.

 

[everybodhi]

Ghost Ship criminal case meets its end with restitution order

July 23, 2021
OAKLAND — After four years, the criminal case resulting from the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people has reached its end with a $5.8 million restitution order that those involved doubt will ever be paid.

At a Friday morning court hearing, master tenant Derick Almena was ordered to pay $209,000 in restitution, which comes out to about $5,800 for each of the 36 fire victims. The remaining $5.6 million was split between attorney fees and other court costs, according to an Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman.

The money is intended to cover funeral costs and the cost of victims’ lost property, the spokeswoman said.

OAKLAND — After four years, the criminal case resulting from the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people has reached its end with a $5.8 million restitution order that those involved doubt will ever be paid.

At a Friday morning court hearing, master tenant Derick Almena was ordered to pay $209,000 in restitution, which comes out to about $5,800 for each of the 36 fire victims. The remaining $5.6 million was split between attorney fees and other court costs, according to an Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman.

The money is intended to cover funeral costs and the cost of victims’ lost property, the spokeswoman said.

I doubt the smaller amount will be paid either so why lower it?
My daughter lost friends in this fire, $5800 is a slap in the face. jmo