White-Collar Crime
Homeowner Faces Potential Jail Term Over Wedding Receptions
Neighbors of a 7,000-square-foot house in a well-to-do California community were steamed when they realized that the homeowner apparently was renting it out for wedding receptions this summer.
Now some of the pain is shared: Homeowner Melahat Uzumcu has been charged with violating the Palos Verdes Estates zoning code, operating a business without a license and creating a public nuisance, reports the Daily Breeze.
If convicted in the Torrance Superior Court case she could be sentenced to as much as two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. However, “our primary focus is compliance, not punishment,” says city prosecutor Doug Haubert.
Uzumcu could not be reached for comment by the newspaper.
Hat tip: Los Angeles Times.
