Suspected FBI Impersonator Arrested at Fashion Island

A woman was arrested at Fashion Island on Thursday on suspicion of impersonating a FBI agent t0 intimidate people who complained that she was running a real estate scam, the FBI said.

According to the FBI, Karen Elaine Hanover, 44, of Seal Beach, charged clients $30,000 for information about prime commercial properties. Some clients began complaining on a blog that Hanover hadn't lived up to her end of the deal and that she kept their money. Some of the clients contacted the FBI.

Agents had planned to arrest Hanover at her home, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said, but she was not at the residence. After some additional investigation, agents tracked Hanover to the Newport Beach shopping center, Eimiller said.

Last year, one of the clients was called by someone who had a male voice and claimed to be an FBI agent. The caller threatened to imprison the client, a Buena Park woman, if she didn't stop complaining about Hanover, according to the FBI. Caller ID indicated that the call had come from a FBI office in Los Angeles.

FBI agents say Hanover made that call and others using technology from online company Teltech Systems Inc. to conceal the origin of the calls and mask her voice.

The FBI investigation into Hanover's real estate business continues, Eimiller said.

Hanover faces three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, according to the FBI.

— City News Service contributed to this report.