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Insider Talking: January 31, 2003

January 31, 2003
In all of the hullabaloo surrounding the collapse of the Euro Bank trial in Cayman after the judge determined that the island's senior anti-money laundering officer, Brian Gibbs, had lied and destroyed evidence, it was easy to overlook a snippet in Gibbs' November 26, 2002 witness statement about Johnny Johnson; An order for the extradition of offshore banker William Cooper from Antigua to face a money laundering indictment in the United States was thrown out by a judge in Antigua on January 13, 2003 because the application was made before an extradition treaty between the two countries was ratified and before money laundering was criminalized on the Caribbean island; Edouardos Stamatiou, whose Argentina-based firm Tucuman Land Holdings Ltd. received £151 million ($237 million) of the $345 million defrauded from clients of the Imperial Consolidated Group and won't give it back, is a former principal of The Cayman Financial Brokerage House, which … surprise, surprise … was forcibly closed down in October, 1999; Another post-Imperial Consolidated scam, known as Property International, is in financial trouble after not very long in business; And, to conclude our segment on Imperial Consolidated, we have been passed the name of yet another company which allegedly brokered client funds into the fraudulently-operated group - Lighthouse Strategies; Canadian national David Voth has been fined CDN$12,000 in Canada for failing to file tax returns; Bahamas-based Suisse Security Bank & Trust, which is in provisional liquidation, has asked a U. S. judge to order two parties who unsuccessfully sued the bank in New York to place $1.3 million into court to cover its legal fees and damages; Trading on the over-the-counter market of shares in a company that Bermuda-based Lines Overseas Management was helping to do a reverse take-over of has been temporarily suspended pending an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States; and Famed U. S. attorney Johnnie Cochrane may be helping to broker a settlement in the long-running battle for control of the assets of Eurofed Bank in Antigua.

Has anyone seen Steve Saemmler Klein?

January 31, 2003
Belize-based offshore provider Grupo CAT appears to have gone out of business following the disappearance of its principal, Steve Saemmler Klein. Over the last month, the group's telephone lines have been disconnected and several of its web-sites are no longer accessible.

SEC investigates LOM business partner

January 31, 2003
Trading on the over-the-counter market of shares in a company that Bermuda-based Lines Overseas Management was helping to do a reverse take-over of has been temporarily suspended pending an investigation by the Securities & Exchange Commission in the United States.

Suncor Energy joins sEnergy Insurance

December 31, 2002
Canada-based Suncor Energy is to become a member of Bermuda-registered sEnergy Insurance Ltd., effective January 1, 2003.sEnergy was established in Bermuda in May, 2002 to provide large limits of coverage for business interruption and excess physical damage insurance.

Newt Utopia: The tale of Jawad Mahmoud Hashim

December 31, 2002
Jawad Mahmoud Hashim has a doctorate in Economics from the London School of Economics and, by all accounts, he is a smooth and very sophisticated individual who has kept his head while many around him lost theirs.

Insider Talking: December 31, 2002

December 31, 2002
UK-based Capital City Finance Limited, which was formed on August 20, 2001 as a spin-off from the Imperial Consolidated Group, is three and a half months overdue with the filing of its annual return with Companies House for England and Wales; If clients of St. Vincent-licensed Omnicorp Bank needed further evidence that they are being taken to the cleaners by the bank's management, there has been plenty of it recently; Investment fraudster Tracy Calvin Dunlap, Jr. was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison on December 19, 2002 at the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.; Steve Saemmler Klein, who operates a dubious Belize-based offshore group known as Grupo CAT, has apparently gone missing; and Alyn Richard Waage, 56, of Canada, and James Michael Webb, 40, of California, were extradited on December 19, 2002 from Costa Rica to Sacramento, California to face numerous federal charges relating to the Tri-West Investment Club, an Internet-based investment fraud scheme that allegedly netted more that $60 million.

Bermuda company director pleads guilty to fraud conspiracy

December 31, 2002
Offshore businessman Paul D. Lemmon, who was arrested in the widely-publicized 'Bermuda Short' operation, has entered into a plea bargain agreement with Federal prosecutors in Florida.Lemmon, a 40-year-old Canadian national, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud in a case in which he is a co-defendant with Mark Valentine.

US indicts Jerome Schneider and Eric Witmeyer

December 31, 2002
Offshore promoter Jerome Schneider and his alleged business partner, Eric J. Witmeyer, are expected to be arraigned next week after they were criminally indicted in the United States.Although they were indicted on December 19, 2002, neither was required to put in a court appearance by year-end, which prosecutors said was due to the difficulties of the Holiday season.

Insider Talking: November 30, 2002

November 30, 2002
The British Columbia Securities Commission has scheduled a hearing for December 10 11, 2002 to consider applications to vary asset freeze orders relating to accounts at the Bank of Montreal in Vancouver that were frozen in 2000 as part of

Canadian regulators raid boiler room

November 9, 2002
Canadian securities regulators and armed police have raided a Vancouver boiler room operation closely linked with Brek Energy, whose offshore investors, including the Bank of Bermuda and clients of Lines Overseas Management, have lost tens of millions of dollars in

Martin Chambers suspected of death threat against Bahamas accountant

October 31, 2002
A bail ruling at Federal Court in Miami indicates that prosecutors believe a Canadian businessman may have been behind an alleged death threat against one of his co-defendants, Bahamas accountant Michael Hepburn.In a decision dated October 16, 2002, District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages allowed an appeal by the U. S. Government against an earlier order granting bail to 62-year-old Martin G. Chambers.

Richard Hape convicted of money laundering

October 31, 2002
Businessman Richard Hape has been convicted of two counts of money laundering involving offshore companies he established in the Turks & Caicos Islands, where he worked and lived.The 54-year-old Canadian national faces up to ten years in prison and is currently out on bail pending sentencing.

Jerome Schneider resurfaces with promotional brochure

October 30, 2002
A well-publicized IRS investigation into the activities of U. S. citizen Jerome Schneider has done little to dampen his enthusiasm for aggressively promoting dubious offshore products.In October, OffshoreAlert was a recipient of a mass mailed, 24-page, color, glossy promotional brochure from Schneider titled "New Wealth Perspectives".

Canada: Hercules Perez Abenojar et al

October 17, 2002
Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Canada into Hercules Perez Abenojar, Rodolfo GonzalesGarcia, Ignacio Mateo Cruz, Alfonso Tui Go and Victor Eugenio Mateo.

United Kingdom: Hercules Holdings

October 11, 2002
Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom into suspected investment fraud by William Booth Cook and Donald Nutter.

France: Jean-Paul Roca et al

September 9, 2002
Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in France into Jean-Paul Roca, Bernard Mathieu and others for alleged fraud and forgery.

Arrested Bahamas-based accountant has history of involvement with fraudulent companies

August 31, 2002
Bahamas accountant Michael M. Hepburn, who has been arrested and charged with money laundering in Miami, has a history of involvement with crooked companies, OffshoreAlert can reveal. Hepburn, 54, has provided fake audits for several offshore insurers that have collapsed amid heavy losses and allegations of impropriety, including Paramount Reinsurance Ltd., formerly First Reinsurance Ltd., of Barbados; and Alpine Assurance Ltd. and Savoy Reinsurance Co. Ltd., both of the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Canadian policeman praises offshore authorities for ‘Operation Bermuda Short’ co-operation

August 31, 2002
Canadian authorities who took part in Operation 'Bermuda Short' which led to 58 indictments, including two directors of a Bermuda-based firm, have praised offshore regulators for their level of co-operation."It's a fallacy that offshore centers do not co-operate with such investigations," said Garry W. G. Clement, Superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told OffshoreAlert. 

Three convicted drug dealers own preferred shares in The Harris Organization

August 31, 2002
New evidence obtained by OffshoreAlert shows that THREE convicted drug dealers are beneficial owners of the British Virgin Islands-registered parent of The Harris Organization financial services group. The traffickers all own preferred shares, which purport to pay annual interest of 10% in the case of Wallace Stull and James Somerville, and 7% for Lawrence Boulanger.

United Kingdom: James Cadwell et al

August 21, 2002
Application for the appointment of a Commissioner for a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom into alleged fraud by James Cadwell, Richard Pope and David Curley.

58 suspected fraudsters and money launderers indicted in ‘Operation Bermuda Short’

August 15, 2002
Fifty-eight people have been criminally indicted in the United States following a two-year undercover investigation into white-collar crime. As of lunch-time today, 53 of those indicted had been arrested, including Bahamas-based accountant Michael Hepburn, who helps to operate Barbados-licensed Keywest Swiss Investment Bank.

Luis Enrique Villalobos claims annual returns of 75% for 25 years, denies impropriety

July 31, 2002
A 62-year-old Costa Rican businessman who enters into "private loan arrangements" with individuals who are promised annual returns of up to 39.3 per cent has refuted allegations of impropriety.Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho told OffshoreAlert that he is able to pay such returns because he earns about 75 per cent per year from "buying and selling items such as property, cars and boats".

Insider Talking: July 31, 2002

July 31, 2002
Hendrik Rienstra, 73, the principal of sham Panama-registered insurer New England International Surety Co. Inc., has died.; OffshoreAlert has uncovered three new names associated with the business activities of crooked financial services provider Marc M. Harris, who has moved his operations to Nicaragua after running up massive debts in Panama, leading to an application from a creditor to wind up his company and an eviction notice issued by his commercial landlord; Police in the UK have charged a fourth person, Francois M. Verkaeren, with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with an investigation into the business practices of Merrion Reinsurance Company, which is located in Dublin, Ireland; The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has announced that two residents of the Turks & Caicos Islands - Michael Witt, 45, and his partner, Tina Grenier, 41 - have been arrested and charged with various narcotics, money laundering and possession of crime offenses and their US$1 million property restrained in an operation codenamed 'Oilsheik'; and Local newspapers in the Bahamas have suddenly become excited over a criminal indictment that was issued in the United States as long ago as June 15, 1999.

Imperial Consolidated administrator awaits results of geological survey in Argentina

July 31, 2002
The results of an independent geological survey of 4.5 million acres of land in Argentina to which the Imperial Consolidated Group has mining rights are expected to be known by the end of August. They will go a long way to determining the level of dividend creditors can reasonably expect, said a spokesman for Imperial's UK-based administrator, Mazars Neville Russell.

FN Group’s Redmond Capital files action against Canadian firm

July 31, 2002
Florida-registered Redmond Capital Corp., which is controlled by The FN Group (formerly First Nevisian), of Nevis, has filed a civil lawsuit in Canada in which it is seeking $150,000.The action was filed on July 15, 2002 at the British Columbia Supreme Court against Vancouver-based 584956 B.C. Ltd., which is controlled by Byron Loewen, Gary Mazzei and Gerry Caul.

Financial broker accused of securities-loan fraud

July 31, 2002
A Florida-based businessman with a checkered past has been accused of defrauding 160 international investors of $87 million in a stock scam.David H. Siegel, 65, used companies and bank accounts in the Bahamas and other offshore jurisdictions to siphon off funds from his clients, it has been alleged.

Police raid offices of ‘The Brothers’

July 6, 2002
Police investigating money laundering and drug trafficking have raided the offices of a Costa Rica-based money exchange operated by Luis Enrique Villalobos.The action has led to financial uncertainty for hundreds of foreigners who have collectively invested millions of dollars in a long-running high yield investment scheme operated by Villalobos and his brother, Oswaldo, who are known locally as 'The Brothers'.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Dwight Rigby

July 1, 2002
Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal prosecution in the Turks and Caicos Islands into Dwight Rigby for alleged forgery, theft and money laundering while employed by Temple Securities.

Cambridge International Bank files action against former principal

June 30, 2002
Cambridge International Bank & Trust, whose banking license was revoked in Grenada last year, has brought a lawsuit in the United States against its former principal, David Frank Rowe. The action was filed as an Adversary Proceeding at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on May 13, 2002.

Regulators in Bahamas and Canada warn against offshore ‘bank’

June 30, 2002
The Central Bank of the Bahamas has issued a warning against an unauthorized bank operating from Nassau following details of the illegal activity in last month's edition of OffshoreAlert.On June 6, 2002 - six days after our article - the Central Bank issued a "Warning Notice" that Alpha Credit Union, of 51 Frederick Street, P.O. Box CB-12287, Nassau, was not licensed in the Bahamas.

Third arrest warrant issued in investigation of Atlas Financial Group

May 31, 2002
An arrest warrant has been issued in the Turks and Caicos Islands against a third person suspected of fraud involving Atlas Financial Group (in liquidation), namely Robert D. Whitney, who is AFG's former Chief Operating Officer. It follows arrest warrants that

USA v. Alvin Irwin Moss et al: Criminal Indictment

May 8, 2002
Indictment filed by USA against Alvin Irwin Moss, Frederick John Collier, Avraham Zohar, a.k.a. Avy Zohar; Richard Titterington, Geoffrey L. Feldman, Sherrie-Lee Doreen Cave, Peter James O'Sullivan, Rosalind Rose, Wayne Budd, Thomas Montgomery Bayer, Robert Murray Bohn, Stacy Layne Beavers, Beverly Ann Moss, Jeffery Allen Moss, Larry Charles Moss, Michael Joseph Harkin and Michael Elliot Cole at the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

Canada’s ‘W-Five’ program to feature offshore promoter Yank Barry

April 17, 2002
Bahamas-based businessman Yank Barry, who is a twice convicted criminal, will be the subject of an investigative Canadian television program due to air at 10 PM EST, Sunday, April 21, 2002.   Barry will be featured on CTV's 'W-Five' program, which is Canada's equivalent of '60 Minutes' in the United States.

Bank of Bermuda counts cost of Canadian telemarketing scam

March 31, 2002
A telemarketing scam has caused a potential gross loss of approximately $5.3 million for the Bank of Bermuda, which provided credit card processing services to the crooks believing their business to be clean. The liability was incurred when victims of the scam began doing charge-backs, leaving the bank, as card processor, ultimately responsible for losses.

Alpha Toronto denies link with Bermuda-registered fund

February 28, 2002
A new group that is operated from the same offices as Imperial Consolidated by people who are described as ex-Imperial employees has denied that it has become involved with a Bermuda-registered mutual fund. A spokesman for Alpha Toronto described as "incorrect" an article that was recently published in a magazine operated by British-based Charterhouse Communications.

Debt recovery firm continues to fight for assets

February 28, 2002
One arm of an asset recovery group that is registered in Bermuda and Ireland has gone into liquidation as a defensive measure in a bitter legal battle in North America for control of the assets of a convicted criminal. Interclaim Recovery Ltd., of Ireland, applied for voluntary liquidation on November 7, 2001 after a Canadian judge ordered it to pay CDN$2.2 million (US$1.37 million) in legal costs to the crook, Blair Down, and his associates.

Power Securities clients chase their money

January 31, 2002
Investors who placed over US$2 million with Power Securities Ltd. in the Bahamas are preparing to take legal action against the firm and its principal, Canadian businessman Les McIntosh. They have told OffshoreAlert that they have been unable to redeem their investments with the firm, which has since closed down its Nassau office.

Philip Johnston identified as President of offshore firm accused of fraud

December 31, 2001
Evidence has emerged that the President of a 'paper' offshore securities firm accused of fraud in the United States was attorney Philip W. Johnston, a Canadian who once had a law firm in the Turks & Caicos Islands.Details of Johnston's alleged involvement in TCI-registered Carib Securities Ltd. is contained in a civil lawsuit that is on-going at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Reorganization continues at scandal-plagued Imperial Consolidated

December 31, 2001
Michael Gilbert, who was severely criticized by a New Zealand judge in a recent court ruling (see separate story), is part of a reorganization that involves the Imperial Consolidated Group and companies with the prefix 'Alpha'.The firm that he is a director of changed its name from Imperial Consolidated (New Zealand) Ltd. to Alpha Equities Asia-Pacific (NZ) Ltd. on November 29, 2001.