Million-Dollar Foreclosure Theft

April 9, 2009— -- With foreclosure rates rising across the nation, more and more homes have stood empty for months, attracting thieves, vagrants and vandals, police report.

One high-profile California home, vacant for a few days, was hit particularly hard -- stripped of nearly $1 million worth of fixtures, from antique doors to toilets.

It was once one of the most magnificent mansions in San Diego, with 15 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. It was so spectacular it didn't have only an address, it had a name: Vivienda.

The mansion is now in foreclosure, and it's a shell of its former self -- literally. Thieves have stripped the mansion bare. Fixtures, appliances, everything is gone.

"We have a very large high-end theft, almost a million dollars," said Steven Ashkar, a detective with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

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Neighbors can't figure out how thieves managed to strip the mansion undetected.

"How would someone do that, that's the question," said neighbor John Schumate. "Our dogs would bark like crazy."

Neighbors noticed a suspicious vehicle in the driveway, and it was after that that a real estate agent discovered that everything from toilet seats to the magnificent front door had been stolen.

Chevy Chase Bank, which now owns the house, reported the theft March 26. Initially, the criminals were estimated to have stolen only $250,000 worth of fixtures, appliances, doors, toilets and equipment from the mansion -- well more than the cost of most homes. But after further investigation, that figure climbed to $1 million, according to police.

Now they are are hot on the case of missing toilets.

"It appears that's my job right now, so I'm going to do it to the best of my abilities," Ashkar said.