Accused Con Man Avoids Jail Suspect Admits Misdemeanors In Mobile Home Scam

Theresa Brault gave Jeffrey C. Vandervert almost $14,000 for a mobile home she never got to own.

At the least, he should have drawn some kind of jail sentence, Brault thought.

But Wednesday, “Vandy the Broker” forged a deal of his own with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges with no jail time. He was originally facing eight felonies for allegedly running mobile home scams that took in some elderly and disabled victims.

“I had these felony charges against me, and they were trying to send me to jail,” Vandervert said after his hearing.

“Now - and I’m not bragging about it - but I got to walk out of that courtroom. I’m glad the prosecution recognized they didn’t have me on this.”

A prosecutor said it would have been hard to persuade a judge to jail Vandervert, given his medical problems.

In his plea agreement, Vandervert, 39, admitted to committing third-degree theft twice in the last 18 months. He also pleaded guilty to another two counts of doing business as a vehicle dealer without a license.

Vandervert told Judge Tari Eitzen that he would begin paying back some of the $35,000 he took from five victims - once he develops a source of income and recovers from neck surgery.

He was accused on two different occasions of selling the same mobile home to multiple buyers and not returning money to those who didn’t get one.

Eitzen told Vandervert that he is not allowed to sell cars or mobile homes for two years or he will be in violation of his release, which could land him in jail for 348 days. He’s also not supposed to advertise his services in newspapers.

Vandervert asked her if he could sell his personal car.

“Yes,” Eitzen said, “but only to one person.”

Vandervert said some of the felonies that were filed against him - ranging from first-degree theft to obtaining a signature through deception - resulted from contract misunderstandings by his clients. He also said he didn’t know that he needed a dealer’s license to be a mobile home broker. He plans to dispute some of his restitution payments.

“If I was a big con man, would I have coats with my name on it and run ads in the paper?” Vandervert asked. “You gotta understand that I care about and live by these people.” He said his next business ambition will be in the legal field, offering help to the indigent.

Vandervert’s victims are smarting because he got off with no jail time.

“For the amount of damage he did, I think a suspended sentence is a slap on the wrist,” Brault said. “It makes me want to go out and break the law if you can get away with everything in this town.”

Fred Mitchell, who complained to the state attorney general about Vandervert after repairs weren’t made on a mobile home he bought, said: “He deserves to go to jail. And restitution means nothing because he doesn’t have anything.”

Vandervert has not fully reimbursed victims from his past criminal cases, according to his Department of Corrections supervisor. He does have 10 years to pay and has contributed about $25 a month against thousands of dollars he owes. However, corrections records show payments stopped being made months ago.

Since 1996, Vandervert has compiled four separate convictions: three for theft and one for extortion. Judges have not sent him to jail for more than six months at a time. And some of Vandervert’s prior sentences have been converted to community service - which he was arrested for not performing last month - or electronic-home monitoring.

In one case, Vandervert admitted walking into businesses and taverns, saying his car had broken down. He asked patrons and employees for money and told them to call Vandervert Construction - a prominent Spokane contracting firm - to collect, claiming he was the owner’s son. He made off with $1,060 from 23 people.

Vandervert is a distant relative to the company’s president and has never worked for the business.

Carlin M. Jude, the prosecutor who handled Vandervert’s case, said the county opted for a plea deal because Vandervert has neck problems.

Further injuries suffered in jail could have been shouldered by taxpayers, and Jude said judges have already shown reluctance to keep him in custody, given his health.

Vandervert apparently suffered a fall at his parents’ home during the summer. He said a payment is now being sought from an insurance company. Because of his condition, he doesn’t know when he will be able to work again.

Jude added that many of his victims were elderly and a prolonged trial could have put them in a strenuous position.

“This is probably the best resolution we can get at this time,” Jude said.

Vandervert still faces a felony theft charge for a car sale he brokered in October. It wasn’t covered by Wednesday’s plea agreement.

According to prosecutors, Vandervert manipulated a vehicle title on a 1986 Nissan Stanza to reflect 100,000 fewer miles. Then he sold the car to a 72-year-old Spokane man for $1,500. “There was nothing wrong with that deal,” said Vandervert. “I’m fighting it the whole way.”