Fitness influencer's decision to buy condo with best friend descends into hellish nightmare
A California fitness influencer is riddled with regret after his decision to buy a condo with his best friend horribly backfired.
Deano Sutter, 50, returned from a 'less than 24-hour trip' on Saturday to a nightmare inside his West Hollywood home, which he co-owns with his former long-time friend.
The pair's shared condo had been completely ransacked and all of Sutter's belongings had disappeared, including his clothes, underwear, furniture and even the container for his protein powder.
Sutter alleges his once-friend - and housemate - cleaned out his side of the unit while he was out of town.
'Cut the power. Disabled the cameras. Stole everything,' Sutter wrote in a Facebook post addressing the robbery.
'All my clothes … even my underwear. My new Go Pro, new Instant Pot and new Ninja blender, monitor, all cords and even my internet. Literally all my medications. And worst of all - the few keepsakes I had from mum and my dad’s burial flag,' he added.
Sutter, who is a mindset coach with a large social media following, says he split ownership of the property with his long-time friend 'in order to save him from bankruptcy.'
'I had invested, initially, with him in order to save him from going into bankruptcy, because he's been a friend for 15 years,' Sutter told ABC7.
Deano Sutter, 50, returned from a 'less than 24-hour trip' on Saturday to a 'nightmare' inside his West Hollywood home, which he co-owns with his long-time friend, as the shared condo was completely ransacked and all of his belongings gone
The famous fitness influencer shared before and after pictures of the emptied out West Holywood condo
Sutter, who is a mindset coach with a large social media following, says he split ownership of the property with his long-time friend 'in order to save him from bankruptcy.' Pictured: Sutter's remaining belongings arranged haphazardly inside the West Hollywood home
However, the fitness influencer said the trouble between the duo only began last November when his friend stopped paying his part of the mortgage - and things only escalated from there.
The day before the brazen robbery, Sutter 'tried to get a temporary restraining order' against his housemate, however, he was turned away and asked to provide 'more information.'
'I tried to get a temporary restraining order against him. Twenty pages of paperwork. Four lines to explain a year of harassment,' Sutter said.
'No seeing the judge. Just “need more information" because nothing says “urgent” like an almost month wait. The next day … he broke in.'
Sutter said the condo's door was 'screwed shut from the inside' and that he was also locked out of the common area and the shared bathroom.
'He screwed the door shut from the inside … Like some twisted HGTV project called “How to Make a Home Inaccessible,"' the outraged Facebook post continued.
Hours later, Sutter said the co-owner sent him a letter demanding $2,000 to return all his belongings.
'Later, I received a ransom email from a fake email address he’s used before: “Send David $2,000 if you want your stuff back,"' he wrote.
'The police came and now I’m knee-deep in digital forms, report uploads, and emotional duct tape - again. Because justice, apparently, comes with a login portal.
'It's been a nightmare. It has been a constantly-escalating harassment,' Sutter said.
Sutter believes his former friend, who was seen on camera rearranging Sutter's remaining belongings, is suffering from mental health challenges and that he now fears for his safety.
Sutter's housemate, and long-time friend, was caught on home surveillance rearranging Sutter's remaining belongings after he allegedly stole the rest of his possessions
All of his clothes, including his underwear, furniture and even the container for his protein powder were all stolen (pictured)
'All my clothes … even my underwear. My new go pro, new instapot and new ninja blender, monitor, all cords and even my internet. Literally all my medications. And worst of all - the few keepsakes I had from mum and my dad’s burial flag,' Sutter wrote
'This isn’t just about being robbed. It’s about feeling violated by the process, too,' the influencer wrote.
Sutter's shared condo is now likely headed to foreclosure as he tries legal action to force a sale.
Now, Sutter says all he wants is for the nightmare to end, and to warn others to always protect themselves when it comes to buying property with someone else.
'One of my big takeaways is you always, always, always get everything written. For the agreements about the space, about everything,' he said.
'Especially when there's money and real estate involved. Home is supposed to be your safe space, and this has been anything but safe and comforting.'
Police are investigating Sutter's roommate for grand theft as he seeks a temporary restraining order and tries to move forward with the sale of the condo.
