Ex-Erie trustee arrested in adoption agency probe

Ex-Erie trustee arrested in adoption agency probe

By Heath Urie (Contact)

Originally published 10:35 a.m., March 27, 2008

Updated 10:35 a.m., March 27, 2008

Boulder County Sheriff's Office

Lisa Novak

The CEO of a defunct Boulder-based international adoption agency was

arrested late Wednesday at her Erie home on suspicion that she stole

tens of thousands of dollars from hopeful adoptive families.

Lisa Novak, a former Erie trustee, faces charges that she stole more

than $20,000 from one of her clients and between $500 and $15,000

from another family. Detectives also allege Novak wrote a bad check

to a Guatemala adoption agency.

All of the charges are felonies, Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah

Huntley said today.

Novak was released from the Boulder County Jail this morning on

$10,000 bond, officials said.

Boulder police began investigating the business practices of the

Claar Foundation after it closed its doors in February in the face of

mounting complaints and lawsuits.

In its various incarnations, the Claar Foundation — started by Novak

and her husband, Martin Claar — has been successfully sued several

times over its financial dealings. Novak and Claar operated several

businesses from an office located at 4141 Arapahoe Ave.

Contacted this morning, Claar said neither he nor his wife wanted to

comment about the case.

Novak in February said the claims against her and the company had "no

validity," and later wrote a letter to the Camera.

"There is nothing illegal in owning or operating more than one

company," Novak wrote in the Feb. 18 letter. "No assets were ever

transferred from Claar Foundation to the other companies. A simple

review of the audited financial records proves that. Likewise, there

is nothing illegal about closing a business that is not financially

viable."

Novak is due in court on April 4.