Forger pleads guilty

Marisa O’Neil

A local architect pleaded guilty Friday to 13 counts of forging

surveying maps, which allowed him to get city approval to build homes

larger than allowed.

Andrew Goetz, 44, will serve 60 days in the county jail and three

years’ probation as part of a plea agreement, Orange County Deputy

Dist. Atty. Mark Sevigny said. He will also be required to surrender

his state architect’s license on Jan. 28.

“He turned us upside down at the City Council,” Newport Beach

Mayor Steve Bromberg said of Goetz. “All these [homeowners] were

victimized. We never should have had to go there. They never should

have had to go through this.”

The forgeries were in connection with 13 homes in Corona del Mar

and Newport Beach. Some involved renovations or additions and others

involved new homes being built, Sevigny said.

“The alterations on the maps allowed him to get approval for homes

that were over the height limit or, in some cases, over the size

limit, with an adverse impact on neighbors,” Sevigny said. Cost of

work to bring one three-story home at 202 Fernleaf Ave. back to code

was estimated at $100,000, officials said in May.

The oversized homes in some cases obstructed views from other

residences, he said.

John Barnett, Goetz’s attorney, said that his client is glad to

have the case behind him.

“He’s a really talented guy,” Barnett said. “His eagerness to do

what his clients needed got the better of him.”

Goetz was arrested on Oct. 15 after city staff members grew

suspicious of some of his plans.

Once the discrepancies were discovered, the City Council approved

a special circumstances variance for five homes which were already

completed. The variance allowed the homes to stand as is. Cost of

fixing the problems, officials determined, would be too great.

Owners of the Fernleaf Avenue home, James and Susan Hart, were

ordered to remove a nearly-completed third story that was about a

foot-and-a-half taller than the 29-foot limit in that neighborhood.

Two homeowners have sought restitution through the District

Attorney’s Office, Sevigny said. Goetz’s plea will make it easier for

homeowners to pursue civil action against the architect, he said.

He is scheduled to appear in court April 15 for a hearing to

determine restitution.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].