Special Investigations Agency


San Diego's National City Councilman Fred Soto Told To Resign by SIA!
	NATIONAL CITY – Beleaguered Councilman Fred Soto was asked to step down from office amidst mounting complaints from his former law office clients that he took their monies without rendering legal service.

	Soto has surrendered his license to practice law following a complaint by a San Diego resident in the State Bar of California. The California Supreme Court accepted his resignation on Oct. 14, 2000, "with charges pending".

	At a session of the city council of National City on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000, Nenita Rosales, a leader of a Filipino group, filed a petition signed by at least 35 residents demanding that Soto quit his position as councilman, the post he won in the 1998 election.

	"We find that he (Soto) is an embarrassment to our city and his actions are not commensurable to those of a city council member," the petition stated.

	The Special Investigations Agency, a watchdog group advocating for clean government, also asked Soto to resign, and for the city government to find legal sanctions that may be imposed on Soto.

	"Soto is a disgrace upon his position as a city council member. And his acts are a real shame," said Kevin LaChapelle, director of the SIA, during the city council session. All throughout the proceedings, Soto slumped quietly in his seat. He never said a word to defend himself, nor at least tried to.

	The only time Soto spoke was when he delivered an invocation that preceded the session but even then, LaChapelle thought it was odd that Soto did it.

	"I have a really difficult time with you doing the invocation," he stated, addressing Soto when the time came for the public to speak.

	But Councilman Ralph Inzunza, who was seating next to Soto, took the cudgels for him. At one point he tried to stop LaChapelle from speaking.

	LaChapelle insisted he had been given five minutes to talk to the city council. Mayor Waters, who presided over the session, agreed, saying whether LaChapelle said embarrassing things or not, he had his five minutes. Inzunza yielded.

	After LaChapelle’s brief but strong remarks, Inzunza took the floor and explained that the cases against Soto should be taken to the court.

	He said it was wrong to bring out the cases, which he considered private, during a council meeting when officials are discussing the business of the city.

	A handful of Soto sympathizers, including law partner Paul Dulin, were present to lend him moral support.

	His most aggressive backer, Otay Water Board member Tony Inocentes, tried to link National City Mayor George Waters to the spate of adverse stories against Soto.

	Apparently, it was Mayor Waters who tipped off the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Star-News. The two newspapers gave an extensive reportage on Soto in their respective issues on Nov. 10 and 11, 2000.

	Waters admitted he disclosed what he knew about Soto after reading the Diario Veritas, which exposed the complaints against Soto and his resignation from the State Bar of California.

	The Diario Veritas devoted two pages in its October 2000 issue to the coverage of the Soto story, including an interview with Mary Jane Santiago, who broke her silence after suffering untold misery for two years worrying about her husband in the Philippines.

	Santiago had hired Soto to file a petition at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for her husband and paid him an initial amount. The documents were never filed with the INS though Soto kept assuring Santiago that he did file her petition.

	Santiago said Soto had engaged in falsifying documents to convince her he did what he was paid to do for her husband. "I’m complaining about his forgery, negligence, dishonesty and emotional disturbances," Santiago said in her complaint to the State Bar of California.

	Inocentes said Waters was mounting his personal attacks against Soto so he could be eased out and replaced by his handpicked successor.

	"Boy, that’s junk," reacted Waters. "I have nothing personal against Soto. The petition for him to resign is there."

	Waters said Inocentes was trying hard to divert attention from Soto by hitting at him.

	Later, Waters said he confronted Inocentes and warned him. He also reminded him that he knew him well enough from the past.

	Inocentes had circulated an e-mail stating that Waters was behind a campaign to discredit Soto, who currently holds the ceremonial position of vice mayor of National City.

	Inocentes wrote: "I’m asking everyone to please look between lines and see this for what it is . . . This is a politically motivated attack by NC Mayor George Waters."

	"The Mayor has taken a personal situation that is no business of National City’s moreover his and blown it up to make it political . . ." Inocentes added. Except for about six supporters who showed up at City Hall, Inocentes’ urgings were largely ignored by the people he wrote it to. The 60 or so people in his e-mail list did not come Inocentes even tried to peddle his story linking Mayor Waters but the mainstream reporters called it "pure hogwash".

	A television reporter said Inocentes was trying to make the media look dumb to not see his own agenda.

	One complainant, Evelyn Jones, confronted Inocentes and his lady friend about the e-mail. Jones said Inocentes and a certain Nelly (the e-mail said it was Nenita Olis) went to her bar in Chula Vista and later to her house and talked to her.

	During their conversation, which lasted for about two hours, according to Jones, Inocentes appealed to her to be compassionate on Soto.

	"Nakakaawa naman siya," Olis said to her.

	To which, Jones replied: "Hindi naman ako naaawa; siya ang dapat maawa sa akin. He’s the one who did it to himself."

	Inocentes told Jones that Soto was going to pay her the remaining $5,000 by Friday (Nov. 17, 2000) to complete the return of her $11,00 that Soto took from her since 1998.

	The whole amount of $11,000 (actually the supposedly agreed amount for settlement was $15,000) was collected by Soto in the three times he visited Jones in her nightclub in Chula Vista.

	(As of March this year, Soto had returned the amount of $6,000 in cashier’s check). According to Jones, Inocentes also asked her to try to persuade Diario Veritas not to publish her interview. This was after she told him and his lady friend that she had been interviewed by Diario Veritas on Monday, Nov. 10.

	On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Jones got wind of a copy of Inocentes’ e-mail, which twisted the events that transpired in her house.

	Inocentes’ unedited e-mail reads: "Myself and the Malakas Committee Treasurer Nenita Olis meet alone yesterday at the home of Evelyn Jones (a Filipino American) the main accuser against Fred in the articles. She informed me that she has a signed Promissory Note with Fred that is currently 120 days in default . . . This is not a theft, but a personal loan! Part of the money was loaned to Fred prior to his election to the city council during the campaign".

	Jones was furious when she read it. "These people are liars! They’re twisting everything to save Soto and now I look stupid!" an enraged Jones said.

	At the City Hall before the council meeting, Soto renewed his appeal to Jones, who purposely went with her sister Cora Ledox to City Hall to confront Inocentes. Jones said Soto also advised her not to talk with reporters, as it would exacerbate the situation.

	"Soto told me that he would land in jail if I persisted in my complaint," Jones said.

	"He said my case was the strongest of all the complaints against him," she added.