Tag: Dawn Stowers

  • BREAKING NEWS: Prosecution Seeks More Than $65.8 Million From Andy Bowdoin’s Bank Accounts; Asks For Default Entry

    Federal prosecutors have filed an affidavit that seeks to give the government permanent control over more than $65.8 million seized from 10 bank accounts in the name of AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin.

    Prosecutors already have permanent control over money seized from the bank accounts of Golden Panda Ad Builder in the same case.

    Today’s move against ASD’s bank accounts followed quickly on the heels of a ruling Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer that Bowdoin would not be permitted to reassert claims to the money. Prosecutors said they intend to implement a restitution program for victims of the alleged ASD Ponzi scheme.

    “[T]he time for filing pleadings to intervene has expired,” said Barry Wiegand, one of the prosecutors handing the case, in today’s affidavit.

    In all, the government seized $65,838,999.70 from Bowdoin’s bank accounts, according to court filings.

    The largest Bowdoin account contained more than $31.6 million. Another Bowdoin account contained more than $23.7 million. A third Bowdoin account contained more than $4.99 million. (An additional $107 would have made it an even $5 million.)

    Three Bowdoin accounts contained the exact same amount: $1,000,338.91. Three other accounts contained smaller amounts, and one additional account contained more than $1.088 million. Bowdoin’s smallest account contained $13,286, prosecutors said.

    Bowdoin surrendered claims to the money in January. He attempted to reassert his claims in February. Collyer ruled Tuesday that he would not be permitted to reenter the case.

    Today’s affidavit by the prosecution asks the Clerk of Court to enter a default notice. The default would become finalized with a formal order of forfeiture from Collyer, meaning the government would perfect its title to the money.

    In July, Collyer signed an order of forfeiture against assets once held by Golden Panda Ad Builder, giving the government formal title to more than $14 million seized from Golden Panda. Golden Panda ‘s assets were seized as part of the ASD probe.

    Golden Panda President Clarence Busby’s five accounts — some of which also included the name of his daughter, Dawn Stowers — contained $14,045,598.07 in total, prosecutors said. The largest account contained exactly $6 million. Another Busby account contained more than $3.007 million. A third Busby account contained more than $2.282 million. A fourth Busby account contained more than $1.642 million. Busby’s smallest account contained more than $1.112 million.

    In May, prosecutors tallied the ASD money as follows:

    (a) $1,088,246.48 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (b) $31,674,039.13 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (c) $937,470.18 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (d) $13,286.89 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (e) $403,791.04 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (f) $4,999,893.00 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (g) $23,721,256.25 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (h) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (i) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (j) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY.

    Golden Panda money was tallied as follows in May:

    (k) $2,282,999.72 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Deposit
    Account;
    (l) $1,112,978.42 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Operating
    Account;
    (m) $1,642,039.08 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Cashout
    Account;
    (n) $6,000,000.00 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Golden Panda Ad Builder; and
    (o) $3,007,580.85 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Golden Panda Ad Builder.

    The government seized more than $79.88 million combined from the bank accounts of ASD and Golden Panda.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Clerk Records Golden Panda ‘Default’

    On Monday, prosecutors filed papers to begin the process of finalizing the default of more than $14 million seized from Bank of America accounts controlled by Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby and his daughter, Dawn Stowers.

    A court clerk today entered a default notice for a total sum of $14,045,598.07.  The notice clears the way for the government to take final control of the money.

    Golden Panda had five Bank of America accounts, including one that contained precisely $6 million. The company operated in launch phase for only eight days, although Golden Panda also operated in “prelaunch” phase, recording nearly 20,000 members in weeks.

    Here is a list of the Golden Panda accounts and the default amounts:

    (1) $2,282,999.72 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the
    name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Deposit Account;
    (2) $1,112,978.42 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Operating Account;
    (3) $1,642,039.08 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Cashout Account;
    (4) $6,000,000.00 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Golden Panda Ad Builder;
    (5) $3,007,580.85 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Golden Panda Ad Builder.

    In court filings, Clarence Busby said Golden Panda was born in April 2008, on a Georgia fishing lake, after discussion with AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin.

    “As a social courtesy to Bowdoin, I asked a pastor friend of mine, Rev. Charles Green, if he might bring his boat and join me in inviting Bowdoin on a relaxing fishing trip,” Busby told U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer. “I imagined that operating ASD involved a lot of stress, and I had heard Bowdoin liked to fish. I also wanted a respite from work. The invitation was extended and Bowdoin agreed to join us.”

    “On April 11, 2008, we fished at a lake in Brunswick, Georgia for a day. On that Day Bowdoin surprised me by recommending that I start a Chinese version of ASD,” Busby said.  “Bowdoin suggested that I organize the business without him. He said, ‘I can’t handle the business I already have,’ stating that I should be the one to create, own, and operate this Chinese version of ASD.”

    In his court filings, Busby said he didn’t know Bowdoin “had prior run ins with the law” and had been arrested in Alabama for defrauding investors.

    Busby did not say if he told his fishing partner about his own run-ins with the law: The Securities and Exchange Commission said Busby defrauded investors in the 1990s.

    “[T]he Commission alleged that Busby violated the antifraud provisions of the securities laws by offering and selling investment contracts in connection with three different prime bank schemes,” the SEC said.

    “Using misrepresentations and omissions in each of the three schemes, Busby raised money for purported trading programs in ‘prime bank’ notes by fraudulently representing to investors that the investments were risk-free and that the ventures would pay returns ranging from 750% to 10,000%. In total, Busby raised nearly $1 million from more than 70 investors. None of the investors earned the exorbitant returns promised by Busby,” the SEC said.

    Busby settled the case with the SEC in May 1998 by agreeing not to break securities laws. Ten years later, he once again found himself a central figure in a securities scheme, right next to Bowdoin.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Government Seeks Golden Panda Default

    As anticipated, the government has filed papers to finalize the forfeiture of more than $14 million seized from Bank of America accounts controlled by Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby and his daughter, Dawn Stowers.

    Busby surrendered claims to the funds in September. Earlier today the government set the official total of funds seized from Golden Panda at $14,045,598.07.

    Golden Panda’s largest account contained exactly $6 million, prosecutors said. Another account contained more than $3.007 million. A third account contained more than $2.282 million. A fourth account contained more than $1.642 million. Golden Panda’s smallest account contained more than $1.112 million.

    Unofficially, Golden Panda operated only eight days.

    Other than to formalize official amounts seized from AdSurfDaily in the same case, the government has not sought an entry of default and litigation continues. Prosecutors seek more than $65.8 million seized from ASD President Andy Bowdoin.

    Prosecutors, however, included a footnote in this afternoon’s Golden Panda filing that said it intended to oppose any attempts for nonparties to intervene in the ASD case.

    “Some former participants of the ASD operation have sought to challenge the government’s forfeiture case against ASD funds,” prosecutors said. “These would-be interveners maintain that some of ASD’s funds belong to members who were exercising ‘a constitutional right to contract with ASD’ for the wealth ASD promised to them — regardless of the source of the payments.”

    Bowdoin has conceded that ASD was operating illegally at the time of the forfeiture. Prosecutors said last month he signed a proffer letter in the case.

    Golden Panda Seizure Numbers

    Prosecutors certified these Golden Panda seizure amounts:

    (1) $2,282,999.72 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the
    name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Deposit Account;
    (2) $1,112,978.42 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Operating Account;
    (3) $1,642,039.08 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Cashout Account;
    (4) $6,000,000.00 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Golden Panda Ad Builder;
    (5) $3,007,580.85 seized from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of Golden Panda Ad Builder.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Government Seized $65.8 Million From Bowdoin Accounts, $14 Million From Busby Accounts

    UPDATED 5:13 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Federal prosecutors have filed papers that formalize the official total of deposits seized from Bank of America accounts held by AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin and Golden Panda President Clarence Busby.

    The amounts appear to be significantly higher than believed initially and take into account “credits, and net of offsets that occurred,” prosecutors said.  The amount cited in the August forfeiture complaint was approximately $53 million.

    After reconciliation, the actual amount seized totaled more than $79.88 million. Prosecutors said the money was being held in a U.S. Customs Suspense account.

    It was not immediately clear if the total takes into account cashier’s checks seized as part of the investigation into allegations of wire fraud, money-laundering, engaging in the sale of unregistered securities and operating a Ponzi scheme.

    After the Department of Justice announced the figure of approximately $53 million last year, the U.S. Secret Service announced that it ultimately found more than $93.5 million, which led to speculation that the cashier’s checks had totaled approximately $40 million.

    Bowdoin’s 10 accounts — all of which were in his name as a sole proprietor doing business as AdSurfDaily — contained $65,838,999.70 in total, prosecutors said. The largest Bowdoin account contained more than $31.6 million. Another Bowdoin account contained more than $23.7 million. A third Bowdoin account contained more than $4.99 million. (An additional $107 would have made it an even $5 million.)

    Three Bowdoin accounts contained the exact same amount: $1,000,338.91. Three other accounts contained smaller amounts, and one additional account contained more than $1.088 million.

    Bowdoin’s smallest account contained $13,286, prosecutors said.

    Busby’s five Golden Panda accounts — some of which also included the name of his daughter, Dawn Stowers — contained $14,045,598.07 in total, prosecutors said. The largest account contained exactly $6 million. Another Busby account contained more than $3.007 million. A third Busby account contained more than $2.282 million. A fourth Busby account contained more than $1.642 million. Busby’s smallest account contained more than $1.112 million.

    Seizure Totals

    Here are the seizure totals listed by prosecutors today:

    Andy Bowdoin

    (a) $1,088,246.48 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (b) $31,674,039.13 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (c) $937,470.18 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (d) $13,286.89 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (e) $403,791.04 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (f) $4,999,893.00 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (g) $23,721,256.25 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (h) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (i) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;
    (j) $1,000,338.91 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Thomas A. Bowdoin, Jr., Sole Proprietor, DBA ADSURFDAILY;

    Clarence Busby/Golden Panda

    (k) $2,282,999.72 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Deposit
    Account;
    (l) $1,112,978.42 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Operating
    Account;
    (m) $1,642,039.08 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name of
    Clarence Busby Jr. and Dawn Stowers, DBA Golden Panda Ad Builder Cashout
    Account;
    (n) $6,000,000.00 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Golden Panda Ad Builder; and
    (o) $3,007,580.85 from account #[deleted by this Blog] at Bank of America, in the name
    of Golden Panda Ad Builder.