Battle Ground families fear homelessness after their landlord is arrested on murder and tax charges

Steven Miller, 35, was shocked when he clicked on The Columbian’s website in February. Beneath the headline, “Vancouver man suspected of attempted murder held on $1.5 million bail,” was a photo of his landlord.

A month later, not only was local businessman Keith M. Altamirano, 52, accused of trying to murder his own son; he was in custody on federal fraud charges in connection with his local tax-preparation business, which allegedly caused $5 million in tax losses.

“It amazed me. It was just one thing after the other,” Miller said. “With him gone, what does that do for us?”

After experiencing homelessness and extreme hardship, Miller and his family had finally become comfortable in Altamirano’s Battle Ground rental house. But could they suddenly be forced to leave if the federal government seized the house to recoup any losses?

The extraordinary situation has left the family and their roommates fearful and uncertain.

The tenants

In a November promotional video for the local nonprofit Council for the Homeless, Miller wrung his hands as his wife, 28-year-old Brooklyn Miller, explained how he had nearly died.

On Jan. 4, 2023, Steven Miller, a Vancouver security officer, suddenly collapsed at a friend’s house while experiencing a severe stroke and brain aneurysm. He likely wouldn’t make it, intensive care unit doctors told his wife. Their baby was due in two months.

“I’m scared and have no idea how I’m going to take care of my family,” Brooklyn Miller posted that day on Facebook.

With no medical insurance, few savings and a recent rent hike, Brooklyn Miller was terrified. She was employed as a security officer as well, but her wages couldn’t cover everything. Plus, she already had two young children to care for.

Miraculously, Steven Miller survived. But the tribulations weren’t over. The family sold everything they could to cover the bills while he recovered. Still, they became homeless and lived in a trailer on the street.

Council for the Homeless helped them get into a two-bedroom apartment in Washougal, which is where they met Amanda and Ole Valadez, 53 and 50, respectively. They became friends, and the Miller children immediately took a liking to the couple, calling them “grandma” and “grandpa.”

After the rent went up in their apartment building in October, the families decided to split the rent on a house, where they’d have more space for their children and dogs for cheaper.

They met with Altamirano, who owns four homes in Clark County, according to property records. Altamirano showed the families a four-bedroom rental house in Battle Ground advertised for $2,850 a month, which is on the low end for the Battle Ground area, according to listing sites. He said he would accommodate the families’ combined six dogs for a $3,500 pet deposit. So, they signed a lease.

“We were desperate for this place,” Amanda Valadez said. “I thought this was the last spot we’d move to for a while.”

Just five months later, the families are packing and looking over their shoulders.

The landlord

While the Millers tucked their children into bed on Feb. 18, Altamirano’s son lay seriously injured beside a pool of blood, his yellow motorcycle torn in half at the intersection of Southeast Evergreen Highway and Chelsea Avenue.

Officers said a white Audi abandoned at the crash site was registered to Altamirano, who lived about half a mile east. The vehicle was covered in scrapes and what appeared to be blood, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Altamirano told officers he wasn’t driving the Audi, according to court records. Still, he told police his son was selling drugs and had stolen thousands of dollars from him, according to the affidavit.

Police arrested Altamirano and found he had nearly $10,000 in cash, two cellphones and a baggie with a large amount of crushed blue pills, the affidavit states. Altamirano has pleaded not guilty to first-degree attempted murder, hit-and-run resulting in injury, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver.

While out on bail on March 18, Altamirano was arrested again — this time on federal fraud charges in connection with his Vancouver tax-preparation business, Integrity Investments, also known as Servicios Latinos.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that between 2017 and 2021, Altamirano prepared more than 12,000 tax returns, and his fraudulent practices amounted to $5 million in tax loss to the U.S. Treasury.

Altamirano remains in federal custody.

‘I don’t feel safe’

After reading the accusations against Altamirano, the Miller and Valadez families began to panic. They’d heard of cases where the IRS seized people’s assets in criminal tax fraud cases.

With a possible $5 million tax loss, does that put their home in jeopardy? Would they receive any warning before being forced to leave?

No one seemed to have any answers for them.

An IRS spokesperson declined to answer The Columbian’s questions about what precautions the agency would take when seizing a rental home with tenants. There seem to be no published guidelines or procedures relating to such a situation.

IRS documents do say the agency will announce a pending sale of a seized house to the public through flyers or newspapers. After that, the IRS generally waits 10 days before selling the property, according to its documents.

The IRS manual also states that its Property Appraisal and Liquidation Specialists will offer the property to buyers “as is.”

Generally speaking, any new owner of a rental home would need to follow eviction procedures under Washington law, said Carl Snodgrass, a Vancouver attorney for the Northwest Justice Project.

Although they may not have to move immediately, the families want to.

“I don’t feel safe anymore,” Amanda Valadez said.

They’ve seen cars slowly drive by and people sitting in parked cars outside their house. For the past month and a half, people have been sporadically knocking on the door in the night, the families say, asking for Altamirano or the names of people they don’t know.

“We’re just worried,” Amanda Valadez said. “Who is coming to the door?”

The families aren’t sure what they’ll do next. They want to stay in Battle Ground so the Miller children can attend the same schools, but affordable rental homes that allow dogs are hard to come by in the area.

Plus, with Altamirano in custody, they have no idea how he’ll return their rental and pet deposits, which total $5,500, they said.

“If I could get enough help, I would ideally like to get our own place, save enough money to buy a house,” Steven Miller said. “I’m tired of this. … I just want something safe for our kids.”