PatrickPretty.com

Month: June 2011

BULLETIN: SEC Charges ‘Sovereign International Group LLC’ Amid Allegations It Funded Ponzi Payout With Cash Infusion From 93-Year-Old Boyfriend Of Accused Fraudster’s Elderly Mother; Arthur Weiss, Ronald Abernathy Charged In Bizarre Scheme That Allegedly Claimed Ownership Of $50 Million Note From ‘U.S. Financial Agency LLC’

BULLETIN: Two men have been charged by the SEC with fraud in an alleged Ponzi scheme that features allegations that read like fiction — although the agency says they are true. Among the SEC’s spectacular claims is that Ponzi payments to investors were made after the 93-year-old boyfriend of the elderly mother of one of…

Jun 6, 2011
ANOTHER FALSE LIENS CASE: Man Who Asserted ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ Claimed Utah Officials Owed Him $53 TRILLION, Feds Say; Harvey Douglas Goff Charged In 14-Count Indictment After Probe By Joint Terrorism Task Force, IRS

EDITOR’S NOTE: Longtime readers will recall that some members of Florida-based AdSurfDaily engaged in a hectoring campaign against public officials after the U.S. Secret Service seized tens of millions of dollars in the ASD Ponzi case in August 2008. Such actions can lead to serious criminal consequences, as the story below illustrates. It has happened…

Jun 6, 2011
RECOMMENDED READING: Salt Lake Tribune Expands Series On Multilevel Marketing; Christian Pitchman Poses With Rolls-Royce; Trade’s Defenders Scold Critics; Critics Fire Back

Kudos to the Salt Lake Tribune for expanding on its earlier series on multilevel marketing, which we referenced here. On May 27, the newspaper published two more stories — and one of them features a photograph of a Rolls-Royce with the words “mona vie” emblazoned on its side. The expensive car is one of the…

Jun 5, 2011
Exotic FX, HYIP Promoted On Ponzi Scheme And Criminals’ Forums By Club Asteria Members, Collapses; Did Club Asteria Also Have Tie To Collapsed Imperia Invest IBC Fraud Scheme?

Exotic FX, an HYIP promoted on the Ponzi scheme and criminals’ forums by members of the Club Asteria HYIP, has collapsed. Exotic billed itself a “PRIVATE ASSET HAVEN.” The dollar value of member losses is unclear, and the firm’s website no longer loads. Chatter on Ponzi boards such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup also suggests that…

Jun 4, 2011
DEVELOPING STORY: Are AdSurfDaily Pitchmen Who Also Joined AdViewGlobal And Recruited Members For Collapsed ASD Knockoff Confused — Or Are They Trying To Scam Downline Members And Claims Administrator?

This post begins with background because the autosurf world, which is dominated by serial scammers, financial fraudsters and shadowy criminals, is about as murky as it gets. On Aug. 1, 2008, tens of millions of dollars in the bank accounts of AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin were seized. Federal prosecutors went on to say that Bowdoin,…

Jun 3, 2011
BULLETIN: SEC Employee Was Member Of Collapsed Imperia Invest IBC Fraud Scheme That Targeted Deaf Investors And Drained Millions Of Dollars; ‘Headquarters’ Worker Placed On Administrative Leave

BULLETIN: An employee of the SEC at its Washington headquarters was a member of a fraud scheme under investigation by the agency and shared misleading information about its ongoing probe with other investors, according to a report to Congress by SEC Inspector General H. David Kotz. The document does not reveal the employee’s name or…

Jun 1, 2011