In April, of 2011, I put a 50% down payment on an older Chris Craft as a liveaboard that he claimed was mechanically sound. When it turned out it was not, he wanted more money to repair the engines. Smelling a rat, I asked for my money back and he refused. He said he would give me my money back when he sold the boat to someone else. I pressured him by walking with a big picket sign in front of his business. I went to the police department and a sympathetic officer told me he had leased that same boat to 2 other women, one of whom had lost all she had in the deal. I tried to follow up with the San Rafael Police Department, but neither that, nor any officer ever returned my calls. Eventually I realized I would have to lose half the price of the vessel plus a couple of thousand I had spent to do a bottom job (orchestrated by him so it cost double what he had initially told me). Unwilling to have sunk my entire (at the time) savings into a loss, I borrowed some money and offered him what the boat was worth without the working engines. Theo agreed to take the remainder of the money, but ripped me off by "selling" me a boat he didn't even have title to. Essentially, he gave me a fake title. I sued him in Marin Superior Court and won. He counter-sued, and I still won. I ended up having to buy the boat all over again from the original owner. Theo then thought he would "get" me by putting a lien on the boat, but all it did was screw the poor lien company out of money as well. Finally, in November, 2011 he sent me a money order for $20.00. In a burst of naivete, and thinking the court had compelled him to pay up (albeit a little at a time), I sent the original owner $500.00 as he had to sell the boat to me at a loss and I wanted to do the right thing, but that was the only money I ever saw from Theo. The original owner lost out more than I did, but we both got burned by this scammer. Why Marin County has not locked up this POS scam artist is beyond me. One of his M.O's seems to be to advertise out of the area, so people are less apt to make the trip into Marin to deal with him.

My story:

-Found the boat on Craigslist (housing for rent), moving here to take a new job in SF from Seattle

-Paid $2000 deposit, plus monthly rent of $1130. Moved in November of 2012. Signed a 12 month lease (the Affortable Yacht Leasing lease), thinking it was a landlord/tenant relationship

-Laid off in mid-Jan. Let Theo know I was out of work, and if he wanted to find another renter, then we could exit the lease agreeably.

-He found another renter quickly and asked I move out end of Jan, stating I'd have my deposit back mid-Feb. I moved out on Jan 31

-Multiple attempts to contact him via email and phone over several weeks. Never heard from him again until I tracked him down in person at the marina, when he said he didn't have my deposit and I'd get paid when he had money. This went on for several more weeks until I filed in small claims court on Mar 21. 

-On Mar 22 he made up a bogus claim to the Sausalito police that I was threatening him (ironically, it's all the folks in the marina that tell me to kick his ass and squeeze him to get the money; it's not me saying that), and then he sent an email that said he owed me nothing.

He showed up today in court and said I broke the lease. In fact I didn't break the lease, he rented the boat to someone else and told me to move out. He seems to think his AYL lease is water tight, and that he's not beholden to any landlord/tenant rules because he states is for Tangible Personal Property, not Real Property.

45 JUDGEMENTS AND COUNTING AGAINST THIS GENIUS
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7MlBXVHBpzuTjAxTkYwM0tvazA/edit

“In summary, my experience with Mr D’oro has been extremely stressful and debilitating to say the very least.  I have never had to deal with such a dishonest and fraudulent person as he. Equally troubling is the experience I and others are having in trying to motivate the Legal System of the USA here in Marin County to attend to Mr D’oro and his fraudulent activities.  This remains the case today after repeated attempts by this County’s honest citizens and businesses to alert our system to the gross misuse of this same Legal System by Mr D’oro.  He is a practiced and efficient crook, liar, swindler, forgerer and fraudster using deception and deviousness to earn his living and to then claim he has no money to pay the numerous [more than fifty (50)] court actions against him that he has lost.  It is time for the Legal System to stop protecting this criminal.  I request your help in doing this.” May 10th 2013

We have power with numbers.  Let’s stick together.

My story started in mid Febuary of 2011.   i saw an ad in Craigslist for rent to own ad on a boat on the apartment and housing section instead of marine or boating.  this is so theo can con and scam people whom have very little knowledge of boats like myself..   I entered an agreement for a 1989 bayliner 28' cierra the boat.  I later met a nice gentlemen, whom earlier test drove the same boat to be frauded out of the $4k deposit for a test drive.  that gentleman has a judgment for $4k againt theo for the fraud.   On march 3, 2011, i gave a deposit for 2000 and agreed to pay $560 or more a month for the purchase price of $14,900  so the total first month check was $2560 with the purchase agreement.  every month i dillegently paid the 560 and on some paid $`1000 for 4 months.  I also noticed he cashed every check within 30 minutes of delievery. i found he did this because he has 54 judgements against him for similar frauds.When the boat was delivered, it was in great disrepair.  no reverse and major engine problems .  After i reached the purchase price of the boat,  I reqeusted a pink slip.   at that time Theo D'oro informs me it was only a rental and never a rent to own.  Meaning i gave Theo the conman $16k and have been conned.  i also found out he has been trying to take possession in order to con another victim.   I have numerous threats of sinking the boats.  threats to my health and so on.

I then went to the police and marin county clerks office.  I found I 'am  one of many of his victims and my case is identical to 20+ others.   I have informed the Marin D,A.

Theo the con man needs to be stopped.   He is freely raping GOOD people on craiglist out of their good money.

We rented a Catalina 30 from Theo on April 15th 2013. The whole reason we
rented was to have a boat to live on and that we could sail. what we found was,
the boat had no title, no current registration, no working motor, and leaked

like a sieve when it rained. This was only the beginning of our nightmare that
ended with Theo posting a 2 day vacate notice and leaving us homeless.
We paid this crook a total of $4,150 for less than one month of hell.
This guy needs to be stopped.

-Thanks Theo The Thief

Class-Action Lawsuit against Alleged Sausalito Scam Artist

May 8th, 2013 Sausalito, Ca. Residence of the Bridgeway Marina in Sausalito, ca. are mounting a class-action civil lawsuit aimed to recover losses incurred from renting boats owned by Theo Doro of Affordable Yacht Leasing, LLC.

Their claim is that they were defrauded out of refundable deposits and were ignored when it came to repairing problems with boats that were dilapidated, not up to coast guard standards, and a health hazard.

The suit involves 8 complainants who are looking to recover up to $250,000 in actual and punitive damages. The suit also alleges that Mr. Doro is not operating a real legitimate business and has not filed the proper paperwork with the city, state or federal agencies.

Furthermore, Mr. Doro has signed renters to a one year lease and he has no such lease agreement with the Marina for which the boats reside. For more information on this case please contact:  J. Roger Albertson Esq.