Twenty years ago, state lawmakers created the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau after a series by the Los Angeles Times exposed self-dealing and a failure of judges to stop it.
In a new project, CalMatters investigative reporter Byrhonda Lyons reveals how the bureau allows conflicts of interest to continue for years with little consequence.
To tell the story, Byrhonda dug deep into the arrangements of Angelique Friend, a court-appointed conservator in Ventura County. It’s her job to take care of the lives and finances of elderly people deemed too ill to care for themselves.
Court rules discourage conflicts of interest, real or perceived. The bureau’s rules explicitly forbid them.
But for years, Friend hired her husband as her attorney and his in-home health care company to provide her clients’ care.
Friend’s elderly clients often footed the bill for all three services until they could no longer afford or use in-home health care. Then, with the court’s approval, Friend moved them to less-expensive care facilities and sold their homes, court records show.
For years, Friend and her husband often disclosed their connections to the court, and Judge Roger Lund approved the payments.
Court records show the couple brought in about $3 million from 2019 to 2025 from clients in the six cases CalMatters reviewed; $2.7 million went to her husband’s health care company.
Families of the conservatees often raised their concerns with the court and filed complaints with the bureau, to no avail.
- Carole Herman, an advocate who filed a complaint to the bureau on behalf of one family: “I am totally disappointed and devastated because I worked really hard to get that bureau started, and they have no teeth.”
But there has been some movement after CalMatters began asking Ventura County court officials questions. Judge Lund was reassigned to a different court. The new judge handling Friend’s cases has already expressed skepticism that he could approve the arrangement with her husband, citing the court’s rules on conflicts.
Help us continue reporting: Let us know if you have had an experience with a fiduciary or conservator you would like to share.
CalMatters recognition: CalMatters is a finalist in the National Magazine Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism, for investigative reporter Anat Rubin’s story, “The Man Who Unsolved a Murder.” CalMatters is nominated in the public interest category. The investigation is cited in the analysis of a state bill that would significantly increase defense investigations and create minimum standards statewide. Winners will be announced in May.
More recognition: CalMatters’ political accountability journalism, powered by its groundbreaking Digital Democracy database, is a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting. The Toner Prizes highlight and reinforce quality, fact-based political reporting — work that illuminates the electoral process, reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy.
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