IntenseDebate - grngardener

12 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Local woman scammed by... · 0 replies · +4 points

Sadly, fraud happens to all kinds of people regardless of their intelligence, income, social class or status. We expect people and businesses to actually be who they say they are. We expect them to have good intentions, just as we do. But the fact is that some people lie. They misrepresent themselves and their credentials and their goal for the personal relationship is deceptive. There is never any excuse for criminal behavior. It is not the fault of the victim when a crime occurs. Fraud is a crime and victims deserve to have a voice and one day when the voice is loud enough perhaps law enforcement will notice how little is done to enforce the consequences of fraud. How easy would it have been to take a police report? Telling the victim it was "technically a loan" was dismissive of the fraud while the other elements were present, i.e., false address, business etc. Without a police report documenting the fraud, the victim is left with little ammunition in contacting the 'dating site' that is perpetuating the person's profile(s). Congrats to KOMO for giving this woman a bit of a louder voice.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - The Schrammie: We spen... · 0 replies · 0 points

The website "pugetsoundstartshere.org" and another newer domain subscription "scooppoop.org" which references the PSA appear to have contact info in Portugal. Though politicians are always calling for transparency - I think decision makers take one step forward and two steps back without much effort.
http://pugetsoundstartshere.org/scoop-poop/

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Prison escapee caught ... · 1 reply · +4 points

The guy probably wanted a shorter term as it appears he keeps getting sent back - from the AP story:

"Russell was serving his fourth prison term since 1993 and had been transferred to the minimum security work camp just a day before he ran off, authorities said. His earliest release date was scheduled for March 2014 _ but that could be about to change. If convicted for the escape, Russell faces at least another year in prison to be served after his current sentence for theft and forgery in Lewis County. And it would most likely be at a higher security facility. "Assuming he is found guilty of escape, he's not likely to be put in a work camp, because he becomes an escape risk," Lewis said."

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Woman admits to sellin... · 3 replies · +3 points

Voll3yball1 you wrote: "But theres not a lot else for me to DO but apologize-- I mean, what do you suggest? Winslow admitted that no damage was done to their business, and I didnt steal from anyone, I called the clinic and apologized to them. There are several vet bills that I might be responsible for and I dont mind compensating those."

Personally, I don't know when it became something of a nuisance to be caught commiting fraud and forgery and believe 'no harm' was done. You had a con going. You used deception advancing the con - gaining financially. Isn't that theft? You used a credible business to further your con with forged documents, identity theft?. You wrote in a previous comment "I didnt say it was not about money. I did seek priofit from it, Im not denying that at all! And I am not ashamed that I made money from it."

If you are truly thinkng reimbursement may be a way out - consider it may involve more than just vet bills. After all, the financial gain was based on your misrepresentations and forged documents. I suppose you don't really get that part of it.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Con man: \'It\'s not l... · 0 replies · +14 points

Lol Pentaxian - you write as if you would prefer to ignore the message and blame the messenger. The irony isn't lost on anyone who actually got to know how the con operated his schemes.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Con man: \'It\'s not l... · 1 reply · +16 points

There have been lots of victims from businesses and organizations who didn't make police reports, handling bad checks through their internal system and then trying to locate him for restitution. Or using collection agencies to track down the owner of one of the 'ficticious' businesses. Difficult to do when you have been given fraudulent information to begin with. Recently he renewed all those domain names with the bad info. Unfortunately the businesses where he gains merchandise are often mostly small businesses with promises of bigger things to come or representations that he's someone he's not.

One series of domain names he uses an alias of William Graham and had set up business affiliations in gaining merchandise and having bills sent to an address he no longer used. That's one way to ignore payment. He often uses his 'references' in his schemes and I hope anyone who has befriended him takes the time to make sure their names aren't on accounts they have no knowledge of.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Thieves posing as city... · 0 replies · +2 points

Crimes against the vulnerable go beyond being duped - I agree this kind of crime has a higher emotional toll, though the financial is an immediate loss, rebuilding balance takes a lot longer than any sentence handed out.

Washington law goes further than I thought - "Criminal impersonation in the first degree - (b) Pretends to be a representative of some person or organization or a public servant and does an act in his or her pretended capacity with intent to defraud another or for any other unlawful purpose."

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Conman decides to with... · 0 replies · +9 points

Interestingly, a story was run in California yesterday where the police are now looking for the offender. Some quotes from that story "But when it came time to determine sentencing, Iturraran convinced the court she was a college student who needed more time to prepare. She said she was in the pharmacy school of the University of the Pacific. The problem is, prosecutor Steve Taylor said, she offered phony college transcripts to make her point. He said judges are often caught off guard by defendants of white collar crimes".

Somewhere in the Court process, there was a changed representation about attending Bellevue College to then transfer to the University of Washington with a BA? This information of the court representation came from someone who attended that particular hearing and its not clear why it was necessary, unless it was another bail request.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Conman decides to with... · 0 replies · +7 points

Accordian, he is not out on bail, he has been free with "no bail" during the entire process. In July, at the original arraignment, substantial bail was requested. I don't know what criteria is used by the courts, however the representations at that hearing was that he had no money, was enrolled at the University of Washington and living in a dorm, which he later clarified to "moving into the dorm". KOMO verified in their story he was listed as a freshman at the University of Washington. He was released with no bail with CCAP conditions.

People are inherently trusting and want to help someone 'down on their luck'. I believe the KOMO stories provide information that if someone does cross paths with the person while he is still in the community, to simply be careful and aware of potential schemes to obtain goods or services that may turn out to be deceptive.

13 years ago @ KOMO - Seattle, WA - Conman decides to with... · 0 replies · +5 points

7Series, my only comment to your posting when the story aired was that I hoped you'd be done venting soon and I asked that you stop posting as if you were talking on behalf of others. 50% of the comments to this story are yours, and your dissatisfaction to a case that involves other people, seems unusual.

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