Archive for September 2012

Month After Zeek Ponzi Complaint By SEC, ASD Figures (And Zeek Pitchmen) Todd Disner And Dwight Owen Schweitzer Accuse Judge Who Dismissed Their ASD-Related Lawsuit Of ‘Sophistry’; Duo Tries To Reopen Case And Have Judge Removed

Month After Zeek Ponzi Complaint By SEC, ASD Figures (And Zeek Pitchmen) Todd Disner And Dwight Owen Schweitzer Accuse Judge Who Dismissed Their ASD-Related Lawsuit Of 'Sophistry'; Duo Tries To Reopen Case And Have Judge Removed

MLM pitchmen and AdSurfDaily figures Todd Disner and Dwight Owen Schweitzer — both of whom went on to become promoters of the alleged Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme — have accused a federal judge of “sophistry.” Sophistry, according to Dictionary.com, means “a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.” Disner turned to MLM […]

FOR COURT PERSONNEL, ATTORNEYS, INVESTIGATORS: Alberta Judge Analyzes Bizarre Filings By ‘Sovereign Citizens,’ Others; Divorce Case Leads To Extraordinary Dissection Of Various Schemes And Introduces New Term: ‘Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Argument’ (OPCA)

FOR COURT PERSONNEL, ATTORNEYS, INVESTIGATORS: Alberta Judge Analyzes Bizarre Filings By 'Sovereign Citizens,' Others; Divorce Case Leads To Extraordinary Dissection Of Various Schemes And Introduces New Term: 'Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Argument' (OPCA)

From time to time over the years, readers have commented that some of the stories published by the PP Blog read like fiction. Did AdSurfDaily Ponzi schemer Andy Bowdoin, for example, really compare the U.S. Secret Service to “Satan” and the 9/11 terrorists? The answer is yes. But if the answer weren’t disturbing enough, any […]

SEC Says Zeek Probe ‘Is Continuing’; Agency Updates Information Page

SEC Says Zeek Probe 'Is Continuing'; Agency Updates Information Page

UPDATED 10:05 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The SEC today updated its information site on the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case, noting its investigation “is continuing” and pointedly adding language that “ZeekRewards and [Paul R.] Burks immediately consented to an asset freeze, the appointment of a receiver over their assets, and the payment of a $4 million […]

UPDATE: 1-Percent-A-Day Ponzi Schemer Andy Bowdoin Of AdSurfDaily In Custody Of U.S. Marshals And On Way To Federal Prison

UPDATE: 1-Percent-A-Day Ponzi Schemer Andy Bowdoin Of AdSurfDaily In Custody Of U.S. Marshals And On Way To Federal Prison

Convicted AdSurfDaily Ponzi schemer Andy Bowdoin is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and is listed “in transit” to a federal detention facility, according to court filings and the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. Where Bowdoin, 77, will do his time has not yet been revealed. But a criminal judgment against Bowdoin signed […]

BULLETIN: FTC Says Rent-To-Own Companies Used Software To Spy On Customers In Their Own Homes And At WiFi Spots; Agency’s Complaints Introduce Specter of Private Big Brother

BULLETIN: FTC Says Rent-To-Own Companies Used Software To Spy On Customers In Their Own Homes And At WiFi Spots; Agency's Complaints Introduce Specter of Private Big Brother

BULLETIN: In announcing deeply troubling allegations today, the FTC said that seven rent-to-own companies and a software firm spied on customers who leased computers. The customers were spied on in their own homes and at WiFi spots, the FTC alleged. Although the companies agreed to settle the FTC’s charges, the allegations alone introduce the specter […]

EDITORIAL: On Threats, Reporting On An Unprecedented Crime Wave — And A Disappearing Cloud Tag In The Age Of Epic White-Collar Fraud

EDITORIAL: On Threats, Reporting On An Unprecedented Crime Wave -- And A Disappearing Cloud Tag In The Age Of Epic White-Collar Fraud

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Friday, the PP Blog was informed by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions that it wanted the Blog to remove its “tag.” This editorial describes the PP Blog’s thoughts on the matter. ** _____ ** Containing HYIP fraud schemes and online crime in the Information Age is a daunting challenge. There […]

ZEEK: Part Of The Backstory — In Pictures

ZEEK: Part Of The Backstory -- In Pictures

UPDATED 4:20 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Unsolved mysteries remain in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case. Among the unanswered questions are these: How many members did Zeek have in common with AdSurfDaily, a predecessor 1-percent-a-day scam to the Zeek scheme? Why do some Zeek “defenders” appear to be engaged in bizarre bids to harass and menace […]

DEVELOPING STORY: Pittsburgh Police On Scene Of Possible Hostage Situation At CW Breitsman Associates LLC, Firm That Administers Insurance And Benefits Plans [UPDATE: Suspect in Custody]

UPDATED 2:38 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Klein Michael Thaxton now is in police custody, CBS News is reporting. Below, our earlier brief . . . ** ______ ** Pittsburgh police, including a SWAT team, are at the scene of a possible hostage situation inside the 16th-floor offices of CW Breitsman Associates LLC, a third-party administrator of […]

Now, A ‘Fraudulent $53 Million Worldwide Off-Exchange Forex Scheme,’ CFTC Alleges; Agency Charges Australian Resident Senen Pousa, U.S. Residents Joel Friant And Michael Dillard, Along With ‘Investment Intelligence Corp.’ And ‘Elevation Group Inc.’

Now, A 'Fraudulent $53 Million Worldwide Off-Exchange Forex Scheme,' CFTC Alleges; Agency Charges Australian Resident Senen Pousa, U.S. Residents Joel Friant And  Michael Dillard, Along With 'Investment Intelligence Corp.' And 'Elevation Group Inc.'

EDITOR’S NOTE: In a statement on the allegations against Senen Pousa, Joel Friant, Michael Dillard and their companies, the CFTC pointedly stressed that international agencies cooperated in a probe and that the alleged scammers created victims in multiple nations . . . The CFTC has gone to federal court in the Western District of Texas, alleging […]

2 Attorneys Have Filed Court Notices For Robert Craddock’s Fun Club USA ‘And Other Entities Whose Assets Were Seized,’ According To Zeek Docket

2 Attorneys Have Filed Court Notices For Robert Craddock's Fun Club USA 'And Other Entities Whose Assets Were Seized,' According To Zeek Docket

UPDATED 7:58 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The mystery of precisely who would represent Zeek Rewards figure Robert Craddock in a bid to intervene in the Zeek Ponzi scheme case may be over. Attorney Rodney E. Alexander of Charlotte has filed an appearance notice for Fun Club USA Inc., Craddock’s Florida business that raised funds for a […]

BULLETIN: Another Decade-Long Ponzi Scheme — This One In Missouri, CFTC Says; Grahame Rhodes Of St. Louis Accused Of Misappropriating ‘The Entire Amount Of The Participants’ Funds He Received’ And Ripping Off His Mother-In-Law

BULLETIN: Another Decade-Long Ponzi Scheme -- This One In Missouri, CFTC Says; Grahame Rhodes Of St. Louis Accused Of Misappropriating 'The Entire Amount Of The Participants’ Funds He Received' And Ripping Off His Mother-In-Law

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 5:35 P.M. EDT U.S.A.) The CFTC has gone to federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri, alleging that Grahame Rhodes of St. Louis was at the helm of a decade-long, commodity-pool Ponzi scheme aimed at family and friends. Rhodes is charged with misappropriating the entire pool while “pretending to be a successful, […]