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Tag: White House

  • Attorney General References ISIS Recruiting Efforts; ‘We Have Established Processes For Detecting American Extremists Who Attempt To Join Terror Groups Abroad,’ Holder Says

    “Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism. And with the emergence of groups like ISIL, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately.” — Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General, Sept. 15, 2014.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the full statement of the U.S. Department of Justice on an initiative to combat violent extremism in an era in which terrorists effectively are operating global mass-marketing campaigns.  The terrorist group ISIS, which has taken over lands in Iraq and Syria, recently has engaged in beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker. A link to a video of remarks by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appears at the bottom of this post. ISIS also is known as ISIL.

    ** ________________________________ **

    Eric Holder. From Sept. 15, 2014, Justice Department video.
    Eric Holder. From Sept. 15, 2014, Justice Department video.

    Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will launch a new series of pilot programs in cities across the country to bring together community representatives, public safety officials and religious leaders to counter violent extremism. The new programs will be run in partnership with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center.

    “Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism,” [the] Attorney General said in a video message posted on the Justice Department’s website. “And with the emergence of groups like ISIL, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately.”

    The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message is below:

    “Last week, millions of Americans paused to mark the 13th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 – the deadliest acts of terror ever carried out on American soil. For my colleagues at every level of our nation’s Department of Justice, and for me, this anniversary was also a solemn reminder of our most important obligation: to ensure America’s national security and protect the American people from a range of evolving threats.

    “Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism. And with the emergence of groups like ISIL, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately.

    “Through law enforcement agencies like the FBI, American authorities are working with our international partners and Interpol to disseminate information on foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, including individuals who have traveled from the United States. We have established processes for detecting American extremists who attempt to join terror groups abroad. And we have engaged in extensive outreach to communities here in the U.S. – so we can work with them to identify threats before they emerge, to disrupt homegrown terrorists, and to apprehend would-be violent extremists. But we can – and we must – do even more.

    “Today, I am announcing that the Department of Justice is partnering with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center to launch a new series of pilot programs in cities across the nation. These programs will bring together community representatives, public safety officials, religious leaders, and United States Attorneys to improve local engagement; to counter violent extremism; and – ultimately – to build a broad network of community partnerships to keep our nation safe. Under President Obama’s leadership, along with our interagency affiliates, we will work closely with community representatives to develop comprehensive local strategies, to raise awareness about important issues, to share information on best practices, and to expand and improve training in every area of the country.

    “Already, since 2012, our U.S. Attorneys have held or attended more than 1,700 engagement-related events or meetings to enhance trust and facilitate communication in their neighborhoods and districts. This innovative new pilot initiative will build on that important work. And the White House will be hosting a Countering Violent Extremism summit in October to highlight these and other domestic and international efforts. Ultimately, the pilot programs will enable us to develop more effective – and more inclusive – ways to help build the more just, secure, and free society that all Americans deserve.

    “As we move forward together, our work must continue to be guided by the core democratic values – and the ideals of freedom, openness, and inclusion – that have always set this nation apart on the world stage. We must be both innovative and aggressive in countering violent extremism and combating those who would sow intolerance, division, and hate – not just within our borders, but with our international partners on a global scale. And we must never lose sight of what violent extremists fear the most: the strength of our communities; our unwavering respect for equality, civil rights, and civil liberties; and our enduring commitment to justice, democracy, and the rule of law.”

    The full video of the Attorney General’s message is available at http://www.justice.gov/agwa.php.

  • BULLETIN: Grand Jury Returns Superseding Indictment Against AdSurfDaily Figure And Purported ‘Sovereign Citizen’ Kenneth Wayne Leaming

    americaatrisk4BULLETIN: (UPDATED 4:38 P.M. EDT U.S.A.) A federal grand jury in the Western District of Washington has returned a superseding indictment against AdSurfDaily figure and purported “sovereign citizen” Kenneth Wayne Leaming.

    It is the second superseding indictment against Leaming. The first was filed in 2012.

    The new indictment was returned yesterday, a day after the White House and the Justice Department referenced “sovereign citizens” in a policy announcement that pointed to an FBI site that defined “sovereign citizens” as “anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States. As a result, they believe they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law enforcement.”

    Leaming is 57. His alleged onetime business colleague David Carroll Stephenson, 57, also is named in the superseding indictment. The indictment formally accuses Leaming of filing false liens against a federal judge, two former federal prosecutors and a U.S. Secret Service agent who had roles in the ASD Ponzi case. The liens were filed in August 2010 and November 2010, according to the indictment.

    Meanwhile, the indictment accuses Leaming and Stephenson of filing false liens against two U.S. prison officials in July 2011.

    Leaming, meanwhile, was further accused of harboring two federal fugitives in 2010 and of being a felon in possession of six firearms.

    At the same time, the indictment accuses Leaming of passing a bogus “Bonded Promissory Note” for $1 million in March 2008, in a bid to defraud the United States.

    Leaming and Stephenson are being held at the SeaTac federal detention center near Seattle.

    ASD was a $119 million Ponzi scheme brought down by the Secret Service in August 2008. Leaming reportedly was performing legal work for some ASD members, even though he is not an attorney.

    Leaming was arrested in Spanaway, Wash., by an FBI terrorism Task Force in November 2011. He has been jailed since then. Stephenson already was serving a federal sentence for a tax crime when Leaming was arrested.

    Leaming has an existing federal felony conviction for piloting an aircraft without a license.

  • BULLETIN: SEC Says Alleged Life-Settlement Scammer Ran $4.5 Million Fraud And Ponzi Scheme — And Spent $5,000 On ‘Cowboy Boots’ And Another $5,000 For ‘Dating Service’ While Directing $55,000 To A ‘Tribute’ For Deceased Entertainer Michael Jackson; Image Of Former President Bill Clinton Appears On Website

    UPDATED 4:32 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) It’s only getting stranger . . .

    The SEC has gone to federal court in Los Angeles and obtained an emergency asset freeze for what it described as a $4.5 million life-settlement fraud and Ponzi scheme operated by a man who spent more than $5,000 in investor funds on “cowboy boots,” nearly another $5,000 on a “dating service,” $1,300 on designer sunglasses, more than $200,000 on luxury cars — and $55,000 in a tribute to the late pop icon Michael Jackson.

    The alleged scam also directed enormous sums toward other purchases, the SEC charged. A photo on a website linked to the principal defendant in the SEC’s civil case features an image of former President Bill Clinton, with the White House as its backdrop.

    Of the $4.5 million gathered in the fraud, only $90,000 — about 2 percent — was applied to its “avowed” purposes, the SEC charged.

    Even the avowed purposes — purchasing life settlements, developing coal leases in Kentucky purportedly worth $11.8 billion or developing interests in gold reserves in Nevada — were dubious or not carried out, the SEC said.

    Charged in the case were Daniel C.S. Powell, 29, of Los Angeles, and his company Christian Stanley Inc. Two Powell-related entities — Christian Stanley LLC and Daniel Christian Stanley Powell Realty Holdings Inc. — were named relief defendants.

    About 50 investors were fleeced, the SEC said.

    “Powell and Christian Stanley created the façade of an actual business when in reality they have virtually no revenue,” said Rosalind Tyson, director of the SEC’s Los Angeles Office. “Most of the money raised from investors has been used to finance Powell’s extravagant lifestyle and for other purposes that have not been disclosed to investors.”

    “As of August 23, 2011, only $29,396.55 remained in Christian Stanley’s bank accounts,” the SEC charged.

    The “Message From Our Chairman” page of “Christian Stanley’s website features a photo of Powell and former President Bill Clinton with the White House as its backdrop. The photo appears to include a disclaimer of some sort, but the type in the disclaimer is small and washes out, making it difficult or impossible to read.

    A similar photo featuring an image of Powell and Clinton is displayed elsewhere on the site, but appears to be cropped in a different fashion — and also in such a way that any disclaimer language was lost.

    Images of Clinton also were used in promotions for the Mantria “green energy” Ponzi scheme in 2009. It is common for fraud schemes to use images of celebrities to sanitize offers. In 2008, for instance, members of the alleged AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme painted word pictures that then-President George W. Bush and the White House had given a special award to ASD President Andy Bowdoin.

    This list is not all-inclusive, but here are some of the alleged purchases and sums consumed in the alleged fraud by Powell and Christian Stanley:

    • $212,000 for cars, including a Porsche, a Ferrari, a BMW and a Dodge Ram.
    • More than $290,000 in debit card transactions, mostly consisting of payments of Powell’s daily living expenses, including gas, groceries, pharmaceuticals, dry cleaning and retail goods.
    • Cash withdrawals and checks payable to Powell or to cash totaling almost $240,000.
    • More than $160,000 toward Powell’s exorbitant lifestyle, including almost $90,000 for hotels, more than $49,000 for nightclubs, more than $17,000 for restaurants and more than $4,800 for limousines.
    • More than $100,000 in rent paid on behalf of a woman who Powell has described as “like a mother” to him and another woman with no apparent connection to the company.
    • Donations totaling $91,000, including $55,000 toward a tribute to Michael Jackson and $35,000 to the rapper Usher’s New Look Foundation.
    • Miscellaneous luxury purchases, including $8,700 for jewelry, almost $5,000 to register for a dating service, more than $5,000 for cowboy boots and more than $1,300 for designer sunglasses.

    Investors believed they’d receive returns of between 5 percent and 15.5 percent per year, the SEC said.

    U.S. District Judge George H. King of the Central District of California has ordered an asset freeze and appointed a temporary receiver, the SEC said.

    “A life settlement is a transaction in which an individual with a life insurance policy sells that policy to another person, who then assumes responsibility for paying the premiums,” the SEC said. “Typically, the seller no longer wants the policy or can no longer afford to pay the premiums. In exchange, the insured party typically receives a lump sum payment that exceeds the policy’s cash surrender value, but is less than the expected payout in the event of death.”

    In its complaint, the SEC charged that Powell and Christian Stanley were selling unregistered securities and that Christian Stanley “has not purchased a single life settlement.”

    The scheme has operated for at least seven years, the SEC said.

    Read the SEC complaint.

  • Video Promo For Narc That Car Demonizes Sweet-Faced ‘Rena The Realtor’; Some Reps Said To Make More Money Than President Of United States

    UPDATED 4:32 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A video Narc That Car promoters may rent for $12.95 a month and a onetime set-up fee of $15 through a third-party provider demonizes a fantasy deadbeat named “Rena the Realtor” for stiffing a bank on her car loan and says some members of the multilevel-marking company are making more money than the President of the United States.

    Narc That’s Car’s name is not mentioned in the video, which does not name the NTC reps out-earning the President.

    “Rena” is depicted as an attractive, sweet-faced young woman with blue eyes and perfect teeth. She buys a car to impress her real-estate clients, makes payments for a couple of months — and then misses three payments in a row and hides the car to save herself from the repo man.

    The video depicts a glum-faced collection agent who had no luck getting “Rena” to cough up her payments, and it becomes time for the bank to dispatch the repo man. But where to start searching?

    Thanks to a Narc That Car member named “John,” who is depicted as having the bearing of a plainclothes cop and happens to write down Rena’s license-plate number as he exits a hair salon a few doors away from the gym at which “Rena” works out, the information is entered in the NTC database.

    Through a process that the video does not make clear, it is established that “Rena” works out at the gym every day at 7 p.m.

    This sets the stage for the repo company  to snatch the car. The video shows a car (presumably Rena’s) being hauled off by a repo truck — a successful conclusion from the lender’s point of view, but a stinging defeat for “Rena the Realtor,” who didn’t make her car payments but still had the money to stay toned by working out at the gym.

    The video displays scores of cars backed up during Rush Hour — each one of them with a dollar sign superimposed. The video also implies that an NTC sponsor will give prospects their first 10 plate numbers to enter into the system — if the prospect does not have time to get 10 on his or her own.

    How the data can be validated if a sponsor provides the plate numbers is not made clear in the video. Such an approach would mean that the prospect would have to accept as truth the address at which the sponsor said the car was sighted, since the prospect neither saw the car nor recorded the plate number.

    Also unclear was whether the sponsor could share the same 10 plate numbers with other incoming prospects and perhaps simply instruct them to enter a fabricated address at which the plate was sighted.

    “Either contact your sponsor, who will provide you with your first 10 plates to enter into the system, or you can do it yourself,” the narrator says.

    And the narrator said a handsome wage is possible:

    “Several people saw this opportunity and dropped everything they were doing on the spot,” the narrator says. “Ninety days later, they’re making more money than the President — and without the stress.”

    The video displays a picture of the White House, the official residence of the President and the office from which he makes $400,000 a year, and has an expense account of about $169,000. The video does not say how much the President makes.

    The video’s ending was a little flat — a businessman was depicted walking on a tightrope, and another businessman (presumptively) with a briefcase was pictured falling into a safety net.

    It might have made for a better ending had “Rena the Realtor” redeemed herself by deciding to join NTC after her car was repossessed — as a means of making sure nothing like that ever could happen again.

    Then again, how could she? Deadbeat “Rena,” her blond hair, blue eyes and perfect smile notwithstanding, no longer had a car, no way to get to work, no way to get to the gym to record plate numbers.

    Too bad. The parking lot in front of the gym and the hair salon could have been a wonderful place to record numbers every night at 7  — and perhaps the next time around she could have returned the favor by getting “John’s” plate for NTC.

    Who knows if the repo man — or someone else — might one day have benefited from knowing where John got his hair cut?

    See the news release dated today with the video attached. The video appears to have been produced by this site, which says it has done promotional work for teams and companies such as Ad Surf Daily, AdGateWorld, BizAdSplash.Ad-ventures4U, TVI Express and Global Verge/Buzzirk Mobile, among others.

  • EDITORIAL: Google, The White House And Miss America

    Andy Bowdoin, whom federal prosecutors said appropriated the brand of the institution of the Presidency of the United States to make more Ponzi sales, now has turned to the wholesome brand of the Miss America Organization to sanitize the Ponzi business.

    Members of Bowdoin’s autosurf company, AdSurfDaily, also appropriated the brand of Google, claiming the surf firm had a special agreement with the search-engine giant. It proved to be a click-fraud attempt.

    Bowdoin, who suggests he was indicted under seal in May for wire fraud, posted a recording online two days ago in which he shares his version of the inspirational story of “Cheryl Blackwood,” whom he identified as Miss America 1980.

    Bowdoin, 74, positioned himself as a fighter with the perseverance of “Cheryl Blackwood,” whom Bowdoin said suffered one disappointment after another in her five-year quest to become Miss America — before finally winning the crown in 1980.

    The message: Miss America never gave up, and neither will Andy Bowdoin.

    We’ve placed a call to the Miss America Organization seeking comment on Bowdoin’s comments in the recording. We’re also seeking to determine if Bowdoin was confusing “Cheryl Blackwood” with Cheryl Prewitt, the 1980 Miss America title-holder. The organization did not immediately return the call.

    Here are a few lines from the inspirational story of Cheryl Prewitt, as told on the Miss America website. 

    “A horrifying automobile accident, a scarred face, a body cast and a wheelchair did not add up to disaster for this little girl. When Cheryl Prewitt was only a young girl of eleven, this accident forced her to decide whether to trust God or just give up and accept the prognosis . . . Doctors promised that she would be scarred, they claimed that she would not walk again, they insisted that bearing children would be impossible for her . . . they were wrong.”

    Here are a few lines from Bowdoin’s version:  

    “ASD did not have a victim until the government stepped in and crushed the company. And I’ve spent over a million dollars on legal fees to get your money back and to stay out of prison.

    “And  it reminds me of this person back in Mississippi: Cheryl Blackwood. She was Miss America 1980.

    “When she was five years old, a milkman told her that some day she was going to be Miss America. And she said that planted a seed in her mind. And she entered her first pageant when she was 18; it was a Miss America preliminary: Miss Choctaw County in Mississippi. She lost.”

    Bowdoin went on to relate how “Cheryl Blackwood” lost again and again, but did not adandon her quest. She finally won the Miss America title in her fifth attempt.

    We find the story as told on the Miss America website — Prewitt’s recovery from a horrifying automobile accident — much more inspirational than the Bowdoin version, an old coach’s  chestnut that focused on recovering from the disappointment of losing and returning  to do battle another day.

    Andy Bowdoin apparently wants ASD members to believe all battles are equally noble.

    Cheryl Prewitt was trying to walk again; Bowdoin just wants to climb back on the saddle so he can continue to run a Ponzi scheme.

    Prosecutors now say Bowdoin is trying to lie his way back into a civil-forfeiture case in which he surrendered his claims to tens of millions of dollars seized last year in an international wire-fraud and money-laundering investigation.

    Bowdoin also has been named a defendant in a racketeering lawsuit filed by members of his Florida-based company. Meanwhile, he has been sued by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum for operating a massive Pyramid scheme.

    In the 1990s, Bowdoin was both sued and arrested in Alabama for fleecing customers in a securities scheme. He pleaded guilty to felonies and was ordered to make restitution. In August 2008, Bowdoin sent a check for $100 to his Alabama victims. A month prior, in July 2008, he provided the funds to purchase a $50,000 Lincoln for himself and his wife.

    The Miss America Organization is famous for inspirational stories and its beauty pageant, of course. It also is the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women. The organization says it distributed $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance last year.

    And now Andy Bowdoin is using the organization’s name — and apparently the name of the 1980 title-holder — to inspire his shipwrecked legions to persevere, to remember what “Cheryl Blackwood” would do, and to paint a picture that the U.S. government is evil for stopping a Ponzi scheme in its tracks.

    No Miss America would approve of that message.