Dina Wein Reis, Suzanne Carrico, Sarah Golden, Chaya Cooper, Sheryl Raport, And Steve Manenti Indicted In Fraud

6:31 am | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

Backgroundnow.com/blog/

The Federal Court Case Files May Now Be Purchased from he Publisher

The seven-count indictment, unsealed today, was returned by a federal grand jury in Indianapolis on Oct. 22, 2008.  New York residents Dina Wein Reis, 44, Suzanne Carrico, 34, Sarah Golden, 36, and Chaya Cooper, 39, and New Jersey resident Sheryl Raport, 41, were arrested today and are scheduled to make their initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Steve Manenti, 72, a resident of Chicago, surrendered to authorities and will make his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois.

The indictment alleges that between January 2000 and October 2008, the defendants obtained consumer goods at discounted prices from manufacturers and distributors of consumer products by falsely informing them that the defendants would donate those products to non-profit organizations for promotional purposes.  In fact, the defendants intended to, and did, sell those goods at substantial profit to wholesalers, retail stores and others.  According to the indictment, manufacturers of consumer products often set aside a portion of their product to be sold to charitable organizations, to various programs that market and promote the manufacturers’ product and to authorized retailers outside of the United States for substantially discounted prices.  Manufacturers often do so to aid humanitarian organizations, to engender goodwill for their product and to increase sales for their product by promoting it to a new sector of the market.

The indictment specifically alleges that the defendants contacted the businesses and claimed that Reis controlled valuable business ventures that could distribute and promote their products to hundreds or thousands of retail outlets to which Reis had exclusive access, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, salons or hardware stores.  The defendants allegedly told the businesses that to take advantage of placing their company’s product in Reis’ supposed retail outlets, their companies would have to sell the defendants, at extremely discounted prices, a large quantity of product, which defendants falsely stated would be distributed as free samples to non-profit organizations such as senior living communities, schools and American Indian reservations.  The defendants are alleged to have falsely told the businesses that if the samples of their product were favorably received by these potential consumers, demand for their product would increase, and the companies’ products in the future could be promoted, distributed and widely sold through Reis’ purported network of retail stores, which would lead to significant growth in sales and profits for the corporations. Once the defendants received the products they allegedly sold them to wholesalers, retailers and distributors at a substantial profit for themselves rather than provide samples through their purported non-profit program as they claimed.

If the defendants are convicted, the conspiracy charge carries a maximum 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Why Fraud Investigators Are Celebrities

12:17 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

The boom in fraud investigation started during the bust of an
economy zealous over new technologies, new possibilities and at the
unravelling of some companies out of control such as Enron, Tyco,
HealthSouth and WorldCom.  Forensic accountants were called forth to
locate well concealed and complicated money trails, map these trails
and make them clear to others in judicial proceedings.  They did that
successfully and, in so doing, helped restore market order.  That's how
fraud investigators became celebrities.

After 9/11, other forensic accounting teams have been at the front lines of unraveling networks of terrorist funding.

According
to Toby J. F. Bishop, CFE, CPA, FCA and President and Chief Executive
of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, forensic accountants
have deep training and experience.  Their value may not be fully
understood and appreciated.  Areas of value can include determining
damages in contract disputes, intellectual property infringement,
environmental claims and estate and family disputes.  Many other
forensic accountants are business valuation experts.  Some also have
qualifications as economists and statisticians involved in the complex
modeling of damages.

Have you met Mark Padilla Viau yet?  He is an associate at
www.BackgroundNow.com and a Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc).,
B.S. Finance, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Internal
Auditor (CIA), with Top Secret Clearance.

Go to www.BackgroundNow.com to find out more about Mark or call us to schedule a tele-conference.

The Trend Toward Free Background Checks - Federal, State & Local Governments Open Access to Records

1:43 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

The Center For Democracy & Technology conducts surveys of the practices of federal, state and local courts in making information public via the Internet. It finds a wide variety of practices and policies, and an important, nearly singular trend. Courts and other government background check services are making their records available to anyone via the Internet, often for free.

Free background checks are being offered by many government sources. Are background checks becoming an "open source" service?

Governments are making records available that span statewide background check services to many instances of single jurisdictions, such as county-level courts, providing Internet access to their records. Some governments provide access to both criminal and civil records while others restrict users' access to records that may contain sensitive background check information. And while some governments offer free comprehensive access to their background check services, many others charge users a range of fees for Internet access.

On the one hand, moving to post background check services to the Internet represents a hushed upheaval in transparency and accountability for both individuals and government, part of a rapidly shifting social reality. Public access to electronic court background check services provides a convenient way for the public to broaden government checks and balances and ensure the fairness and equality of its operations.

Concurrent to the trend towards background check transparency, governments are struggling to find balance, such as balancing privacy and accountability. What information should be available Internet? Many governments make judicial opinions at the appellate levels freely available Internet but do not offer Internet access to trial court proceedings, which generally contain more detailed and sensitive evidence. Others offer access to trial court dockets and a variety of other information at the trial level. Should a distinction be drawn between civil cases and criminal background check access? Another set of issues concern cost. Is it appropriate to charge for Internet access? Does a subscription or fee-based system unfairly discriminate against those who cannot afford fees for background check services? Do fees exclude everyday citizens? Questions like these pose a significant challenge to governments attempting to design background check services.

In addition to exclusions that may be caused by background check fees, there's a knowledge gap. Very few citizens are aware that the information is available to them, much less what type or how to find it. Yet, for example, the entire Federal Court System is open to all. A search can lead to the federal government's registry for all federal criminal, civil, bankruptcy and tax cases, for example. The federal registry charges 8-cents per search.

County courthouse websites can be located, many of which offer free searches of criminal, civil and traffic court cases. Also, Secretary Of State records can be accessed, giving users free background check information on business ownership and transactions.

In addition the web offers articles on important issues and laws, such as those surrounding privacy rights. Guideline for conducting background checks can also be found.

It provides anyone with the ability to search and locate individuals and businesses, criminal and civil court records, property records, bankruptcies, liens, judgments, tax cases, business records, employment histories, federal government exclusion lists, OFAC records, FDA debarment records, healthcare sanctions records -- in short, information to conduct a thorough background background check.

There remains quite a bit of secrecy and misunderstanding surrounding background checks. In part because it was long the domain of private investigators who kept the tricks of the trade to themselves, such as the mythology "nationwide criminal records databases" that report criminal records from every jurisdiction in the United States. No such background check exists.

Many commercial background check companies offer database searches that cover many jurisdictions in the majority of states, but they are all incomplete. Commercial nationwide criminal records databases can cover a lot of ground and inexpensively. So, they are worthwhile. However, they may not include the jurisdiction needed. The FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division manages the National Crime Information Center, a database of nationwide criminal records. It is the most complete source of records, yet even it is not perfect. Most misdemeanors are not included in the database and many county and state records never make their way to the FBI. En route to the FBI from counties and states there are breakdowns in the process.

All this to say, you can do your own, free background checks. However, it's not always straightforward, you may need to do some homework to do it right.

www.BackgroundNow.com

Sweet Lord, Alexa Shows www.BackgroudNow.com 2,065% Improvement

9:18 am | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

As of this morning, Alexa shows:

• 3-month increase of 2,065% of total Internet users who visit www.BackgroundNow.com
• 3-month traffic rank improvement of 5,761,327
• 3-month average worldwide traffic rank of 479,101
• current week global traffic rank of 137,560
• current week traffic rank in the United States of 65,598
• 8-page views per user average, up 324%, from 6.4-pages

Accomplished with a 1-man, inexperienced in-house search engine
marketing campaign with a zero-dollar budget within the past few months.

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/backgroundnow.com

Newest, Most Thorough Background Check Introduced This Week - "Complete Background Check Bundle"

10:35 am | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

* Identity Verification, Aliases And Address History
* 44-State Criminal Records Search
* County Civil And Criminal Court Records Search, 5-Counties (Onsite)
* Driver's License Search
* Federal Criminal Courts Records Search
* Federal Civil Courts Records Search
* Federal Appellate Courts Records Search
* Global Newspapers And Journals (English) Search
* Nationwide Bankruptcy Report
* Nationwide Employment & Corporate Affiliations Report
* Nationwide Liens and Judgments Report
* Nationwide Professional License Report
* Nationwide Sexual Offender Report
* Nationwide UCC Filings
* Statewide Criminal Courts Registry Search, 3-States
* Statewide Division Of Corporations Filings Retrieval
* Statewide MVR / Driving Records Report
* TransUnion Credit Report
* United States Tax Courts Search

See The Updated Background Check Services Menu

Blog Launched This Week at BackgroundNow.com

10:34 am | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

The new blog covers current events, background check trends and resources.

Entries this week include:
- Rhonda Byrne & The Secret, LLC Sued By Drew Heriot & Drew Pictures Pty LTD
- Free Access To Wisconsin Circuit Court Background Checks
- Federal Employees May Have Purchased False Diplomas
- Leonardo da Vinci Undergoes Posthumous Background Check
- Free Background Checks, Oklahoma Courts
- Free Background Checks, Florida Corporations

 http://www.backgroundnow.com/blog/

Technorati Profile

4:19 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

Technorati Profile

Find People, www.BackgroundNow.com

2:02 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

www.BackgroundNow.com provides extensive background checks to its customers. BackgroundNow.com
searches billions of records and compile the background checks you want
and deliver answers you need. BackgroundNow.com staff and contractors 
research every county, state and federal courthouse in the United
States, covering every background check records source in the US and
200 other countries around the globe. With direct access to online and
onsite sources, you'll get authoritative background check services now.

1. www.BackgroundNow.com provides complete background check services to businesses.
2. www.BackgroundNow.com provides The Background Checkepedia to anyone searching for free government
   background checks. You can search over 25,000 background check sources
   to find free background checks from the BackgroundNow.com home page.
3. www.BackgroundNow.com offers background checks to individuals through its consumer affiliate.

Informed
Networks Corporation was founded in 2003 and www.BackgroundNow.com is one
of the fastest growing background check websites in the world as
reported by Alexa and Compete.com.

Employment Screening Background Check, www.BackgroundNow.com

5:37 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

www.BackgroundNow.com provides extensive background checks to its customers. BackgroundNow.com
searches billions of records and compile the background checks you want
and deliver answers you need. BackgroundNow.com staff and contractors 
research every county, state and federal courthouse in the United
States, covering every background check records source in the US and
200 other countries around the globe. With direct access to online and
onsite sources, you'll get authoritative background check services now.

1. www.BackgroundNow.com provides complete background check services to businesses.
2. www.BackgroundNow.com provides The Background Checkepedia to anyone searching for free government
   background checks. You can search over 25,000 background check sources
   to find free background checks from the BackgroundNow.com home page.
3. www.BackgroundNow.com offers background checks to individuals through its consumer affiliate.

Informed
Networks Corporation was founded in 2003 and www.BackgroundNow.com is one
of the fastest growing background check websites in the world as
reported by Alexa and Compete.com.

Employment Background Check, www.BackgroundNow.com

4:35 pm | Lee Hill | Be the first to comment

www.BackgroundNow.com provides extensive background checks to its customers. BackgroundNow.com
searches billions of records and compile the background checks you want
and deliver answers you need. BackgroundNow.com staff and contractors 
research every county, state and federal courthouse in the United
States, covering every background check records source in the US and
200 other countries around the globe. With direct access to online and
onsite sources, you'll get authoritative background check services now.

1. www.BackgroundNow.com provides complete background check services to businesses.
2. www.BackgroundNow.com provides The Background Checkepedia to anyone searching for free government
   background checks. You can search over 25,000 background check sources
   to find free background checks from the BackgroundNow.com home page.
3. www.BackgroundNow.com offers background checks to individuals through its consumer affiliate.

Informed
Networks Corporation was founded in 2003 and www.BackgroundNow.com is one
of the fastest growing background check websites in the world as
reported by Alexa and Compete.com.