racketeering

Just how far will people go to avoid getting caught or convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme or to reclaim funds lost in a Ponzi scheme — or to send a message that designed to rattle nerves? There have been several recent Ponzi or financial-fraud cases with more than just a hint of violent intent. […]

Three Michigan men were arrested for racketeering today for their local roles in an alleged national Ponzi scheme that targeted senior citizens. Robert Valeri Sr., 59, of South Lyon, Robert Antonio Valeri Jr., 32, of Canton, and Jeffrey Ron Mitchell, 39, of Walled Lake, were accused of cheating 125 Michigan seniors out of their life […]

In what is becoming a familiar refrain in the Ponzi universe, former Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein threatened a Florida newspaper and one of its reporters in the weeks prior to the exposure of his $1.2 billion fraud, the Sun Sentinel reported. The Sun Sentinel identified the reporter as Brittany Wallman. “Am I not making […]

UPDATED 1:19 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) Former Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein was arrested by the FBI this morning after being charged with racketeering and other offenses. The arrest occurred only days after Rothstein was disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court. Rothstein pleaded not guilty. He then was jailed without bail. Separately, federal prosecutors moved late […]

Tomorrow is the deadline for prosecutors to advise U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer how they plan to proceed with the December 2008 forfeiture complaint filed against assets of AdSurfDaily Inc. A month ago Judge Rosemary Collyer pointed out that no person or entity had filed claims to property seized in the complaint, the second tied […]

UPDATED 2:25 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) In June, private attorneys representing three AdSurfDaily members who accused Andy Bowdoin of racketeering became the authors of the first public court filing that referenced the AdViewGlobal (AVG) autosurf. Some defenders of the surf dismissed the reference as meaningless. Today, however, federal prosecutors made a veiled reference to AVG in […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story about filings in a racketeering lawsuit against AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin, ASD attorney Robert Garner and Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby also includes an update on a lawsuit filed last year against ASD by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. The information is under a subhead below. Although U.S. District […]

A racketeering lawsuit against ASD President Andy Bowdoin, ASD attorney Robert Garner and Golden Panda Ad Builder President Clarence Busby makes a veiled reference to what autosurf participants refer to as the “80-20” rule. The reference signals that both private litigants and the government are wise to methods autosurf promoters use to stem the outflow […]

UPDATED 10:45 A.M. EDT (U.S.A.) History may record that ASD President Andy Bowdoin’s final slide into infamy began last week with the release of a video for Paperless Access, a new surf company. Some ASD members, including members of the Pro-ASD Surf’s Up forum, reacted with anger and horror. Surf’s Up predictably went into damage-control […]