Rep. Brad Sherman plans to hand the Bee & Co. fraud allegations to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The escalation follows a CBS California Investigates report detailing how sales staff allegedly drained a disabled customer’s savings at Westfield Topanga. This isn’t about a bad product. It’s about a $50,000 hole in Victor Chisholm’s bank account.
Chisholm, a man with an intellectual disability, told CBS LA he felt cornered by a saleswoman who used compliments and flattery to pressure him. "Uh, no. I did not," Chisholm said when asked if he wanted to spend that amount. He spent it anyway. The tactic worked because he felt vulnerable. That vulnerability is exactly what the sales scripts seem to target.
Gabe Cota, who has a learning disability, describes a similar trap. He walked into a Bee & Co. store for a free sample and a kind word. He walked out $3,000 lighter. "At that point, I was basically in their web, and I couldn't escape until they made a sale," Cota said. He even locked his debit card to stop the bleeding. The salesperson convinced him to send $300 via Zelle instead. The persistence is staggering. It’s predatory.
Bee & Co., owned by Chatsworth-based Mazal Group, denies everything. In an email to Chisholm’s attorney, Fred Voigtmann, company lawyer Efrat Levy called the customer’s behavior "harassing and inappropriate." They offered to refund Chisholm if he deleted his online reviews. They also demanded he send a letter to Westfield stating that Voigtmann "did not know what actually took place." Westfield called the reported treatment "deeply troubling" and is now evaluating legal remedies. The mall is scared of the reputational hit.
This isn't the first time Mazal has faced legal trouble. In Hawaii, the company settled a class-action lawsuit with over 100 customers who alleged nearly $1 million in losses from deceptive practices. A separate Mazal-affiliated store, Lionesse, settled an elder abuse case in Sherman Oaks in 2024. Now, Sherman is looking at the broader picture. "This is a reputational risk, perhaps even a legal risk for the mall," he said. The Attorney General’s office has not yet confirmed if it will open a formal investigation. Voigtmann has launched a website for other victims to report their experiences. The next move is in Bonta’s court.