Subject: Former HIV Counselor Sued For Fraud
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 03:01:04 -0400

from update, southern california's gay and lesbian weekly newspaper

Former HIV Counselor Sued For 
Fraud

By Neal Putnam  
For Update

SAN DIEGO - A former Being Alive peer counselor has been 
sued by a man with AIDS who says the counselor stole $50,000 
from him and left him destitute.
The lawsuit filed last month by Alan Carreau against Simone 
John Salvati also seeks $150,000 in punitive damages. Although 
Carreau met Salvati in March, 1992, at Being Alive, the AIDS 
service organization itself hasn't been sued.
The suit alleges Salvati committed fraud, conspiracy to 
defraud, and never made any payments to Carreau despite his 
signing a notarized promissory note acknowledging he owes 
Carreau $50,000.
Two Being Alive employees confirmed Friday that Salvati was a 
peer counselor but was never a paid employee. "He was a board 
member and a volunteer. He's been gone for one and a half 
years," said a Being Alive source.
Salvati was served with a copy of the San Diego Superior Court 
suit at his San Diego home on April 21 by a deputy marshal. 
Salvati, who is in his 50s, could not be reached for comment.
The suit, filed by attorney Robert Lynn, states Carreau 
transferred $50,000 into Salvati's "custody and control" and now 
Carreau is left "destitute and unable to pay bills." His medical 
condition has also worsened.
"Salvati convinced [Carreau] that the only way in which 
[Carreau] could obtain any benefits was to transfer to Salvati all of 
plaintiff's liquid assets," the suit states.
Many people who try to get disability payments or SSI can't 
receive them if the government determines they have some 
assets.
The suit says Salvati "steadfastly refused to pay over the 
principal sum to" Carreau and has refused all communication 
with him.
Included with the suit is a copy of the promissory note which 
states Salvati will pay Carreau $600 per month for five months and 
$700 per month after that. No payments were made and Lynn 
wrote that Salvati "had no intention of honoring it when he signed 
it."
The case has been assigned to Judge S. Charles Wickersham, 
but no court dates have been set yet.