PatrickPretty.com

Category: Alleged Ponzi Schemes

A PROFITABLE SUNRISE-LIKE SCHEME: American ‘Hard Money’ Ponzi Fugitive Who Fled To Brazil Arrested in Panama While Trying To Cross Border Into Costa Rica, Orange County (Calif.) District Attorney Says

Thomas Franklin Tarbutton, a purported “hard-money lender” who operated a $3 million Ponzi scheme in California and fled to Brazil, was detained by authorities Dec. 14 in Panama while trying to cross the border into Costa Rica, the office of Orange County (Calif.) District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said. Tarbutton, 54, of Newport Beach, was held…

Dec 20, 2013
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Judge Approves Filing Of Lawsuits Against Alleged Zeek Insiders, Winners

URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (2nd update 3:21 p.m.) Senior U.S. District Judge Graham C. Mullen of the Western District of North Carolina has issued an order authorizing the court-appointed receiver to file lawsuits against alleged Zeek insiders and winners. Receiver Kenneth D. Bell asked for the order last week. He is expected to file…

Dec 19, 2013
MORE FROM MLM LA-LA LAND: (1) ‘Totally Wild Cover Story’ Puff Piece On TelexFree Promoter Doesn’t Reference TelexFree By Name And Doesn’t Mention Pyramid-Scheme Probe; (2) Cash-Gifting, A Bill-Counting Machine And ‘Economically Sovereign’ Individuals; (3) Jesus — (Again)

UPDATED 11:23 A.M. ET (U.S.A.) The November/December issue of Home Business Advertiser carries a puff piece on TelexFree promoter Scott Miller. The one-page article, described by the publication as a “totally wild cover story,” does not reference TelexFree by name. Nor does the piece mention that TelexFree is the subject of a pyramid-scheme probe in…

Dec 19, 2013
TOMORROW (DEC. 17) AT THE ZEEK AUCTION: Branded Ponzi History Up For Bid: Coffee Mugs, Water Bottles, Key Chains, Refrigerator Magnets — And Plaques Of Network Marketing Business Journal Puff Pieces

It won’t be quite like buying Bonnie and Clyde’s fateful getaway car, but it still will represent a purchase of American crime or fraud history. In Lexington, N.C., tomorrow — on the second and final day of the court-approved Zeek Rewards auction — pieces of MLM Ponzi-scheme history will be put up for bid. And…

Dec 16, 2013
Watch Bidding Action In The Zeek Auction LIVE!

UPDATED 5:14 P.M. ET U.S.A. The court-approved auction in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case is being conducted today and tomorrow. Bidding already is under way — and you can observe it live. We just observed bidding for an autographed poster of Loretta Lynn start out at $100. Competitive bids flowed in, and the poster…

Dec 16, 2013
DEVELOPING STORY: Ghastly Campaign On Facebook To Intimidate TelexFree Prosecutor In Brazil May Be Under Way

Facts are sketchy, but there are disturbing reports in Brazilian media today that someone with a Facebook account used it to claim falsely that a prosecutor involved in the TelexFree pyramid-scheme probe had been murdered. The bogus report was supplemented by photos of a mutilated body purported to be that of the prosecutor. Investigators in…

Dec 13, 2013
BULLETIN: No Immediate Comment From Federal Prosecutors On Payza/Obopay Announcement On U.S. Attorney’s Site In District of Columbia: [UPDATE: Prosecutors Confirm Probe Under Way, Decline To Provide Details Or Identify Subject Of Investigation]

EDITOR’S NOTE ADDED AT 10:09 A.M. Federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia now have confirmed that an investigation is under way, but declined to provide details. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is involved in a pending investigation and we are unable to state the subject of the investigation or provide details,” the office of U.S.…

Dec 13, 2013
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Lawsuits Against Zeek Insiders, Winners Believed Imminent; Paul Burks, Dawn Wright-Olivares, Darryle Douglas Among Alleged Insiders; AdSurfDaily Figures Todd Disner And Jerry Napier Among Alleged Winners; Prospective Defendants’ List Also Includes Legendary HYIP Hucksters T. LeMont Silver And Aaron/Shara

URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (UPDATED 5:27 P.M. ET DEC. 16 U.S.A. ) The court-appointed receiver in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case has advised a federal judge that he intends to sue Zeek operator Paul R. Burks and five alleged insiders, amid allegations they developed and operated a colossal fraud, breached their fiduciary duties,…

Dec 12, 2013
REVISITING ADVIEWGLOBAL AND ‘ONEX’: Why Promoters Of Better-Living Global Marketing, Zeek Rewards, TelexFree And Profitable Sunrise Should Care About Scam History

EDITOR’S NOTE: The PP Blog is back — after its most recent brush with death led to a suspension of publishing that lasted through all or parts of six days. You’ll read more in the days ahead about certain changes the Blog plans to implement to safeguard its right to publish, to improve revenue, to…

Dec 10, 2013
ESSAY: The Reality Of The PP Blog, Why I Do What I Do And Why I Refuse To Lose Hope

EDITOR’S NOTE: Absent sufficient contributions from readers as outlined here, the PP Blog will suspend publication at 5 p.m. today, Dec. 5. I will try to bring it back as soon as possible, but my hands are tied for now by a lack of money. This morning I restored full functionality, after causing the Blog…

Dec 5, 2013
As Longstanding Antiscam Publication Passes 2,200-Post Milestone, It Passes The Hat: Help Needed From Readers

Dear Readers, Post updated 5:06 p.m., Dec. 5. It is the 11th hour. This post has been up since Nov. 23, resulting in $135 in contributions from readers. That is at least $515 short of what is needed. This Blog has made a difference in people’s lives. I hope it always will, despite the challenges.…

Dec 2, 2013