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Twenty years ago, state lawmakers created the Bureau of Professional Trustees after a Los Angeles Times series exposed self-dealing and the failure of judges to stop it.
In a new project, CalMatters investigative reporter Byrhonda Lyons reveals how the bureau allowed conflicts of interest to continue for years without any consequences.
To tell the story, Byrhonda dug deep into the arrangements to Angelique Friend, a court-appointed conservator in Ventura County. Her job is to look after the lives and finances of elderly people deemed too ill to care for themselves.
Court rules discourage conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Bureau rules expressly forbid them.
But for years, Friend employed her husband as her attorney and his home health care company to provide care for her clients.
Friend’s elderly clients often footed the bill for all three services until they could no longer afford or use home health care. Then, with court approval, Friend moved them to less expensive care facilities and sold their homes, court records show.
For years, Friend and her husband frequently disclosed their relationship to the court, and Judge Roger Lund approved the payments.
Court records show the couple raked in about $3 million from 2019 to 2025 from clients in the six cases reviewed by CalMatters; $2.7 million went to her husband’s healthcare company.
Conservator families often voice their concerns in court and file complaints with the bureau, but to no avail.
- Carol Hermanattorney who filed a complaint with the bureau on behalf of one family: “I’m completely disappointed and devastated because I worked very hard to get this bureau up and running and they have no teeth.”
But there has been some movement since CalMatters began asking questions of court officials in Ventura County. Judge Lund was reassigned to another court. The new judge handling Friend’s cases has already expressed skepticism that he can approve the settlement with her husband, citing the court’s conflict of laws rules.
Help us keep reporting: Let us know if you have had experience with a trustee or conservator you would like to share.
CalMatters Recognition: CalMatters is a finalist in the National Magazine Awardsone of the most prestigious awards in journalism, for investigative reporter Anat Rubin’s story “The Man Who Didn’t Solve a Murder.” CalMatters is nominated in the public interest category. The investigation was cited in an analysis of a state bill that would greatly increase defense investigations and create minimum standards across the country. Winners will be announced in May.
More recognition: CalMatters’ political accountability journalism, powered by its groundbreaking digital democracy database, is a finalist for Toner Award for Excellence in Local Political Reporting. The Toner Awards highlight and strengthen quality, fact-based political reporting – work that illuminates the electoral process, exposes the politics of politics and engages the public in democracy.
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