Judge issues arrest warrant against San Luis Obispo attorney

October 28, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge on Monday morning issued an arrest warrant for attorney John Belsher for not appearing at a debtor’s exam.

In a scheme rife with fraud, Belsher bilked his clients out of millions of dollars while living a life of luxury. On May, 23, Superior Court Judge Michael Kelley ordered Belsher and his partner Ryan Petetit-Wright to pay more than $3.6 million to Debra and Jeff Chase, a couple the pair defrauded of nearly $3 million they invested in four of the developers’ projects.

After dozens of attempts to serve notices to appear for a debtor’s exams, the Chases were finally able to serve both John Belsher and and his wife Jody Belsher at an out-of-state pickleball tournament.

Last week, Belsher asked the court to allow him to skip the scheduled debtor’s exam claiming he no longer lived in the area. However, because Belsher owns a law office in San Luis Obispo, the court ordered him to appear.

On behalf of the Chases, Orange County-based attorney Mike Wallin asked Judge Ginger Garrett to issue a warrant for Belsher’s arrest after Belsher failed to appear on Monday mornng, Wallin said.

Judge Garrett issued a warrant for Belsher’s arrest with bail set at $100,000, which she ordered held. Garrett then scheduled a new debtor’s exam for Nov. 18. If Belsher fails again to appear or refuses to answer questions, the order will be sent to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. In addition, Belsher’s wife and son were also ordered to appear for examination.

Under their PB Companies’ name, Belsher and Petetit-Wright borrowed money from banks and hard money lenders to fund more than a dozen projects they valued at over $300 million. Belsher also solicited his friends and clients to invest, a group that included the Chases.

Even though Belsher served as both his and Petetit-Wright’s attorney during the civil trial, Belsher hired attorney Neil Tardiff to represent him post-trial regarding a request for a new trial. Judge Kelley denied the defendants’ motion for a new trial.

In addition to serving notices of debtor’s exams on Belsher, his wife and his son, the Chases also served a notice to appear on Tardiff.

Last month, Petetit-Wright admitted conspiring with former SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill and others to deprive local citizens of honest services through a pay-to-play scheme.

Scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 25, Petetit-Wright is facing a sentence of 51 to 63 months in prison,

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