Ympactus

If Brazil’s Federal Police wish to ask him about TelexFree’s involvement in wire fraud and an underlying conspiracy, James Merrill is required to provide a “complete and truthful proffer,” according to the terms of his plea agreement with U.S. prosecutors in Massachusetts. Merrill, 55, of Ashland, Mass., also is required to cooperate with U.S. agencies that […]

UPDATED 1:05 P.M. EDT U.S.A. SEPT. 23 In April 2014, TelexFree declared corporate bankruptcy. Now, an alleged “key figure” in TelexFree being pursued by the court-appointed trustee has declared personal bankruptcy. Jay Borromei of Opt 3 Solutions Inc. filed his petition Sept. 13 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, according to […]

3RD UPDATE 3:17 P.M. EDT U.S.A. Dorian da Silva Santos, described by Bloggers and in media accounts as a politician and promoter of TelexFree in Brazil, reportedly has been found murdered execution-style in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The news adds to a disturbing series of events that, since at least 2013, have become part of […]

It’s easy enough to forget that TelexFree and its principals have epic legal problems outside the United States, where the company has been found a Ponzi- and pyramid scheme and alleged operators James Merrill and Carlos Wanzeler are under criminal indictment. History shows, however, that the problems began in the Brazilian state of Acre in […]

It’s another MLM legal and PR catastrophe. Let’s begin with the numbers, which are staggering: In two separate actions on Jan. 15, TelexFree bankruptcy Trustee Stephen B. Darr sued 56 named alleged “winners” in the MLM Ponzi- and pyramid scheme believed to have generated about $3 billion in corrupt, cross-border economic activity. These 56 promoters […]

Billing records in the TelexFree bankruptcy case show that advisers to court-appointed Trustee Stephen B. Darr held an hour-long teleconference with McGuireWoods, counsel to Zeek Rewards’ receiver Kenneth D. Bell. This appears to mark the first time that Zeek’s name has surfaced in TelexFree-related court matters. The two cross-border MLM/network-marketing fraud schemes allegedly gathered a […]

2ND UPDATE 9:18 A.M. ET FEB. 13 U.S.A. On Oct. 16, 2014, Google was served a search warrant in the TelexFree criminal case against accused operators James Merrill and Carlos Wanzeler, according to joint court filings by federal prosecutors in the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz of the District of Massachusetts and Robert […]

BULLETIN: In a follow-up to July’s “Operation Orion,” federal authorities in Brazil today conducted more TelexFree-related raids based on evidence uncovered during the first raids. A statement in Portuguese by Receita Federal — the Brazilian equivalent of the IRS — said it was aided by Brazilan federal police (Polícia Federal) and federal prosecutors (Ministério Público […]

BULLETIN: (2nd Update 5:26 p.m. EDT Sept. 16 U.S.A.) The court-appointed trustee in the TelexFree bankruptcy case says in court filings that MLM attorney Jeffrey Babener advised TelexFree in August 2013 that it was operating a pyramid scheme. TelexFree nevertheless continued to collect money, Trustee Stephen B. Darr said. Just two months earlier — in […]

If you’ve been following TelexFree developments, you’ve probably heard about “Operation Orion,” the code name for the investigation that led to raids against TelexFree’s Ympactus arm last week by the Brazilian federal police. The Orion name was chosen, police said, because it fit splendidly within the context of a pyramid-scheme case. How so? The Pyramids […]

(UPDATED 11:30 A.M. EDT MAY 21 U.S.A. See Update at bottom of this brief, originally published May 20.) TelexFree figure James Merrill was unable to persuade a federal magistrate judge to free him, the PP Blog has learned. Judge David Hennessy declined Merrill’s bail application today, the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said moments […]