ASA Monitor Ponzi And Criminals’ Forum Locks MPB Today Thread — Again; Naysayers Scolded By Mod For Challenging ‘Ken Russo’
EDITOR’S NOTE: The ASA Monitor Ponzi forum now has reopened its thread on the MPB Today MLM program — with a warning in red to “Play nice . . .”
UPDATED 9:54 A.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A forum infamous for promoting Ponzi schemes and other criminal pursuits has locked the thread from which the MPB Today 2×2 matrix cycler is being pitched.
The official explanation for locking the thread was that naysayers challenging ASA Monitor member “Ken Russo” needed a “temporary cooling off period.” (See Editor’s Note above: The thread now has been unlocked.)
“Ken Russo” is a reliable cheerleader for Ponzi schemes and highly questionable business pursuits on ASA Monitor and other forums. ASA Monitor’s name is referenced in a May criminal case filed against the alleged Pathway To Prosperity Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors said the scheme mushroomed globally, gathering about $70 million and defrauding more than 40,000 participants.
A similar program known as Legisi gathered more than $70 million and also fleeced thousands of participants, according to the SEC. It, too, was promoted on the Ponzi forums. A court filing in the Legisi case specifically references the MoneyMakerGroup forum, another venue from which MPB Today is being promoted.
This marks the second time the MPB Today thread has been locked at ASA Monitor. It was locked earlier this month and then reopened amid similar circumstances. ASA Monitor initially deleted several references to the PP Blog in the initial closure of the thread, but later restored them.
One of the principal incongruities of the MPB Today program is that it is being targeted at people of faith from a known Ponzi forum. Because ASA Monitor members routinely promote Ponzi schemes, some of the funds being passed to MPB Today could be criminal proceeds from Ponzi and other fraud schemes.
“Ken Russo,” for example, promoted the alleged Regenesis 2×2 Ponzi scheme. Like MPB Today, Regenesis used a 2×2 matrix cycler. The U.S. Secret Service executed search warrants in the Regenesis case in July 2009. The agency said in court filings that it had linked the scheme to a convicted felon.
Spectacular international frauds have been promoted at ASA Monitor. Meanwhile, some of MPB Today’s own members have said there are liars and thieves in the organization, including liars and thieves who are using false information to recruit prospects. The claims have been made in public on YouTube. Incongruously, they have been positioned as reasons to join the program under specific uplines that purport to be honest.
How MPB Today’s payments to members could be clean if it has come into possession of money tainted by the lies of its own pitchmen and money tainted by Ponzi schemes promoted on forums such as ASA Monitor is left to the imagination.
Last week the PP Blog reported that a “news release’ that appeared online encouraged MPB Today prospects to sell $200 worth of Food Stamps to raise money to join the program. One of the URLs referenced in the release also was being promoted on ASA Monitor by “Ken Russo.” Other information suggests that promoters of the judicially declared CEP Ponzi scheme are promoting MPB Today.
Some ASA Monitor members use a strategy of playing dumb to promote Ponzi schemes. One form of the strategy is to repeatedly accept at face value whatever a company says in sales literature — and then blame the company and dishonest affiliates if a scheme collapses or is taken down by law enforcement.
Another form of the strategy is to include links to the sites of other promoters, apparently on the theory that favorable commentary about an “opportunity” demonstrates that no scam could be occurring. If the opportunity later proves to be a Ponzi or a fraud scheme, promoters who employ the play-dumb method point out that others got taken, perhaps through the actions of a fraudster who was particularly clever.
Yet another form of the play-dumb method is to position an opportunity as a matter of free choice. Such wink-nod efforts are part of numerous Ponzi schemes.
In February 2010, the Secret Service said in a search-warrant application in Minnesota that it believed a company known as INetGlobal was operating a Ponzi scheme. In court filings, the agency said an undercover agent was introduced to INetGlobal by a member of the alleged AdSurfDaily (ASD) Ponzi scheme, describing the introduction as a wink-nod deal.
ASD, which was accused of operating a $100 million Ponzi scheme, also was promoted from websites and forums. Federal agents seized about $26 million in the INetGlobal case, which is still under investigation. Steve Renner, the operator of INetGlobal, is in federal prison for income tax-evasion in a case linked to his money-services business.
Court records show Renner-related ties to at least four Ponzi schemes.
Among the targets of promotions for MPB Today were victims of the alleged ASD Ponzi scheme, foreclosure subjects, the unemployed, Food Stamp recipients, senior citizens, college students and other vulnerable populations.
Patrick:
Your classification of the ASAMonitor forum as a “Ponzi and Criminal Forum” is classic and spot on!
Why this den of thieves is allowed to continue is beyond me. In my mind it’s the rough equivalent of having an online heroin or cocaine forum to help junkies find their closest drug dealer.
80% or more of what is advertised and discussed on ASA Monitor is illegal but the forum continues to operate and profit from such discussions and traffic.
Amazing.
I would put Talkgold, Moneymakergroup, Dreamteammoney, Rolclub and others in this same category of “Ponzi and Criminal Forums” that benefit from illegal activties promoted on their sites.
Sad.
ARWR
This (MPD) has now become so blatantly criminal that surely questions must be asked in the corridors of power.
In the fraudster “Ken Russos” own words from the ASA forum:
“Having said that, I would guess that 95% of the folks who have joined MPBToday have no interest in having groceries delivered to their home. They joined because of the money making potential. Once they have referred 2 who have referred 2 they cycle and receive the following…..”
I mean, c’mon now fellas, enough is surely enough.
95% of the folks have no interest in the product ????
I realize the people tasked with prosecuting these things are overworked and under paid, but, for chrissakes, the only thing missing from this saga is a “Ken Russo” video of the fraudster himself with his thumbs in his ears, wiggling his fingers and poking out his tongue in front of a picture of the FBI and SEC logos.
Hi LRM,
I do think this is problematic and potentially the principal wink-nod. This, along with the use of the word “voucher,” leads to the question of whether MPB Today has an actual product.
It is just plain bizarre that some affiliates actually are telling prospects NOT to buy groceries through MPB Today while purporting to be pitching a “grocery” program. Meanwhile, some affiliates also are telling folks that the Walmart cards can be converted to cash.
So, a case can be argued that MPB Today is selling both an opportunity AND cash. This really leaps out when one considers that some affiliates also are making the purportedly high shipping costs of up to 50 percent of the cost of an order a reason to join the program..
WINK: Don’t buy your groceries through MPB Today. The shipping costs are too high. NOD: Join the MLM for the money-making potential.
WINK: You’ll get a Walmart gift card. NOD: It can be used to purchase ANY item in the store. It can be converted to a prepaid Visa card for use outside of Walmart.
I also have questions about the dry-goods “ONLY” policy. MPB’s graphics until earlier this month showed items that were not dry goods. Plenty of promoters’ pitches do, too.
Patrick
Hi ARWR,
It is clear that the Feds are well aware of the forums. Undercover operatives were working the Legisi case a year before knowledge of the probe became widely known.
The Legisi case even includes a handwritten note from a victim. The note says, “Money Maker Group.com”
https://patrickpretty.com/2010/05/31/requiem-for-the-forum-pimps-court-documents-in-legisi-case-reference-secret-service-moneymakergroup-ponzi-forum-sec-has-postings-from-legisis-private-forum-too/
Patrick
Actually not so bizarre at all, more a further indication of the overtly illegal nature of the MPD operation.
In fact, the FTC is very clear on the fact MLM companies CANNOT operate legally in a manner which allows consumers to profit from the sale of the “opportunity” alone.
It is beholden on the company to structure itself in such a way as to prevent being considered as “money game” pyramid scheme rather than a legitimate Multi Level Marketing company.
The ‘Ken Russo” admission “I would guess that 95% of the folks who have joined MPBToday have no interest in having groceries delivered to their home” leaves no room for doubt the company is either ignoring and/or encouraging a highly illegal (and doomed to fail) pyramid scheme.
I would draw readers’ attention to the following statement from DEBRA A. VALENTINE, GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
“However, they all share one overriding characteristic. They promise consumers or investors large profits based primarily on recruiting others to join their program, not based on profits from any real investment or real sale of goods to the public”
Ms Valentines’ full statement on “Pyramid Schemes” can be read here: http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/other/dvimf16.shtm
If anyone wants to call Gary Calhoun and talk with him about his latest scam
then here is his phone numbers:
[Deleted by Admin]
Quick note:
A big MLM fan explains why MPB Today is not for him (doubts about whether the company has a product and doubts about the 2×2 matrix), concedes others may disagree with him — and then says he can help folks get leads for the program he just raised doubts about:
http://www.youtube.com/v/6oeC0MBhfGY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3
In my view, this type of promo is one of the reasons MLM has a miserable reputation and why much of the world believes the Internet is just one giant cesspit.
Patrick
100% of what is advertised and discussed on ASA Monitor being illegal would be closer to the truth..
Was at a party and one of the scammers was THERE. She said she’d been making lots of money and my hubby, like an idiot, gave my cell number to a walking talking spambot.
I was in the car texting with my daughter-the ONLY person I’ll answer her texts, lol-hate it. When I got this txt spk text with a web address which I immediately deleted thinking it was anonymous spam-but no, when I went back in the broad asked me if I’d got her text, went thru my legit ones and was like “No all these i already had” and she said “Oh, I sent you to my website so you could watch the video and after you cycle-oh it’s explained in the video, you get walmart gift cards” I was incredulous. Have NOT gone to the website, lol. Asked her if the sponsors that have ads on the site pay the money out-figured it might be a click my link referral thing.
She was insistent on me watching the video on her site, was giving her the names of some other local musicians to look up and she said “Oh just text it to me” “No, I only text with my kid and only cause I have to” and wrote down the names for her on paper like I prefer.
Asked her to just email it to me “My email program is messed up, i can receive them but not send them”
“Oh, just make another acct on yahoo or gmail or something” “No, I have to get this one worked out”
Uh-huh. Cause you’re a spammer and you’ve been blocked from sending them you silly spambot!
Hubby heard her say “But I won’t get it that way” to her boyfriend. If you show any electronic interest at all do they get credit for it or something? Oh, the woman was a horrible example of someone they’d want pushing it, too. Tweaked, eyeliner on WRONG, drunk and sang Loretta Lynn badly…she was amusing to ME. But how many out there are smoother than she is?
She asked for my facebook, I changed the subject, asked for my last name-privacy settings enabled, so sorry. One of the texts she sent just had numbers in it like her wires had got crossed and the copy and paste message she sends didn’t come all the way thru or something.
Felt like I should take a pic of her and put her on that site where they humiliate nigerian scammers. Hubby wouldn’t let me. and it’s HIS fault!
I’m actually rather excited that I met a real live spambot-I thought they were all computer programs!
And I figured the WM cards would be not activated, empty or preused and empty.
Also-she introduced it to me as “All you have to do is put a video on the website-the 10 dollars covers that” and then you’ll be making the money I’ve made in just 12 weeks!”
My immediate thought was that other videos on other websites would make me lots more;-) But I just let her keep talking til someone else got close enough to us I could make my escape semi-politely.
100% agree with your assessment about ASA monitor. Originally run by Jake the Snake (Jake Amedee) and some guy named Todd, anyway Todd left, to be 100% run by this scammer Jake. Jake made a bundle of money by leading gullible folks (including myself) into one scam program into another. It only took me 3 failed programs that I joined recommended by Jake as the “real deal” and that “outside revenue ran the programs, it wasn’t a ponzi,” to see that Jake was lying through his teeth and was truly a 100% cyber criminal. He took deals on the side from admin scammers with the understanding that Jake would promote their scam program to the gullibles and take their hard earned money. Through the grapevine, I understand that Jake is being investigated by authorities (couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, LOL!!!). Ken Russo was a big buddy of Jake Amedee, need I say more. Birds of a feather flock together. Adding to the mix of referral whore scammers and also buddies of Ken and Jake are Jack Cobb,(associated with many ponzi programs he ran) Stephen Decatur (associated with Global Marketing Solutions, a program that hasn’t paid it’s members in 2 years), Vee Fuerhoff (another alias Vee Gordon and one of the criminal minds behind Global Marketing Solutions), Mara Greenway,(the 2nd criminal mind behind Global Marketing Solutions,) Teri Hinkel,(also associated with Global Marketing Solutions), Shad Foss (one of the prime referral whores, would promote anything if it could make him $$$) and the referral whore list goes on and on. If American justice doesn’t get these people I have listed in this life, then God will be the ultimate judge on their departure. And praying for forgiveness just won’t work for these people. But I am certain that Satan has a few spots open for individuals like these people are. One way or another, justice will come upon them, for that I am certain.