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Tag: Tribe of Grayhead

  • BULLETIN: Profiles Of Purported Attorney With AdSurfDaily Tie Removed From Cornell, Justia, Oyez Websites; Notary Public Told Washington Law Practice Board In 2005 That Kenneth Wayne Leaming Was ‘Physically And Emotionally Abusive’ And Coercive

    UPDATED 2:33 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) Cornell University Law School, Justia.com and Oyez.org have removed the online profiles of Kenneth Wayne Leaming. Leaming previously had been listed as an attorney who practiced law and advertised a fee structure of up to $250 an hour from Spanaway, Wash.

    Visitors were encouraged to “schedule a free introductory consultation.”

    Cornell said Sunday that it would remove Leaming’s profile if he proved not to be a licensed attorney. The university began checking into the matter after it learned a man by the same name had been accused in Washington state in 2005 of engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.

    The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) said yesterday that it was continuing to research matters pertaining to Leaming. Leaming was the subject of a letter sent in 2005 by the Practice of Law Board of the State of Washington. The Law Board made a determination in December 2005 that Leaming’s conduct in cases it was investigating “constitutes the unauthorized practice of law.”

    In one case, the Law Board said, a notary public accused Leaming of coercing her into “notarizing documents that resulted in the loss of her notary license.”

    A final deposition of the case was not immediately available.

    “When [the notary] questioned you about the legality of notarizing the documents you drafted, you were physically and emotionally abusive to her,” the Law Board wrote in its letter to Leaming, citing the notary’s allegations. “[The notary] voluntarily resigned her notary license as a consequence of the acts you directed. She has also obtained an order of protection against you.”

    A purported business entity known as “AMERICAN-INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW INC.,” which some AdSurfDaily members claim is providing legal representation to a group of members, is associated with Leaming, according to records.

    Unlawful practice of law can be charged as a crime in the state of Washington. Leaming is not listed as a member of the state bar, and has been described by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a “self-described ‘recognized international lawyer’” and member of an extremist group known as the “Little Shell Pembina Band.”

    The ASD case has been filled with oddities since the U.S. Secret Service seized tens of millions of dollars from the Florida-based firm in August 2008, accusing ASD in a forfeiture complaint of operating a massive Ponzi scheme.

    Some ASD members have been associated with the “sovereign,” “Patriot” and tax-denial movements. The case has featured dozens of bizarre, pro-se pleadings filed by ASD members, some of whom claimed the prosecutors and judges involved in the case were guilty of crimes.

    One ASD member — Curtis Richmond — has been associated with a Utah  “Indian Tribe” a federal judge ruled a “sham” after members of the bogus tribe placed enormous financial judgments against public servants and members of law enforcement in the performance of their duties. The sham tribe was known as “Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band.” Richmond was successfully sued under the federal racketeering statute for his sham activities.

    Regardless, Richmond was hailed a “hero” on the now-defunct Surf’s Up forum, a pro-ASD website that had members who openly jeered and condemned prosecutors and the Secret Service. One forum member described ASD critics as “rats” and “maggots” and “cockroaches.” Some members heckled a federal prosecutor, calling him “Gomer Pyle.” One member wrote that the prosecutor should be placed in a medieval torture rack, suggesting fellow members should draw straws to determine who got the honor of turning the screw.

    ASD President Andy Bowdoin said the prosecution was the work of “Satan.”

    Many of the pro-se filings in the case are at odds with the public record, conflating realities that simply do not exist about matters pertaining to evidence and witnesses. Recent emails circulated by some ASD members suggest that a group of members is trying to cloud issues and intimidate victims into not filing complaints or making a claim for restitution.

    ASD also is the subject of a racketeering lawsuit brought by members against  Bowdoin and attorney Robert Garner of North Carolina.

    See story from Sunday.

    See story from Saturday.

  • BREAKING NEWS: Curtis Richmond, Man Linked To Sham Utah ‘Indian’ Tribe, Files Motion To Intervene in ASD Case; Says Judge Collyer Faces Criminal Charges

    UPDATED 12:19 A.M. EST (FEB. 5, U.S.A.) Curtis Richmond has filed a motion to intervene in the ASD case. On the cover page of the motion, Judge Rosemary Collyer inserted a handwritten note:

    “Let this be filed,” she wrote.

    richmondasdmotion350Inside the motion Richmond accused the judge and a court clerk of felonies. He filed the motion as the chairman of Pacific Ministry of Giving International of Solana Beach, Calif.

    Pacific Ministry of Giving International had $41,000 at stake in ASD — including “Upgrade Bonuses promised between July 14th and Aug. 1, 2008” — and lost access to the money because of the government seizure, Richmond said.

    Richmond asserted that, if Collyer doesn’t do as he says and overturn the forfeiture, she is guilty of civil-rights violations and is violating U.S. law. He also threatened two federal prosecutors — U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor of the District of Columbia and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Cowden — with “legal damages,” saying he had a “binding contract” with them as a result of certified mail he had sent them.

    Cowden and Taylor ignored ASD members’ Constitutional rights in the ASD asset seizure, did not properly notify members of the seizure and interfered with commerce, Richmond claimed.

    He accused Collyer, Taylor, Cowden and Court Clerk Nancy Mayer-Whittington of engaging in a conspiracy to deny justice. He specifically accused Collyer and the prosecutors of theft.

    “The U.S. Atty. and/or U.S. Judge Had No Authority or Jurisdiction to Steal Most of the $93 million of ASD Member Ownership Interest,” Richmond said, using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. “All of the ASD Members had a Constitutional Right to Make A Contract With ASD and None of the ASD Members had a Contract With the U.S. Government.”

    A nonlawyer representing himself, Richmond advanced his theory of the case:

    “Since the U.S. Atty. could not present any court order giving him Authority to Seize the $40 million of Cashier Checks and deposit them in an Account Of His Choosing, he is Guilty of Misappropriation of Funds [at] a minimum and very possibly Embezzlement,” Richmond claimed.

    Richmond claimed he had “irrefutable” evidence against Collyer and the prosecutors.

    “This was accomplished by sending by Return Receipt with a ‘Demand For Legal Evidence Affidavit’ to William Cowden, Assist. U.S. Atty., Jeffrey Taylor, U.S. Atty., and Roy Dotson, Special Agent, U.S. Secret Service[,] giving them 7 Days to present Legal Evidence that the Statements Made in the Demand For Legal Evidence[,] including the Listed Constitutional Rights, WERE FALSE,” Richmond claimed.

    “The Demand for Legal Evidence [was] part of Notarized Affidavits and clearly stated “Your Silence will be an Admission that you do not have the Legal Evidence,” he said.

    Cowden, Taylor and Dotson knowingly and willingly defaulted on his demands “because they had no Legal Evidence or believed they were above the law,” Richmond said. “Attorneys & Judges Are Not Above The Law. A Lawful Default Is a Lawful Default.”

    Richmond V. Collyer

    In his motion, Richmond said Collyer “sat on” a previous motion he attempted to file in the case in the days immediately prior to her November ruling that ASD had not demonstrated it was a legal business and not a Ponzi scheme. Richmond ultimately was denied leave to file.

    Richmond said he filed 19 affidavits in support of his claims, and that Collyer and Mayer-Whittington are guilty of at least 60 felonies, including felonies that include prison sentences of up to 12 years for each affidavit that wasn’t filed.

    “Judge Collyer had the Clerk of the Court Return All Of The Motion To Dismiss Affidavits[,] including the 19 Demand For legal Evidence Notarized Affidavits In Support to Curtis Richmond,” he said.

    “This is like having 21 Witnesses to a Murder,” Richmond continued. “Judge Collyer is Guilty As Charged . . .”

    One of the aims of Richmond’s motion appears to be to force Collyer to withdraw from the case. He accused her of operating a “Kangaroo Court.”

    He accused Chief U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of becoming a co-conspirator, saying Lamberth also erected hurdles to block Richmond from filing as a party in the August forfeiture complaint against assets tied to ASD.

    “Either Judge Lamberth is unbelievably biased, believing he is Above The Law, or he does not know how to read the English language,” Richmond said.

    Lamberth also operated a “Kangaroo Court,” Richmond asserted.

    Richmond has a history of filing vexatious lawsuits and court motions, and of employing a strategy known as “Mailbox Arbitration” to hamstring prosecutors, judges, court clerks and others. He was convicted of criminal contempt of court in California in 2007 for threatening or trying to intimidate judges.

    Last year, a federal judge ruled an “Indian” tribe with which he is associated in Utah a “sham.” Various vexatious filings against public servants were made in the Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band case, and the judge ordered Richmond and other “tribe” members to pay damages and costs in excess of $100,000.

    In the “Indian” case, huge financial judgments against prosecutors and others were sought. At least one “tribe” member tried to enforce a bogus judgment in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

    In court filings, Richmond has claimed he was a “Sovereign” who answered only to Jesus Christ and enjoyed diplomatic immunity from prosecution.

    “Professor” Patrick Moriarty, a former board member of a defunct organization known as ASD Members International (ASDMI), associated himself with Richmond on Moriarty’s website. At the same time, Steve Watt, another former ASDMI board member, told visitors to TheJoyLuckClub ASD news site that Richmond’s court filings would lead to a major criminal complaint against members of the government.

    Before folding last month, ASDMI said on its website that it had recruited 167 members to litigate against the government in the ASD case. Moriarty also wrote of a certified-mail campaign and solicited funds to make it happen.

    Screen Shots

    1.

    indianchildrenCurtis Richmond’s signature as “Arbitrator” for a “tribal” panel set up by a sham Utah “Indian” tribe. In this case, the panel issued a fraudulent award of $300,720 and interest at “18% per annum against the Utah Department of Child & Family Services in a family matter.

    2.

    indianjudgeSham “Indian” arbitration panel issues award of $9,535.67 to sham “Indian chief.” The “award” was lodged against a judge, assessing the judge interest of 18 percent per annum and collection costs “not exceeding 30% of the principal sum.” The “chief,” Dale Stevens, later was arrested on child porn charges and announced his intention to marry two underage girls, including a 12-year-old, with whom he sought marriage in exchange for half a cooler of “energy bars.” Stevens, 69, acknowledged his plan in open court.

  • ASD Members International Dissolved

    It came online a few months ago with the strange promise it would litigate against government entities involved in the AdSurfDaily case — even if they were behaving legally. If lawsuits didn’t work, then perhaps it would see about having prosecutors charged with crimes.

    But ASD Members International (ASDMI), a nonprofit registered in Missouri, is no more. The corporation has been formally dissolved. It existed for less than 90 days — Oct. 30, 2008 through Jan. 26, 2009. The process of dissolving the entity actually began on Dec. 10. Formal papers were signed Jan. 21, and the dissolution was recorded Jan. 26.

    ASDMI’s website now redirects to tripod.com.

    “As most of you know by now, Andy Bowdoin has withdrawn as a claimant in the Forfeiture of Assets against ASD,” ASDMI said on the tripod site.  “ASDMI (ASD Members International) had retained an attorney to try and overturn the forfeiture. It was determined that it would be too difficult and costly to work on a contingency basis for a class action suit. ASDMI was attempting to obtain legal standing in case 1:08-cv-01345. We also found that to obtain standing would be extremely difficult if not impossible.

    “Mr. Bowdoin’s recent actions were a surprise to us and our negotiations have ended abruptly,” ASDMI continued. “The moneys we have spent on this negotiation have been wasted to say the least.”

    ASDMI had crowed on its website as late as last week that it had persuaded 167 people to part with their money and join in the important work of jailing prosecutors and suing the government back to the Stone Age, if necessary, to recover money paid to AdSurfDaily.

    Prosecutors seized at least $93.5 million amid allegations that ASD President Andy Bowdoin was running a Ponzi scheme and engaging in wire fraud and money-laundering.

    Image problems for ASDMI began out of the gate. A PR flap ensued when two board members of the group were linked to Curtis Richmond, a man associated with a Utah “Indian” tribe a federal judge ruled a sham. The tribe, purportedly formed in an Arby’s restaurant, is well-known in local, state and federal government circles for employing a strategy called “mailbox arbitration” and threatening prosecutors, judges and police officers.

    ASDMI denied any links to Richmond, who was convicted of felony contempt of court in 2007 for threatening or trying to intimidate federal judges, but the links were obvious. In November, Richmond attempted to file a motion to dismiss the ASD case. Judge Rosemary Collyer denied him leave to file.

    At the same time, at least one ASDMI board member — through a separate website — was organizing a campaign to send certified letters to prosecutors.

    Mailbox arbitration works on the theory you can mail certified demand letters to litigation opponents. If they don’t sign for the letters or choose to ignore the demands, you declare they’ve defaulted on a contract and file a judgment for an enormous amount of money.

    It didn’t help that Dale Stevens, “chief” of the sham tribe — the Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band — was arrested for child pornography and anounced his intention to marry two underage girls.

    One of the girls was 12. Stevens, 69, said he’d hoped to enter into marital bliss with her in exchange for half a cooler of “energy bars.”

    And it didn’t help when Judge Rosemary Collyer issued a ruling in November that ASD had not demonstrated that it was a legal business and not a Ponzi scheme at a Sept. 30-Oct. 1 evidentiary hearing.

    In the end, ASDMI lasted about as long as a typical autosurf Ponzi scheme. Many surf sites begin to fail within two to three months of launch (if not sooner) — sometimes because the operator is impossibly upside down, and sometimes because he or she simply decides to run with the money.

  • Edward Purvis, Head Of ‘Christian’ Group, Indicted For Running Ponzi Scheme; Case Has Echoes Of Ad Surf Daily Probe

    In a complex case apt to remind some members of AdSurfDaily about strange twists and turns the ASD case has taken, an Arizona man has been indicted on charges of running a Ponzi scheme that fleeced Christians.

    ponzinewsEdward Anthony Purvis was accused of setting up the Ponzi through an organization known as Nakimi Chi Group Ministries International (NGGMI), collecting at least $8 million in the process.

    The case has featured allegations of bribery, claims that proceeds from the enterprise could not be taxed, and bizarre legal filings naming a judge, court clerk, investigators and a reporter defendants.

    Purvis already is in prison, serving an 18-month term. He was convicted in May of attempting to bribe a police officer in Chandler, Arizona, and of harassing public officials in a bid to thwart an investigation by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

    The commission ordered more than $11 million in restitution and administrative fines of $250,000.

    Cash-Gifting Scheme, Coupled With Ponzi And Affinity Fraud

    “Although investors expected a return that was allegedly guaranteed, Purvis and [civil co-defendant Gregg] Wolfe referred to these investments as ‘donations’ and the dividend income as ‘gifts,’” the commission said.  “In some instances, investors received phony account statements that showed their investments were increasing in value when they were not. In other instances, investors did not receive any documentation at all.”

    Purvis and Wolfe, the commission said,  “funneled investor money into offshore accounts and used it for cars, jewelry, a down payment on a luxury home, gambling debts, a payment to a woman’s professional soccer team, and for Purvis’ legal fees in connection with the Commission’s proceedings.”

    Prosecutors in the AdSurfDaily case said ASD funds were used to purchase luxury automobiles, real estate, jewelry, a 20-foot Triton Cabana boat, jet skis and trailers to haul the water equipment. Prosecutors also said ASD had money in offshore accounts in Canada and Antigua.

    ASD President Andy Bowdoin, prosecutors said, also made claims that Russian hackers had stolen $1 million from ASD. Bowdoin never filed a police report, which prompted questions from members about whether the money actually had been stolen or was hidden offshore.

    Case Takes Criminal Twist

    Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard now is prosecuting a criminal Ponzi case against Purvis. A grand jury handed down an indictment Friday.

    “Purvis told some investors that by forming a ‘corporation sole’ they would not have to pay taxes on the investment return paid by N.G.G.M.I. each month or that payments made by N.G.G.M.I. were ‘gifts’ and therefore were not taxable,” according to the indictment.

    The indictment accused Purvis of multiple felonies, including theft, securities fraud, selling unregistered securities and running a racketeering enterprise.

    Purvis targeted at least one pastor, church elders and at least two congregations, authorities said.

    Members of the Arizona Corporation Commission said affinity fraud is one of the worst forms of financial fraud because it takes advantage of people’s tendency to trust members of a group.

    “This tragic case demonstrates how important it is for investors to verify the registration of both the seller and the security before they buy—no matter who is selling the investment,” said Commissioner Bill Mundell.

    “Watch out!” warned Commissioner Jeff Hatch-Miller. “In rough financial times, the scam artists are out in full force.”

    Echoes Of ASD

    Last fall, some ASD members advocated an approach by which members would send certified letters to prosecutors and others involved in the case in a bid to undermine the government’s efforts.

    The strategy previously had been employed by members of a Utah Indian tribe a federal judge ruled a sham. A cornerstone of the strategy is to force recipients of certified letters to default on demands made in the letters, and then to seek punitive financial judgments through UCC filings.

    Curtis Richmond, a member of the Utah-based tribe, attempted to file a motion to have the ASD case dismissed. On Nov. 19, Judge Rosemary Collyer refused to accept the motion, denying Richmond leave to file.

    The tribe, known as Wampanoag Nation, Tribe of Grayhead, Wolf Band, has been implicated in a number of attempts to stifle prosecutors, judges, investigators and others by making vexatious court filings and filing fraudulent judgments against litigation opponents and public officials.

    Richmond was convicted in February 2007 of criminal contempt of court for threatening or trying to intimidate judges in a case separate from the ASD case. His name is listed on incorporation papers for an entity known as Pacific Ministry of Giving International. California records say the registration has been forfeited.

    Investigators in Arizona say Edward Purvis and Nakimi Chi Group Ministries International employed some of the same methods the sham Utah Indian tribe employed to nuisance public officials.

    Purvis filed fraudulent $15 million liens against a judge, a court clerk and two investigators, for example, according to an indictment charging him with felony counts of bribery and harassment of public officials.

    Investigators said Purvis bribed former Chandler police officer Bradley Todd Forward to gain access to confidential files used in the investigation of N.G.G.M.I. by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

    Here is the indictment against Forward for helping Purvis.

    And here is the criminal indictment against Purvis for the Ponzi and affinity fraud.

    (Note: The indictment URLs load slowly.)