Ken Mattson Crashes Car in Sonoma County

Ken Mattson, the Sonoma County real estate developer at the center of a high-profile Ponzi scheme lawsuit, was involved in a terrifying car crash near his home in Sonoma.

Mattson was driving a 2025 GMC Sierra last Friday at around 2:15 p.m. when he plowed through a gate and fence, then drove through a horse pasture and crashed into a tree, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The accident happened near Mattson’s home in Sonoma on Vineyard Lane at Bartholomew Road, near the historic Haraszthy Villa and Bartholomew Estate Winery. Mattson was out on $4 million bail with pending federal charges at the time of the crash.

The embattled developer walked away with “virtually no injuries,” according to California Highway Patrol. Still, he was airlifted by helicopter to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital regional trauma center to be evaluated.

California Highway Patrol spokesperson Marc Renspurger said the report on the accident hadn’t been completed yet and wasn’t able to offer further details such as the suspected speed or whether any drunk driving tests were conducted at the scene.

Mattson’s gated Castle Rock home was raided by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents last year. Mattson stands accused by his former business partner Timothy LeFever of siphoning money out of their business accounts into his own personal ones. Investors have accused the developer of taking their money, saying the life savings they invested with him are seemingly gone.

In May, federal authorities arrested Mattson and accused him of participating in “a classic Ponzi scheme” to steal tens of millions of dollars from hundreds of retirees and others who trusted him to invest their life savings, according to the Chronicle. Mattson pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges that month, including wire fraud and money laundering. He continues to maintain his innocence.

At their peak, Mattson and LeFever had amassed a portfolio of properties across Sonoma County worth more than $146 million, which included historic homes and businesses in California’s wine country. They also held properties in the Sacramento area and Southern California with an estimated value of about $413 million.

— Chris Malone Méndez