I had to hum the Twilight Zone theme when I read your comments above just now. Last night I too thought about Occam’s Razor, aka The Principle of Parsimony, as the way to analyze the truth of the ASD fiasco. The example I thought of as one the ASD “true believers” MIGHT understand is the saying: “If you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.” But I decided even if they understand it intellectually (a BIG if) they won’t understand it viscerally. Some, I thought, would say “what do horses and zebras have to do with ASD?” Others would very indignantly berate me, telling me how ignorant I am about the world of Internet Marketing. After all, it COULD be a zebra and if I didn’t have a closed mind I could see what they see, and then I too would be positioned to be a millionaire when zebras became the “Google” of the hoofed critter world.

That was last night, before I read the statement that you wrote (shown below). It was an absolute revelation to me, and made me realize that I have been as naive as they have been crafty. Here’s what brought me up short:

“Some of them clearly knew that a new autosurf was going to rise to replace ASD. They couldn’t afford to concede anything about the legality of the model because doing so interfered with a criminal business plan — an actual conspiracy, not a theoretical one.”

How in the world did I overlook that logical and no doubt valid reason for what APPEARS to be unwavering loyalty to Andy and ASD? Last night I posted a diatribe on scam.com, attempting to sic Xavier (to use his screen name) or GOG (Jack) on Barbara Alford because I couldn’t believe that she is touting AVG on her website, all the while “sympathizing” with the people who lost money. She is one of a group who profess to be outraged that people “invested more than they could afford to lose.”

About l0 puzzle pieces dropped into place when I read what you wrote at 7:l0 this morning. If that angle has been expressed before, I totally missed it. I’m not saying I missed the fact that ASD people were now AVG people, but I thought they were DUMB, not evil.

Even knowing that the US DOJ has all the records of ASD, and access to the IRS records of all the co-scammers, now that I realize that these insiders are thieves, I am even more convinced that someone who has access to the proper law enforcement authorities needs to make sure they’re not so busy that they overlook the fact that the INTENT to engage in theft by deception runs both deep and wide, throughout this Band of Scammers.

Thanks for the enlightenment. I take my hat off to you.

and that’s what I fear some of the ASD faithful are going to experience — permanent denial.

As I noted, I think the grief model makes a lot of sense. But, with respect to the quoted passage above, Occam’s Razor might be helpful. In short, the simplest explanation that accommodates all the facts tends to be the correct one.

A short example of its application: Prior to going to bed, you peer out the window and notice two inches of snow in the yard. When you awaken, you again peer out the window and notice the snow is gone. Simplest explanation that accommodates all the facts? It warmed up overnight and the snow melted.

It’s also possible to conclude that an alien space craft started spinning furiously over the yard and blew all the snow away — an explanation, but not the simplest one that accommodates all the facts.

To me, the simplest explanation that accommodates the often-ribald denial displayed by some ASD members is that they are criminals.

Some of them clearly knew that a new autosurf was going to rise to replace ASD. They couldn’t afford to concede anything about the legality of the model because doing so interfered with a criminal business plan — an actual conspiracy, not a theoretical one.

The August forfeiture complaint even uses the language of conspiracy. Regardless, some folks didn’t care. They simply began to orchestrate a new conspiracy.

That’s what criminals do.

You’ll note that a good number of folks at one of the forums relished in the opportunity to position themselves as “true insiders,” people who had the Great Man’s ear or access to information no one else had.

If you walk that back, it means they didn’t mind being associated with a known felon, a person with a history of scamming, including scamming people in their retirement years. On June 10 and June 11, almost $240,000 of ASD money was used to pay off a mortgage and buy a new Honda. Andy put a $50,000 Lincoln in the driveway in July.

Meanwhile, in August, his victims in a previous $450,000 scam got a check for $100. His ex-wife, who is owed nearly $170,000, got nothing.

All of that is consistent with criminality — and yet some people still were eager to have their names associated with his. They didn’t mind being associated with a man suspected of engaging in brand-new felonies.

If one permits himself, it’s easy to see why Ponzi schemes are illegal. Why, then, would one choose not to see the illegality in running a Ponzi scheme?

Criminality is the easiest explanation that accommodates all the facts.

Prosecutors alleged ASD was a criminal enterprise; they cited numerous instances of criminal (and other egregious) behavior, and they went to court to seize the proceeds of the criminal enterprise.

Given those circumstances — given the fact ASD lost the evidentiary hearing and the fact that the government never has lost an autosurf case — they still chose to open new surfs.

They’re criminals. They engage in all sorts of histrionics and tortured constructions because they want to make huge sums of money by opening autosurf Ponzis.

It’s the simplest explanation that accommodates all the facts.

Patrick

Marci, in response to your posting, if I myself had written one like you have, it would have pretty much with the same wording and rhetoric ! FANTASTIC JOB, I SALUTE YOU !!!!!

You are dead on target with all you’ve said, nothing else needs to be added, you’ve said it all perfectly. I am half amazed, half shocked that there are actually such sick people like Andy Bowdoin in this world, running around lose and left untreated (just being nice here !) …. If he does escape unscathed from this fiasco which is probably, I hope for just a couple of things: for people to get their money back and NO … not for him to “rot in hell” not so fast ! But instead having to stand before the Judge of Judges with no escape, but having to fess up, THEN be sent to hell to rot BY that Judge I am referring to and, the same “judge” whose scriptures Bowdoin had the brass *$% to speak of in “holier than thou” rhetoric who forgives ALL sins, except blasphemy of the Spirit and that makes Andy Bowdoin a dead man walking !

Thanks for reading,
Keen Riches

BUT for the “grief model” to work FOR YOU you can’t get stuck forever in one of the stages, and that’s what I fear some of the ASD faithful are going to experience — permanent denial. And you’ve got to experience all the emotions, although some may be below the level of consciousnesses, or so they say, before you’re really “over it. ” The grief model isn’t a “chain reaction” although it is often described that way. A person can experience the stages in any order, or all at once, and although it might seem counter-intuitive, the all at once experience, while rugged when you’re going through it, can be the quickest way to get back on your feet.

The ASD “thing” reminds me that grief counselors say that loss of a spouse due to death can actually be less traumatic than loss due to divorce — which is easy to understand if you are the dumpee and not the dumper. I honestly get the impression that some of the hardcore ASD faithful could deal with the loss of the money if their unwavering faith in Andy Bowdoin could restored to it’s earliest “honeymoon” stage. Sorry to sound like a know it all (again). I was a crisis intervention/suicide prevention hot-line volunteer “counselor” when I was in college, so I know the lingo…. I’m not a psychologist but I’ve played one on the telephone….(smile).

Thanks for complimenting my writing; I greatly admire YOUR writing so that makes it extra special.

Much appreciate your note. Thank you.

What amazes me is the fact a lot of ASD faithful are shocked. Shocked at what?

I’ve seen some folks write about the cycle of grief as it applies to ASD, and it makes a lot of sense. Anger and denial are in play. Some people gradually will move toward acceptance.

But not all people.

For some folks, “acceptance” interferes with their business plan. Despite everything that has happened to ASD — and to other autosurfs before it — to “accept” means they have to acknowledge that operating a Ponzi is a crime.

They’d hoped a judge would make the world safe for Ponzi profits. When that didn’t happen, they just constructed a new artificial reality.

Artificial realities are, after all, highly portable, especially on the Web.

Nice to hear from you, Frank.

Take care.

Patrick

I doubt Bowdoin had the intelligence to create all of the various scam angles associated w/ASD: the rallies, the insider transactions, and so forth.

I’m thinking you might be right about this. One of the thoughts I’ve had was that an insider recognized right away that Andy could be manipulated.

Remember the promotion about the Google partnership? Accompanying that was a note that told ASD members to click on Google Ads as a means of generating revenue.

I mean, basically it was a public solicitation to commit a crime. It also was another one of those things that was impossible to reconcile:

People said ASD was the product of “genius,” something better than Google; the same people were instructing members to click on Google ads to raise money for ASD.

ASD later distanced itself from this. But it demonstrated either that someone sold Andy on the idea — and he didn’t instantly dismiss it — or he had no control over the brand.

Same thing is true of the White House claims, yet more lies that went viral — but lies that were good for business.

As soon as I saw the claim, I looked up “Medal of Distinction,” saw that it was given by the GOP for campaign contributions, observed that a drug addict in Ohio had been scorned for making the false claim he was tight with the President, and then looked up Bowdoin’s contributions on the FEC website.

Bowdoin, though, let the lie circulate. And he even took his “Medal” for campaign contributions on a road show to awe the crowds. There is a picture of him pointing at his “medal.”

Some ASD folks still are heaping praise on him — for what amounts to his ability to write a check to the National Republican Congressional Committee for banquet tickets.

Patrick

For example, a man who has twice been convicted of financial crimes due to operating fraudulent businesses was highly unlikely to be the victim rather than the criminal in the ASD saga.

This is the essence — and it’s something that all investigative agencies know and use to peel back layers of the onion.

They found out quickly, for instance, about the securities beefs from the 1990s. And they had Clarence Busby’s name, and they found out about his securities beef.

So, now you have two men — both with a history of defrauding investors and involving themselves in the sale of unregistered securities — involved in yet another operation that sells unregistered securities.

What’s more, the business they’re in just happens to have a reputation as a haven for scam artists.

The Feds had tremendous leverage from Day One — not just because they’ve never lost an autosurf case — but because Bowdoin and Busby family members were involved. The Feds have an extra ace they can play at any time because of the family involvement.

Now, I’d like to compliment you on your writing. It is thoughtful and breezy and lucid, and it grabbed me and didn’t let go.

I’ve noticed that many of our posters have excellent writing skills. Just want you (and them) to know that I appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your thoughts.

Thank you.

Patrick

But who can resist all that power and all that adoration except the strongest of men and those high great integrity – and it is not clear that “our leader” was neither. Simple greed was overtaken by greed for power and adulation and a bunch of collaborators who were doing very nicely thank you and had no reason whatsoever to bring the circus to a halt (apart from common sense, but that seems to fly out of the window when there are easy $$ to be had).

Bowdoin displayed no new skills in what happened.

I generally agree with your assessment, although I think
Marci has laid out a compelling case on what was driving
ASD and Andy Bowdoin.

This model appealed to Bowdoin, who knew a few like-minded
players could help set up a cash engine. Prior to ASD’s
start, there were many public references to the millions
of dollars collected by previous autosurfs the Feds had
busted.

Bowdoin getting caught, however, was a fait accompli.

The cars — always the cars. When he ripped off investors
in Alabama in a previous venture, investigators discovered
he had a taste for showy cars.

History repeats itself. ASD started collecting big sums
last summer, and Bowdoin put a $50,000 Lincoln in the
driveway. And there also were new cars and toys for family and
friends.

Conspicuous consumption eventually would have led to ASD’s
demise had the Feds not intervened in August.

Conspicuous theft, too, and the unbridled greed of insiders.

What brought down ASD before conspicuous consumption had a chance to take a firm hold, though, was the classic money-laundering dilemma: What to do with all the cash?

ASD knew the banks were closing in — it didn’t tell members, but it knew.

From Page 38 of the initial complaint:

“A [Secret Service/IRS Task Force Member] also learned that earlier in July 2008, a bank other than BOA closed the last account that was controlled by Bowdoin or family members after that bank determined, and explained to them, that an investigation by the bank determined that Bowdoin appeared to be operating a Ponzi scheme. Bowdoin indicated that he purchased, or was seeking to purchase, a home in another country.”

The precise date Bowdoin got this news from the bank is unclear, but it is the date all the color drained from his face.

Patrick