Chicago Property Manager Alan P. Gold Pleaded Guilty After Charges He Skimmed Condo Association Funds

Case from 2016–2018 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: Nov. 14, 2016; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Alan P. Gold, owner and operator of Chicago-based A.P. Gold Realty & Management Inc., was charged in November 2016 with mail fraud for allegedly pocketing more than $150,000 in improper fees from a condominium association in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The complaint said he was also suspected of taking about $750,000 more from eight other Chicago condo associations [1].

Outcome: Gold pleaded guilty on Aug. 29, 2017, and U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso sentenced him on March 21, 2018, with judgment entered March 27, 2018, according to the court docket [2]. We did not find the terms of the sentence in the docket entries or public reports we reviewed.

Not to be confused with Alan H. Gold, a Wilmette investment adviser prosecuted in a separate case.

What prosecutors alleged

According to the criminal complaint, as summarized by prosecutors [1]:

1. Control of the accounts: Gold had signature authority over the Edgewater association's bank accounts and was supposed to draw a monthly management fee of $650.
2. Double-dipping: He allegedly overbilled by writing himself multiple $650 checks in the same month.
3. Raiding reserves: He allegedly tapped the association's reserve fund to write much larger checks to himself.
4. Cover-up: He allegedly sent the associations fake monthly statements showing higher balances than they actually had.

The complaint said Gold took about $154,271 from the Edgewater association between 2010 and 2014 and treated other associations the same way [1].

The person charged

Alan P. Gold, of Chicago (65 when charged)

• Complaint (November 2016): one count of mail fraud. He was arrested Nov. 9, 2016, and released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond [1].
• Plea (Aug. 29, 2017): guilty, according to the docket [2].
• Sentencing (March 21, 2018): sentencing held; judgment entered March 27, 2018; terms not found [2].
• Investigation: FBI Chicago [1].

Red flags for condo and HOA boards

• One person with sole signature authority over operating and reserve accounts.
• Statements prepared by the manager instead of copies straight from the bank.
• Several management-fee payments in a single month.
• Reserve balances that never seem to grow even though assessments come in.

What to do

1. Require two board signatures for reserve-fund withdrawals and large checks.
2. Have bank statements sent directly to a board officer, and reconcile them against the manager's reports every month.
3. Get an annual independent audit, and report suspected theft to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov and local police.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Alan P. Gold, Chicago	N.D. Ill. (Judge Alonso)	Charged November 2016 with mail fraud; pleaded guilty Aug. 29, 2017; sentenced March 21, 2018 (terms not found)	[1], [2]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Property Manager Charged with Fraudulently Pocketing Fees from Chicago Condominium Association," Nov. 14, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/property-manager-charged-fraudulently-pocketing-fees-chicago-condominium-association
2. CourtListener, docket for United States v. Gold, No. 1:16-cr-00728 (N.D. Ill.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5640502/united-states-v-gold/

---

Corrections and updates: If you are named in this article, or represent someone who is, and believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date (including a dismissal, acquittal, or change in case status), please contact us at editorandchief@scammers.com. We will review it and update the article promptly.