Bowdoin Blames Former Attorneys, ‘Single, Lone Judge’ For His Legal Predicament; ASD Patriarch Now Claims He Was ‘Crucified’ By Prosecutors, Secret Service — After Earlier Comparing Them To ‘Satan’ And The 9/11 Terrorists
In a fundraising video released last night, ASD President Andy Bowdoin said he was "crucified" by federal prosecutors and the U.S. Secret Service.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is based in part on the content of a video released last night in which AdSurfDaily President and accused Ponzi schemer Andy Bowdoin appeared. A group known as “Andy’s Fundraising Army” is seeking to raise at least $500,000 to pay for Bowdoin’s defense on criminal charges related to the alleged ASD Ponzi scheme.
UPDATED 10:23 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) One day after an AdSurfDaily member claimed that “We plan to go after Akerman [Senterfitt] next,” ASD President Andy Bowdoin — without mentioning the law firm by name — suggested the firm was responsible for his legal troubles.
And Bowdoin — again not naming names — suggested that criminal attorney Stephen Dobson, who is not employed by Akerman Senterfitt, also was to blame. (In court affidavits, Bowdoin has referred to Stephen Dobson as Steven Dobson. The U.S. Court of Appeals already has rejected a claim by Bowdoin that he had been “hoodwinked” by Dobson into releasing his claims to money seized by the Secret Service. At the same time, the appeals court upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer that Bowdoin “knowingly and voluntarily” released his claims to the money. Bowdoin released the claims while Akerman Senterfitt was his counsel-of-record in the civil-forfeiture case.)
Bowdoin also blamed Collyer — again without naming names — for his predicament. Bowdoin described Collyer as a “single, lone judge.”
“Now, after that law firm (Akerman Senterfitt) finished the civil case, which we lost because of a single, lone judge (Collyer) [who] had the final say in verdict [and] not a jury, they told me they couldn’t represent me in a criminal case, that I needed a criminal attorney because there would be a federal indictment.
“They recommended a law firm in Tallahassee, Florida, so I retained the firm. But the lead attorney in that Tallahassee firm (Dobson) was an ex-U.S. Attorney. And I’m sad to say that he actually sold me out to the federal government,” Bowdoin said.
Bowdoin described Aug. 1, 2008 — the day the U.S. Secret Service seized tens of millions of dollars from his personal bank accounts in a Ponzi scheme probe — as the day “when the government attacked.”
In 2008, Bowdoin referred to the Secret Service and federal prosecutors as “Satan,” and compared the seizure to the 9/11 terrorists attacks. In a video released yesterday, he now claims he was “crucified” and “heavily ridiculed” by two U.S. Attorneys and three Secret Service agents.
Bowdoin said he hoped to raise $500,000 for his legal defense fund, asserting ASD was not a Ponzi scheme. An indictment against Bowdoin was unsealed in November 2010, and he was arrested on Dec. 1, 2010. He is free on bond.
In September 2009, federal prosecutors described Bowdoin as “delusional,” alleging that he was telling ASD members one thing and Collyer another.
Bowdoin — without using Miami-based Akerman Senterfitt’s name in the new video but describing it as a “big law firm with hundreds of attorneys and even offices in Washington, DC” — opined that the firm “didn’t do us any good.”
“So, I learned quickly that big is not always better or good when it comes to hiring a winning law firm,” Bowdoin said.
Collyer issued a key ruling against ASD in November of 2008, saying that ASD had not demonstrated at an evidentiary hearing it requested that it was operating lawfully. Bowdoin submitted to the forfeiture in January 2009, claiming in September 2009 that he had done so in the belief he possibly could avoid a prison sentence.
Sometime in December 2008 or January 2009 — the precise date is unclear — Bowdoin signed a proffer letter and acknowledged the government’s material allegations were all true, according to filings by prosecutors. Bowdoin has acknowledged in his own filings that he gave information against his interests.
Even as Bowdoin was not naming the names of Collyer and his previous counsel in his new video, he was not naming the names of his current counsel in the Ponzi case. Those names (Charles A. Murray and Michael R.N. McDonnell) are available in the public record, Bowdoin said.
Bowdoin sought unsuccessfully in 2009 to have Collyer, who also is hearing the criminal case, removed from the civil case. Earlier this year, Bowdoin sought unsuccessfully to have a judge in the the Northern District of Florida hear the criminal case, as opposed to Collyer.
See Bowdoin affidavit from September 2009.
Compare to February 2010 Bowdoin affidavit. (See related story from Feb. 17, 2010.)
See transcript by Secret Service of Bowdoin recorded conference call in September 2009.
See previous story.
hey for a sick guy Andy is looking pretty good!!!!! lol!!!!
After having watched Andy’s performance in this video, numerous thoughts came flooding to my mind. The first one was I want to know what medication Andy is taking since his plea to having the trial in Florida instead of DC was because of his failing health. Now just a few months later he looks better than he did at the rally’s. I am just surprised he is not “selling” this miracle drug in a MLM program.
To list all of Andy’s distortions, inconsistencies, and outright lies would require a full-length article; but for brevity the only thing he told the truth about was his name.
I kept waiting for Robert Garner, attorney, to appear telling us how ASD was not a Ponzi. I was shocked to see that Robert Garner, attorney, was not listed as one of the “expert” witnesses to espouse that ASD was not a Ponzi. Speaking of Robert Garner, attorney, wonder where he disappeared to all these years?
I think this video should have in big, bold capital red letters: WARNING: Watching This Video Requires A Barf Bag.
I hope that Tari Steward goes down right along side Andy too; as well as all the other major promoters of this Ponzi.
Maybe Andy should have told them about the $2+Mil he had in an Aruba bank. I bet that would help with his fund raising efforts.
Don’t you?
I also want to know what meds Andy is on because I want some too! lol
The Andy’s Army video should be nominated for an Oscar for the Best Comedy Short of 2011. Haven’t heard anything so funny since Bob Guenther’s ASDMBA
phone-in threatening all and sundry with guns and dogs. It ha everything including an epic soundtrack. The only thing missing is the string of credits rolling at the end. Tari Steward and Todd Disner may find that going into the film industry would be an easier way to recover their money.
The only thing I couldnt quite follow was his argument that he was going to defend himself (and us) by telling the truth, but I guess that the truth has never intefered with Andy’s operations in the past and it would be unreasonable to expect any change at his time of life.
One can only hope that the Trust Fund is managed with the same or greater care that was taken by Larry Friedman for the ASDMBA though I am sure that Larry F would have done the job for less than 500,000$
The only thing Andy accomplished with this video is to rob me of some time that could have been better spent elsewhere. Now if people had to pay to see it….!
Bowdoin had better hope his army doesn’t get Akerman Senterfitt into court before his criminal case begins.
Imagine the job he’d have explaining away the fact a court had already ruled Akerman Senterfitt had done nothing wrong in advising its’ client to release his claims in the face of the vast amounts of evidence being presented by the prosecution that not only was AdSurf Daily a fraudulent operation, but also that Bowdoin was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Please, please let these people be dumb enough to go after Akerman Senterfitt before Andy has his criminal trial. If they do, I hope Akerman Senterfitt fast tracks the case so they have the trial before Andy’s criminal trial. This is one time a “speedy trial” would be a huge plus to justice served.
What would be even better is if the prosecution could call them in to testify in Andy’s criminal trial for the prosecution. Of course there is a lot of information they could not disclose due to attorney-client privilege, but boy could they expose Andy’s state of mind. I realize it is just a dream they could and would, but what a dream.
[…] video that ASD lost the civil case “because of” Collyer, whom he described as a “single, lone” judge without mentioning her by name — and that ASD members should send him $500,000 to […]
[…] video that ASD lost the civil case “because of” Collyer, whom he described as a “single, lone” judge without mentioning her by name — and that ASD members should send him $500,000 to […]
[…] video that ASD lost the civil case “because of” Collyer, whom he described as a “single, lone” judge without mentioning her by name — and that ASD members should send him $500,000 to […]
[…] video that ASD lost the civil case “because of” Collyer, whom he described as a “single, lone” judge without mentioning her by name — and that ASD members should send him $500,000 to […]
[…] began to solicit money through the fundraising website last summer, after repeated delays. Information published on the site suggests Bowdoin collected about $26,800, […]