Bankrupt Banker

Angus Weaver, 52, teamed up with 83-year-old Dennis Hancox to produce bogus £20 notes and euros, complete with embossed strips and holograms

Angus Weaver, 52, teamed up with 83-year-old Dennis Hancox to produce bogus £20 notes and euros, complete with embossed strips and holograms, in an operation that began in Glasgow.Weaver's gang had circulated millions in fake euros with identical serial numbers before surveillance officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency swooped on the 10 men in October 2007, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.The operation had begun in Glasgow a year earlier, using equipment at Print Link, in St George's Road, Kelvingrove. The men worked with Thomas McAnea, 58, a Glaswegian printer and veteran forger known as "Hologram Tam", who was jailed in 2007.Sophisticated software was used to scan images of the notes, remove the silver strip and hologram, and emboss them back onto fake notes.After a meeting at Claridge's Hotel in London, production was moved from Scotland to the English capital. A £12,500 machine was installed in Hancox's house in Chiswick, where the forged notes could be foiled and finished.Officers watched as the gang regularly met up in the South Acton Working Men's Club. Yesterday Judge William Kennedy jailed Weaver, of Bethnal Green, for 52 months. He had admitted three counterfeiting charges. The judge said the sentence would have been more had he not pleaded guilty.At an earlier hearing, Hancox was given a nine-month jail term, suspended for a year, and five other men were sentenced for their parts in the operation.James Watson, 58, of Hoddam Avenue, Castlemilk, Glasgow, will be sentenced on Friday. He has admitted two counterfeiting charges.

Angus Weaver, 52, teamed up with 83-year-old Dennis Hancox to produce bogus £20 notes and euros, complete with embossed strips and holograms

Angus Weaver, 52, teamed up with 83-year-old Dennis Hancox to produce bogus £20 notes and euros, complete with embossed strips and holograms...

2,800 organised criminal gangs, British law enforcement is ill-equipped to deal with the threat that they pose.

2,800 organised criminal gangs, British law enforcement is ill-equipped to deal with the threat that they pose. an official report revealing the finding by intelligence analysts. It was completed six months ago but marked “restricted” and circulated only to ministers and police chiefs. After a freedom of information request, it was made available this month in edited form. Issued by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, it is the first time that officials have disclosed the true scale of the gangland threat and made the frank admission that they are struggling to cope with it. The report states: “The UK law enforcement community now knows more about organised criminality than ever before. Worryingly, though, this increased knowledge has highlighted the need for a more effective response by the police and other agencies. The reach of organised criminality is more extensive than previously acknowledged . . . from local teams of criminals engaged in drug dealing and acquisitive crime through to international gangs committing acts of large-scale importation, kidnap, fraud and corruption.” The report, Getting Organised, predicts that the threat from organised crime will increase, with syndicates using the London 2012 Olympics to exploit opportunities for sex trafficking and illegal immigration. About 60 per cent of gangs are involved in drug dealing, two thirds engage in a range of criminal activities and all are characterised by an “ever-present willingness to use extreme violence to secure and protect profits”. The report contrasts the nationwide spread of organised crime — from the inner cities to the shires — with the disjointed reaction of police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). Britain’s response is described as “blighted” by a lack of direction, inadequate surveillance and under-investment in intelligence, analysis and enforcement. Passages edited out before publication are understood to include critical assessments of the ability of some police forces to deal with organised crime. The report does state: “The capability of individual forces is extremely variable . . . there is much work to be done.” There is no direct criticism of Soca, launched in 2006, but the findings add up to a scathing verdict on its failure to satisfy live up to its billing as Britain’s FBI. The biggest concentrations of crime syndicates are in London and the North West, with criminals there controlling satellite gangs elsewhere in the country. The scale of the threat is better understood but there is no firm grasp of how the gangs operate and interact. The law enforcement approach is also found to lack cohesion and co-ordination. The report says: “A number of groups and bodies are competing to set directions and priorities for the service, reporting to different Home Office directorates and, in the case of HM Revenue and Customs, a different ministry.” Without a national approach to the organised crime threat, the policing response would be “reactive, localised and ultimately ineffective”. The model of national leadership and collaboration pioneered in counter-terrorism should be copied to deal with organised crime, the report says. Vernon Coaker, the Home Office minister, said that he had earmarked £3 million for the areas facing the worst organised crime threat after reading the report. “I am determined to protect the public from serious organised crime. We have also brought together law enforcement partners through the Organised Crime Partnership Board to drive improvements in this area. A cross-government ministerial group will ensure that good progress is made,” he said. A Soca spokesman said that the report was “a welcome contribution to the debate about how law enforcement can best tackle the complex and wideranging threats posed to the UK by organised crime”.

2,800 organised criminal gangs, British law enforcement is ill-equipped to deal with the threat that they pose.

2,800 organised criminal gangs, British law enforcement is ill-equipped to deal with the threat that they pose. an official report revealin...

Moscow police are searching for two men who attacked a car repair cashier and made off with a bag containing 2 million rubles ($59,608),

Moscow police are searching for two men who attacked a car repair cashier and made off with a bag containing 2 million rubles ($59,608), a p...

The Black Widow is being released from a Florida jail this weekend and will be deported to Canada.

The Black Widow is being released from a Florida jail this weekend and will be deported to Canada.In 2005, Melissa Ann Friedrich was sentenc...

Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas is accused of collecting $12 million from several residents in Fort district, Leith Hall, St Thomas

Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas was charged by the police in Yallahs, St Thomas, on Wednesday with two counts of fraudulent conversion. The law...

Sara Shea, 30, who admitted money laundering, was jailed for two years by Liverpool Crown Court.

Shea sashayed through Liverpool society draped head-to-toe in designer labels alongside her husband Keith, 36, a bullet-headed gangster who moved drugs worth millions around the country. In two years they spent £100,000 on his and hers diamond-encrusted watches, thought nothing of blowing £850 on Cristal champagne, and were planning a move to an £800,000 mansion in Caldy, Wirral, known as Footballers' Row. Sara Shea, 30, who admitted money laundering, was jailed for two years by Liverpool Crown Court. The judge said he hoped that the sentence would deter other families of criminals from encouraging and supporting their activities. “Your husband was a drug trafficker on a huge scale yet you chose to turn a blind eye and to ask no questions,” David Harris, QC, said. Shea's life of luxury ended in June 2007 when her husband was arrested in the act of moving cocaine and Ecstasy with a street value of £4.5 million. He was convicted of drug trafficking and jailed for 15 years. When police raided their home in Wallasey, Merseyside, they recovered a Scorpion machine pistol and other firearms but were astonished by the treasure trove of goods amassed from the world's fashion houses. Officers found boxes of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chopard watches and Christian Dior and Chanel jewellery worth hundreds of thousands of pounds scattered from room to room. All had been bought in cash so as not to leave a paper trail. Stuffed into a cupboard were designer handbags worth £12,000. <blockquote>Detectives pieced together a life of spending, with holidays in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Marbella. A photograph showed the couple enjoying a honeymoon stroll on a beach beside the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. Flights alone cost £12,500. They once took a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from their home to Claridge's in London where they spent £6,000 on a weekend stay. The bill for a meal at the Oxo Tower came to £1,095. </blockquote> Merseyside Police hope that the prosecution of drug dealers' partners will send out a message that officers will pursue not only criminals but their wives and wider families who have been happy to enjoy the fruits of their criminality. Diane Smith, 52, the lover of another drug trafficker, Silvano Turchett, has already been given a 45-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, on a similar charge of looking after watches worth £42,000 for her boyfriend. Detective Constable Elaine Moore, in charge of the money-laundering inquiry codenamed Operation Rockwood, said that the police were determined to strip the couple of the proceeds of crime, even if they had to wait until Shea was released from prison. “We want to show that crime does not pay,” she said. “Instead of going to a restaurant at the top of the Oxo Tower, Shea is now eating off a tin plate ... Anybody, whether family member or partner, should remember one thing – Merseyside Police will be relentless in hunting them down and bringing them to justice.” The Sheas' detached home, with its wall-mounted Bang & Olufsen television in the steam room, has long been repossessed, along with their collection of high-performance cars. A forthcoming confiscation case is expected to strip the couple of their remaining fortune. Shea made it clear to the court before she was jailed that she intended to divorce her husband and find a job on her release. She worked in Debenhams in the run-up to her court appearance. Merseyside Police have seized more criminals' assets than any other force apart from the Metropolitan Police, securing nearly £5.5 million cash and confiscating goods worth £12 million in the past two years. <blockquote>The ill-gotten gains Among the items found at the Sheas' home was a collection of designer handbags worth £12,000 The couple once took a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from their home to Claridge's in London where they spent £6,000 on a weekend stay and a meal in Gordon Ramsay's in-house restaurant They ran up a £1,095 bill at the Oxo Tower restaurant in Central London, including £850 on a bottle of Cristal champagne On their driveway stood a £110,000 Aston Martin, a £46,500 4x4 BMW X5 and a Range Rover They took guests to £5,000 hospitality packages at the Open golf at Hoylake, rock concerts at the MEN Arena and other events Shea was arrested before they took a £33,000 cruise to the World Cup cricket in Barbados and a grand prix trip to Monaco for which a £6,000 cash deposit was paid They spent £100,000 on his and hers watches that were encrusted with diamonds. Police officers also found boxes packed full of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chopard watches </blockquote>

Sara Shea, 30, who admitted money laundering, was jailed for two years by Liverpool Crown Court.

Shea sashayed through Liverpool society draped head-to-toe in designer labels alongside her husband Keith, 36, a bullet-headed gangster who ...

Lawrence B. Salander, 59, owner of the now-defunct Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, was indicted on multiple charges

Lawrence B. Salander, 59, owner of the now-defunct Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, was indicted on multiple charges, including grand larceny, securities fraud, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, falsifying business records and perjury. He defrauded 26 victims, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said in a statement."Salander stole from his victims in two primary ways: He sold artwork not owned by him and kept the money, and lured investment money in fraudulent investment opportunities," Morgenthau said.In other cases, Salander inflated the estimated cost of artwork, oversold shares in works, claimed to own works he did not, and misrepresented or failed to pay the full return on sales when money came in, authorities said.In one instance, to secure a $2 million personal loan from Bank of America, Salander offered pieces owned by others, including McEnroe, as security by providing phony documents to establish that he and his wife owned the art, Morgenthau said.Salander's lawyer Charles Ross told CNN affiliate NY - One that his client is trying to raise money for bail, which was set at $1 million."He has been aware that there is an investigation for quite some time and he has prepared for this day," Ross told NY - One. "And as I said, he entered a not-guilty plea and we're gonna fight the charges." The scheme funded a lifestyle that included trips to Europe by private jet, and the purchase of a Manhattan townhouse and a 66-acre estate in upstate New York, officials said.Salander's indictment points to dealings dating to 1994. If convicted, he would face up to 25 years in prison for grand larceny and additional time for other charges.Salander-O'Reilly Galleries went bankrupt in 2007 after more than 30 years of operation.

Lawrence B. Salander, 59, owner of the now-defunct Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, was indicted on multiple charges

Lawrence B. Salander, 59, owner of the now-defunct Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, was indicted on multiple charges, including grand larcen...

Brent Mueller, of Edmond, had pled guilty to failing to report the illegal taking of $1 million from Oklahoma City’s Quest Resources Corporation.

Brent Mueller, of Edmond, had pled guilty to failing to report the illegal taking of $1 million from Oklahoma City’s Quest Resources Corporation.Mueller is the former purchasing director for Quest. In court, Mueller admitted that in the summer of 2008, he learned that a now former senior Quest executive had illegally wired $1 million out of Quest to use for personal investment in Oklahoma Hydrogen Gas Technologies.Upon learning of that illegal conduct Mueller admitted he took several steps to cover up that crime, including lying to Oklahoma Hydrogen about the source of the investment and trying to recover the $1 million to prevent Quest from learning about it, court officials said.Mueller also finds himself a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Quest earlier this month in Oklahoma County District Court. The suit also names David E. Grose, of Edmond, among others. It sought an asset freeze and damages related to the kickbacks and the misappropriation.Grose, Quest’s former chief financial officer, also is a defendant in a lawsuit filed last month in Oklahoma County District Court by the Oklahoma Department of Securities. The lawsuit alleges that Grose directly participated and/or materially aided Jerry Cash, the company’s former chief executive offer, in connection with the unauthorized transfer of $10 million to an entity controlled by Cash. The lawsuit alleges that Grose and Mueller received kickbacks from several related suppliers during a two-year period. The lawsuit also alleges that in the third quarter of 2008, Grose and Mueller engaged in the direct theft of $1 million for their personal use. Bill Price, Mueller’s attorney, said he does not comment on pending litigation.James McMillin, Grose’s attorney, also declined comment for the same reason. In court, Grose stated that because there was an ongoing investigation, he invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self incrimination.Mueller will be sentenced in about 90 days. He faces up to three years in prison and, as part of the plea agreement, he must pay restitution to the victims of his crime. Dan Webber, Cash’s attorney, said his client asserts that he is innocent until proven guilty. Webber said Cash is working with the Oklahoma Securities Commission to clarify the underlying facts.Webber said Cash is not connected to the kickback scheme associated with Grose and Mueller.According to court papers, Grose has 25 years of financial experience, primarily in the exploration, production and drilling sectors of the gas and oil industry, and his positions with Quest and Quest Energy included CFO and principal accounting officer.Grose and Mueller entered a conspiracy with defendant Rodger H. Brooks in which they would place orders for Quest to buy pipe from Brooks’ companies — Reliable Pipe and Equipment, Mid Continent Pipe and Equipment, RHB Global and RHB, the Quest lawsuit alleges. Grose and Mueller would mark up the price of the pipe and they would split the amount.Grose received about $850,000 in kickbacks and Mueller about $860,000, Quest alleges. Grose and Mueller used the kickbacks and funds they wrongfully converted and fraudulently obtained for their personal use and to support an extravagant lifestyle, including the purchase of homes, boats and cars, Quest alleges. Attempts to identify Brooks’ attorney by press time were not successful. Beginning in at least 2005, Cash caused Quest money to be transferred to a bank account in the name of Rockport Energy, the Oklahoma Securities Commission lawsuit alleges. Grose allegedly assisted Cash with the transfers into the Rockport account by authorizing and/or effecting the wire transfers. By July 2008, transfers to the account from Quest totaled $10 million.Cash had sole signatory authority over the Rockport account, and he allegedly spent the Quest money from the account for personal expenses and/or other business activities not related to Quest.To create the illusion that the money transferred to Rockport Energy was returned to Quest, Cash directed a series of suspicious financial transactions between the two companies, the lawsuit alleges.Specifically, on or within a day of the end of each Quest fiscal quarter, Cash allegedly issued a check drawn on the Rockport account, made payable to a Quest entity. The check would then be deposited into the bank account of the payee. At all times, the balance on the Rockport account at the time each check was issued contained insufficient funds, according to court papers. The balance on the account rarely exceeded $2,000.Within days of the end of each Quest fiscal quarter, Cash directed that Quest funds, in an amount identical to the amount of the recent check from Rockport Energy, be wired to the Rockport account enabling each of the account checks to clear the bank.Grose directly participated in the fraudulent quarter-end transactions by authorizing and/or effecting the wire transfers from Quest to the Rockport account, the Oklahoma Securities Commission alleges. The transactions between Rockport Energy and Quest were not disclosed in filings by Quest with the Securities and Exchange Commission, court papers show.

Brent Mueller, of Edmond, had pled guilty to failing to report the illegal taking of $1 million from Oklahoma City’s Quest Resources Corporation.

Brent Mueller, of Edmond, had pled guilty to failing to report the illegal taking of $1 million from Oklahoma City’s Quest Resources Corpora...

Sentenced Ahmad Kanan, 37, of Essex Junction to 37 months' imprisonment for bank, wire and tax fraud

Sentenced Ahmad Kanan, 37, of Essex Junction to 37 months' imprisonment for bank, wire and tax fraud, according to a news release from t...

Agency liquidating Bernard Madoff’s brokerage says the $2.6 billion it has on hand is enough to satisfy all legitimate claims by victims of the money

<blockquote>“I have confidence there is sufficient money at SIPC to satisfy all claims,” he said in a phone interview.</blockquote> Agency liquidating Bernard Madoff’s brokerage says the $2.6 billion it has on hand is enough to satisfy all legitimate claims by victims of the money manager’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. The Securities Investor Protection Corp. is using a formula that investors may challenge in court. The agency has the money in an industry-financed fund and from recovered assets to reimburse Madoff’s 5,000 customers to the maximum allowed by its charter, Stephen Harbeck, SIPC president, said in an interview. The SIPC has $1.6 billion in a fund designed to reimburse customers as much as $500,000 on lost investments, plus $1 billion recovered by brokerage trustee Irving Picard from Madoff firm bank accounts and desk drawers, Harbeck said. Madoff, 70, is in jail facing a 150-year sentence after pleading guilty March 12 to using money from new investors to pay off old ones in a global fraud that snared investors as varied as filmmaker Steven Spielberg and New York University. Prosecutors are seeking $170 billion in forfeitures from him, representing funds that flowed through his company. They have identified more than $100 million of his houses, cars, boats and jewelry they intend to seize. Some Madoff investors are up in arms about SIPC’s decision, announced by Picard at a Feb. 20 creditors’ meeting, to limit victim claims to “net equity” -- cash invested minus sums taken out. That formula ignores profit reported on customer brokerage statements for the past 20 years, gains that were fictitious because Picard found no evidence Madoff had made any trades or profits going back decades. Customers paid taxes on those phantom profits and “legitimately expected” that they owned the securities listed in official brokerage statements, said Helen Chaitman, a Madoff victim and lawyer with Phillips Nizer LLP who is advising 350 investors in the fraud without charge. The Securities Investor Protection Act, passed in 1970 to safeguard investor accounts and maintain confidence in the market, encourages SIPC to honor customers’ “reasonable expectations” by compensating them for lost profit as well as principal, said Chaitman, other victims and legal experts. In a similar case, involving a fraud at bankrupt New Times Securities Services Inc., a federal judge in New York, where Madoff’s firm is based, ordered SIPC in 2002 to pay $500,000 to customers whose statements reported nonexistent trades by actual mutual funds. An appeals court reversed that ruling in a 2004 precedent that Picard relies on. “Picard is behaving like a true insurance representative,” said Chaitman, who said she lost her “entire retirement” by investing with Madoff. “SIPC is being creative about not having to pay people the money to which they’re entitled.” Groups of victims and their lawyers are debating whether to seek a declaratory judgment in court that Picard is misinterpreting the law or a lawsuit to bar him from using his current formula to pay claims, said Lawrence Velvel, a customer who is dean of the Massachusetts School of Law. “There will be challenges to what Picard is doing,” said Velvel, who said he lost “a large chunk of savings” in the Ponzi scheme. “The only question is timing.” <blockquote>The Biondi family partnership, which lost “under $1 million” with Madoff, hasn’t filed a claim with SIPC yet, said Adriane Biondi, 41, who lives with a friend in Florida after losing all her money. “We need to understand our strategies,” said Biondi, part of a group being advised by Chaitman. </blockquote> Leading Precedent In the New Times case, a federal district court said investors were entitled to maximum $500,000 payments from SIPC if statements reflected investments in genuine mutual funds, while customers whose records cited fictitious mutual funds were only entitled to $100,000, the SIPC limit for cash initially invested. In its 2004 ruling, the federal appeals court disagreed, finding customers should get back money they invested and not “artificial” returns reported in “fictitious account statements.” It adopted an argument by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which exercises oversight, that SIPC would be “unacceptably exposed” if it had to pay customers “arbitrary amounts that necessarily have no relation to reality.” Biondi said she understood SIPC protection as a form of insurance that covered her family partnership losses. “Now they’re going to deduct money from my claim,” she said. “If you were to pay her based on fictitious, phony profits, there would be less money to distribute to someone who has lost principal,” Harbeck said. To date, Picard has authorized payments to 12 claimants of $500,000 each, according to his Web site, www.madofftrustee.com. Chaitman asked Picard and Harbeck, in a March 26 e-mail, “that you post on your Web site on a daily basis the number of claims that you have received, the number of claims you have processed, and the amount of funds SIPC has paid out.” <blockquote>“In view of the desperate financial circumstances of many of the investors, we would like to know your position on establishing an expedited procedure for paying investors the sums to which they are entitled,” she said in the e-mail. </blockquote> Sharon Lissauer, a multilingual former model for Leggs Pantyhose who lost her savings from modeling and her inheritance from her mother in a Madoff account, is seeking work to pay her bills while waiting for a letter from Picard that will entitle her to some payment. “There’s been no letter yet,” she said. “Modeling is slow, and I’m having trouble paying my bills.” Jonathan Landers, a lawyer with Milberg LLP, which represents more than 70 victims, said he’ll probably wait until Picard rejects a client’s claim before taking legal action. Courts are reluctant to render advisory opinions and “often get bogged down in questions of whether the case is ripe for decision,” he said. “We are going to wait until we have an actual case with a flesh and blood person to present to the court,” he said. “The court will then face the issue squarely.” He isn’t planning a group lawsuit, or class action, although some groups may join his clients’ effort later, he said. Meanwhile, Milberg plans to file a petition to force Bernard Madoff into personal bankruptcy, Landers said. While Madoff’s company is being liquidated by Picard, the convicted fraudster isn’t in his own bankruptcy proceedings. Lander’s theory: Under bankruptcy law, it may be easier to reach Madoff’s assets that have been transferred to his family or friends, he said. Landers’ advice to his clients has been to file a claim for what is owed according to the last customer statement, including reinvested profits. One of his clients, part of an informal committee of victims, has a $30 million claim. 31 Picard’s rule that payouts will equal cash invested minus cash taken out would unfairly penalize Madoff clients who withdrew funds to pay taxes on reported profit, as well as older investors with IRAs who were forced by law to start withdrawing money when they turned 71, he said. Some customers are “petrified” of Picard’s plan to seek so-called clawbacks on money they took out over the years that exceeded their principal, Chaitman said. “In dire need,” such customers aren’t filing claims in case information they provide gives Picard a “roadmap to clawbacks”, she said. Under New York law, Picard can seek return of redeemed false profits going back six years. Picard’s counsel David Sheehan said at the February creditors’ meeting. “It was all made-up profit” he said. “So you got somebody else’s money.” Kevin McCue, a spokesman for Picard at the law firm Baker Hostetler LLP in New York, didn’t have an immediate response to requests for comment on investor complaints.

Agency liquidating Bernard Madoff’s brokerage says the $2.6 billion it has on hand is enough to satisfy all legitimate claims by victims of the money

“I have confidence there is sufficient money at SIPC to satisfy all claims,” he said in a phone interview. Agency liquidating Bernard Madof...

Five clerks are accused of saying the tickets were losers and offering to throw them away

Five clerks are accused of saying the tickets were losers and offering to throw them away. They then tried to cash in the tickets, either th...

Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52,

Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52, address unknown. Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. said his office did not handle the investigations and that the grand jury was presented with the cases by a special prosecutor associated with the Securities Commission of Texas.All three individuals received indictments for engaging in organized criminal activity, acting as an unregistered dealer and selling unregistered securities. Dean and Ratner was also indicted for securities fraud.The engaging in organized criminal activity indictments allege that the three defendants, three more people named in the indictments, “and others”, between March 21, 2006 and Nov. 14, 2007, were involved in theft of property offenses in which the aggregate amount of the value of the stolen property totaled $200,000 or more; were involved in securing execution of document by deception offenses of which the aggregate affected the pecuniary interest of others in the amount of $200,000 or more; and also were involved in money laundering offenses in which the aggregate criminal proceeds totaled $200,000 or more.The unregistered dealer or agent indictments allege the three offered to make or made sales of securities to three individuals on three occasions during 2006, “without being duly registered as a securities dealer or agent by and with the Securities Commission of Texas.”The final indictment against all three defendants allege the securities they offered for sale were also not registered with the Commission. Under the securities fraud indictments, Dean and Ratner were alleged to have on Aug. 24, 2006 offered for sale interests in the Mack Diamond Energy LLC, Honey Grove Single Well Joint Venture, an oil or gas mining lease or title, while not disclosing the funds raised were not used for those purposes. Mack Diamond Energy is a company based in Wolfe City, which was the basis of two recent lawsuits. Cypress Consulting of Houston sued Mack Diamond Energy Group in August 2006, claiming the seismic data it provided, for which it charged Mack Diamond $183,436.45, was paid for by a check which bounced. The company was initially suing for more than $265,000 in damages and interest, then later adjusted the suit to credit Mack Diamond for $184,000 in payments. The two parties were reported to have reached an agreement in May 2007 and the suit was dropped. Joe R. Owen of Dallas, one of the persons named as a victim in the grand jury indictments issued Friday, filed suit against Mack Diamond in Dallas County, with the venue later transferred to Hunt County.Owen said he was offered investments over the Internet and telephone and invested $137,500. Owens wanted the investment rescinded, alleging Mack Diamond provided misrepresentations concerning purchases of oil and gas securities.The company issued a general denial of Owens’ claims. The suit indicated C. Mack Hays, the founder of Mack Diamond Energy, died on March 5, 2008 and the complaint was dismissed in January of this year.

Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52,

Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52, address unknown. Hunt Count...

Lance K. Poulsen, a founder of National Century Financial Enterprises, had nothing to say as he stood in prison garb and shackles

Lance K. Poulsen, a founder of National Century Financial Enterprises, had nothing to say as he stood in prison garb and shackles before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley and heard that he'd likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison. "Mr. Poulsen was the architect of the fraud," Marbley said before sentencing the 65-year-old Poulsen to 30 years. The scheme he masterminded stole $2.4 billion from investors, shut down 275 health-care providers and enriched its conspirators by millions of dollars.Poulsen was the last major executive of the Dublin-based company to be sentenced, and he got the stiffest term.Marbley also sentenced National Century founder Rebecca S. Parrett, who disappeared after her trial last March, to 25 years for nine fraud-related charges yesterday. Officials said the hunt for Parrett, 60, continues."For the victims in this case, with these verdicts, there is a sense of justice," said an exuberant Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas W. Squires after five hours of sentencing hearings yesterday.Those actions ended the bulk of a several-year investigation into National Century fraud.Poulsen, who was chief executive officer of National Century, was convicted in October of fraud and money laundering. He also was found guilty last year of witness tampering and obstruction of justice, along with his friend Karl A. Demmler, for trying to persuade key prosecution witness Sherry Gibson to feign amnesia when questioned in court.Gibson was wearing a wire during conversations with Demmler, who owned the Bogey Inn restaurant in Dublin.Yesterday, Marbley sentenced Demmler, 57, to seven years in prison for his actions. The judge had sentenced Poulsen to 10 years in that case, and that sentence will be served at the same time as his 30-year sentence.Demmler, also in shackles and prison garb, apologized in court for his actions and statements, which included saying that he'd like to cut up a bankruptcy judge "and feed him to the fish."He said his comments had been "taken entirely out of context" and that he had been "misled" by many people."I don't believe I was evil in this case," he said.Of the three sentenced yesterday, Demmler was the only one whose friends and family made statements in court. His mother, Norma Demmler, 76, begged the judge to give him probation."I just want my son home. I hope you can help me," she said.However, Marbley said that although Demmler was "used and manipulated" by Poulsen, his "culpability was not inconsequential or slight" and his offense "goes to the very core of our system of justice."Demmler will get credit for 18 months in jail and on house arrest.The judge saved his harshest words for Poulsen, who said throughout his trial that he knew nothing of the fraud. Poulsen blamed investors for not catching the illegal acts."That's like the wolf blaming the hens for getting out of the hen house," Marbley chided him. "Nothing happened at National Century without your blessing."Marbley said it's impossible to know why Poulsen, a successful entrepreneur with children and a wife, went down the wrong path."Avarice and greed apparently took hold and clouded his judgment," the judge said. "He amassed significant wealth and thousands of investors suffered."Besides the prison time, the sentence for Poulsen and the others found guilty in the fraud case includes restitution of $2.4 billion.Squires said the federal government will be aggressively seeking that money by seizing goods, property, investments and pensions from the guilty. This week, the government seized nearly $400,000 from an account Parrett had in Arizona.In sentencing Parrett, Marbley said she is the only defendant in his 12 years on the bench who absconded after he presided over their trial."I believe, as justice is always served, she will be found," he said.National Century bought accounts receivable from health-care providers and charged a fee to collect what was owed. It raised money by selling bonds to investors. The fraud took place for seven years, beginning in 1995, when the company paid out millions of dollars without purchasing the accounts to back the loans. The company went bankrupt in 2002. Squires said agents from the FBI and several other agencies "sifted through a warehouse of documents" to piece together the evidence in the case.Marbley said he meted out long sentences not just as punishment for those involved but to discourage other white-collar criminals.One National Century defendant, Brian J. Stucke, pleaded guilty to one count in 2003 and has not yet been sentenced.

Lance K. Poulsen, a founder of National Century Financial Enterprises, had nothing to say as he stood in prison garb and shackles

Lance K. Poulsen, a founder of National Century Financial Enterprises, had nothing to say as he stood in prison garb and shackles before U.S...

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced that he will use the state's organized-crime law to prosecute the gang members

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced that he will use the state's organized-crime law to prosecute the gang members. He said weapons and narcotics charges also would be filed. "This is an organized gang," said Morrissey. "Like any other organized crime group, they were using guns and drugs to generate the money they needed to keep the organization going." With their activities came violence and rip-offs, said the district attorney. Among the narcotics seized today were more than 2,600 Ecstasy pills as well as cocaine, methamphetamine and mushrooms. During the nine-month investigation, agents seized numerous weapons used by the gang, including four semi-automatic pistols and two assault rifles, said Luke Franey, assistant special agent in charge of the ATF office in Denver. "One of those pistols was stolen from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Wyoming during a burglary of that establishment," said Franey. "I think it is common when you work with groups like this that you recover stolen firearms and assault weapons." Kevin Paletta, the Lakewood police chief, said that arresting the group has made the streets safer. "This is a very active group, particularly along the Denver-Lakewood border. They are a violent group," said Paletta. "Getting these folks off the street not only prevented future crimes, but I'm confident they prevented future acts of violence." The officials said that they have increasingly seen taggers develop into violent crime gangs in the metropolitan area. Deputy Denver Police Chief Michael Battista said that investigators have noticed tagging crews that "graduate into the criminal activity of narcotics and then into the more violent crimes." "I think one of the messages with this group — to see a tagger group evolve into violent organized crime like this — is that it is very concerning," said Morrissey. "I think a lot of people think they can just walk up to a tagger, and it's just going to be a kid who they can stop from tagging their fence. I think they need to understand that there is a potential that a tagger may be armed and that a tagger would get violent," said Morrissey. Morrissey said the investigation nine months ago started as the result of an investigation of another group of taggers, who were rivals. Authorities quickly decided they needed to start an investigation of the first group and were able to "develop the evidence, make the buys, get the guns and recover the narcotics" necessary to make the arrests made today, said Morrissey. Arrested today were Joshua Yarmon, 20; Guadalupe Trujillo, 38; Gabriel Sears, 20; Stephanie Johnson, 23; Jesse Romero, 23; Rodrigo Padilla, 26; alleged ringleader Isaiah Lunas, 22; and Merina Valenzuela, 19. Police are still searching for Anthony Bernard, 32, and Stephen Oliver, 21. Bail was set for six of those arrested: Four are being held on $1 million bail, two on $250,000 bail.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced that he will use the state's organized-crime law to prosecute the gang members

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced that he will use the state's organized-crime law to prosecute the gang members. He sa...

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Police raided the headquarters of Anglo Irish Bank in Dublin yesterday morning

<blockquote>Countdown to raid on Anglo:May 2007 Anglo Irish Bank’s shares peak at more than €17 each July 2008 A so-called “golden circle” of ten investors secretly buys a 10 per cent stake in the bank September 30 Government unveils a €400 billion guarantee scheme for six banks, including Anglo Irish December 18 Sean FitzPatrick, the chairman, resigns and admits he hid more than €80 million in secret loans from shareholders Decemeber 19 David Drumm, the chief executive, resigns December 21 Government recapitalises Anglo with €1.5 billion December 29 Shares plummet to 12 cents January 15, 2009 The Government is forced to nationalise Anglo January 16 Shareholders call for the board to be sacked January 19 Five board members resign February 10 Irish Life & Permanent’s €7 billion deposit to boost Anglo’s balance sheet is revealed February 20 Donal O’Connor, the new executive chairman, reveals that it gave loans worth €451 million to ten customers last year to buy shares in the bank. A report finds that Anglo has 15 customers who owe it more than €500 million each February 24 Investigators raid Anglo’s Dublin offices</blockquote> Police raided the headquarters of Anglo Irish Bank in Dublin yesterday morning, compounding the economic woes of the Irish Republic and helping to send its stock market to a 14-year low. The troubled bank was raided by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), supported by about 25 police officers. The bank has a significant exposure to the falling British property market. The regulator said that, among other suspected irregularities, it was investigating the unwinding of significant contracts for difference. <blockquote>Anglo Irish Bank, which was nationalised last month, is at the centre of a series of corporate scandals. Sean FitzPatrick, its former chairman and chief executive, resigned in December after admitting that he had failed to disclose an €87 million (£77 million) loan that he had repeatedly moved in and out of the bank over eight years. </blockquote> Anglo Irish is also at the centre of a loans-for-shares scandal involving ten of its biggest clients, and there are allegations of share-price manipulation and of irregularities over loans to its directors, as well as claims that the bank used multibillion-euro transfers from Irish Life & Permanent to boost its deposit base improperly. About 120,000 people took to Dublin’s streets last weekend to protest against the Government’s handling of the financial crisis afflicting the nation. Last night the Government vowed to prosecute those who jeopardised the country’s financial stability. Dermot Ahern, the Justice Minister, said: “Legislation is in place to bring to justice those who may have played hard and fast with the financial security of this country. The Government will go after banking chiefs involved in wrongdoing that has tarnished the country’s reputation internationally. “We operate the rule of law. That provides that whether you have a balaclava, a sawn-off shotgun or a white collar and designer suit, the same rules apply.” Noel Dempsey, the Transport Minister, said this week that those suspected of wrongdoing would be guilty of “economic treason” if they were found to be culpable. In announcing the raids yesterday, Brian Cowen, the Taoiseach, promised in the Dáil that the Government would not intervene in the ODCE’s inquiry. He said: “I have consistently made clear that . . . the Government would do nothing to prejudice subsequent criminal or civil proceedings.” ODCE officials arrived at Anglo Irish’s headquarters at about 9.30am yesterday with a search warrant that had been issued by a court on Monday. A spokesman said that the warrant authorised the regulator to “acquire books, documents and any other materials which may provide evidence”. Last night Brian Lenihan, the Finance Minister, said that investigations would be “completed in a matter of weeks”. The Dublin stock index fell below 2,000 points for the first time since May 1995. In mid-morning trade it was down 3 per cent at 1,989, less than a fifth of its value two years ago. It closed at 2,034, down 15 points.

Police raided the headquarters of Anglo Irish Bank in Dublin yesterday morning

Countdown to raid on Anglo:May 2007 Anglo Irish Bank’s shares peak at more than €17 each July 2008 A so-called “golden circle” of ten invest...

Scott Eyre has had his assets frozen by federal regulators as the government investigates the Stanford Financial Group and an alleged $8 billion fraud

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSaZkOvoRJLeTqumaVXj8xR1k_d59euA4dRgnFKdhMfGOlh0jJUccIG3o7o_zDERuSQKUevZGVIk3e_qfvlTmwqKznT9e1hso6fzxDfgb5ZNRo9oHVkkwmE2preNf9FHOKoIGwg1NYer-/s1600-h/scott.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306318257921392322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSaZkOvoRJLeTqumaVXj8xR1k_d59euA4dRgnFKdhMfGOlh0jJUccIG3o7o_zDERuSQKUevZGVIk3e_qfvlTmwqKznT9e1hso6fzxDfgb5ZNRo9oHVkkwmE2preNf9FHOKoIGwg1NYer-/s400/scott.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 235px;" /></a> Scott Eyre has had more on his mind this spring than just baseball. Eyre, like many Americans, has found himself a victim of a massive financial fraud scheme. <blockquote>"Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to pay my bills. I'm broke right now. I have no money. I have $13 in my wallet." -- Scott Eyre </blockquote>"Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to pay my bills," the lefty reliever said Monday at Bright House Field. "I'm broke right now. I have no money. I have $13 in my wallet." Eyre, like Yankees outfielders Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady and Rays first baseman Carlos Pena, has had his assets frozen by federal regulators as the government investigates the Stanford Financial Group and an alleged $8 billion fraud scheme that involves billionaire Robert Allen Stanford. The Securities and Exchange Commission froze the assets of three Stanford entities. Damon and Nady have said they are having trouble paying bills because their liquid assets have been frozen, and Nady has said he is having problems securing housing in New York."I can't pay my bills right now," Eyre said. "My wife just wrote all these checks to pay bills, and they're all going to bounce. If it takes a week or two to get my money back, I'm going to have to ask my teammates for some money. Seriously, I'm going to have to ask them that. I can't get any money out." Eyre has another account not affiliated with Stanford, but he said that account doesn't have enough to handle living expenses -- including mortgage, bills, etc. -- on a long-term basis. "We'll get our money back eventually," Eyre said. "They caught ours so early that they think we'll only lose the interest. Supposedly, the money is insured. But it's all a scheme, so who knows if that's real insurance or not? "If I do lose all the money, I will need to play for another year." Eyre's future in baseball is what led to him to discuss his financial troubles. Eyre thought 2008 might be his last season in baseball after Cubs manager Lou Piniella buried him in the bullpen. But the Cubs eventually traded Eyre to the Phillies in August, and he found new life. He went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 19 appearances as he helped Philadelphia win the World Series. Eyre felt so good last year, he enjoyed the Phillies and the city so much, that he decided to play one more season. The club obliged when it signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract. "I'm treating this like it is my last year," Eyre said. "I'm working harder. I'm making sure that I do the things I need to do. In all honesty, I didn't work as hard as I could the last couple years, and I feel [badly] about that. You do what you do in the offseason, and in the season, you kind of get lax. And I'm not going to do that this year. It's not going to happen." Eyre said he apologized to Cubs general manager Jim Hendry when he traded him to the Phillies. "Why?" Hendry said. "I don't feel like I fulfilled the promise that I made you that I would work hard," Eyre replied. So Eyre will work hard to go out on top, if this is it. "My wife is ready for me to be home, and my kids are ready for me to be home," Eyre said. "And I'm OK with that. But that being said, when this season ends and if my arm feels really good -- and it feels really good right now -- we'll sit down as a family. I'll look at my kids and say, 'Do you want daddy to play again?' Like every player, it's a family thing. But it really is a family thing for me." This is Eyre's 13th season in the Majors. "I'm sorry, but a little kid from Salt Lake City, I never ever imagined I'd have this much time in the Majors," Eyre said. Eyre just hopes that if he does have a 14th year in the Majors, it is on his own terms.

Scott Eyre has had his assets frozen by federal regulators as the government investigates the Stanford Financial Group and an alleged $8 billion fraud

Scott Eyre has had more on his mind this spring than just baseball. Eyre, like many Americans, has found himself a victim of a massive finan...

Several buyers in a $75 million Cheatham County condominium project are suing to get their earnest money returned

Nine buyers in the Braxton Condominiums at Harpeth Shoals Marina, a luxury condominium near the banks of the Cumberland River in Ashland City, have filed suit claiming the development company breached their contracts by missing a key deadline and failing to deliver a promised commercial component.Several buyers in a $75 million Cheatham County condominium project are suing to get their earnest money returned, saying the developer failed to live up to promises made about the project.The suit, which asks that plaintiffs be refunded $399,500 in deposits, is one of two that has been filed by Braxton buyers. A similar claim was made last month in Cheatham County Chancery Court.The disputes are the latest sign of litigation in connection with the recent condo boom and a later slowdown in sales. Last week, several contract holders in a Midtown condominium, the Bristol West End, were told they could face court proceedings if they don't pay for not living up to their purchase agreements.Bristol wants tens of thousands of dollars from several people who backed out of purchase contracts. The developer wants to be compensated for money the firm says it lost when it had to resell units to new buyers at lower prices.The Braxton condo suits center on the pace of construction of two 10-story residential buildings and a neighboring marina.Both suits say The Braxton LLC, a private partnership formed to build the project, failed to meet an Aug. 4, 2008, construction deadline in purchase agreements. The plaintiffs, a group of nine Middle Tennessee residents living in Davidson, Williamson and DeKalb counties, also say Braxton did not follow through on a promise to build a commercial component that was supposed to include a restaurant, retail shops and marina services."There's no apparent evidence that they're ever going to start construction," said Phillip Jones, the group's attorney. "The project on the ground is clearly different." The latest suit comes on the heels of legal action late last month by a buyer from Ashland City seeking the return of $174,286. The money represents the buyer's deposit for a unit on the Braxton's 10th floor and fees for a slip in the marina. Benjamin Perry, the Ashland City attorney who filed that suit, could not be reached for comment.Both suits come after the project's lead developer, Nashville resident John T. Rankin, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in November. That case centered on Rankin's personal debts from another Cheatham County development, but the proceedings nonetheless prevented the Braxton's buyers from pursuing their claims, Jones said.Since then, management of Braxton LLC has passed to Charles A. Elcan, a Nashville executive who has worked in the health-care and real estate industry, property records filed in Cheatham County show. Elcan did not return a message left at his home Monday evening.Complicating the suit were several liens filed against the Braxton property in the fall. Property records show that builder T.W. Frierson and other contractors were owed more than $3.9 million last fall for work performed on the condos. Most of those liens have been settled.Meanwhile, contracts on four units in the Braxton have closed, property records show. Two units were transferred to Community Bank & Trust, a project lender that held a $995,000 promissory note signed by Rankin and his wife.An Ashland City attorney and a real estate agent selling units in the building closed on the other two units.

Several buyers in a $75 million Cheatham County condominium project are suing to get their earnest money returned

Nine buyers in the Braxton Condominiums at Harpeth Shoals Marina, a luxury condominium near the banks of the Cumberland River in Ashland Cit...

Former University of Nebraska Regent David Hergert has been charged with 18 counts of bank fraud

Former University of Nebraska Regent David Hergert has been charged with 18 counts of bank fraud, marking the latest episode in a string of ...

Shashi Bacheta who amassed almost £50,000 in state benefits claiming she was depressed and bedridden with a bad back was regularly scuba diving

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_IfhfaQE_cvckhmaNyo-UE9aKCgoaSgSGMy7Ejx-3UDxqYzR4_hFcwJHlL9ESqt6GqjF8wO0trh0wEa0LWoXsjAyNOAoTaCJkuppFzQ01whtK1pwN4PloWfAnrwKNYNDetLdMeJoAnBT/s1600-h/kismet.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306312652401473650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_IfhfaQE_cvckhmaNyo-UE9aKCgoaSgSGMy7Ejx-3UDxqYzR4_hFcwJHlL9ESqt6GqjF8wO0trh0wEa0LWoXsjAyNOAoTaCJkuppFzQ01whtK1pwN4PloWfAnrwKNYNDetLdMeJoAnBT/s400/kismet.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 199px;" /></a> Shashi Bacheta who amassed almost £50,000 in state benefits claiming she was depressed and bedridden with a bad back was in fact regularly scuba diving off Africa from her boyfriend’s £100,000 yacht.Shashi Bacheta told the authorities she was jobless, felt “like a social outcast” and needed “24-hour care” because she lived alone, was unable to get out of bed and suffered depression.But yesterday the 52-year-old was warned she faces jail after it emerged she was actually managing a post office, living with her partner and sailing thousands of miles around the world to Kenya, South Africa and Tenerife on his yacht Kismet.The mother of one, from Fforestfach, Swansea, was caught when investigators tracked down the yacht on a blog and found a picture of her lounging on a deck with lover Jeffrey Cole.She falsely claimed disability living allowance, income support and incapacity benefit for six years between 2002 and 2008. She received £49,700 in total, according to the Department of Work and Pensions, which, with Swansea Council, began investigating her claims two years ago. Fraud investigators found that – far from being unemployed – Bacheta worked as a manager at the Rheidol Avenue Post Office in Clase, near Swansea’s DVLA.They also found that she was not living on her own in various flats, for which she was claiming housing benefit, across the city. She was in fact living with her 58-year-old partner at his spacious home at Gower Road in Swansea’s upmarket Sketty district.Cole, who formerly worked in the shop-fitting business and who owned three properties in Swansea, was the Postmaster at the Rheidol Avenue Post Office with Bacheta acting as his manager.Suspicions were aroused about the lifestyle of Bacheta, who was seen going to the Swansea Yacht and Sub Aqua Club with Cole. Nobody there realised she was claiming benefits and that Cole was helping her.Jeff Fish, a Swansea Council fraud investigator, decided to trawl the internet for references to Cole’s bought-from-new £100,000 – Beneteau-make yacht Kismet. He encountered a blog being written by a retired South Wales policewoman and her husband while aboard their yacht.The couple, on a round- the-world trip, had no idea Cole and Bacheta were benefit fraudsters. They met them off Gran Canaria and mentioned Kismet’s name on the blog.Mr Fish said: “We also downloaded a picture of them at the couple’s yacht on Gran Canaria with Shashi Bacheta looking quite well.“We later carried out a search of their home and found PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructor) records relating to Bacheta scuba diving off Mombasa, Kenya.“We also found they had been in their yacht off the coast of South Africa.”Bacheta and Cole were due to begin an expensive 15-day trial at Swansea Crown Court yesterday. But they changed their pleas at the last minute to guilty to a variety of benefit fraud charges.Cole admitted four charges including false accounting over council tax benefit and housing benefit plus dishonestly obtaining bank credits, all in relation to Bacheta’s false claims.Bacheta pleaded guilty to 16 charges including fraud, false accounting, obtaining benefits by deception and obtaining money transfers by deception.Afterwards, the DWP said Bacheta’s daughter, 28-year-old Anju Bacheta, had already pleaded guilty to fraud relating to her telling the authorities she worked 35 hours per week as her mother’s carer, when she did not.The judge adjourned sentence yesterday for three weeks to allow reports into the defendants’ backgrounds to be drawn up and he granted them bail on condition their surrendered their passports.But Judge Huw Davies warned Cole and Shashi Bacheta (Anju Bacheta was not present in court) that “indicative guidelines” suggested a custodial sentence. Francis Jones, for Cole, told the court his client may apply for leave to travel to Spain to oversee the sale of his yacht for which a buyer had been found.Melanie Surridge, officer in charge of the joint Swansea Council and DWP investigation, said: “It’s quite staggering that this lady claimed to be bedridden yet was regularly on her partner’s yacht and able to partake in active sports like scuba diving.

Shashi Bacheta who amassed almost £50,000 in state benefits claiming she was depressed and bedridden with a bad back was regularly scuba diving

Shashi Bacheta who amassed almost £50,000 in state benefits claiming she was depressed and bedridden with a bad back was in fact regularly s...

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