Lenny Dykstra not ‘Home Free’ with fake business, prosecutors allege
Los Angeles County prosecutors laid out some of the details in their case against former new York Mets star Lenny Dykstra in a 14-page indictment that points to an elaborate scheme to lease luxury cars using a fake business and stolen identity.
Maria Ramirez, deputy district attorney in charge of the auto fraud unit, said Dykstra created a company called "Home Free Systems" and claimed that it was making millions of dollars.
In fact, Ramirez said, the company "doesn't even exist."
Deputy Dist. Atty. Alex Karkanen said Dykstra, along with his accountant Robert Hymers, 27, and friend Christopher Gavanis, 30, faked pay stubs and income information and printed documents on a home laser printer.
"When the dealers asked for a co-signer, they said their financial officer would sign," Karkanen said. But that financial officer was one of Hymers' customers -– and had visited the accountant to get his taxes done.
Since January, the three have tried several times to lease high-end automobiles, including Cadillacs and Mercedes-Benzes. At one of the dealerships, Dykstra, Hymers and Gavanis provided fraudulent information and drove off with 2011 models of a Ford Mustang, Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS, Karkanen said.
Authorities charged Dykstra with nearly two dozen felony counts related to a scheme to obtain luxury cars and possession of cocaine, human growth hormone and Ecstasy.
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-- Richard Winton
Photo: Lenny Dykstra, right foreground, appears at the San Fernando Courthouse on Monday. Deputy Dist. Atty. Alex Karkanen is at left. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times
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