By Jorge Casuso

August 25, 2020 -- A Santa Monica man arrested last year for running a check forging scam in Thousand Oaks was fined this weekend for organizing an illegal mansion house party in Glendora.

Davante Bell -- a 26-year-old who goes by the Instagram handle @iamkingbell -- was fined $1,450 after defying orders to cancel the “100 Summers Mansion Party” in a large exclusive home listed on rental websites, according to Glendora police.

The party -- which included "music guests intended to perform, presale tickets and provided off-site bus transportation" -- violated the City code and the Los Angeles County Health Department Order for a non-essential gatherings during the coronavirus emergency, police said. "The party promoter disregarded City staff and held the event knowingly violating the administrative city permit process and the health department order," Glendora police said.

"At just past midnight as the third administrative citation was preparing to be issued, the party host decided to end the function," police said.

It took more than 90 minutes after the event ended for all guests to vacate the house, where police have "responded to many calls" reporting "loud parties, littering, parking and unsafe vehicle use."

In addition to the administrative citations issued to Bell, police issued five vehicle code violations and 19 parking citations to party goers, impounded one vehicle and made an arrest for a misdemeanor bench warrant.

"Additional police personnel were brought in to address the location once the promoter made it clear he had no intention to cancel the event," police said.

City officials said they "will be pursuing administrative fines, fees and potential litigation against both the party host and the homeowner.”

Bell has a criminal record dating back to May 2013, when he was sentenced to three years probation for accessory after the fact in a robbery and attempted robbery, according to court records.

On October 2, 2016, he pled guilty to attempted robbery and sentenced to two years in State prison.

He was arrested again on September 19 for running a check forging scam in Thousand Oaks that claimed eight young victims ("Santa Monica Sex Offender Arrested in Thousand Oaks for Check Forging Scam," September 26, 2019).

Bell was booked on several counts of identity theft, unauthorized computer access with fraud and forgery, according to investigators in the Ventura County city.

The investigation stemmed from reports by several teenage victims who believed they were "cashing checks as a favor for a family member of a friend they followed on Instagram," police said.

The followup investigation by financial crimes detectives uncovered an "elaborate scheme" that used the social media platform to rob the victims -- who ranged in age from 16 to 21 -- of an average of $1,000 each, said Detective Tim Lohman.

Police initially identified eight victims including four juveniles -- two 16-and 17-year-old girls and two 17-year-old boys from Thousand Oaks.

Once Bell obtained access to their social media accounts, he used them to promote his party business, said Thousand Oaks Detective Paul Ferruzza, who worked the case.

Bell is listed as a sex offender on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system used by police to search for criminal offenders, Ferruzza said.

"My understanding of his probation terms is that he can't be around minors," he said.

A court date for the Thousand Oaks case has been set for September 16.