c. 1943
A trained horse dives on a ranch in Plainview, Texas.
IMAGE: UNDERWOOD ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Investment Fraud Scheme
(Source: FBI) - CHICAGO—A Will County couple has been sentenced to federal prison terms for engaging in a brazen investment fraud scheme that swindled more than $1 million from approximately 40 victims, causing some of them to lose their homes and financial security while the couple spent the money primarily on themselves. JAMES PILON was sentenced today to 53 months in prison, while his wife, VERNA PILON, was sentenced last week to 78 months in prison, and they were ordered to pay $967,702 in restitution.
The couple “lived a life of ease while others were being pushed out onto the streets,” U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall said today in imposing sentence for James Pilon, 68, of Joliet. His lower sentence resulted primarily from an early guilty plea to the fraud scheme, and he was ordered to begin serving his sentence on November 7, 2012. Verna Pilon, 59, who has been in federal custody since 2010, pleaded guilty to the fraud scheme on the second day of trial in May of this year after eight victims testified against her.
“The victims in this case were hard-working individuals who did not have money to spare, and indeed, many refinanced their homes in order to make an investment with the defendants,” said Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who announced the sentences with William C. Monroe, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Monee Police Department assisted in the investigation.
According to court records, the investigation of the Pilons, of Monee at the time, began in 2005 when the Illinois Securities Department ordered them to cease selling investments in the state. Instead of complying, the couple continued to solicit and obtain investment funds through 2005 and 2006. The couple operated numerous businesses through which they purported to sell two forms of investment—the Mortgage
Acceleration Program, which essentially promised to pay investors’ monthly mortgage payments, completely pay off the outstanding balance in two years, and generate additional returns, and the Private Placement Program, which also promised high-yield returns of as much as 100 percent or more on investments within 90 days. In fact, neither investment program existed and the Pilons used some funds they fraudulently obtained to make Ponzi-type payments to lull some investors, while using the remaining funds for themselves. As a result, some investors’ mortgage payments were never made and their homes were foreclosed.
Among the funds the Pilons spent on themselves were $14,000 for a diamond ring, $54,000 for a Cadillac SUV, and $125,000 for the down payment on a California residence once owned by tennis player Andre Agassi. They used additional funds to pay off their bankruptcy debts and to pay for restaurants, hotels, and airline tickets.
During court proceedings, Verna Pilon was identified as a member of the so-called Washitaw nation sovereign group and she repeatedly maintained that the U.S. District Court had no jurisdiction over her. Evidence showed that the Pilons were acquainted with many of their victims, including some who testified that the couple preyed upon their religious faith in appealing for investment funds.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sunil Harjani and Bolling Haxall.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.
Among the funds the Pilons spent on themselves were $14,000 for a diamond ring, $54,000 for a Cadillac SUV, and $125,000 for the down payment on a California residence once owned by tennis player Andre Agassi. They used additional funds to pay off their bankruptcy debts and to pay for restaurants, hotels, and airline tickets.
During court proceedings, Verna Pilon was identified as a member of the so-called Washitaw nation sovereign group and she repeatedly maintained that the U.S. District Court had no jurisdiction over her. Evidence showed that the Pilons were acquainted with many of their victims, including some who testified that the couple preyed upon their religious faith in appealing for investment funds.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sunil Harjani and Bolling Haxall.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.
Since its formation, the task force has facilitated increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhanced coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressed discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducted outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations.
Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants.
For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
Tags:Illinois investment scams, investment fraud, Investment Fraud Scheme, investment scams, Mortgage Acceleration Program scams, Private Placement Program
About Evan Bedard
Evan Bedard has worked with various law firms since 2007 as a top Countrywide Home Loan modification processor. Evan has been instrumental in helping the various law firms and homeowners save over 800 homes. He is also a mortgage guide in the LoanSafe forum and is helping homeowners daily.
Tags:Illinois investment scams, investment fraud, Investment Fraud Scheme, investment scams, Mortgage Acceleration Program scams, Private Placement Program
About Evan Bedard
Evan Bedard has worked with various law firms since 2007 as a top Countrywide Home Loan modification processor. Evan has been instrumental in helping the various law firms and homeowners save over 800 homes. He is also a mortgage guide in the LoanSafe forum and is helping homeowners daily.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Corrections Corporation of America
07/08/13--21:00: ACLU Comment on Anonymous' Report on the Corrections Corporation of America
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – A report released this morning by Anonymous Analytics concludes that the publicly traded prison operator Corrections Corporation of America is a bad investment for shareholders.
Carl Takei, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, made the following comments on the report's release:
"The ACLU has known for years that for-profit prisons are a bad policy investment. Thanks to Anonymous' report, we now know they are a bad financial investment as well. For 30 years, companies like the Corrections Corporation of America have capitalized on our country's addiction to incarceration, converting an unprecedented prison population boom into big returns for investors. But as states increasingly pass reforms that wean us from our addiction to incarceration, CCA's profits will dry up."
- Stock price: CXW (NYSE) US$34.67 -0.41 (-1.17%)
Jul 21, 1:32 PM EDT - Disclaimer
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
NY man sentenced to 6 years for investment fraud - WSJ.com
Associated Press
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A western New York man has been sentenced to six years in prison for advertising and selling businesses online that didn't exist.The U.S. Attorney's Office in Buffalo says James Rotterman also must pay back $4.5 million as part of a sentence handed down Friday.
Prosecutors say the suburban Buffalo man convinced hundreds of investors to send him millions of dollars by advertising on an internet site.
Investigators say he'd advertise non-existent merchant portfolio accounts which were to provide a cash flow to the investor, then supply victims with false profit and bank statements.
Prosecutors have said he used some of the money to pay off large gambling debts.
He pleaded guilty in May to wire fraud and other charges.
Rotterman managed to scam hundreds of investors out of $6,000,000 and admitted his crimes in federal court on Friday.
James Rotterman, 33, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing false income tax returns.
Through the internet, Rotterman was able to paint an elaborate picture for investors by claiming to have profitable merchant portfolio accounts.
By falsifying documents, Rotterman made investors believe they would see a return, but instead, they were scammed.
Any money they received simply came from other investors. Rotterman used some of the money he received to support a lavish lifestyle and pay off large gambling debts.
On top of scamming hundreds, Rotterman failed to report his profits to the IRS, failing to pay nearly $400,000.
Rotterman will be sentenced in August. For wire fraud, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, a fine of $250,000, or both.
For filing false tax returns, Rotterman could be sentenced to three years in jail, a fine of $250,000, or both.
—Copyright 2012 Associated Press
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP927487bf925243b6b27aaddcab4fa3ea.html
NY man sentenced to 6 years for investment fraud - WSJ.com
2 source: http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/crime/orchard-park-man-rips-off-hundreds
Investment Fraud
Documentary takes look at state investment fraud
The documentary, “Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State,” tells the story of two of Montana’s most notable recent investment scams.
The film is being brought to Kalispell by Monica Lindeen, the state commissioner of securities and insurance.
“More than a hundred years ago, prospectors flocked to what we now call the Treasure State in search of fortunes,” Lindeen said in a news release.
“You don’t see many prospectors around Montana these days, but the drive to get rich quick lives on in scammers and con artists. Montana’s modern-day gold diggers can steal a life’s savings in the blink of an eye.”
“Gold Diggers” tracks Arthur Heffelfinger’s Ponzi scheme in Helena and Anne Marie Schlenker’s investment scam in Bozeman.
Combined, the two scams robbed dozens of Montana investors of more than $3 million.
The film features interviews with victims, securities experts, and the regulators and attorneys who investigated and prosecuted the two scams.
Lindeen is taking the documentary tour across the state as part of her office’s effort to help Montana investors understand securities fraud and steer clear of scams.
“Education is the silver bullet when it comes to fighting fraud,” Lindeen said. “The more you know about your rights and where you can turn for help, the less likely you are to be taken by a modern-day gold digger.”
Lindeen’s office produced “Gold Diggers” with a grant from the Investor Protection Trust, a national educational nonprofit that helps consumers make informed investment decisions.
The grant also pays taking the documentary across Montana.
To learn more about “Gold Diggers: Investment Fraud in the Treasure State,” visit the commissioner’s website at csi.mt.gov/GoldDiggers.
Link: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_30e8d554-fee9-11e1-b422-0019bb2963f4.html
Documentary takes look at state investment fraud - Daily Inter Lake: Local/Montana
Mahatma Gandhi Philosophy
I know the path.
Link: http://www.mkgandhi-sarvodaya.org/index.htm
I know the path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God's word is: 'He who strives never perishes.' I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times, I will not lose faith, but hope that I shall see the Light when the flesh has been brought under perfect subjection, as some day it must.
(YI, 17-6-1926, p215)
My soul refuses to be satisfied so long as it is a helpless witness of a single wrong or a single misery. But it is not possible for me, a weak, frail, miserable being, to mend every wrong or to hold myself free of blame for all the wrong I see.
The spirit in me pulls one way, the flesh in me pulls in the opposite direction. There is freedom from the action of these two forces, but that freedom is attainable only by slow and painful stages.
I cannot attain freedom by a mechanical refusal to act, but only by intelligent action in a detached manner. This struggle resolves itself into an incessant crucifixion of the flesh so that the spirit may become entirely free. (YI, 17-11-1921, p368)
Search for Truth
I am but a seeker after Truth. I claim to have found a way to it. I claim to be making a ceaseless effort to find it. But I admit that I have not yet found it. To find Truth completely is to realize oneself and one's destiny, i.e., to become perfect. I am painfully conscious of my imperfections, and therein lies all the strength I posses, because it is a rare thing for a man to know his own limitations.
If I was a perfect man, I own I should not feel the miseries of neighbors as I do. As a perfect man I should take note of them, prescribe a remedy, and compel adoption by the force of unchallengeable Truth in me. But as yet I only see as through a glass darkly and, therefore, have to carry conviction by slow and laborious processes, and then, too, not always with success.
That being so, I would be less than human if, with all my knowledge of avoidable misery pervading the land and of the sight of mere skeletons under the very shadow of the Lord of the Universe, I did not feel with and for all the suffering but dumb millions of India. (ibid, p377)
Trust in God
I am in the world feeling my way to light 'amid the encircling gloom'. I often err and miscalculate… My trust is solely in God. And I trust men only because I trust God. If I had no God to rely upon, I should be like Timon, a hater of my species. (YI, 4-12-1924, p398)
I will not be a traitor to God to please the whole world. (H, 18-2-1933, p4)
Whatever striking things I have done in life, I have not done prompted by reason but prompted by instinct, I would say, God. (H, 14-5-1938, p110)
I am a man of faith. My reliance is solely on God. One step is enough for me. The next step He will make clear to me when the time for it comes. (H, 20-10-1940, p330)
No Secrecy
I have no secret methods. I know no diplomacy save that of truth. I have no weapon but non-violence. I may be unconsciously led astray for a while, but not for all time. (YI, 11-12-1924, p406)
My life has been an open book. I have no secrets and I encourage no secrets. (YI, 19-3-1931, p43)
I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good-wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. I admit it is a painful climb, but the pain of it is a positive pleasure for me. Each step upward makes me feel stronger and fit for the next. (YI, 9-4-1924, p126)
When I think of my littleness and my limitations on the one hand and of the expectations raised about me on the other, I become dazed for the moment, but I come to myself as soon as I realize that these expectations are a tribute not to me, a curious mixture of Jekyll and Hyde, but to the incarnation, however imperfect but comparatively great in me, of the two priceless qualities of truth and non-violence. I must, therefore, not shirk the responsibility of giving what aid I can to fellow-seekers after truth from the West. (YI, 3-10-1925, p344)
Guidance
I claim to have no infallible guidance or inspiration. So far as my experience goes, the claim to infallibility on the part of a human being would be untenable, seeing that inspiration too can come only to one who is free from the action of opposites, and it will be difficult to judge on a given occasion whether the claim to freedom from pairs of opposites is justified. The claim to infallibility would thus always be a most dangerous claim to make. This, however, does not leave us without any guidance whatsoever. The sum-total of the experience of the sages of the world is available to us and would be for all time to come.
Moreover, there are not many fundamental truths, but there is only one fundamental truth which is Truth itself, otherwise known as Non-violence. Finite human being shall never know in its fullness Truth and love which is in itself infinite. But we do know enough for our guidance. We shall err, and sometimes grievously, in our application. But man is a self-governing being, and self-government necessarily includes the power as much to commit errors as to set them right as often as they are made. (YI, 21-4-1927, p128)
I deny being a visionary. I do not accept the claim of saintliness. I am of the earth, earthly . . . I am prone to as many weakness as you are. But I have seen the world. I have lived in the world with my eyes open. I have gone through the most fiery ordeals that have fallen to the lot of man. I have gone through this discipline. (SW, p531)
Self-sacrifice
I am asking my countrymen in India to follow no other gospel than the gospel of self-sacrifice which precedes every battle. Whether you belong to the school of violence or non-violence, you will still have to go through the fire of sacrifice and of discipline. (ibid, p532)
I want to declare to the world, although I have forfeited the regard of many friends in the West - and I must bow my head low; but even for their friendship or love, I must not suppress the voice of conscience, - the promptings of my inner basic nature today. There is something within me impelling me to cry out my agony. I have known humanity. I have studied something of psychology. Such a man knows exactly what it is. I do not mind how you describe it. That voice within tells me, "You have to stand against the whole world although you may have to stand alone. You have to stare in the face the whole world although the world may look at you with blood-shot eyes. Do not fear. Trust the little voice residing within your heart." It says: "Forsake friends, wife and all; but testify to that for which you have lived and for which you have to die." (MN, pp201-2)
No Defeatism
Defeat cannot dishearten me. It can only chasten me..... I know that God will guide me. Truth is superior to man's wisdom. (YI, 3-7-1924, p218)
I have never lost my optimism. In seemingly darkest hours hope has burnt bright within me. I cannot kill the hope myself. I must say I cannot give an ocular demonstration to justify the hope. But there is no defeat in me. (H, 25-1-1935, p399)
I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following…
Trust
It is true that I have often been let down. Many have deceived me and many have been found wanting. But I do not repent of my association with them. For I know how to non-co-operate, as I know how to co-operate. The most practical, the most dignified way of going on in the world is to take people at their word, when you have no positive reason to the contrary. (YI, 26-12-1924, p430)
I believe in trusting. Trust begets trust. Suspicion is fetid and only stinks. He who trusts has never yet lost in the world. (YI, 4-6-1925, p193)
A breach of promise shakes me to my root, especially when I am in any way connected with the author of the breach. And if it cost my life which, after all, at the age of seventy has no insurance value, I should most willingly give it in order to secure due performance of a sacred and solemn promise.
(H, 11-3-1939, p46)
To my knowledge, throughout my public and private career, I have never broken a promise.
(H, 22-4-1939, p100)
My Leadership
They say I claim to understand human nature as no one else does. I believe I am certainly right, but if I do not believe in my rightness and my methods, I would be unfit to be at the helm of affairs.
(YI, 1-1-1925, p8)
As for my leadership, if I have it, it has not come for any seeking, it is a fruit of faithful service. A man can as little discard such leadership as he can the color of his skin. And since I have become an integral part of the nation, it has to keep me with all my faults and shortcomings, of some of which I am painfully conscious and of many others of which candid critics, thanks be to them, never fail to remind me.
(YI, 13-2-1930, p52)
It is a bad carpenter who quarrels with his tools. It is a bad general who blames his men for faulty workmanship. I know I am not a bad general. I have wisdom enough to know my limitations. God will give me strength enough to declare my bankruptcy if such is to be my lot. He will perhaps take me away when I am no longer wanted for the work which I have been permitted to do for nearly half a century. But I do entertain the hope that there is yet work for me to do, that the darkness that seems to have enveloped me will disappear, and that, whether with another battle more brilliant than the Dandi March or without, India will come to her own demonstrably through non-violent means. I am praying for the light that will dispel the darkness. Let those who have a living faith in non-violence join me in the prayer.
(H, 23-7-1938, p193)
My Work
I am content with the doing of the task in front of me. I do not worry about the why and wherefore of things… Reason helps us to see that we should not dabble in things we cannot fathom.
(H, 7-9-1935, p234)
My work will be finished if I succeed in carrying conviction to the human family, that every man or woman, however weak in body, is the guardian of his or her self-respect and liberty. This defense avails, though the whole world may be against the individual resister. (Hst, 6-8-1944)
It will be time enough to pronounce a verdict upon my work after my eyes are closed and this tabernacle is consigned to the flames. (YI, 4-4-1929, p107)
Ethics
Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.
~ Potter Stewart
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
If children are considered the future, why the smoking?
For Chinese Students, Smoking Isn’t All Bad - Businessweek:
"In dozens of rural villages in China’s western provinces, one of the first things primary school kids learn is what helps make their education possible: tobacco. The schools are sponsored by local units of China’s state-owned cigarette monopoly, China National Tobacco. “On the gates of these schools you’ll see slogans that say ‘Genius comes from hard work—tobacco helps you become talented,’” says Xu Guihua, secretary general of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, a privately funded lobbying group. “They are pinning their hopes on young people taking up smoking.”
Anti-tobacco groups say efforts in China to reduce sales... "
'via Blog this'
Anti-tobacco groups say efforts in China to reduce sales... "
'via Blog this'
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
YouTube - Saint Douglas Rushkoff
YouTube - Saint Douglas Rushkoff: "
Douglas Rushkoff is a Saint of the Church of Earthalujah.
Join us at our Church services every Sunday in NYC
Theatre 80 Saint Marks Place (@ 1st Ave)
Join us at our Church services every Sunday in NYC
Theatre 80 Saint Marks Place (@ 1st Ave)
"
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
FBI wants tape of meeting between Armstrong, Hamilton - USATODAY.com
FBI wants tape of meeting between Armstrong, Hamilton - USATODAY.com:
"Federal officials are now in their second year of investigating doping in cycling. Armstrong is a target of their work, and a Los Angeles-based grand jury is hearing evidence that could lead to charges of fraud, conspiracy and drug trafficking against the cyclist and others on his Tour-winning teams."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Hail the Jewel in the Lotus
'Om Mani Padme Hum'
'Om Mani Padme Hum' (translation: 'Hail the jewel in the lotus') is a six syllable invocation (mantra) of Avlokitesvara, one who is invoked as the Protector from danger. It is claimed that one who recites this mantra will be saved from all dangers and will be protected. This mantra is widely used in Mahayana Buddhism. One can find this mantra inscribed on rocks, prayer wheels, stupa walls, loose stones heaped as Mani (jewels) on roads, paths, mountain passes, the approaches and exits of villages. One can find this Mantra inscribed outwardly in the prayer wheels with millions of this mantra inscribed on paper inside the prayer wheels. The devotee turning one round of the prayer wheel means he recites this mantra millions of times. As this mantra is thought to save one from all dangers, it is widely used in pendants, rings, etc.
Keep the Faith
“I know the path: it is straight and narrow
It is like the edge of a sword.
I rejoice to walk on it.
I weep when I slip.
God’s word is:
‘He who strives never perishes.’
I have implicit faith in that promise.
Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times.
I shall not lose faith.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
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