- Fraud & Scams
- Nov 5, 2026
California Investor JAILED As FBI EXPOSES $100M Fake Paperwork Scheme & $1.3 Billion Hotel Takeover
Federal agents arrested Corona del Mar real estate investor Mahender Makhijani in June. Prosecutors say he edited title insurance policies to make a nearly $100 million loan from Western Alliance Bank look safer than it was. A judge has since ordered him held without bail, citing a witness death threat. And that is only half the story: in Laguna Beach, a fight over the historic Hotel Laguna ended with armed security teams brawling in the lobby and a $1.34 billion arbitration award.
In this report
- How prosecutors say the title policies were altered
- The nearly $100 million loan and the bank behind it
- The Hotel Laguna takeover and the lobby brawl
- The $1.34 billion arbitration ruling
- Why a federal judge denied bail
- The $450,000 bail check and the cooperating associate
- What happens next
Presumption of innocence
Mahender Makhijani has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The arbitration award is a civil ruling, not a criminal conviction.
Sources
U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California (June 10, 2026); Orange County Register; Bisnow; California Post; Laguna Beach Independent; KTLA 5; Bloomberg. News footage is used under fair use for news reporting and commentary.
