Kristi Johnson

Two domains linked to the alleged “Achieve Community” pyramid- and Ponzi scheme appear to have been disconnected. On Feb. 17, the PP Blog reported that the domains — ReadyToAchieve.com and TheAchieveCommunity.com — were displaying “Account Suspended” messages. ReadyToAchieve appears still to have DNS servers, but now displays nothing and will not return a ping. TheAchieveCommunity, […]

There is no good state in which to run a Ponzi scheme, but Michigan and Colorado — the states in which “Achieve Community” operated — are two of the worst. This is because both states have racketeering statutes that have been used in Ponzi-scheme cases. The case of Joel Wilson, convicted yesterday in Michigan on […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 6:35 a.m. on Feb. 27. **______________________** It happened in the Zeek Rewards pyramid- and Ponzi case in 2012 — and now it has happened in the “Achieve Community” case filed earlier this month. A woman has contacted the court presiding over the Achieve case to solicit help in […]

BULLETIN: “Achieve Community” Ponzi/pyramid defendants Troy Barnes and Kristi Johnson have informed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they have invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves in the agency’s civil case. A deposition scheduled for Barnes Feb. 20 in Detroit was canceled. So was a deposition set for Johnson today in […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: The personnel information in the first section below is gleaned from public records in the SEC’s pyramid- and Ponzi case against the “Achieve Community” and alleged principals Kristi Johnson and Troy Barnes. Some of the numbered points include additional notes by the PP Blog. These notes are based on public records or information […]

BULLETIN: (2nd Update 2:35 p.m. ET U.S.A.) A Ponzi-board “program” known as “Trinity Lines” that was targeted at people of faith and was pushed by “Achieve Community” huckster Rodney Blackburn has gone missing. The domain name now resolves to a GoDaddy page, despite claims from Trinity Lines just two days ago that “[e]xciting times are […]

URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (17th update 3:07 p.m. ET U.S.A.) The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged “Achieve Community” (as Work With Troy Barnes Inc.) and alleged operators Troy A. Barnes and Kristine L. Johnson with operating a combined pyramid- and Ponzi scheme that raised more than $3.8 million. A federal judge in […]

With “Achieve Community” members posting on Facebook over the long President’s Day weekend claims attributed to co-founder Troy Barnes that he was under criminal investigation and assets had been seized, something seemed a bit odd on YouTube: Search results appeared to demote Rodney Blackburn in listings when the term “Achieve Community” was entered into the […]

UPDATED 4:36 A.M. ET FEB. 16 U.S.A. “Achieve Community” members this evening are circulating on Facebook a screen shot from a forum post attributed to Michigan-based co-founder Troy Barnes that claims “Achieve’s assets have been frozen.” Members say the post appeared earlier today in Achieve’s recently installed private forum. “I am facing criminal charges,” the […]

3RD UPDATE 4:02 P.M. ET U.S.A. The “Achieve Community,” an 800-percent ROI Ponzi-board “program” apparently hamstrung by problems with payment processors, now is serving up a spectacle in which confusion and delay are the only consistent themes. BehindMLM.com reported late last night (or early today, depending on your time zone) that the office of Michigan […]

UPDATED 11:41 A.M. ET U.S.A. On Nov. 12, 2013, an entity known as “The Universal Church of Charitable Life Inc.” filed articles of incorporation in Florida. It listed its base of operations at a street address in Saint Petersburg, a city in the Tampa region. Its nonprofit mission, according to the Florida filing, was to […]