This is the AI summary which may be more concise and readable
Here is a rewritten version of your story with a conclusion:
—
I arrived in Nicaragua in May 2014 after my father, Michael Young, informed me he had purchased some land there. I was living in Australia at the time and remember discussing the purchase with a client, Jerry, who warned me about potential scams in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, he was right.
My family didn’t know the people involved in the transaction. Gabriell Gamaliel Farelly, who ran a real estate office in Granada, was one of the key figures. I don’t believe he is a legitimate engineer, and his business practices were suspicious. We had addresses for him, but they were either incomplete or outdated.
Manuel Salvador Duval Navarro was the intermediary for the transaction, supposedly handling it on behalf of my father. He held power of attorney for another person with a greater claim to the property. When disputes arose, Manuel became the scapegoat, and since he is deceased, ultimate responsibility fell to him.
The legal battle revealed that the sellers were trying to reclaim $17,000, despite only $4,000 being listed on the contract, leaving $23,000 unaccounted for. This fraud was cleverly orchestrated by some of Nicaragua’s most blatant fraudsters, making it nearly impossible for us to take possession of the land.
I met with my father’s lawyer, Byron Luis Mejia Rueda, and his topographer, Francisco Cortes Torrez (aka Chico Rata), who led me to believe everything was in order. However, they never acted in our best interest and simply aimed to extract more money from us. Even when Byron was replaced by Jerry Martinez, the legal proceedings dragged on with no resolution in sight. Jerry repeatedly assured us that progress was imminent, but it was always a lie.
The land ownership history was complex. The original owner was Maria Prego, who had inherited it through marriage. The land was confiscated under the Agrarian Reform and later returned to the original owners. However, fraudulent supplementary titles had been created, leading to a double matriculation issue.
Despite multiple lawyers and attempts to resolve the matter, no one truly helped us. The legal system favored locals, and the fraudulent parties faced little to no repercussions. Ultimately, we were left with no recourse and significant financial loss.
### Conclusion
Investing in property in Nicaragua turned out to be a disastrous decision. The rampant fraud, unethical behavior of legal professionals, and systemic bias against foreigners made it impossible to secure the land. This experience serves as a cautionary tale for anyone considering similar investments. Always conduct thorough research, seek trustworthy legal counsel, and remain vigilant against potential scams. My journey highlights the importance of due diligence and the risks associated with international real estate transactions.
This is my original ramblings.
This site is not complete, the current text is a work in progress to document and summarize the reason I ended up here and why I would not buy another property.
I came to Nicaragua in May 2014. In the years prior my father, Michael Young, told me he had purchased some land in Nicaragua. I was in Australia. I remember helping a client, Jerry, with his computer and mentioning that my father had purchased land in Nicaragua. Jerry replied, “You have to be careful buying land in Nicaragua, lots of scams”. He wasn’t wrong. Here you can download a KMZ file of the land. https://www.everythingnicaragua.com/NicaraguaLand.kmz
if you know how to use time lapse in google earth, you can see over the years, especially during the court case, when they got a copy of my map and the outline can be see during this time in the form of the land we purchased.
My family didn’t know any of these people. Gabriell Gamaliel Farelly operated a real estate office at the beginning of the Calzada in Granada. I believe in what is currently Casa De Mujeres next to the tour company.
It is not a common name. I do not believe he is a real Engineer. Apparently he is from Bluefields.
I found this incomplete address with old information
EX MOLINO LA SABANA 3 ANDENES A Managua NA 505
Gabriell Farelli
Tropicalrealestate-nicaragua.com
info@tropicalrealestate-nicaragua.com
The other address I had for him is 1.5 blocks south from the cathedral in Granada.
One and a half blocks south of the Cathedral… is this building
Walk a little further and you are in what is known as Barrio Maldito where I went looking for the real estate agent. Apparently he moved years ago and was renting down the street.
On his wayback machine archive you can see other properties he sold as well as developments
Did these people get scammed to? Or just me? Nobody knows Nicaraguans like I do!
The Manuel Salvador Duval Navarro was I guess the fall guy put up by the real estate agent / alcadia to handle the transaction on behalf of my father. Utlimate responsibity and fault lies with him and he is of course dead. Manuel had power of attorney for another person who had more ownership of the property. They filed a complaint in the court that we illegally obtained the property, and that Manuel did not pay their father who also died. Their house is located in front of the Ladrilleria Favilli S.A. in Granada on Calle Santa Lucia. He was apparently a purchaser of this land, and if the papers are fake, then he was part of the fraud, distancing himself with the legal framework of a retroactive sale. The lawsuit was to frustrate the foreign purchaser in court.
This fraud took place just as the sellers and people with power of attorney were about to drop off the perch. This internal fraud amongst the sellers would reveal they were trying to reclaim $17,000 even though $4,000 was listed on the contract. This leaves $23,000 unaccounted for. Perhaps I misunderstand this part, it’s too deep into the fraud to bother with as their claim was cancelled and the res
The only mention of Manuel Navarro online is
Reg. No. 3439 – R/F 359537 – Valor C$ 46.00 Manuel Salvador Duval Navarro como cesionario de la Sra. Gloria Elena Castillo Fuentes solicita se le declare heredero de los bienes dejados por Ana Julia Fuentes Traña, Bienes, derechos, Acciones.
This is the map most if not all will give you when you take your first step out into Granada. The supposed leader of the group of land occupiers is listed on the map. The locals in this area have never let me take possession and it was a scam, cleverly orchestrated by some of the most blatant fraudsters Nicaragua had to offer at the time. It would take a team to pull it off, and become another ignored crime against a foreigner. The type of people who get money from you before offering you a drink. Considering everything is endorsed by INTUR, it’s confusing what is actually an investment and what is just the current Nicaraguans with a bit of poder robbing investors and tourist, eventually retiring to their house for health reasons.
The real estate cold calling industry is rife and the target is Americans. Property registry books have legal paperwork cooking waiting to offload to the unsuspecting, trusting foreigner operating in good faith. Unfortunately fraud only rewards the locals. The ones participating in the fraud, and the ones taking advantage of previous land theft and bad faith activities. The victim of the wire fraud, theft, swindling by deceit, has no recourse as the law favours the locals. Hence why they participate and will never help you because of the solidarity.
I was supposed to meet up with my father’s lawyer. I thought my father knew this person. The lawyer sent his assistant and topographer. I spoke little Spanish and was along for the ride. I was taken to some land; the topographer was lost. We eventually found the land. The topographer took out his pen and scribbled a barely noticeable line on a post saying this is where your property starts. We went to the registry office and all looked registered. Later I was explained that to get the map properly registered I would need several geo stational points plotted on a map. This could all be done for just under $3000. I thought I was doing the right thing, but the lawyer and his crew would just get this last payment on their scam. They never told the true story of the land. They weren’t not our friends and they were never acting in our best interest. The lawyer’s name was Byron Luis Mejia Rueda and his topographer accomplice was Francisco Cortes Torrez, aka Chico Rata. Chico Rata was the name my next lawyer Jerry Martinez would say Francisco was known by.
Before getting rid of Byron he was told not to send a letter to the Embassy. He did anyway with his recollection of events which resulted in his failure to protect his client and do any due diligence. He did not mention the money taken for services not rendered to the embassy. I still feel the lawyers I used were never working for me but rather I was a third wheel, funding their personal political squabbles.
Here is an article mentioning Byron https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/greathomesanddestinations/11nica.html
After getting rid of Byron, I took the recommendation to use a Granadino Lawyer Jerry Martinez and his wife Eunice. Speaking very little Spanish, I was under the impression Jerry was going to help me. We went to the land registry office and got a copy of the title. He said it was my land but the people on the land had taken it. I dealt with Jerry for about a year, but he was a “manana lawyer”. He would say everything would happen tomorrow, but tomorrow never came. I think he could have been more truthful seeing he lives on the same block as the Prego’s house. It seems he was dragging it out for profit as he had discussed with the district attorney. One time I had dinner/snacks with a bunch of people. Someone told me later one of the people was a judge and wanted $7k to make the case in our favour. I didn’t know these people, nor trust them. He said with a change in government there would be progress and kept delaying everything three months. The same amount of time as my tourist visa. When I told him I would stay six months, he said it would take six months. After the end of six months, he hadn’t done anything. It would be revealed later, why. During this time I also spoke to a few other Americans I ran into. One mentioned that my lawyer was trying to steal the land. Whilst this may not be entirely true, the lawyers were certainly helping themselves and their companies more than they ever helped me, and I paid for the privilege. Certainly no one explained to me the truth. One of the times I came back after waiting several months the police officer that was helping or whatever was pregnant. Another clever business tactic, not being availale. One time I was offered to get paid security to guard the land for $800 a month… the true Nicaraguan investment.
Someone told me Brenes was not a good district attorney, dirty infact, and in the video of Esteban talking he mentions Brenes talking about dragging out this for $1000-$1500 a month with… my lawyer… and the squatter. Around 7 minute 15 second timestamp.
https://everythingnicaragua.com/DonGringo.mp4 https://everythingnicaragua.com/DonGringo.srt is the subtitle file if you know how to load it.
Then I had some friends, and one had a mother in law that was a lawyer. I do not understand why they did not want to help me, but rather drag it out even longer. The word vivador was thrown around a few times. At least I got in front of a judge after several years. I also got my paperwork back after the pre trial conference. I do not understand why my lawyer and every Nicaraguan refused to talk about or explain to me the truth of the land. Why couldn’t Jerry or Byron say there was another title. Why did they have to hide it from me, other than the fact they needed money? Dishonest businessmen and people. It would come to light that I had spoken to people who could have helped me, but didn’t. I had to sit down and translate the paperwork that was hidden from me. These people knew the story the whole time, but they refused to explain it to me in favour of earning a few unethical dollars. After a small pretrial where the judge said it was all wrong he passed down a verdict and explained somewhat what I needed to do in pursuing this. (Years later still few can help and the ones I tried with failed with intended lies and intentional irresponsibility)
The land was owned by Maria Prego. Inherited through her marriage. Who was Maria Prego? Her tomb is the second to the left as you enter the cemetery in Granada. She is buried along side her husband Adofo Gutierrez.. This was shown in the historical title of the property that goes back to the early 1900’s. Over the years the landowners took out loans against the land to fund their agricultural ventures, paying back the banks and repeating the process for many years. This was until 198x when the land was confiscated under Reforma Agria. This seized large portions of private land supposedly to create and protect the food bowl for the areas. In 199 Violeta Chamorro returned as president and during that time, returned the land to the original owners, legally, in the registry book.
Other parts of the story can be found here
Groups of men formed organizations and apparently claimed large portions of land for themselves. They were able to lodge various documents, some legal, some just on blank paper. These land deals would take place under trees and sometimes for bottles of alcohol, buy provisionary paperwork held some value. Even more value than legal paperwork.
But in the historical registry the last entry is the government seeking to claim the land for the State. But in the cancellation column, the judgement is cancelled. The last entry is not my land. My registry entry is in another book and starts from a man who went before a Judge in Diriomo and claimed he had possession for over 20 years. With two witnesses he went in front a judge and obtained a supplementary title and registered the property. It’s all probably true, but they changed their minds later when they had the opportunity to steal and benefit themselves.
A supplementary title is a second title, different from the original title. In this case the original title is with Maria Prego and the government confiscation and return of land. Mine comes from a supplementary title that was sold twice before we purchased it.
Asiento 15 was when the government expropriated the property in May 1989. The signature beneath the entry is R. Yslark A ?
Asiento 16 is a devolution of the land to the original owner in 1991.
Asiento 17 is the government again claiming the land for the state in 25 June 1996, but it is cancelled in the cancellation column in September 1996.
I don’t understand it and haven’t had two people explain it the same way. Always some excuse amongst supposedly educated people.
The state says its theirs. This document was issued in March 1996. The above document shows the government taking it in June or July and then that asiento is cancelled in September 1996. Sloppy work all over, just a sloppy, dishonest mess of greedy people and lawyers.
So this document spawns out of there
These are the papers I was working with: 22 Marzo 2002 is the first registry of the supplementary title.
They won’t give me the land because it is double matriculated, but they won’t give it to the original owners either, they are stealing it for themselves off the books in private papers that they give legal value to. Estebans document of possession took place in 2004 and has a notary stamp that was not available in that year, as the seal shown was only available years later. Or maybe the other owners were paid. It was a mistake to take a chance to invest here. No one would know about this, except that I was stupid enough to fall for it for years. I wonder if he presented his papers years ago if they would have been different.
march 18 1996 INRA distributed the property. Who was president. What are the dates on the last entries of the historical title.
After purchasing the property apparently the Manuel Navarro didn’t pay the other person and they sued my father for civil fraud. It took a few more thousand and the land was registered in my fathers name. Some of the heirs and others came out of the word work looking for money, but if it was fraud and I never got land, then these people were part of the fraud.
In 2002, Marco Duarte obtained a suplimentry title which he onsold to a Rosales Baez, who lives in front of the Ferreti Tile factory. This now deceased person engaged the real estate sales representative Gabrille Faverlly to sell this property. These men knew they were committing fraud when selling this property. There was also a Manuel Salvador Duval Navarro who facilitated the sale. Apparently the “owner” of the property didn’t get paid and the thieves had their own internal lawsuits because someone didn’t get paid. $45,000 for the property and only $4,000 written on the contract. The lawyers involved were unethical and only interested in money. The preyed on unsuspecting foreigners under the guise of foreign investment, when in fact the lawyers involved in the sale have history of being involved in unethical and fraudulent behaviouir To find out that the lawyer I was supposed to trust had recommended a topographer with history of fraud was no surprised by the time I found out. I had seen him recommended in expat forums in the years later. Just ambulance chasers, selling dreams and delivering very little. A few others would share stories of unethical and money chasing behaviour. He is mentioned on a new York times article from 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/greathomesanddestinations/11nica.html
The phrase papeles en orden has zero value. Papers are worthless. Completely worthless.
Many years ago I spoke with a woman who tried to help me, who put me on to an Jose Adan Prego Fernandez something or other which in years later upon searching my emails shows that he was possibly an heir to this land from the Prego family and spoke to his lawyer to try and help and at no point divulged the true history of the land and that his family owned it. When I figured it out I messaged one of the females and she said it’s her families and blocked me.
Zero help from the whole spectrum.
So the name of the entire property is Hacienda Mecatepe, a 500+ Manzana property.
The part that was sold to us, was in San Luis de Maneres. The property boundaries are essentially where the squattors are. Whatever you want to call them. Civilized, church going people. Anyway, there is a small campestre with pool and bar, owned by retired Police Commissioner Mayor Roger Jose Torres Potosme, https://www.policia.gob.ni/?p=64314 . It is a neighbouring property to “our” land. I find it interesting the lawyer and topographers’ recollection of their $3000 work so close to a police commissioners house. I was told Byron produced a pistol at which time he was relieved of his pistol by men with machetes. It is important to google search names and due dillengence. Byron Mejia’s recommended engineer had previous charges of Fraud. Why would this lawyer use an unethical topographer?
Cut from the same cloth. It is a shame the state failed to prosecute in a timely manner, leaving the criminals to continue target victims of land fraud. Fraud they help perpetuate.
Byron and Franscico’s recollections are as follows.
I went to the address in San Judas and his drunk brother in law was on the corner. He told me some saying. Donde cae un pelo or some shit which means where there is one… there is others. The guy is a theif.
This was Francisco’s reply. It is noted on the invoice that he was paid $300 was for legal services. So I in fact paid Byron to represent their fraud against their client. Byron’s representation was a complete fraud. He was incompetent and had his own agenda. He was not a specialist in this area and seemed like what I would come to discover, just another deportee trying to make some money. His English language is used to take advantage of English speaking clients but his blood is Nicaraguan, he is of zero advantage to an American citizen and seeming careless where he brandishes firearms.
At what point was Francisco going to “expose the whole situation”.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: “FRANCISCO CORTEZ” <franciscocorteztorrez@gmail.com>
Date: 03/10/2014 2:50 AM
Subject: Re: donde esta mi mapa o dinero
To: “Steve Young” <steve@domain.net.au>
Cc:
Mr. Steve , I have not been to Managua , I’ve been doing work on the mountain and make it clear to Dr. Mejia has not told to return money but expose the whole situation heterogeneity and complex payment and we incur costs until the points do work accordingly rather we were kidnapped and threatened with death which attacked us physically and verbally the compasinos the earthing total were 32 who are usurping the property , we were physically assaulted and verbally with weapons machetes fire short pulse weapons attacked our lives and then they had kidnapped from 8:15 am to 4:30 pm then we were taken to the police prisoner Nandaime in which we had to make a rather lengthy exposition of the work we were developing and was not taking land as alleged farmers are taking land and usurping the right furniture ( rural property ) at the same time destroyed the satellite equipment with machetes and stones mASOS and technicians who were laboring , if Dr. Mejia failed so I do not I will omit that threatened my life and the lives of technicians and this is products that you came personally to inflame and has raised tempers rage and agreciones is the leading campecimos called Stevan Gonzalez and Secretary executives including Pedro Pablo Narvaez .
RETALIATION IN ALL FARMERS COOPERATIVE THAT MAKE ALL WE WERE WAITING FOR PHYSICALLY attack us and wipe us AND GIVE DEATH.
Thanks to some business we did and a mediation with a lawyer we go free then I attach the police certification , so all these incidents and mishaps we acontesieron was strictly exercising our work and when we were on the point had been made todititos payments and operational duties in order to get there . subsequently sent him all the details of the operating expenses and damages caused to the company and its technical team and I are rather filing a lawsuit jucicial technical team owner to pay and pay all that destroyed equipment satellite station is extremely carisimo then I will make every detail of each of the cost right now and sent him to the court record to get out of prison issued by the national police Nandaime .
Sincerely . Ing Francisco Cortez
———————–
Mr . Steve , yo no he estado en Managua , he estado haciendo un trabajo en la montaña y que quede bien claro el Dr. Mejia no ha dicho que devuelva dinero sino que exponga toda la situación heterogeneidad y compleja de los pagos y costos que incurrimos hasta llegar al puntos de hacer el trabajo en consecuencia mas bien fuimos secuestrados y amenazados de muerte el cual nos agredieron fisica y verbalmente los compasinos los toma tierra en total eran 32 los que estan usurpando la propiedad , fuimos agredidos físicamente y verbalmente con armas de fuego machetes y armas corto pulsante atentaron contra nuestras vidas y posteriormente nos tuvieron secuestrados de las 8:15 am hasta 4:30 pm posteriormente nos llevaron preso a la policia de Nandaime en el cual tuvimos que hacer una exposicion bien extensa del trabajo que estabamos desarrollando y no era tomando tierra como aducen los campesinos toma tierras que estan usurpando el bien y mueble (la propiedad rural) al mismo tiempo destruyeron el equipo satelital con los machetes y masos y piedras de los tecnicos que estábamos laborando , si el Dr. Mejia omitió eso yo no lo voy a omitir por que atentaron contra mi vida y la vida de los tecnicos y esto es productos por que usted llego personalmente a enardecer y ha caldear los animos de furia y de agrecion al lider de los campecimos que se llama Stevan Gonzalez y al secretario ejecutivos de ellos Pedro Pablo Narvaez.
EN REPRESALIA TODOS LOS CAMPESINOS QUE CONFORMAN TODA LA COOPERATIVA NOS ESTABAN ESPERANDO PARA AGREDIRNOS Y ELIMINARNOS FISICAMENTE Y DARNOS MUERTE.
Gracias a unas gestiones que hicimos y unas mediacion con una abogada logramos salir libre posteriormente le adjunto la certificación de la policía , por lo tanto todas estas incidencias y percances que nos acontesieron fue ejerciendo estrictamente nuestro trabajo y ya cuando estábamos en el punto se habían efectuado todititos los pagos y los aranceles operativos para poder llegar ahi. posteriormente le envio todos los detalle de los gastos operativos y los daños y perjuicios que causaron a la empresa y al tecnico con su equipo y mas bien me estan entablando una demanda jucicial el tecnico dueño del equipo para pagar y sufragar todos lo que destruyeron el equipo de estación satelital que es extremadamente carisimo a continuación le haré todos los detalle de cada uno de los costos y por ahorita le envio el acta judicial para poder salir de la prision emitido por la policia nacional de nandaime.
Atentamente: Ing. Francisco Cortez
El 17 de septiembre de 2014, 21:49, Steve Young <steve@domain.net.au> escribió:
Byron dijo que debería ponerse en contacto con usted acerca de regresar mi dinero. Usted ha fallado en completar el trabajo y la respuesta. Es frustrante. ¿Se trata robado este dinero? ¿Va a tener el coraje de responder o simplemente un ladrón común?
It was good I went down to resolve this. Who knows how long Byron would have been taking money from my father. He was creating more problems. He stated he would write to the embassy and was told not to, but then wrote to the embassy. Some types of people seem to garner some type of entitlement that they wrote the embassy so they are somebodies. But the embassy was adamant they would never help me. They said to drop off my paperwork once, but it was a waste of time. They didn’t even read it. Not interested. They could have explained something to me. The agencies they had in the years prior assisted and paid out people. This lead to locals taking advantage. Multiple times I was told by the squattors to get help from the embassy and they would pay me. I think even once at the police I was told to goto the embassy. Basically no one helped. It was fraud and zero sympathy for the foreigner because they can go get more money since it grows on trees and comes so easily. Not one thought for the years of work and time saving the money, most likely the equivalent of 2-3 Nicarguan lives. But hey, go buy a hammock from the now self proclaimed land owners. I’m sure some of these people live off to the side or in the neighbouring town, but also part of the community that will not allow me to have anything. One time I got a watermelon and two bananas from Esteban, but that was after like 5 years.
Marco came to my house once with branch of Platanos. He got $20 out of me earlier in the day and $20 on the way out. He was going to put in a good word for me with commander and told me a story about the time he woke up to find out he had bought a giant turtle. I think he was trying to give me an analogy or just tell me a story. He left with the typical Nicaraguan Greeting, it’s dangerous around these parts. Which is strange because I had lived there for three years and it’s fine.
It should be made known to help with the understanding of the situation that
Daniel Ortega was president 1985-1990.
Violeta Chamorro was president from 1990-1997. — During the time INRA issued a document below.
Arnoldo Aleman from 1997-2002,
Enrique Bolanos from 2002-2007,
and Ortega from 2007 onwards.
If Violeta Chamorro returned the land to the original owners, why were the squatter companies continuing to issue paperwork and sell the land amongst themselves.
The dates on the documents mean there are three different timelines. Failure to actively resolve this or acknowledge the crime makes other titles equally worthless. Only possession applies. Get a bunch of people together and make up some stories and get some free land. Which is why there are so many houses, so many Nicaraguans living in supposed valuable run down houses, but cant sell. They don’t own it. And then you buy land and it’s supposed to have the same value. Nothing. It’s free for the taking. The only value a land has is the 30 years of back taxes owed on that property. Find the old gringo with no family, wait for them to die, and camp. Or make their family’s first visit extra special. I heard of another property and some people were saying that the local government was not going to let the heirs have the property. I believe it was purchased from provisional paperwork. They said an expat woman who died of breast cancer.
My Spanish was very poor the first time I went to the land without a lawyer. One of the “guides” you get dumped with walking through the park took me. I remember Esteban Gonzalez telling this person that a Maria owned the farm. My Spanish was very poor, but I do remember what the lawyers would refer to as the head squatter, he told this guide some small truths of the land. But this guide never translated it. He just said he’s a dishonest man. Everyone would say the squatters and the people on the land were the thieves. The translation was always poor, costly, and they always guarded information to themselves and told a story they wanted you to hear, rather than the truth.
In late 2022 ish one of the last times I spoke to Esteban Gonzalez he told me my friends were not telling me the truth. It had taken me a while, but I had figured this out on my own. Everyone talked bad about the government, but everyone was stealing from me. Some seemed to use my money to glamourize or create a unnecessary incident to attempt to draw attention to absolutely nothing. Dishonest businessmen.
One time we went to the land at dusk and were surrounded by a bunch of locals. We had a chat. They arrived in a threatening and intimidating manner. Upon leaving it was found they had laid tree trunks on the road blocking the exit. I chatted via whatsapp with one of these people which proved futile because in the end they showed the messages to the other villagers in an attempt to get me into trouble. He blamed me for him spending three nights in jail. In the end he went illegally to the united states, crossing the border by foot. After his time was up as an illegal immigrant he claimed asylum. Strange for a Sandinista Squattor, now squatting in the USA. It was disappointing to see fruit from the farm being sold on the Calzada in Granada, only meters from where the real estate agent’s office.
I had the whatsapp number of one of the occupiers and chatted with him on a few occasions. One time I sent him some pictures of guns and asked which one he liked. Apparently he then showed other people the messages claiming I threatened them. Months later when I chatted to him, he blamed me for him spending three nights in jail. Esteban was angry that I had seemingly threated people. I called Esteban and told him I’d stop chatting with Erling. Who later went wetback to the USA and when his parole expired, he claimed asylum and living in the USA. I was told other family members of the squatters have relatives in the USA. I’ve been told the land had been sold many times, but in reality no one has ever be up front and voluntarily honest. Dishonest by omission. Esteban had once said his other property was for sale, and when asked what the price was, he said he was under contract with a man from Tennessee. I am not sure if this is some William Walker related inside joke, or another victim of fraud.
I didn’t know the whole court process was online. Even though my lawyer at the time had a computer, it was clear her knowledge of the up to date systems was lacking. I recall her saying once that she didn’t want other people saying that her case was wrong. And in the end when the judge explained me that the case was wrong, it made me believe that they were not working in good faith. They were rather earning a little money each month or so and dragging out the work as well as making small tasks seem like some big work. After the judge dismissed the case at an initial hearing, my friend and his mother in law lawyer took me to the park to discuss payment. They wanted $15,000USD. At that point my friendship ended and I collected my paperwork. What a waste of time. I told the lawyer if they wanted that type of sum of money I would have needed to sign a contract. I added up the money I had given them over the year or two they claimed to be working and it was sufficient and they were told they had been paid in full.
I then attempted with another lawyer. I wanted a price for how much it would be to resolve the case. It came again to the round figure of $15,000 but in the proposal it looked like it would be paying for the land to remove people that really didn’t have titles whilst another title existed. It looks like the Prego title is not probated. I’ve been told theyve been paid.
I had paid taxes for ten years on a property the government then decides to claim is theirs. I went to speak to the acting mayor. Once the current mayor can’t deal with the bullshit they created, they get sick and stay home. So after speaking to the acting mayor, he made a call and claimed the person in the other room sounded far away like they were in Russia. This guy wasn’t going to help me at all, he was apart of the people who were taking money from me, and most likely other “foreign investors” The last he said was to come back next week and the following two weeks the line to see him was at least 50 people long. He was a no show. He lasted 3 months before his forced resignation and I guess now lives in his casa Bella Arte on the calzada.
So the land was taken from the original owners, a few squattors claimed ownership and bought land from invented paperwork after the land was returned to the original owners. One person obtained a title from a judge and registered part of the land which was sold by a real estate agent on the calzada targeting tourist. The land was not for sale. It was fraud. To have the property registered and taxes paid, the sellers lawyer and the buyers lawyer were all dishonest as well as the workers in the land registry office and district attorneys office who preferred to delay and take money while doing nothing. Lets look at the sellers lawyer.
Angel Salvador Espinoza Guerra
A quick google brings up some twitter posts from Walter Antonio Gutierez. Water had a business Sueno Boliviano something and Angel Salvador Espinoza Guerra was his Vice President. They utilized judgements in Nicaragua to try and attempt to get money from companies in the United States, but reading the case, both individuals were deemed untrustworthy by the judge. The law suits withdrew Dole and Shell from Nicaragua. Apparently someone also forged a signature or lied about something and Walter blamed Angel for orchestrating the crime… on twitter.
Searching the lawyers registery shows his address registered to “the same as his business address” which isn’t listed.
It seems like over the years, some welfare organizations were also helping the people in that area. I have zero dollars and zero support for squattors. The day I found Erling selling his lemons to restraurants on the Calzada or his platanos at the comida china, I started spending my money in other departments.
There are five rules in Nicaraguan civil code to squat land.
Artículo 888 La posesión necesaria para prescribir, debe ser:
1°. Fundada en justo título.
2°. De buena fe.
3°. Pacífica.
4°. Continua.
5°. Pública.
Advancements were made in cancelling the paperwork when the foreign investors started dying, until then I was advised this was our land and we had to fight for it. People just make things up lawyer or not. Now that the purchasers are deceased, there is no criminal process to pursue. So much conflicting and poor advice.
I didn’t know what I was doing, I came down speaking minimal Spanish and in 10 years I have met very few people I would trust or want to do business with. There used to be a phrase I would hear when seeking help. “My friend is a lawyer and has the connections. He has poder” It was almost a red flag. Others would claim to be specialist in the area, but were far from. At some points I was thinking that the lawyers were xenophobic and would not help foreigners even if they were their clients. From my experience using the lawyers I used, I have no reason to believe otherwise. There is no investment here. Not even in people, in after ten years I have few friends that would be useful for anything. It was better drinking with people I thought were my friends. I should have left years ago, rather than believing documents such as this. Nicaraguans would go and steal that land before helping me. Especially the ones I paid. All while going to the USA on parole and whatever other handouts from ONGs they can get. I guess it’s good they get help. Free land, free handouts, free funding from the USA, no thieving hand goes unrewarded!
Anyway it would have been cool to have a bit of land to play around with, dig some holes and stuff. Most will just say buy something else, but I think there is better places to live where my money could support someone for something positive. Paying taxes for ten years while waiting for my cut was a bit of a joke. I hope the reason the local school was shut was because I stopped paying taxes. I’m sure I’m the only one from that sector paying taxes, except for the retired police commissioner and other “duenos” of course.
So rather than live amongst thieves, after ten years they can congratulate themselves on all they stole during the years and that their plan to be so friendly and nice helping themselves to what they sold and stole, that I finally am making plans to leave. I can see similarities in the land thieves that I see with others. Im sure some people have land with similar paperwork I have, the land registry has paperwork that is all in order, until it is sold to the next victim selected from the “real estate call center” industry in Nicaragua and Granada, that plagues the common American citizen will spam and scam phone calls. I was hoping to prove some people wrong, but I came away with a more important lesson. Knowing the truth of what the Nicaraguan people are like. As the legal owner of 154 manzanas they never even offered me one. They stole from my father and stole from me They don’t care if my children eat, they don’t care if my family eats. They expect that I can always find more when everything is free for them to take. My father nor myself was in the military. I am unsure why Nicaraguans target the American people, but I do know that claiming the Nicaraguan people are not against the pueblo of the united states is the biggest load of bullshit ever stated.
The corruption has nothing to do with the government, but the public in general. Several times during the years honest work could have been done, but the greed and dishonestly was the only thing they knew. Inventing stories and lying along the way, it would always be my fault whatever I did, for believing them. It is easier just to avoid them and not do any business. At one point during this delusion, I thought I would be happy living here, but living amongst such envious and greedy people is why people don’t want to invest here, let alone visit. It’s an acquired taste and nothing really gained in the end. It’s not cheaper living here, it’s just lower quality. It costs more after dealing with bullshit.
This is my truthful, summarized, opinionated recollection of my side of events. I have paid for these experiences. I have not obtained a damned thing other than the only thing they have to offer. A fucking headache and the bill to pay. It’s similar to being robbed in the market or bus, many people will see, but no one will say anything. I like to believe I would have had a different experience, but this is what I was given. Many mornings I wake up thinking, how the fuck did I fall for this shit for so long and why am I here.
The last lawyer that said he would help me, I apostilled my father’s will and death certificate, paid $320 to have it translated. The lawyer said I needed an appraisal, his sister being a registered appraiser, $575 later, he handed me off to two new lawyers and leaves in the night, without telling me, on parole to the USA. He did not return the apostilled documents and has ceased contact. I went to his registered office and it was a Ministry of Families office. Which is a coincidence, because if I goto Gabriel Farelly’s address, it too seems to be a Ministry of Family office. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. The appraisal was completely useless and overvalued, using asking prices from encuentra24 and other obscure websites. It would be like using an ebay asking price to value an item whilst there are no sales. Anything you buy, turn around and it’s not yours anymore or some paperwork someone’s grandfather scribbled on under a tree has more value than something in the public registry. The paroles and other immigrants sending money back to the squatters is a classic. I had only wanted to pay to have the tomo put in orden and hope for something, if not just closure on the matter, but they can’t even deliver that because this was by design to extort money selling the Nicaraguan dream, which I have finally acquired. To relocate to a better place amongst more honest people. I had hoped that the law would have resulted in something, but finding competent legal support was the main problem as all were just so greedy, the rest were obliged to sit by and let their learned friends, colleagues and peers, earn money.
this is the paper you get showing how much your taxes are
the Domicilio Fiscal is Vincente Ubau who died in July 2020 I believe.
this is the paperwork and receipt you get when you pay your taxes.
lastly after paying your taxes, the state will issue you a Solvencia Municipal. Which means you are solvent with the state. I’ve had a few libertades de graveman which means there are no liens on the property.. Having a certificate in 2020 means everything is up to date and no back taxes owed.
So, after over 10 years and a change of the officials who issued the papers, the paperwork was cancelled. At no point did the government or people offer anything or negotiate, except with false offerings of hope and lawyers with their hands out while essentially doing nothing. I did get to court once, but the case was wrong. The actual registry entry isn’t cancelled yet. I was going to pay to have the tomo put in orden, and decent sum of money, but the lawyer stole my paperwork and left on parole to the USA. I just wanted final closure, but it seems everything is done in bad faith in a xenophobic fake friendly way, using a self induced pity as a reason.
Even to enquire about a block of land results in me losing interest. Whilst at times I may have enjoyed myself here, I was unable to navigate the community or whatever was going on and it was overall a waste of money.
[7/9, 5:44 PM] steve: Hola. Tienes una mapa por el terreno en venta?
[7/9, 5:46 PM] seller: Buenas noches
[7/9, 5:46 PM] seller: Una mapa aque se refiere
[7/9, 5:46 PM] steve: Ustedes tenían un lote en venta?
[7/9, 5:47 PM] seller: Si
[7/9, 5:48 PM] steve: Tienes un plan, como una mapa del terreno? Con el tamaño y número catastral?
[7/9, 5:55 PM] seller: Obviamente tiene su plano topográfico, las escrituras están inscritas en el registró publico
That’s where a bit of PSTD is triggered and I realize through this whole adventure I never needed a lawyer, I needed a psychologist to help me realize the people’s word means shit and they just want your money.
In the end, the last lawyer I used, was supposed to do stuff for me. I got my probate documents apostilled and translated at a great cost of money and time. The lawyer had me do an appraisal…with his sister… $575 later.. The lawyer pawned me off to two new lawyers just as he left in the night on parole to the USA. I was unable to proceed as he did not return my apostilled documents. As such I reported him to I.C.E. and the Supreme Court of Nicaragua. I will cease doing business with people here and just be cordial during my remaining time.
The flag outside the Supreme Court of Nicaragua is past it’s due date. Very symbolic, but they should have the decency to change it.
I was fortunate to get a picture of an Omni International Charter Jet over the Supreme Court, which hopefully one day my lawyer will be on.
Omni Air International cooperates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in controversial (sometimes termed “high-risk”) deportations. Omni Air International has been characterized as engaging in price gouging over its role in deportation flights.
I actually took a picture of the plane because my eyes were bad and I thought it said Qatar.
