Roundup: Fire damages celebrity chef's former Moorpark venue, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Celebrity chef's former Moorpark venue damaged in fire
A fire broke out midday Thursday in an abandoned restaurant in Moorpark once operated by a former "Top Chef" star.
The blaze was reported shortly before noon at the empty Cafe Firenze at 563 Los Angeles Ave., said Capt. Brian McGrath of the Ventura County Fire Department. The site is in a strip mall east of Shasta Avenue.
The fire impacted some contents in the building, McGrath said. A sprinkler system put the main fire out. There was no extension to the attic or structure.
Some businesses in the strip mall were evacuated as a precaution, officials said. No injuries were reported.
Cafe Firenze was co-founded in 2007 by Fabio Viviani, a celebrity chef who was a fan favorite on the fifth season of "Top Chef." When the 10,000-square-foot restaurant closed in early 2020, Viviani described it as his first restaurant and first love.
The county fire agency is investigating the fire's cause along with sheriff's officials, McGrath said.
DNA helps with TO burglary case
Ventura County Sheriff's detectives recently made an arrest in a Thousand Oaks burglary case that had gone cold by using DNA evidence, authorities said.
The cold case involved a residential burglary in April 2023 in the Charterwood Court area. The road is off Erbes Road, north of the intersection with Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Despite an extensive investigation, the case was closed in July that year after all leads had been exhausted with no suspect identified, sheriff's officials said in a news release. The sheriff's agency is contracted to provide police services in Thousand Oaks.
On Feb. 29, when a 46-year-old Thousand Oaks man was arrested in a burglary case in the same area of Charterwood Court, detectives noticed similarities with the earlier case and reopened that investigation. Using DNA evidence from both cases, detectives linked the suspect to the 2023 burglary.
The suspect, who was already in custody at the Todd Road Jail facility outside Santa Paula, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the 2023 incident.
As of Thursday afternoon, he remained in custody at the facility with total bail for multiple cases set at $300,000, jail records showed. Arraignment in the 2023 burglary case was scheduled for Friday afternoon in Ventura County Superior Court.
Camarillo man convicted in $1.2M scam
A Camarillo man who was previously a licensed insurance agent was convicted Tuesday of 29 felony counts after an investigation determined he defrauded at least nine victims, including seniors, of nearly $1.2 million, state insurance officials said.
Brett E. Lovett, 53, was found guilty in Santa Barbara County Superior Court of charges including grand theft, elder abuse, money laundering and burglary, the California Department of Insurance said in a news release. The department conducted a 15-month investigation into the matter.
Lovett was arrested in October 2017 after the department found he defrauded victims between 2011 and 2016. Several victims were seniors he met at a place of worship in Carpinteria. Other victims sought advice from Lovett through his legal aid information business, according to the release.
Insurance department officials said Lovett's victims entrusted him with money for proposed investments that never existed or for financial management purposes. He used the money for himself and to repay some victims, sometimes using his power of attorney and promissory notes to embezzle funds.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.
Lovett's insurance license expired in May 2000, authorities said. Although he wasn't acting as an insurance agent during the crimes in question, he gave financial advice he wasn't licensed to give, according to the news release.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 9.
Items may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Roundup: Fire damages celebrity chef's former Moorpark venue, more
