Elder Abuse Case Against Healthy Traditions Owner Raises Questions As To The Dire Reality Of Abuse Against The Last Of The Baby Boomers
Wisconsin Eagle/10331939

FRESNO, Calif. - WisconsinEagle -- As per the California Department of Aging, "Elder abuse is on the rise in California. More than 200,000 older and dependent adult abuse cases are reported in California each year, and it's believed that abuse of older adults is significantly under reported." Elder abuse and exploitation is, undeniably, a completely nonpartisan issue, since the fact of growing old is an inevitable reality for all Americans, no matter which side of the political aisle they adhere to.

As the last group of Baby Boomers, those born between 1947 and 1964, most of whom are well into their mid-60's and, when one looks at the earliest-born of that Generation, have already passed away, it is critical that the innumerable and horrific cases of various kinds of abuse and exploitation against this diminishing population of Americans is brought to the front and center of the judicial system, the political system and, equally as important, in the forefront of the American media.

In Springville, California, a CNS (Census-Designated Place) in Tulare County, just 267 miles from San Francisco, a severe Case of elder abuse, including financial exploitation, intimidation, as well as alleged civil conspiracy and grand theft, has culminated in a brutal attempt to force a 65 year-old, American-born business owner out of his long-standing rental home, one in which he has personally invested more than $300,000 in making ecological and self-sustaining renovations and improvements, has now been brought to the attention of Attorney General Rob Bonta's Division of Medi-Cal and Elder Abuse, the Office of Senator Adam Schiff, the Office of Senator Alex Padilla and the Civil Rights Department of The State of California.

Mr. Brian Shilhavy, the Founder and Owner of Healthy Traditions, previously known as "Tropical Traditions", as they were the first company to import virgin coconut oil into the U.S. from the Philippines back in 2002, as well as being a company which, for more than 20 years, continues to supply to their customers, a range of high-quality, all natural food products, natural pet food products, natural and safe cleaning products, grass-fed beef, bison, poultry, etc, as well as many other products for health and life-sustenance, is the most recent target of a case of elder abuse, in the form of alleged personal intimidation, financial exploitation, grand theft and civil conspiracy.

Mr. Shilhavy has, for more than two decades, not only provided his wonderful products to tens of thousands of customers, but has also been selfless in his furthering employment of the many people who have worked for or under independent contract with his company for 20+ years.

The Case of Mr. Shilhavy, despite it being one of the 200,000 reported Cases of Elder abuse in California annually, highlights the serious holes in the elder care system, the potential for malicious and brutal attacks of various kinds against the most vulnerable in our society, most of whom live on their own, often estranged from their families, or in over-crowded, improperly-staffed elder care facilities.

Mr. Shilhavy, 65 years old and in fragile respiratory, gastroenterology and cardiac health, due to the extreme stress caused by the recent events, and despite being not only an on-time rent-paying, non-problematic tenant, not to mention a 20+ year business partner and dear friend with the individuals seeking to now, clearly in a mode of retaliation to changes that were made in the Board of Directors Seats in Mr. Shilhavy's company, force Mr. Shilhavy to vacate his home by the 25th of March, having served him with a 60-day, Owner Move-In (OMI) Eviction Notice, has made the decision to strike back, not only within the legal system to defend his own rights, but also by bringing his dire predicament to the attention of Attorney General, Rob Bonta, as well as Senator Schiff and Senator Padilla, Civil Rights Department of The State of California, and, most importantly, to the media, hence to the American people.

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Elder Abuse Media contacted Mr. Shilhavy and asked him a few questions:

ELDER ABUSE MEDIA: We understand that during the same period in which you were served with your Notice To Vacate your long-time rental home and leave your property, that your motorhome was stolen from your property when you were away from your home during one afternoon, by the Parties involved in attempting to evict you, as well as the fact that the same individuals who are attempting to now abruptly evict you also, with the accompaniment of a local Sheriff's Deputy, trespassed on your property, to further demand that you surrender the keys to your only other means of transportation and, on that very same occasion, served you with your Notice of Eviction? How has this affected your physical and emotional health and overall well being? Do you feel you are being intimidated to just give in to their demands to get you out of your home and do what they are demanding of you?

MR. BRIAN SHILHAVY: That was definitely one of the most traumatic days of my life. They had stolen the very vehicle that they helped me purchase so that I had a vehicle to use in case of fires or any other natural disasters that would have required me to evacuate, and then they came back to get my main vehicle I use locally, and have owned for 6 years, by apparently lying to the Sheriff Deputy that they owned it, since they maintained the title and registration with their name on it.

It was on a Sunday afternoon, and I informed the Sheriff deputy that I actually owned the vehicle, and could prove it, and that they were trespassing as they had never given me any notice that they were coming onto the property, as is required by law for landlords.

The deputy refused to intervene as I requested, stating that he would not stop them from calling AAA to tow my vehicle away if I did not surrender the keys. I asked if I could at least have a day or so to get a rental vehicle, and the deputy said I had to work it out with Daniel Garcia, Travis Wales' son-in-law, who was there with Travis' biological son Travis Wales Jr.

Daniel called Travis on the phone, and Travis apparently told him "no", and they threatened to call California Highway Patrol (CHP) and report the car stolen if I did not turn over the keys.

Dealing with a Sheriff deputy who came on my property without proper cause and was fully armed and open carrying, and knowing full well that probably both Daniel and Travis Jr. were more likely conceal carrying, I was powerless to oppose them

Daniel in the past has frequently hosted classes to get a CCW (conceal carry weapon) license taught by a local policeman, and Travis Jr. is a military veteran and former sheriff deputy himself in another state, who told me that the county sheriff here where we live had also offered him a job as a deputy in this county, although he refused.

And then on top of all that stress, Daniel Garcia served me with an eviction notice to leave the property within 60 days.

That day and every day after that I woke every morning and checked to see if I still had my car (CHP never came as they threatened), wondering what else they might steal off the property I was living on, and had been living on for the past 6 years since COVID, which we also used for my Healthy Traditions business which they both worked for as we stored inventory and other equipment here.

So yes, their intimidation tactics had a profound effect on my emotional and physical health. Every day I had to continue running Healthy Traditions (HT) and writing and publishing articles for Health Impact News (HIN).

ELDER ABUSE MEDIA: Why do you feel this eviction notice was truly served on you, i.e the timing of it, how it was served to you and by whom, and with regard to the recent changes made in the Board of Directors of your Company?

MR. BRIAN SHILHAVY: They formerly had wanted to triple my rent, which would have put a burden on my company (HT) which also uses the property for business purposes. When I refused and countered with an offer that was more in line with other rental properties in the area, they first threatened to evict me, then changed their mind and said they were going to sell the house and that HT had the opportunity to buy it, which we were in the process of trying to do, but then changed their mind again and issued the eviction notice when they came to steal my vehicles.

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This is all about money. Travis Wales and the company he and Daniel use, submitted their last invoice of 2025 with a few thousand dollars added for "service fees" that we had never previously paid, and refused to pay on this one. So for that, they came to steal my vehicles, and evict me from my property.

All of this started in September of 2025 when the Board of Directors for HT voted to exclude Travis Wales from HT, due to "conflict of interest" in using his member on the Board to fund his own companies, and due to "failure to discharge his duties".

ELDER ABUSE MEDIA: What will you do if you are evicted, both personally and with regard to your company, and where will you go, figuratively-speaking, if not actually, and how will you be able to keep running your business if you lose your home?

MR. BRIAN SHILHAVY: Travis Wales and Daniel Garcia know full well what will happen to me if they evict me.

The first time Travis Wales threatened to evict me in 2025, this is what I wrote in response on 10/9/2025:

I have, of course, through the course of my career, been threatened with legal action many times, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that someone who has called me "brother" for so many years, would do something like this to me.

I turned 65 years old this year, and my health took a major turn for the worse this summer, with severe problems with high blood pressure and asthma. I have nowhere to move to, and have poured my life into this ministry for over 23 years, giving you a steady revenue stream for years that allowed you and your family to move here from Frazier Park, and have a secure place to raise your family.

I am more than willing to negotiate a fair increase in rent, even beyond what the law limits you to, but I will not be intimidated by your legal threats.

Please repent of this Travis. I have nowhere else to go, and this is the only place where I can currently live in peace and safety, even when chaos hits (and it WILL hit, probably soon) as I have back up power and food stored here.

Why would you want to take all of that away from me, and kick me out just over a new dispute about money that you only brought up in 2024? How would Healthy Traditions even survive, and is that really the way you want to leave this ministry, by destroying it? Tens of thousands of people across the U.S. would be affected by this, if you follow through with your threat.

If you want to proceed with honest negotiations, please remove the threat to evict me, and the threat to throw an old man out after all the years I have served you and your family.

I have nowhere to go, and therefore the end of my writing ministry and the end of my online store is now in danger, and Travis Wales and Daniel Garcia know that full well, as they worked for me for years.

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ElderAbuseMedia.com, a recently-founded organization whose sole mission is to bring to the attention of the American people, the judicial system, State and Federal politicians and the National media, the dire predicament in which elderly persons such as Mr. Shilhavy are finding themselves every day in our Country and the irrefutable importance of making sure that cases of elder abuse, even relatively mild allegations of any kind, of which Mr. Shilhavy's predicament is far from mild, are promptly and thoroughly investigated.

Elder Abuse Media has set up an online PETITION where individuals can sign their names in support of Mr. Shilhavy. Readers are also encouraged to directly call Attorney General Rob Bonta's Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse in Sacramento at (800) 722-0432, as well as to directly call the San Francisco Offices of both Senator Adam Schiff at (415) 393-0707 and Senator Alex Padilla at (415) 981-9369, urging them all to prioritize the dire situation of Mr. Shilhavy and, by whatever legal and media means at their disposal, to assure that Mr. Shilhavy, a dedicated, non-partisan, American citizen and American company owner, is thoroughly advocated for, protected and, most importantly, not forced out of his home, a horrific act which would not only displace Mr. Shilhavy personally as an elder, American citizen, but also potentially annihilate a company that has done and continues to do so much good in serving many thousands of people across America and worldwide.