Fresno – Granville Homes, one of the region’s largest homebuilders, is now the subject of a second whistleblower lawsuit filed by former controller Aleksey Dvorkin. In an email sent on April 8, Dvorkin warned the company’s leadership that its reviewed financial statements for 2023 and 2024 “may have been materially misstated,” and requested whistleblower protection.
Allegations of retaliation and data theft
When Dvorkin returned to the office the next morning, he found his badge deactivated. An employee escorted him to a conference room where he met Granville’s chief financial officer and owner Darius Assemi. According to court filings, the meeting on April 9 was described by Assemi as a routine discussion of Dvorkin’s email.
Dvorkin’s lawsuit, filed in July, claims he endured an hour of unfounded accusations, personal attacks, and threats to his CPA license – a classic case of “circling the wagon,” he wrote. He says he was then left isolated in the conference room for approximately six hours without purpose. The following day, a colleague responded to his greeting with a profane “Fuck you” and a middle finger.
Four days later, Granville terminated Dvorkin and sued him for allegedly walking off with confidential company files.
Previous whistleblower case adds context
Dvorkin is the second finance executive to bring a complaint against Granville this year. Two months after Dvorkin’s April meeting, former CFO Ryan Toncheff was also dismissed and filed his own lawsuit in June. Toncheff’s claims were moved to private arbitration under an agreement he signed shortly after the April incident, meaning the details of his allegations remain largely out of the public record.
Toncheff alleges that Granville used corporate cash—roughly $14‑$16 million—to purchase Mission Ranch, a 330‑acre parcel in southwest Fresno, through a concealed nominee or “straw” purchaser. He contends the buyer was an entity created weeks before the sale by a longtime associate of the Assemi family, and that ownership interests were later transferred to companies controlled by Assemi. According to Toncheff, the transaction allowed the family to quietly reacquire land lost to creditors.
Family background and financial pressures
The Assemi family has long been a fixture in Fresno’s agricultural and real‑estate sectors. In the late 2010s, their attempt to build a pistachio‑processing plant failed, and in 2024 the family defaulted on more than $700 million in agricultural debt. A federal judge placed roughly 50,000 acres under a court‑appointed receiver, who has been selling the land in lots.
Granville’s owner, Darius Assemi, initially asserted that the homebuilding arm was separate from the family’s agricultural operations. However, Toncheff’s lawsuit suggests the homebuilder became the family’s “last working checkbook.” Assemi denies the core claim that Granville is insolvent, stating the company will continue operating for many years.
Company’s response and internal warnings
Granville’s attorney, Howard Sagaser, argues Toncheff’s financial model was constructed after his grievance and calibrated to a predetermined outcome, lacking merit. Sagaser also notes that Toncheff’s prediction of Granville running out of money by August 2026 was false because it failed to account for a $10 million loan paydown from home sales.
According to court filings, Dvorkin was warned early in his tenure that the controller’s position had been “turbulent,” with two prior controllers departing under “strange circumstances.” He was told the owner was “very retaliatory” and had previously cut wages and demoted employees who did not comply with his wishes.
Dvorki n further alleges that the company carried an $800,000 note from local developer Gary McDonald on its books as an asset for years after payments stopped, a claim McDonald denied knowing any dispute.
What’s next?
Both lawsuits remain pending. Dvorkin’s case continues in Fresno County Superior Court, while Toncheff’s claims are being resolved through private arbitration. Granville Homes has not provided comment on the allegations, and Assemi could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
The outcomes of these cases could have significant implications for the transparency of financial reporting at local homebuilders and for the broader reputation of the Assemi family’s business interests in Fresno.
Original reporting: Fresnoland — read the source article.
