Erika Cronholm AmErika Arabians, Erika Olson, Angela Olson, Erika's Equestrian Sports, Angela's Hallcrest Farm fraud & theft by deception Internet, Washington

In the fall of 2007, Erika Cronholm had a horse named RWR Sonora advertised on dreamhorse.com and several other horse classified sites. I followed the links toErika's website and Sonora's page at:cache:AtyvKr430nEJ:supernaturalhorsemanship.com/pages/HORSE_view.cfm?id=26 "rwrsonora - Google Search and she was also listed on this website of Erika Cronholm's http://www.trainmyhorse.com/pages/horse_list2.cfm She advertised RWR Sonora's breeding as (Sirokko Shaklan x D CR Sasha by KimraeBeau) and her description taken from her website: "2005 Bay Sabino Pinto filly. Extremely rare and beautiful Tobiano markings in a purebred Arabian! This filly is gorgeous and loves people too. She will make an excellent Western Pleasure prospect or add her to your Sabino breeding program. Her bloodlines include such Greats as *El Shaklan, *Pattrone, and Comar Bay Beau+++, all close up! This filly is one of a kind! Private Treaty."

Since we breed purebred pinto Arabians, we wanted Sonora for our breeding program based on her PUREBRED status, COLOR and stated bloodlines. She was registered with the AHA and had been DNA verified according to the registry and Erika Cronholm. She was advertised for sale at Private Treaty (actually $10,000).There was a lot of controversy about this mare as her tobiano color is not supposed to exist in purebred Arabians. I was cautious about her since she was controversial. I first contacted Erika Cronholm and expressed our interest in RWR Sonora but did question her about Sonora's papers since a lot of people were saying there was no way Sonora was purebred. Erika assured me that Sonora was 100% purebred Arabian, that her AHA papers were good and refered me to Sonora's breeders: Killian and Drena Dill.

A few red flags immediately flared up. RWR Sonora's breeder was listed as D CRuda, not Killian and Drena Dill. Secondly, the AHA papers did not have her tobiano markings shown under her markings-they didn't show or mentain any body white at all. I managed to track down the Dills and got told that they purchased Sonora's dam, D R Sasha from an Arabian rescue as DC Ruda was dead and that the executor of DC Ruda's estate signed off on the papers to register RWR Sonora. The Dills stated that RWR Sonora was 100% Arabian and that there were no problems about her papers. The Dills claimed they did put all the markings on RWR Sonora's registration forms but that the AHA must not have put them on, since we've had problems with the AHA not including all our horses body markings this was plausable. I then talked to the AHA registry and they confirmed that RWR Sonora was registered and told me there were no problems with the papers.

So in January 2008 we made arrangements to purchased RWR Sonora from Erika Cronholm. We mailed her a $1000 deposit and origionally were supposed to make payments on the rest of her purchase price of $10,000. Erika Cronholm agreed to board RWR Sonora until the Washington passes cleared so I could pick her up.

Due to the continued controversy over RWR Sonora, the AHA suddenly requested to redo her DNA to reconfirm her parentage and asked if they could do color tests on her as well. They contacted Erika Cronholm and she was supposed to submit the DNA prior to us picking RWR Sonora up from her in the spring. From January to April, the AHA sent Erika Cronholm several DNA test kits but she claimed she never got any....Meanwhile, in February 2008 I got an email from a woman named JJ who told me that she had proof RWR Sonora was NOT purebred and that Sonora's papers would be pulled by the AHA. I did not know this person, but her email was alarming so I contacted Erika Cronholm and then Killian Dill. Erika and Killian BOTH told me that JJ had tried to purchase RWR Sonora previously and that her email was a case of sour grapes and not a legitimate claim. Erika and Killiam BOTH assured me that RWR Sonora was 100% purebred and there would be no problems with her AHA papers now or ever. I was reasured (unfortunately).

In March, the AHA contacted me and asked if they could do bloodtyping as well asDNA on RWR Sonora. I contacted Erika Cronholm again and she said not a problem but again did not submit any of the bloodtyping or DNA kits sent to her by the AHA. Instead her additude changed from "pick up once the weather clears" to come and get her NOW! She also dropped Sonora's price to $6,000 if we could pay for her in full at pick up instead of making payments. I was alarmed by her change in additude but she explained it away by saying she had new boarders coming in and need the space. She continued to claim that the AHA had not sent her any of the bloodtyping or DNA kits. Erika told me that it was not a big deal if thebloodtyping or DNA didn't get done on her end as she "quaranteed that RWR Sonora is purebred and by the parents shown on her papers."

Due to Erika's pushing, I went early and picked Sonora up on April 26, 2008 after going through a major snowstorm and taking out the hitch on my truck b yhitting a rock going through a very bad mountain pass. I paid her the final $5000 on pickup. We got back to Pennsyvania, May 1, 2008 to find that in my absence my blind pony had been murdered (which may not have happened if I hadn't been gone to pick up RWR Sonora). The trip cost me $3500 in travelling expenses, 9 days of my time, plus over $600 to fix the hitch that wouldnt' have been busted if I hadn't been forced to go through a snow filled mountain pass.

It took a while for me to get our veterinarian out to draw blood on RWR Sonora so the blood was submitted in February 2009, DNA was submitted by me in June 2008. Meanwhile the AHA had demanded blood from the reported dam and sire of RWR Sonora from the Dills. I let the Dills and Erika Cronholm know that the blood had been submitted and was again reassured there would be no problems.

On September 5, 2009 I recieved a noticed from the AHA that RWR Sonora was not purebred as the reported dam, D CR Sasha, was NOT her mother. That the DNA that had been submited by the Dills for D CR Sasha was not in fact from D CR Sasha.The AHA had compared the blood drawn by the Dills in 2008 to the blood submittedby D C Ruda in 1991 and the blood was NOT from the same horse. The Dills did not know that Ruda has submitted blood in 1991 for D CR Sasha. That RWR Sonora's papers were being pulled and she was not eligible for purebred or part-Arab registration. The notice was sent to Erika Cronholm and was CC'd to us and to the Dills.

I immediately called Erika Cronholm about this notice on September 5, 2009. She did not seem surprised, and instead was very "what's the big deal" about it. I was shocked and dismayed. I told her that we wanted our money back as we were guaranteed Sonora's papers wouldn't be pulled and guaranteed by her that Sonora was purebred. Now I wanted her to followup with that guarantee! She requested a week to talk to the registry and her attorney which I did not have a problem with. From that point on Erika Cronholm dodged my calls and emails and refusedto respond to my attempts to contact her. Then I got contacted by her attorney,S M. I spoke to SM twice. The first time he claimed he had to talk to Erikaabout what we wanted, even though I had been plain about wanting our money back.The second time, he made empty threats and tried to imtimidate me into going away.

So we contacted an attorney to represent us with them. SM continued his bizarre behavior with our attorney and it was revealed that SM is Erika Cronholm's partner. In December 2009, our attorney filed a criminal complaint on our behalf against Erika Cronholm and SM for fraud and theft by deception.

We are now waiting to see how the district attorney proceeds with the criminal complaint. In the meantime, I have spoken to JJ and gotten a few more facts. D C Ruda'ssister is L N and LN was the executor of DC Ruda's estate. Being an elderly woman, LN had her family friend JJ assist with the horse part of DC Ruda's estate. D CR Sasha was stolen from DC Ruda and was illegally sold to the Dills. The Dills are aware that D CR Sasha was stolen and they refused to return her to LN when LN requested her return. LN did NOT sign off on RWR Sonora's papers; DC Ruda's signature was forged on the papers and LN has been fighting RWR Sonora's registration from the beginning (since 2005). The reason the AHA suddenly wanted to do bloodtyping was because LN was fighting RWR Sonora's registration. JJ knows the horses that were owned by DC Ruda as she often helped him with his farm and she told me that RWR Sonora's dam is in fact an unregistered mare by an Paint stallion that bred D CR Sasha to produce Sonora's dam. The Dills bought both the unregistered daughter of D CR Sasha and D CR Sasha when both horses were stolen from DC Ruda. JJ attempted to get the stolen horses back and was helping LN fight the fraudulent registration of resulting foals after the horses were stolen.

JJ contacted Erika Cronholm the same time she contacted me about RWR Sonora in February 2008. JJ contacted Erika on behalf of LN and told her flat out that the mare was not purebred, that they were fighting her registration and that they would do what ever it took to get Sonrora's papers pulled since she is not purebred. So Erika definately knew RWR Sonora was not purebred prior to us purchasing the mare.

Those are the facts in this situation so far.