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  • Surf’s Up Mod Releases Andy Bowdoin Letter To Troops; ASD Head Urges Letter-Writing Campaign To Glenn Beck

    Andy Bowdoin.
    Andy Bowdoin.

    First, members of the Pro-AdSurfDaily Surf’s Up forum tried to whip up support for ASD President Andy Bowdoin by sending Kool Aid packets to Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. Now Bowdoin himself, through a Surf’s Up Mod, is urging members to write letters to Glenn Beck, another Fox personality.

    And, taking a page from his own playbook, Bowdoin also has asked members to write to President Obama, the Justice Department and elected officials “to stop this misuse of power.”

    The move comes on the heels of a stunning court motion Bowdoin filed March 11 in which he acknowledged ASD was operating illegally when the government seized tens of millions of dollars from Bowdoin last summer. Bowdoin claimed in the filing that he did not know ASD was operating illegally at the time of the seizure and that the government denied him fair notice and due process.

    In the filing, Bowdoin claims to be a “defendant” in a “quasi-criminal” prosecution. But Bowdoin hasn’t been named a defendant by the government, which sued the money and property for forfeiture, saying it was the proceeds of a criminal enterprise.

    Prosecutors said ASD was engaging in wire fraud, money-laundering and the sale of unregistered securities — all while operating a $100 million Ponzi scheme.

    Bowdoin had not communicated with the membership at large in months. He did not tell members about a second forfeiture complaint that had been filed in December against assets tied to the firm. Nor did Bowdoin tell members that, in January, he had submitted to the forfeiture of the money and property seized last summer.

    In court filings, Bowdoin now says he has changed his mind about submitting to the forfeiture, even though he acknowledged that ASD was operating illegally — exactly what the government contended.

    In his letter to the members, however, Bowdoin did not mention the motion in which he acknowledged ASD was operating illegally.

    His last formal contact with the members was in late fall, a few months after the initial seizure, when Bowdoin tried to sell them VOIP phone service, positioning the $19.95-a-month plan as a gift to the membership. Days before, he told members that Ponzi allegations had been dropped against ASD in Florida, even though Ponzi allegations hadn’t been brought in Florida.

    During the same time period in the fall, ASD’s Breaking News site announced a deal with Praebius Communications, saying ASD expected to pump $200 million into its coffers as a result of the deal. Praebius is a penny-stock company that does not publish financials.

    In early December, an autosurf known as AdViewGlobal (AVG) began to position itself for launch. AVG has close ties to ASD, including George Harris, Bowdoin’s stepson and an AVG trustee; Gary Talbert, a former ASD executive now an executive and trustee for AVG; Chuck Osmin, a former ASD employee now working for AVG; and Nate Boyd, a former ASD compliance officer now listed as the “Protector”  of AVG.

    By December 19, federal prosecutors filed a second forfeiture complaint, saying Bowdoin’s wife, Edna Faye Bowdoin and her son, George Harris, had used proceeds from ASD to retire the $157,216 mortgage on the home Harris shared with his wife, Judy Harris.

    Bowdoin now says that he recently was introduced to a “group” that is giving him legal advice. Bowdoin started filing his own court pleadings in late February, at the same time AVG was introducing members to Pro Advocate Group, which says it can help people practice medicine and law without a license.

    Pro Advocate Group is associated with Karl Dahlstrom. In 1997, Dahlstrom was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for orchestrating a securities scheme.

    In his letter to ASD members, Bowdoin did not disclose the name of the “group” from which he was receiving advice. Nor did Bowdoin reference or confirm reports that bank accounts belonging to ASD and AVG members recently had been seized.

    He did say he fired his paid attorneys.

    Here is Bowdoin’s letter. We added the italics.

    Hi Folks,

    It’s good to be talking to you once again. My attorneys kept me quiet for months, but after $800,000.00 and no results I fired them all.

    About a month ago, several members introduced me to a group that studied what my attorneys did. The group said that my attorneys had taken the wrong approach.
    The group was very confident that they could help because the government had broken so many laws and had violated our rights as citizens of the United States.

    I have rescinded my decision to release our ownership of all the assets. I filed various motions a few weeks ago, and several more last week, to dismiss our case and to return the assets because of the violations committed by our government.
    We are ready to pursue this all the way to the US Supreme Court.

    A great injustice has been done to 100,000 people, and we need to stand up and fight for our rights. Some agencies of the government have become so powerful that they believe they are above the Constitution. We, as members of ASD, need to help stop this misuse of power. I ask each one of you to write to the Justice Department, to your senators and representatives, to the President, and even to Glen Beck of Fox News. Tell them all what the Justice Department has done to your business.

    We will be filing papers in the next couple of weeks that should really get their attention. Watch for the filings. I will be speaking out on a conference call as soon as the filings are completed. We will notify you of the call. I look forward to talking to you then.

    I appreciate your support in helping us get back what rightfully belongs to the members of ASD.

    Thanks,
    Andy Bowdoin

  • Ramping Up The AdSurfDaily Insanity

    UPDATED 11:41 A.M. EDT (March 12, U.S.A.) AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin, acting as his own attorney, acknowledged in court filings yesterday that the company had been operating illegally when the government seized tens of millions of dollars last summer.

    The concession was nuclear. It undermines the work of his previous paid attorneys and puts Bowdoin in the position of having to explain previous representations given the court that are completely at odds with what he is saying now.

    At the same time, it undermines self-filed pleadings Bowdoin entered into the record last week. Meanwhile, it undermines pleadings by others, including four people who told the court that they were permitted to enter into commercial contracts with whomever they pleased and for whatever commercial interest they pleased.

    Bowdoin now has told the court that he was operating an illegal commercial enterprise, thus nuking the argument of Curtis Richmond and three others. Richmond, himself a pro se litigant, is linked to a sham Utah “Indian tribe” known for filing vexatious pleadings that make tortured legal constructions.

    “Professor” Patrick Moriarty, an ASD mainstay, has advanced commercial theories similar to Richmond’s. Moriarty got nuked yesterday, too, only a few days after congratulating Bowdoin in a column for his excellent, pro-se pleadings.

    Andy Bowdoin’s pleadings, though, are jeopardizing the freedom of members of his family, ASD insiders and top promoters, and strategic shills.

    Yesterday, the Pro-ASD Surf’s Up forum celebrated the filings. The forum Mods appear not to have connected the dots that Bowdoin just nuked them. Some of the Mods and members set up a site to promote AdViewGlobal (AVG), which has close ties to ASD. Bowdoin nuked AVG yesterday, too.

    Today Surf’s Up has banned at least one member for not carrying Bowdoin’s water bucket. The forum even has banned members who post unflattering opinions about Bowdoin or ASD on other forums.

    The Mods can tell you until they’re blue in the face that Bowdoin’s filings were something to celebrate; the announcement, as always, came with exclamation points, both in the thread and in an email Surf’s Up members received.

    But this was nothing to celebrate if you’re a top promoter, an insider or a strategic shill. And it certainly was nothing to celebrate  if you’re a rank-and-file member of ASD: Bowdoin just told you he ripped you off. His excuse was that the government didn’t give him fair notice that he was ripping you off.

    Surf’s Up, which previously postioned Bowdoin as a genius, now is telling you his genius didn’t extend to the recognition of a Ponzi scheme and money-laundering operation. A Mod explained that Andy didn’t know he was ripping people off because the government never told him until after it seized the cash.

    ASD advertised CEP Trust.
    ASD advertised CEP Trust.

    It is a steaming pile. ASD once advertised that it used CEP Trust, the failed payment processor run by the operators of the CEP Ponzi scheme. This Blog published a screen shot of ASD’s CEP pitch months ago, along with a screen shot of an ad that told the audience that ASD deposits were insured by the FDIC.

    Bowdoin’s claims do not pass the giggle test — not that anybody is laughing at this point. There simply is no delight in unmasking these lies.

    Claim that ASD deposits were FDIC-insured.
    Claim that ASD deposits were FDIC-insured.

    This Blog has refrained from calling Surf’s Up the “Loony Bin” as it is known elsewhere, and it has refrained from using the phrase “Kool-Aid drinkers,” except in cases such as quotations. We have used the word “crackpot” to describe “Surf’s Up.” It was the least-objectionable word we could think of to instill a sense of the madness taking place at Surf’s Up.

    Despite everything that happened to ASD last summer, the insiders at AVG implemented a new surf and started collecting money. The operation has ASD’s fingerprints all over it, and the inescapable conclusion is that Bowdoin’s pleadings in the ASD case are setting the stage for the planned defense of AVG.

    The operative word in the previous sentence is “planned.” Bowdoin and insiders got caught again. Now they are desperately trying to wiggle out of a prosecution against AVG by making the no “fair-notice” claim. It is utterly preposterous, and yet the Surf’s Up Mods serve it up daily.

    AVG, by the way, is still online — despite Bowdoin’s concession to a federal judge and the prosecution that ASD was operating illegally.

    They have taken no hints — including the RICO lawsuit filed by other ASD members in which Bowdoin, ASD Attorney Robert Garner and Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby were accused of racketeering. None of the principal defendants has filed a single piece of paperwork in the case — not after two months.

    We believe it likely there are sealed criminal indictments in the ASD case. At the same time, we believe it probable that some ASD/AVG insiders know they are targets of a criminal probe.

    And we believe it equally likely that Bowdoin and the insiders have shielded members from this knowledge, while using Surf’s Up to whip up support. If the Mods have insider’s knowledge they are at risk of indictment. Even a whiff of it is enough.

    No AVG participant also in ASD, for example, will be able to claim they did not know the possible consequences of their actions as they pertained to AVG. And with George Harris, Bowdoin’s stepson; Gary Talbert, a former ASD executive; and Chuck Osmin, a former ASD employee who testified for ASD at the evidentiary hearing in the AVG lineup, there will be no credible way to claim ignorance. Nate Boyd, listed as the “Protector” of the AVG association, formerly was the head of compliance for ASD, members said.

    Do not be surprised if you see the no “fair notice” argument ported over to AVG.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Bowdoin, Acting As Own Attorney, Files Motion To Dismiss AdSurfDaily Forfeiture Case

    Andy Bowdoin.
    Andy Bowdoin.

    UPDATE 4:13 P.M. EST (U.S.A.) Andy Bowdoin, acting as his own attorney, has filed a motion to dismiss the AdSurfDaily forfeiture case.

    At the same time, Bowdoin appears to have filed a motion to reverse his earlier decision to submit to the forfeiture of certain property seized by the government.

    Bowdoin’s filing, however, does not appear to contest the forfeiture of tens of millions of dollars seized by the government in August. It appears to apply to property seized from members of his family in December and from Golden Panda President Clarence Busby.

    It is possible that a document is missing from the case file or has yet to be added. The petition to reverse the forfeiture, as filed, references only property seized in the December forfeiture action.

    Today’s Bowdoin filings are dated and signed Feb. 25, 2009, exactly one day before AdViewGlobal (AVG), an autosurf that defines itself as an offshore company and shares common management with ASD, announced it was going underground by forming a private association.

    Incredibly, AVG makes the claim it is not associated with ASD despite the presence of common management, common promoters and at least one common employee, Chuck Osmin. Osmin testified for ASD at the Sept. 30-Oct. 1 evidentiary hearing. Gary Talbert, a former ASD executive who is now the chief executive officer of AVG, filed a sworn affidavit in the case.

    George Harris, Bowdoin’s stepson, is listed as a trustee for the AVG private association. So is Talbert. Property was seized from Harris in the December forfeiture complaint.

    Harris is the son of Edna Faye Bowdoin, Andy Bowdoin’s wife.

    Andy Bowdoin said his decision to submit to the forfeiture was made under “severe duress” and was a “grave mistake and error.” He accused the government of “fraud, trickery and deceit.”

    Meanwhile, Bowdoin has filed a motion to suppress evidence, saying he was illegally interrogated by the U.S. Secret Service. Bowdoin claimed agents did not advise him of his Miranda rights — the right to remain silent.

    In his motion to dismiss, Bowdoin said the court was obligated to dismiss because it lacked jurisdiction. Bowdoin said the case should be viewed as a quasi-criminal matter, not a civil case.

    “There was no probable cause even to file a complaint in this instant case,” Bowdoin asserted.

    Why Bowdoin filed the documents as his own attorney isn’t clear. But the documents have the hallmarks of documents filed by inexpert litigants belonging to underground legal “associations” that purport to help nonlawyers navigate tricky waters.

    AdSurfDaily and AdViewGlobal recently have been linked to such underground associations. One of them is Pro Advocate Group, which says it can help nonlawyers and nondoctors establish private “associations” that enable members to practice law and medicine without a license.

    Bowdoin’s pleadings, in general, are much more respectful than documents other litigants acting as their own attorneys recently have filed in the case.

    Unlike Curtis Richmond and others who used the Richmond litigation blueprint, Bowdoin, for instance, does not accuse the judge and prosecutors of crimes and demand a specific result in a compressed time frame at the peril of prosecution.

    But he did accuse the government of trickery, saying the Secret Service “did not follow the supreme law of the land” in its treatment of him.

    “One cannot break the law in an attempt to ‘uphold the law,’” Bowdoin said.

    Moderators of the Pro-ASD Surf’s Up forum have hinted for days that something special was coming in the case. If this is it, “special” means that Bowdoin now is acting as his own attorney and citing English Common Law as one of his resources.

    How much Bowdoin spent on the lawyers previously handing his case is unknown. His earlier decision to surrender to the forfeiture, however, imperiled ASD promoters who made money. It would be hard for them to claim they were entitled to keep proceeds of what prosecutors said was a $100 million Ponzi scheme when Bowdoin himself surrendered claims.

    Prosecutors, however, always have had the option of litigating against Bowdoin’s promoters no matter what Bowdoin did.

    ASD members have reported in recent days that the Secret Service has seized the bank accounts of some individual ASD promoters, including people who also are promoting AdViewGlobal. Bowdoin has been under pressure from members who were unhappy about his two-month silence.

    He did not tell members about a second forfeiture complaint filed against ASD-connected assets in December. Nor did he tell members about his January decision to surrender the money. Both issues created problems for ASD promoters.

    Read Bowdoin’s motion to dismiss.

    Read Bowdoin’s motion to reverse his earlier decision to forfeit property.

    Read Bowdoin’s motion to supress evidence.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Obama To Sponsor Plan To Curb International Tax Scheming, Treasury Secretary Tells Panel

    obamaThe Obama administration said today that it will crack down on international tax cheats and people using tax havens to evade U.S. regulators.

    In testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Obama will propose new rules to curtail international scheming.

    “The budget also seeks to close the ‘tax gap’ by tackling tax shelters and other efforts to abuse our tax laws, including international tax-evasion efforts,” Geithner said. “The budget addresses the use of offshore structures and accounts by U.S. corporations and individuals to avoid and evade U.S. taxes. Over the next several months, the President will propose a series of legislative and enforcement measures to reduce such U.S. tax evasion and avoidance.”

    Geithner’s remarks couldn’t have come at a worse time for some AdSurfDaily members. Some members Surf’s Up, a Pro-ASD forum, are engaging in a letter-writing campaign to have the government investigate the prosecutors and federal judge involved in the case.

    Members have sent letters to Obama, Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and other politicians.

    In August, prosecutors alleged that ASD was a wire-fraud and money-laundering operation whose central component was an international, $100 million Ponzi scheme. ASD had more than $1 million on deposit in Antigua, which later became ground zero in the alleged multibillion-dollar Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme.

    Robert Garner, an ASD attorney who advertised his international financial services in a magazine in 2003, was named a defendant in a RICO lawsuit in January. His co-defendants include ASD President Andy Bowdoin and Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby. Assets tied to Golden Panda were seized in the ASD case.

    Promoter say Busby now is involved with another surf — BizAdSplash — which promotes itself as an offshore business.

    Bowdoin’s stepson, George Harris, and two former ASD employees, Gary Talbert and Chuck Osmin, are associated with yet another offshore surf — AdViewGlobal.

    Three autosurfs with ties to ASD sprouted up in the aftermath of the government’s seizure of ASD funds, all touting the benefits of their “offshore” locations in countries such as Panama and Uruguay. One of the surfs, BizAdSplash, is having trouble with a bank in Panama and a payment processor in Panama. The surf announced the trouble after the SEC charged Stanford with fraud.

    Meanwhile, AdGateWorld positioned itself as an attractive option after what happened to ASD. Promoters said AdGateWorld provided protection from the SEC, the IRS and state attorneys general.

    For its part, AdViewGlobal now says it is forming a private association.

  • Garner Advertised In ‘Escape Artist’ Publication

    Attorney Robert Garner
    Attorney Robert Garner

    An attorney accused of racketeering in a lawsuit by members of AdSurfDaily and accused by prosecutors of shilling for ASD President Andy Bowdoin once advertised his services in “Escape From America Magazine.”

    The magazine is part of a website known as EscapeArtist.com.

    Robert F. Garner identified himself a “[f]ormer General Counsel for  major Miami-based securities firm with Latin and South American  focus,” according to his ad. He listed the URL for his law office in Greensboro, North Carolina, saying he also specialized in “[r]ecoveries from scam.”

    Garner is licensed to practice law in North Carolina. But web records show he has not informed the North Carolina bar this year whether he is in private practice or carries malpractice insurance — two things he is required to do.

    “Each active member of the North Carolina State Bar is required to advise the State Bar annually whether he or she is engaged in private practice and whether he or she is covered by legal malpractice insurance,” the bar says on its website. Garner’s entries for 2009 are listed “no response.”

    Garner’s magazine ad ran in Vol. 5, Issue 11, of Escape From America. It was published in November 2003, alongside ads for tax havens, financial, telephone and real estate services for expatriates, and pitches for people to move to Belize and elsewhere.

    “YOUR OWN OFFSHORE BANK ACCOUNT IS WAITING FOR YOU,” promised one of the ads in the publication.

    In December, federal prosecutors filed a second forfeiture complaint against assets tied to ASD, including a home and personal property acquired by Bowdoin family members.

    Bowdoin’s wife, Edna Faye Bowdoin, and her son, George Harris, used ASD money to open an account in a separate bank. Harris used $157,216 of the opening deposit to pay off the mortgage on the Tallahassee home he shared with his wife, prosecutors said.

    Garner shilled for Andy Bowdoin in an ASD video, prosecutors said.

    “ASD actually [employed] Garner to participate in a marketing video that ASD crafted to reassure hesitant prospects of ASD’s lawfulness, not for his expertise in ensuring ASD’s compliance with applicable laws,” prosecutors said.

    “Messrs. Bowdoin and Garner said that ASD’s operations had been reviewed carefully by a team of legal experts to ensure compliance with all applicable laws,” prosecutors said.

    “Messrs. Bowdoin and Garner knew the representations made in the video were material to prospective participants, made-up, and false,” prosecutors said. “The misrepresentations led to a significant expansion of investment in ASD and related auto-surf investment programs.”

    In fact, prosecutors said, ASD didn’t hire compliance attorneys during the first 20 months of its existence, waiting until after it started to collect enormous sums at rallies last year to address compliance with federal securities laws and other laws.

    A RICO complaint brought against Bowdoin, Garner and Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby in January accuses the men of organized efforts to defraud. The lawsuit was filed by Mike Collins of Savage, Minn.; Frank Greene of Washington, D.C.; and Natures Discount of Aventura, Fla.

    The complaint alleged the men were involved in “other” schemes beyond ASD, Golden Panda and LaFuenteDinero, and have “committed or aided and abetted in the commission of countless acts of racketeering activity,” including indictable offenses.

    “The ASD Enterprise provides the RICO Defendants and other unnamed co-conspirators with a system by which to operate fraudulent schemes such as ASD, to hide the fraudulent nature of the schemes, and to profit from such schemes,” the plaintiffs alleged. “Each RICO Defendant agreed to perform services of a kind which facilitated the operation of the ASD Enterprise and facilitated the RICO Defendants and others in the operation of various fraudulent schemes, including ASD.”

    One entity associated with ASD — a surf known as AdViewGlobal — lists former ASD executive Gary Talbert as its chief executive officer. Chuck Osmin, a former ASD customer-service representative who said he expected to earn $2,000 a day from ASD, also now works for AVG.

    Meanwhile, AVG lists George Harris as a trustee. AVG has turned to a firm known as Pro Advocate Group for advice on becoming a private members’ association. Pro Advocate Group is associated with Karl Dahlstom. In 1997, Dahlstrom was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his participation in a securities scheme.

    An attorney named Robert F. Garner — with ties to Florida and North Carolina –  is referenced in documents published by the U.S. Senate pertaining to a 2001 investigation into international money-laundering.

  • Who is Faye S. Bowdoin? Troubling, New Questions Arise In The AdSurfDaily Ponzi Scheme And Money-Laundering Case

    UPDATED 12:56 A.M. EST (Feb. 28, U.S.A.) Documents filed by federal prosecutors in the AdSurfDaily case pointedly refer to Andy Bowdoin’s wife as “Edna Faye Bowdoin.”

    But other documents on file with the Florida Department of State refer to her as “Faye S. Bowdoin.” Other documents in the Florida Department of State and elsewhere in Florida refer to her as “Faye S. Harris.”

    “Harris” is the last name of a man to whom she once was married and also the name of her son, George Harris III.

    Adding to the mystery is the building in Quincy, Fla., that once was home to “Faye’s Florist” and later became home to AdSurfDaily. Documents from 1996 list the shop’s address address as 11 S. Calhoun Street, Quincy, Fla. 32351.

    AdSurfDaily, however, listed its address as 13 S. Calhoun Street, even though it was in the same building once occupied by Faye’s Florist. Adding yet another layer of mystery is that Faye S. Bowdoin is listed in state records as the sole board member of Bowdoin Harris/Enterprises Inc., which became a corporation in Florida in June 2008, about two months before the seizure of ASD’s assets.

    Like ASD, Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises used the 13. S. Calhoun address — but 12 years earlier, Faye S. Harris listed the corporate address for “Faye’s Florist” as 11 S. Calhoun Street.

    Federal prosecutors said the 13 S. Calhoun Street address listed for ASD was bogus. In December, prosecutors filed a second forfeiture complaint against assets linked to ASD, including property purchased by Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises using ASD money.

    Adding yet another layer of mystery is a name that appears on documents Faye’s Florist filed with the state in 1996. The name “Thomas, Andrew” of 7. West Washington St., Suite 4, Quincy, Fla. 32351, appears as the name of the registered agent for Faye’s Florist.

    Andy Bowdoin’s given name is Thomas Anderson Bowdoin Jr. ASD members knew him as “Andy.” The appearance of the name “Thomas, Andrew” — with the last name first, meaning the actual name is “Andrew Thomas” — on the 1996 documents from Faye’s Florist suggests that Andy Bowdoin could be “Andrew Thomas.”

    That is not for certain, of course. What is for certain, however, is that law enforcement would find such a name on a document entirely too coincidental not to investigate thoroughly.

    There has to be a reason why both ASD and Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises used a nonexistent address — 13 S. Calhoun St. — in public records. And unless Edna Faye Bowdoin and Faye S. Bowdoin are two separate people, there has to be a reason why Mrs. Bowdoin is using two separate names and two addresses for the same building.

    Prosecutors said that Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises was a bid by Andy Bowdoin and Edna Faye Bowdoin to hide assets. What’s unclear, however, was what motivated the need to hide assets.

    If “Andy Bowdoin” is the “Andrew Thomas” listed in the 1996 documents for Faye’s Florist, however, it suggests an elaborate attempt to hide assets dating back at least 12 years. The document just as easily could have carried the name “Thomas Anderson Bowdoin” Jr. if Andy Bowdoin and Andrew Thomas are one in the same.

    The question is why did it not if they are one in the same.

    Andy Bowdoin was charged with defrauding customers in an Alabama securities scheme in the 1990s, and was still making incremental payments to victims even as ASD was generating tens of millions of dollars last year.

    At the time of the August seizure, he still owed the victims about $45,000. Just a few days prior to the seizure Bowdoin paid nearly $50,000 for a new Lincoln. A month later he sent his Alabama victims a check for $100.

    Edna Faye Bowdoin’s son, George Harris, is listed as the registered agent for Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises. Prosecutors said he and his mother used nearly $180,000 in ASD funds from Bank of America to open an account at Capital City Bank on June 10, 2008, just days after Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises was formed.

    On June 23, 2008, George Harris used $157,216 of the money in the new account to pay off the mortgage on the Tallahasse home he shared with his wife, Judy Harris, prosecutors said.

    Here, below, some screen shots of documents:

    1.

    Corporate filing from 1996 showing address of Faye's Florist as 11 S. Calhoun Street.
    Corporate filing from 1996 showing address of Faye's Florist as 11 S. Calhoun Street.

    2.

    Signature of Faye S. Harris in 1996 filing for Faye's Florist.
    Signature of Faye S. Harris in 1996 filing for Faye's Florist.

    3.

    Document signed Faye S. Bowdoin in 20088 corporate filing for Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises that shows the address as 13 S. Calhoun Street.
    Document signed Faye S. Bowdoin in 2008 corporate filing for Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises that shows the address as 13 S. Calhoun Street. When Faye's Florist was open, it used 11 S. Calhoun Street as its address.

    4.

    Document from June 2008 showing George Harris as registered agent for Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises.
    Document from June 2008 showing George Harris as registered agent for Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises.

    5.

    Andy Bowdoin lists 13 S. Calhoun as ASD's address in filing with Florida Department of State.
    Andy Bowdoin lists 13 S. Calhoun as ASD's address in 2008 filing with Florida Department of State.

  • BREAKING NEWS: AdViewGlobal Moves Underground; Posts ‘Articles Of Association’ That Name Bowdoin Step-Son A Trustee; Ex-ASD Exec Gary Talbert Also Named A Trustee

    On the Surf’s Up forum, the Mods are saying there are no ties between AdSurfDaily and AdView Global. But information on AVG’s website tells a different story.

    George F. Harris is named a trustee of a new group that’s calling itself “AV Global Association.” Harris is the son of Edna Faye Bowdoin, wife of ASD President Andy Bowdoin. Federal prosecutors went to court in December, filing a forfeiture complaint against property obtained with ASD funds by Harris and his mother.

    Included was a home in Tallahassee, Fla. The $157,000 mortgage on the property was retired with ASD funds moved from the company’s Bank of America accounts into a separate account established by Harris and his mother, prosecutors said.

    ASD funds also were used to purchase a $28,000 Honda CRV for Harris and his wife, Judy Harris, prosecutors said.

    Also named in the association document is Gary Talbert, a former executive at ASD. ASD is headquartered in Quincy, Fla., and was accused in August of operating a $100 million Ponzi scheme and selling unregistered securities by masking the company as an advertising service.

    Trust Document screen shot.
    Trust Document screen shot.

    The association document is reproduced below:

    ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

    OF

    AV Global Association

    (A Private Membership Association)

    ARTICLE I

    Declaration of Purpose

    1. This Association of members hereby declares that our main objective is to protect our rights to freedom of choice regarding our advertising and marketing information and conduct, through maintaining our Constitutional rights.

    2. As members, we affirm our belief that the Constitution of the United States is one of the best documents ever devised by man and the signer of the Declaration of Independence did so out of love for their country. We believe that the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America guarantees our members the rights of free speech, petition, assembly, and the right to gather together for the lawful purpose of advising and helping one another in asserting our rights under the Federal and State Constitutions and Statutes. We strive to maintain and improve the civil rights, constitutional guarantees, freedom of choice in advertising and marketing information and conduct and political freedom of every member and citizen of the United States of America.

    3. We declare the basic right of all of our members to select spokesmen from our number who could be expected to give wisest counsel and advice concerning advertising and marketing enterprises and to select from our number those members who are the most skilled to assist and facilitate the actual performance of advertising and marketing enterprises.

    4. We proclaim the freedom to choose and perform for ourselves the types of advertising and marketing enterprises.

    5. The Association will recognize any person (irrespective of race, color, or religion) who is in accordance with these principles and policies as a member, and will provide a medium through which its individual members may associate for actuating and bringing to fruition the purposes heretofore declared.

    ARTICLE II

    Name and Status

    1. The name of this national membership association shall be AV Global Association, hereinafter referred to as “Association”. The Association is formed under common law and forms no legal entity distinct from that of its members for litigation purposes.

    ARTICLE III

    Membership and Dues

    1. Membership shall be open to any person which or who adheres to the purposes of this Association in Article I.

    2. A yearly membership may be offered at ten dollars ($10.00) or more, as determined by the Trustee(s). Additional assessments may be made at any time for services or benefits rendered. Honorary memberships may be offered and recognized until December 31, 2009.

    3. This membership does not entitle a member to any interest in the Association or management thereof, and a member will not be liable for any debts, obligations, liabilities, judgments, suits, etc., of the Association.

    4. The Trustee(s) shall have the right to sanction a member upon unanimous vote of the Trustee(s), after a hearing of the facts where the member may be present after notification. The sanctions include removal from active membership or imposing any other special and necessary conditions upon any member who shall discredit or bring harm to the Association in any manner.

    5. Any disputes or complaints that arise between the members will be settled by the Association’s Dispute Committee Panel. Any controversy or claim arising out of, or relating to, this association or its members will be resolved by an association Dispute Committee Panel of twelve (12) members in good standing randomly appointed from the existing members of the association that are willing and able to serve. A time and location of the hearing will be determined by the Trustee and travel and lodging expenses will be provided by the association for the Panel. All Parties to the hearing will be allowed to introduce any and all evidence, call witnesses and cross-examine witnesses. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Panel is required to decide which party is to prevail and the amount of monetary judgment. If a two-thirds (2/3) majority decision cannot be obtained, a new association Dispute Committee Panel may be appointed to decide the case or controversy.

    ARTICLE IV

    Officers and Duties

    1. All officers shall be members of the Association.

    2. The officers shall be President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasury.

    3. Officers shall be appointed and removed by the Trustee(s). Officer positions may be vacant for any period of time. The Trustee(s) may serve as Officers.

    4. The President, or in his/her absence, the Vice-President, shall preside over all membership meetings of the Association, manage all affairs as an agent and defend all actions for and against the Association and its members.

    5. The Vice-President’s duties are the same as the President’s and the Vice-President will serve at the pleasure of the President.

    6. Secretary-Treasurer: The Secretary-Treasurer will record and maintain minutes of all meetings and keep all records of the Association.

    ARTICLE V

    Trustees

    1. All Trustee(s) will be members of the Association.

    2. The Trustee(s) will assume control and the legal, liable, financial and tax responsibility of the Association as the principal. The Trustee(s) will set the compensation of the Officers, Trustee(s) and any other employees of the Association. The liability of the Association is limited to the assets and property of the Association and does not extend to the Trustee(s) individually.

    3. The Trustee(s) may appoint a Special Trustee for the limited purposes of representing the Association in court or other legal proceedings as either plaintiff or defendant. The Trustee(s) may appoint a Special Trustee for the limited purposes of maintaining, preparing and filing all local, state and federal tax returns.

    4. The Trustee(s) will have the power and responsibility to select from the membership the member(s) who will perform assistance in educating and administering advertising and marketing information to fellow members in accordance with the Declaration of Purpose and to contract with them for such purpose. The Trustee(s) will not contract for any advertising or marketing that would constitute a clear and present danger of substantive evil.

    5. The Trustee(s) will have the power and responsibility to determine levels of membership, levels of membership benefits, what benefits will be offered to all members free of charge and for what benefit and at what amount of cost to the member “special assessment” fees will be levied.

    6. All official decisions and actions of the Association will be upon majority consent of the Trustee(s), memorialized by minutes.

    7. The original Trustee of the Association will be: First Trustee, Gary D. Talbert.

    8. The Successor Trustee of the Association will be George F. Harris.

    9. In the event of death of the First Trustee or should he become mentally or legally incapacitated and unable to perform her duties, the Successor Trustee shall assume the position of First Trustee. The First Trustee hereby authorizes any and all successor trustee(s) to this “Association” access to the association information and conduct concerning the First Trustee for the evaluation of mental or legal incapacity of the First Trustee at any time.

    10. Provided, however, that a Trustee may be removed by the Protector of this association when the Trustee has been guilty of mismanagement, fraud, malfeasance or any other overt acts that do not work in the best interest of the association and its members. The guilt of the Trustee is to be determined by the sole discretion of the Protector. The Protector shall have the sole authority to appoint a replacement Trustee in any event other than himself or herself who will remain as Trustee unless replaced by the Protector or a vote of the membership according to these Articles of Association. The Protector of this Association is Nate Boyd. In the event of death of Nate Boyd, Protector, the Successor Protector will be George Harris.

    11. When the Association membership achieves one million (1,000,000) members, they will have the power to replace with a member of their own choice the Trustee and his successors upon two thirds (2/3) majority vote.

    ARTICLE VI

    By-Laws

    1. By-laws may be adopted by the Association for the purpose of carrying out the Association’s Declaration of Purpose. The Board of Trustee(s) may promulgate and adopt by-laws by unanimous consent which will have the same force and effect as the Articles of the Association provided that said by-laws do not contravene the Articles of Association and provided that said by-laws may be repealed by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members.

    ARTICLE VII

    Amendments

    1. The Articles of Association may be amended upon unanimous consent of the Trustee(s). The amendments will be submitted to the members for their ratification. If the Association achieves ratification by three-fourths (3/4) of the members, that existed at the time the amendment was first submitted, within one year of passing the amendment, the amendment will become a part of the Articles of Association and be binding upon all the members.

    ARTICLE VIII

    Dissolution

    1. The Association will terminate upon the death of the last remaining member or upon unanimous decision of the Trustee(s). All assets and liabilities will then revert to the trustee(s) at the time of dissolution.

    ARTICLE IX

    Construction and Interpretation of These Articles

    1. Any reference in these Articles to the masculine also includes the feminine when appropriate and any reference in these Articles to the singular also includes the plural when appropriate.

    2. This Association will be construed and interpreted under the laws of the State of Florida, U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution.

    Editor’s Note: At the time of publication, this document was published at:

    http://adviewglobal.com/Articles_of_Association.html

  • Breaking News: More ASD-Connected Assets Seized; Bowdoin Blamed Company Troubles On Russian Hackers

    Federal prosecutors quietly went to court last month, filing a second forfeiture complaint against assets tied to AdSurfDaily Inc. The complaint paints a jaw-dropping picture of insider dealings, special favors, a “silent” ASD partner, people getting paid large sums for doing virtually nothing — and a claim that Russian hackers broke into ASD’s servers and stole more than $1 million.

    ASD President Andy Bowdoin never reported the theft to police or other authorities. He also told different people different stories about the cash struggles ASD was having before the autosurf changed its name to ASD Cash Generator, prosecutors said.

    “Mr.  Bowdoin told some individuals that he had to stop operating the program over the Internet as AdSurfDaily after one or more Russians hacked into his program and caused the ASD operation to issue approximately $1 million to one or more Russians,” prosecutors said.

    Bowdoin explained the money was taken “before [he] discovered that the Russians had not paid any money to ASD to secure for themselves a portion of its revenue stream (as so-called ‘rebates’),” prosecutors said.

    The new forfeiture complaint, which is filed in the District of Columbia but has been assigned a different case number than the still-active August forfeiture complaint, names currency, real estate, luxury vehicles, a 20-foot Triton Cabana boat, jet skis, trailers and computer equipment as the property the government seeks to seize as additional proceeds of an illegal Ponzi scheme.

    Prosecutors seek $634,266 previously deposited in Bartow County Bank in the name of Golden Panda Ad Builder. The money previously was ceded to the government by ASD President Clarence Busby and his daughter, Dawn Stowers.

    In addition, they seek a 2009 Lincoln MKS in the name of Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises; a 2009 Acura registered to Hays McDougal Amos; a 2008 Honda CRV registered to Judy Shriver Harris and George Franklin Harris; a 20-foot Triton Cabana boat, Mercury outboard motor and trailer; two 2007 Bombardier jet skis and a 2008 Confab trailer.

    At the same time, they seek the old Masonic Hall building Bowdoin purchased for $800,000 cash in Quincy, and a home in Tallahassee that was purchased with ASD funds that Bowdoin’s wife diverted to her son, George Harris, with the assistance of Harris.

    On June 10 and June 11 alone, Bowdoin’s family members and employees used $239,957 derived from ASD funds to make personal purchases, prosecutors said.

    Bowdoin’s wife, Edna Faye Bowdoin, worked with her son on June 10, 2008, to create an account at Capital City Bank, into which more than $177,000 in ASD funds were transferred from Bank of America, prosecutors said.

    On June 23, 2008, Harris used $157,216 of the money to pay off the mortgage on the Tallahassee home he occupied with his wife, Judy Harris, prosecutors said.

    “In short, Edna Faye Bowdoin and her son, George Harris, created an entity that funneled ASD proceeds into a bank account from which funds were provided to George Harris, and his wife, to pay off their home mortgage,” prosecutors said.

    Andy Bowdoin and Edna Faye Bowdoin created Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises to help “conceal from the government their expenditures and assets they purchased,” prosecutors said.

    Insider Dealings

    It is clear from the new forfeiture complaint that investigators have interviewed many people, including Bowdoin relatives, and spent considerable time chasing paper. The brackets in the quoted passages below are emphasis we added.

    “Mr. Bowdoin and associates [note the use of the plural] issued ad packages to friends and family (who  paid nothing for the ad packages) as free investment, and compensation programs,” prosecutors said.

    “Mr. Bowdoin, and others [note the plural] working with or associated with ASD, also gave ad packages to employees/workers as compensation for services performed for ASD,” prosecutors said.

    “These individuals also were able to pull out considerable funds from the so-called rebate program even though in many [note the use of the word “many”] cases they put little, if any, of their own money into the scheme,” prosecutors said.

    “For example, a former employee took over $30,000 out of ASD after putting in nothing. Another former employee pulled out over $300,000 after putting in about $10,000,” prosecutors said. “One ASD promoter pulled out almost $100,000 after putting in less than $1,000.”

    Family Spending Spree

    Here is a list of major family transactions last summer that used ASD funds, according to prosecutors.

    • June 10, 2008: Edna Faye Bowdoin and her son, George Harris, opened at account at Capital City Bank, funding it with $177,900 transferred from ASD’s Bank of America accounts. Harris later used $157,216 of the deposit to pay off the Tallahassee home he shared with his wife, Judy Harris.
    • June 11, 2008: Judy Harris and George Harris used $28,607 to purchase a 2008 Honda CRV. The vehicle was paid for with ASD company check No. 1337. On Aug. 8 — about a week after ASD’s assets were seized in the initial complaint — a lien was placed on the vehicle to secure a $5,000 loan Judy Harris took out with a family member.
    • June 11, 2008: ASD Chief Executive Officer Juan Fernandez issued an ASD check for $33,450 that was used to pay for a 2009 Acura registered to Hays McDougal Amos.
    • June 28, 2008: ASD Check No. 2708, for $20,506, was used to purchase the jet skis and a trailer. The bill of sale was made out to ASD, and Edna Faye Bowdoin signed for the goods.
    • July 1, 2008: A check from Bowdoin/Harris Enterprises for $23,445 was used to purchase the Triton boat and other equipment. The funds Bowdoin/Harris used originated in ASD’s Bank of America accounts.
    • July 28, 2008: A cashier’s check from Bowdoin/Harris for $48,244 was used to pay for the Lincoln. The funds originated in ASD’s accounts.