Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on July 17, 2012 at 10:10am

WASHINGTON (AP) - The chief compliance officer of big international bank HSBC says he is stepping down from that position after an investigation found that lax controls at the bank allowed Mexican drug cartels to launder billions of dollars through its U.S. operation and other illicit transactions.

David Bagley, the head of compliance for London-based HSBC Holdings, said in testimony at a hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that he will leave that post but remain at HSBC.

Bagley and other current and former executives of the bank apologized for lapses but said they weren't fully aware of illicit transactions flowing through the bank.

Senators expressed skepticism that they didn't know about problems that persisted for seven years.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Permalink Reply by Jude on July 17, 2012 at 12:47pm

For those who haven't seen this, from Drake's site

URGENT Neil Keenan Press Release
by Drake

Neil Keenan has given Drake permission to spread this press release. Please share

From: Neil Keenan
To: 'Drake Bailey'
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 9:57 AM
Subject: Answers

Dear Drake,

Nice to know we are both alive brother. Last thing I remember is my reading I am dead. Hahahah.

As you know I do not like interviews and always toss someone else into the middle of them but let me explain this for you Drake. You keep asking me when will I refile and what date and to this there is no answer!!!

When I compile all the information I need in which I can kick the financial system in the ass and straighten it out then I will file. My main concern is Jurisdiction which is what the Judge also made mention of and clearly stated that he would throw the case out if we did not prove we have it. In order to do this I am going to expose the illegal banking system. Let them then tell me when the Federal Reserve Bank of NY is shown to be part and parcel to the theft. I will have the information to prove this.

Why did I withdraw the case? Because we did not have the Jurisdictional issue in place and I had no intention of showing my hand before I had to. Now I have the time to get what is needed to substantiate all the claims made.

Why didn’t I serve anyone during the past 6 months? Because we did not have all their addresses. What good does it do when Danielle Dal Bosco is being hid by the Vatican to serve the others. Dal Bosco is the key here and we now can reach out and grab him whenever we wish but first things first that being Jurisdiction.

Once we get things right we can close this system down on them as has already happened in BIS and then they will have nothing to fight with. The idea is to take the money out of their pockets. Without this they have no ability to hire the armies they need to deal with the real American People. The Kazar’s and Nazis’s will be left alone to themselves finding nary a dollar to buy what they need to protect themselves and then when weakened the American People can do as they wish with such garbage. It is just a matter of time.

They have hastened their movements and by doing so have hurt themselves throughout the world. Everyone is ready for them and ready to come at them especially our group. I cannot wait to get what is needed to just simply destroy them and give back to the people what has always been their’s.

We will be refilling and we will have new defendants most likely including the Federal Reserve Bank of NY and the US Treasury among them. We have plenty to include both and invoke jurisdiction.

Until then take care my friend and whenever you need some factual information if I have it then just ask. You are the people’s hero and you do your best all the while to give them what is real. Stay strong and stay safe.

Neil Keenan

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on July 18, 2012 at 3:32am

TRENTON, NJ - July 18, 2012 (WPVI) -- Action News has learned that the FBI and police have raided the home of Trenton Mayor Tony Mack early Wednesday morning.

FBI agents and another agency arrived at the Mayor's home reportedly around 2:00 a.m. in the 300 block of Berkley Avenue.

Officials have not said what prompted the raid, but Mayor Mack has come under fire recently over campaign donations.

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on July 20, 2012 at 1:53pm

ms

(Source: FBI) – ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler and Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced that 11 defendants were charged in a 90-count superseding indictment returned today in connection with their alleged roles in a scheme to use stolen Puerto Rican identities to file tax returns and obtain fraudulent income tax refunds. This second superseding indictment adds tax fraud, identity theft, and other financial counts to previous charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine distribution, and international money laundering.

“Today’s indictment is a clear warning that anyone who steals the identities of innocent taxpayers and uses the information for personal profit will be aggressively pursued, investigated, and prosecuted in Alaska or throughout the United States,” Ms. Loeffler said. “This case is an example of how interagency cooperation and teamwork can successfully bring down an entire organized criminal conspiracy.”

The indictment charges that between January 2010, and March 2012, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns and claiming millions of dollars in tax refunds to which they were not entitled.

To accomplish their tax refund scheme, the indictment alleges that the conspirators obtained the names and Social Security numbers of individuals from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. They then fabricated individual income tax returns in those names claiming that they were owed thousands of dollars in refunds to which they were not entitled.

To facilitate the submission of false tax returns, the indictment alleges that three of the defendants obtained laptop computers that were loaded with individual names, Social Security numbers, and other identity information. Altogether, the three laptop computers contained over 2,600 stolen identities and identified approximately $19 million in fraudulent refund claims. The indictment further alleges that, in some cases, one or more of the defendants obtained the physical addresses used on the tax returns by stealing mail from mailboxes in and around the Anchorage area.

In other cases, it is alleged that one or more of the defendants contacted conspirators in locations such as New Jersey and Puerto Rico and requested that fraudulently obtained tax refund checks be sent to Anchorage under false names.

The indictment also alleges that the defendants negotiated the refund checks at banks in Anchorage. The indictment further charges one bank employee with assisting other defendants in opening bank accounts in false names and negotiating forged U.S. Treasury checks.

In order to negotiate the tax refund checks, the defendants allegedly used false identification documents. They allegedly obtained these documents by using the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of other individuals in applications made to the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles. The defendants are charged with opening numerous bank accounts in the various stolen identities. The defendants involved in the tax scheme, all of whom were citizens of either the Dominican Republic or Mexico, are alleged to have falsely claimed to be United States citizens on their applications for these false documents.

The indictment also charges various defendants with submitting false claims for refund, possessing stolen mail, making false claims of U.S. citizenship, committing passport fraud, making false statements to banks and credit unions, and passing forged U.S. Treasury checks, as well as aggravated identity theft. The fraud charges each carry maximum penalties of between two and 30 years of imprisonment, in addition to the five-year mandatory minimum prison term required upon conviction on the drug charges.

“The charges brought forth today against these 11 individuals serve as another reminder that IRS-Criminal Investigation is aggressively pursuing those who choose to defraud the government and disrupt the lives of innocent taxpayers,” stated Richard Weber, Chief, IRS-Criminal Investigation.

“These criminals illegally posed as U.S. citizens and exploited our financial system for personal gain,” said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle, who oversees investigations in Alaska. “By pooling our unique resources, legal authorities, and expertise, HSI and the IRS were able to dismantle a significant scheme to defraud the people of the United States.”

“Drug traffickers’ greed clearly has no limits, as evidenced by this investigation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas James of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “The DEA is proud of its partnership with the Anchorage Police Department, who brought this case to their federal counterparts, exposing this multi-faceted criminal organization.”

The case is being jointly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas C. Bradley and James Barkeley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and Trial Attorney Stephanie Carowan Courter of the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division. The initial charges arose out of an investigation begun by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Anchorage Police Department (APD). The new charges were further investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. Additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the Southern District of New York.

Anyone who believes that they have been a victim of identity theft, or wants information about preventing identity theft, may obtain helpful information and complaint forms on various government websites, including the Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, Social Security Administration, and IRS.

This case was investigated and prosecuted under the purview of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is made up of personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s Office; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; ICE-Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Coast Guard; and the Anchorage Police Department.

An indictment is merely a formal accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

http://www.loansafe.org/indictment-charges-more-than-10-people-in-1...

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on July 24, 2012 at 5:49pm

Sovereign citizens movement member convicted of federal money laundering charges in Las Vegas

Shawn Rice, a leader in the anti-government "sovereign citizens" movement, was convicted in federal court Tuesday in a $1.3 million money-laundering scheme.

Following a 1½-day bench trial, U.S. District Judge James Mahan found Rice guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 13 counts of money laundering, all felonies.

Mahan also found Rice guilty of four separate failure to appear counts stemming from the 654 days Rice spent as a fugitive in the criminal case.

Rice, 49, who is in federal custody, and co-defendant Samuel Davis were charged in March 2009 with laundering the $1.3 million for undercover FBI agents posing as shady businessmen.

With his wife and followers watching in the courtroom, Rice showed no emotion at the defense table as Mahan told him that the government had proven its case. Rice had contended that he was entrapped and that Mahan had no authority to take action against him.

Rice, a self-proclaimed rabbi and lawyer, represented himself during the trial. He had waived his right to a jury.

His only witness, Thomas Schaults, was handcuffed and arrested in court Tuesday on outstanding traffic tickets after he left the witness stand in a failed bid to testify.

Mahan told Schaults, who authorities later said was a player in the sovereign citizens movement, that he had no relevant information to provide the judge. Schaults, 58, had a Pennsylvania driver's license on him when he was taken into custody and later booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

Rice's days as a fugitive ended on Dec. 22, when he was arrested at his home in Seligman, Ariz., after a 10-hour armed standoff with FBI agents.

Mahan previously sentenced Davis, another sovereign citizens leader, to 57 months in prison. Davis, a 57-year-old Idaho man, did not surrender to federal authorities at the end of June to start his prison term and is considered a fugitive.

Both defendants were indicted after a three-year undercover FBI investigation into the local activities of the sovereign citizens.

Undercover FBI Agent Mark Aysta, who infiltrated the group in 2006, laid out the alleged conspiracy for prosecutors in testimony on Monday. Aysta was assigned at the time to the Southern Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The sovereign citizens taught their anti-government leanings in Las Vegas to a nationwide following out of a local print shop. Tens of thousands of members of the movement have declared themselves outside the government's jurisdiction and not obligated to pay taxes.

"The sovereign movement has an extreme anti-government ideology, embedded in conspiracy theories, inaccurate history and irrational interpretations of the law," Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Damm wrote in a trial memorandum last week.

On Tuesday, Schaults tried to present Mahan with sovereign citizen rhetoric on the witness stand, but Mahan wouldn't allow it.

"Whatever you have to present is going to be relevant," Mahan told him. "We're not going to sit here and listen to somebody's opinion."

At one point, Rice tried to argue in favor of letting Schaults testify, but Mahan cut him off, accusing him of speaking "gobbledygook" and "gibberish."

After Schaults stepped down from the witness stand and walked to the courtroom doors, a Henderson police detective involved in the money-laundering investigation handcuffed him and took him into custody.

Rice then rested his case, and Mahan heard closing arguments.

Damm told the judge that it looked to him that Rice had not "selected the best individuals to represent his interests" in court.

Rice throughout the proceedings appeared to show a "disrespect, a disdain for the federal judiciary," the prosecutor added.

The evidence presented during the trial showed that Rice had laundered more than $705,000 of the $1.3 million for the undercover FBI agents, Damm said.

Rice argued that he had no predisposition to get involved in the conspiracy and was the victim of "unscrupulous" federal agents.

"I have no history of doing anything like this with cash," he told Mahan.

Rice insisted, though he said he couldn't prove it, that Davis was an informant for the FBI at the time Rice became embroiled in the scheme in September 2008. That would mean there actually was no conspiracy, he contended.

But Mahan didn't buy that argument, asking Rice, "What if he is not a confidential informant?"

"Then from September on, I have a problem," Rice acknowledged.

From there, Rice spent the rest of his argument quoting from previously written sovereign citizen ideology trying to explain that the judge had no jurisdiction in the case.

In the end, Mahan moved quickly from the bench to convict Rice, saying the government had provided convincing evidence that Rice participated in the money-laundering scheme.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/leader-in-anti-government-movement-convict...

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on July 25, 2012 at 7:41am

The former head of Anglo Irish Bank, Sean FitzPatrick, has appeared in court in Dublin over alleged financial irregularities at the bank.

The 64-year-old is the third former senior executive from Anglo Irish Bank to appear in court within 24 hours.

All three men face 16 charges in relation to an alleged failed attempt to prop up Anglo's share price after a stock market collapse.

The court heard Mr FitzPatrick replied "no comment" when charged.

He was released on bail to appear in court again in October.

It is the third time Mr FitzPatrick has been arrested as part of the three-and-a-half year long investigation into the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank, but this was the first time he has appeared in court.

Mr FitzPatrick was arrested at Dublin airport at about 05:35 BST on Tuesday as he arrived from the US after arranging to meet officers.

The bank, now known as the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited (IBRC), was nationalised in 2009 at a cost of about 30bn euros (£23.4bn) to Irish taxpayers.

Property bubble

Mr FitzPatrick served as chief executive and then chairman of the bank, building it up to become what at one time appeared to be one of the biggest success stories of Ireland's boom years.

However, Anglo was badly exposed by the bursting of the Irish property bubble and suffered the largest corporate loss in the history of the Republic of Ireland.

Mr FitzPatrick stepped down from his position in December 2008, a month before Anglo had to be bailed out by the state.

In court on Tuesday, Mr FitzPatrick, of Whitshed Road, Greystones, County Wicklow, was granted bail on a 1,000 euros bond and an independent surety of 10,000 euros, provided by his sister.

He must also sign in at a police station every Wednesday and give 48 hours' notice if he changes address or plans to leave the country.

On Monday, Willie McAteer - the second in command at the bank before his resignation in January 2009 - appeared in court alongside Pat Whelan, a former head of lending and operations at the bank.

Mr McAteer, 60, from Rathgar in Dublin, was granted bail until 8 October but was was ordered to hand in his passport.

Mr Whelan, 50, from Malahide in County Dublin, was also granted bail but was ordered to give 48 hours notice if he is travelling anywhere outside Ireland or the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18967787

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on August 1, 2012 at 5:45pm

Law enforcement agents, including the FBI, arrest 12 in alleged cocaine distribution ring

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 01, 2012 - 5:24 pm EDT

NORMAL, Ill. — Two brothers who allegedly led a cocaine and crack cocaine distribution ring in central Illinois were among 15 people named in federal criminal complaints.

The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports agents from several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Illinois State Police, moved across Bloomington-Normal early Wednesday and arrested suspects, including 30-year-old Matthew and 29-year-old Marcus Sullivan, both of Bloomington. Ten others were also arrested, while three remain at large.

The brothers, and 32-year-old Wyatt Curtis, were among six people charged with conspiracy to distribute at least 280 grams of crack cocaine from 2001 to the present.

The affidavit filed in support of the complaints alleges the Sullivan brothers are the primary leaders of a drug trafficking organization that is involved in cocaine distribution in the Bloomington-Normal area.

(Story distributed by The Associated Press)

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on August 3, 2012 at 8:05am

Remember ms. Deatra Loomer? Did she get off easy?
But at leaSt someone IS taking down the fraudsters.
Don't let this happen to you.

A former Woodland Hills resident was sentenced to serve 12 years and eight months in state prison Tuesday for her involvement in an investment fraud scheme.

In addition to time in prison, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kevin McGee also ordered Katherine “Katie” Rose, 63, to pay $3,403,158 in restitution after she pled guilty to 13 felony crimes and admitted to an aggravated white collar crime enhancement as well, according to a statement issued by the Ventura County District Attorney’s office.

Rose was sentenced along with Kenneth Powell, a former resident of Thousand Oaks, with whom she hosted some local Ventura County radio programs as “Ken and Katie.”

Powell was sentenced to 18 years in state prison and was ordered to pay $4,341,119 in restitution, the Ventura County D.A.’s office said.

An investigation by a group of Ventura County law agencies revealed that from June 2005 through May 2008, Powell and Rose falsely represented to victims that investments would be used to develop new homes on vacant lots in Taft. According to an article in The Daily News at the time of the pair's arrest in August 2011, no homes were ever built.

Additional victims were falsely led to believe their investments were being used to make loans to borrowers secured by recorded deeds of trust; however, “the deeds of trust issued to the victims were essentially worthless because the properties were either previously encumbered by other liens or the deeds of trust were never recorded,” the district attorney’s office said.

According to other news reports at the time of the arrests, authorities said Rose and Powell—whose infomercial-type radio shows consisted of the “Ken & Katie Show,” “Money Intelligence,” and “Academy of Real Estate,” on KVTA 1520 AM—encouraged listeners to attend investment seminars where they were led to invest in various properties.

KVTA General Manager Chip Ehrhardt told the Ventura County Star Powell and Rose’s shows had been on the air for two to three years, which had been paid for by the pair, before parting on less than good terms with the station.

http://woodlandhills.patch.com/articles/woman-sentenced-in-real-est...

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on August 13, 2012 at 4:40pm

Sovereign citizens leader, fugitive from Las Vegas, arrested in North Dakota

By Jeff German
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: Aug. 13, 2012 | 2:27 p.m.

A fugitive national leader in the anti-government "sovereign citizens" movement has been arrested in North Dakota.

Samuel Davis, facing a 57-month prison term for his role in a $1.3 million money laundering scheme in Las Vegas, was taken into custody Aug. 7 by sheriff's deputies in the tiny community of White Earth, in northwest North Dakota, court records show.

White Earth had a population of 80 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Davis, 57, who lives in Idaho, is among tens of thousands of Americans who have declared themselves sovereign citizens above the government's jurisdiction and not obligated to pay taxes.

An arrest warrant for Davis was issued in Las Vegas on June 29 after Davis failed to surrender to federal authorities to serve his time behind bars.

U.S. District Judge James Mahan had sentenced Davis to prison last October after he pleaded guilty in the money laundering scheme days before his trial was to start.

His co-defendant, Shawn Rice, a self-proclaimed attorney and rabbi from Arizona, was convicted last month following a bench trial. Rice, 49, who waived a jury trial and defended himself, was a fugitive for nearly two years until his arrest in Arizona last December. Mahan is to sentence him on Oct. 24.

Both defendants were indicted in March 2009 after a three-year undercover FBI investigation into activities of the sovereign citizens in Las Vegas. Agents assigned to the Southern Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force had infiltrated the group, which taught its anti-government leanings to a nationwide following out of a local print shop.

Davis, who once referred to himself as "I am: Sam" in court documents as a symbol of his refusal to recognize the establishment, has been described by authorities as a national movement leader who travels around the country teaching its ideology.

At Rice's trial, prosecutors played videotapes of Davis discussing the money laundering scheme with the undercover agents, who posed as shady businessmen. The agents portrayed the money as coming from the theft and forgery of official bank checks.

The defendants funneled the money they received from the FBI agents into bank accounts they controlled outside Nevada and then returned the money to undercover accounts set up by the agents after deducting their fees, trial testimony showed.

Davis took nearly $74,000 in fees, and Rice took about $22,000, prosecutors alleged.

Both Davis and Rice accused the government of entrapping them.

After his sentencing last year, Davis said, "It amazes me that the government is in the business of creating crimes."

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Permalink Reply by MRS MM on August 13, 2012 at 5:43pm

Chancey, I ran across something yesterday on a chat on another website that I have been unable to verify or find out anything about. Supposedly there is a group of law students in Boston that have been doing citizens arrests on the corrupt officials there.........any info you can dig up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks as always!!

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Permalink Reply by Chancy Yardbird on August 18, 2012 at 5:05pm

Another Sovereign citizen senseless selfish act.

Investigators arrest 6 people in deadly deputy shooting

LAPLACE, LA (WAFB) -
The Louisiana State Police now has six people in custody in connection with shootings that left two sheriff's deputies dead and two others wounded Thursday.

According to sources, one of the suspects in custody is Kyle Joekel, 29, a fugitive from Nebraska. It's not clear exactly what role he played in the tragic shooting. Sources also said one or more of the suspects arrested may be contract workers for Valero and added the individuals consider themselves "sovereign citizens."

Deputy Brandon Nielson, 34, a husband and father of five, had been with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office for nearly two years. Deputy Jeremy Triche, 27, a 4-year veteran, leaves behind his wife and 2-year-old son. Deputies Jason Triche, 30, and Michael Boyington II, 33, are recovering from their wounds and expected to survive.

The shooting has left an entire law enforcement family crippled.

"I was awoken by the gunshots this morning," said Jody Malley, a witness to the shooting.

It was a rude awakening for neighbors, fellow deputies and more importantly, families whose lives have changed forever.

"I lost two good officers today," said Sheriff Mike Tregre.

It all started in the Valero parking lot around 5 a.m. Investigators said a gunman opened fire on Deputy Jason Triche, hitting him and his car multiple times. That bullet-riddled vehicle was taken to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. Deputies then followed a speeding vehicle to a trailer park.

"As we were interviewing the two persons, the two subjects, another person exited that trailer with an assault weapon and ambushed, ambushed my two officers," Tregre explained.

Malley said he heard multiple gunshots.

"I couldn't tell you. It was enough to know it was something going on," said Malley.

It was much later in the day when Malley realized that "something" was how two deputies died in the line of duty, just feet from his own trailer. Officials closed off the scene as they searched for any clues.

While many law enforcement members and those who were first responders are doing their job, they're trying to swallow a tough pill.

"They're brothers," said Joel Pattison with Southern Law Enforcement Foundation. "We're all brothers and sisters in law enforcement, so when it affects one of us, especially one so close to home where I work, it affects us dearly."

It's why fellow officers with the Southern Law Enforcement Foundation are in LaPlace providing a support group for first responders with the primary goal being getting the men and women with badges back on the streets.

"Could've done this or could've done that. Well, we want them to know those are completely normal reactions and you're not alone and that a lot of us have been there," said Pattison.

"Please pray for the two officers that were ambushed early this morning," Tregre asked of the public.

He also asked for people to pray for the two deputies that were wounded. Several blood drives are scheduled in their honor.

A candlelight vigil will be held Friday at 8 p.m. at the St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office.

Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.

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Permalink Reply by Lady Hawk on August 18, 2012 at 5:56pm

I totally support your ideas.... mahalo and blessings

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