Screw the lease!

"Initially, the landlord was not willing to let her break the lease but we talked with her and eventually the landlord agreed to rescind the lease." stated Cheryl Lovell, the executive director of the St Louis Housing Authority.


It is a typical ranch home in Ferguson Missouri and Catrina McGhaw signed the lease for it in March 2014 without reservation.  She wasn't worried because her section 8 voucher would cover $810 of the monthly rent for her.  That was until someone called to tell her to watch a cold case program on television that shehe found out that the home on Ford Dr was once the scene of several murders.  That might be something that some people could tolerate but these murders had been committed by Maury Travis, who had been living in the house.  Worse still was the fact that her landlord was Maury's mother, Sandra Travis.

Travis, 36, was not just living in the house when he was committing his multiple murders.......... the basement had been used as a torture chamber for many of the victims.  McGhaw states that his mother, Sandra even gave her the dining room table when she moved in........ the very same table that is seen in crime scene photos taken in June of 2002.

While police believe that he was a serial killer, he was only charged with two counts of kidnapping at the time of his arrest.  He had been caught after sending a letter praising a local reporter for coverage of a woman's death and followed that with a map that was later linked to Expedia.com that had an X on it.  Police found that the X was where a woman's body was found.

Statistically, most serial killers are white and very few of them ever videotape their crimes.  Travis was in a very small minority.  Police confirmed that he had killed at least 12 women in the basement of the home in Ferguson and he claimed that he had killed more than 17.  This would be the same home that Travis's mother Sandra was renting out now.

"He said that I would never understand. He said he was born like this.  He said he'd been like this since he could remember," stated St Louis police officer Tim Sachs.

Travis was born on Oct 25 1965 and moved to Ferguson when he was 10 years old.  He was described as a very quiet kid growing up and graduated from high school in 1985.  After school, he served two years in the Army Reserve, worked as a dental and medical assistant, worked with various trucking companies and volunteered at a local nursing home.  By 1987, when he was 22, he enrolled in Morris Brown College in Atlanta and then began using cocaine.

While he was home on spring break of March 1988, he robbed five shoe stores for the cash he needed to feed his $300 a day habit.  He pleaded guilty to the five robberies in Jan 1989 and asked the judge for leniency since he had completed drug rehab and he had only used a toy gun in the hold-ups.  U S Rep William L Clay had also written to the judge asking for leniency for Travis.  On July 5 1089, the judge sentenced Travis to 15 years in prison and within months, he wrote to the judge to reduce his sentence because of the horrible conditions.  Travis was paroled on June 14 1994 after serving five years, most of which he worked in the food and sanitation section.

For the next few years, Travis went back to prison twice for drug related charges and worked at various restaurant jobs.  During the summers of 2000 and 2001 though, he was a waiter in the restaurant in the Mayfair Hotel.  After police had arrested him for the suspected killings, they found that he showed no remorse or feelings of guilt for what he had done.


On July 31 2000, the body of Mary Shields, 61, was found in East St Louis and is believed to be his first victim.  On April 1 2001, the body of Alysa Greenwade, 34, was found in Washington Park.  On May 15, the body of  Teresa Wilson, 36, was found in West Alton.  On May 25, the body of Betty James, 46, was found in St Louis.  Police were able to match a tire print on her leg to Travis's car and she is visible in a videotape of his.

On June 29 2001, the body of Verona Thompson, 36, was found in West Alton less than 20 feet from where Wilson was found.  On Oct 25 the body of Yvonne Crues, 50 and on Oct 8 the body of  Brenda Beasley, 33, were both found in East St Louis and both linked to Travis through DNA. From Jan 2002 to March 2002, three unidentified women's bodies were found Highland, Mascoutah and Columbia IL which police believe were also Travis's victims.

Travis had tortured his victims in the basement of the home.  He also had numerous video tapes of him and prostitutes that he had picked up along a strip of broad just north of St Louis.  Many of the tapes show him giving the women crack cocaine and then having consensual sex with them.  Some of the women he let go while others he took downstairs, tied with rope and handcuffs and put duct tape over their eyes.  He verbally assaults them on the tapes and one tapes shows him strangling a woman to death.  Police had thought they saw bloodstains on the basement walls and floor in the tapes and they later found that there was blood between the various paint layers there.  He had even built makeshift cells down there as well from plans that police had found in the home

McGhaw called her landlord after finding out about the history of the house and asked to get out of her lease.  The reply she got was no.  Sandra Travis felt that a lease was a lease and there was no reason for getting out of it.  When News 4 called Sandra, she claimed that she had told McGhaw about the basement.  I doubt I would forget if someone mentioned something like that to me and McGhaw states that she was never told.

The housing authority did help McGhaw in getting out of her lease of the "death house" and she can move out by August 1st.  Some states have laws for disclosure but even then, it may only apply to a house that is being purchased.  Missouri has no law to force disclosure in a rental.

Seriously though.......... the fact that your own son happened to torture and murder women in the basement of the house should tell you that it probably isn't worth renting or selling.  I don't really understand why the same kitchen table would still be in the house that many years after the murders, unless she just couldn't bear to be without until now.

Oh and Maury Travis........ he made good on his statement that he would not go back to prison.  He hung himself in prison, days after he had been arrested.  The mom that he cared so much for, Sandra.  She has filed a lawsuit because the jail had failed in preventing her son from killing himself.  Can I just say........ wtf?  Does money mean that much to you?




http://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-found-serial-killer-lived-home-watching-tv/story?id=24467447

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132005

http://www.kmov.com/news/investigates/Woman-learns-her-home-belonged-to-a-serial-killer-266134801.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-renting-suspected-serial-killers-home-to-move-out-early/

Take me out to the nap-game.......

"Did he sleep through the (Carlos) Beltran homer?  I mean 45,000 people stand up and cheer, and he sleeps through?" asked Dan Shulman.





Andrew Rector, 26, nodded off during the fourth inning of the April 13 2014 Yankees vs Red Sox game and was shown napping in his second row seat on television.  Evidently he has now woke up from that nap and is suing everyone he can think of for $10 million dollars because of that broadcast. It was not until July 3 that he filed his lawsuit that names the Yankees, MLB and ESPN announcers Dan Shulman and John Kruk as contributing to the substantial injuries he has suffered.

Rector was caught snoozing when a camera during the game panned past his lower level, second row seat.  At that point, he accuses Shulman of saying that he is oblivious and questions if he had slept through a home run.  He accuses Kruk of saying that the ballpark is no place to come and sleep.  Rector contends in his typo riddled lawsuit that they continue to ridicule him and the MLB had made it worse by posting a clip of him sleeping in the game highlights.

As a result of all this, the used car salesman claims that he has substantial injuries to his character and reputation, as well as mental anguish, loss of future earnings and loss of his earning capacity.   Unfortunately, the recording of what had been said during the broadcast does not include any of the inflammatory words such as "fatty" and "stupid" which Rector claims were heard by millions of people across the globe.

What did happen when the video was posted is very similar to what other videos get for comments these days........... some were funny and some were derogatory in nature.  This unfortunately has become the way of the web linked world......... people seem to think that while they have the freedom to say anything on their mind, they don't have to say it all.

I feel sorry for Rector a little bit.  No one should be called names but what did he really expect would happen if he had great seats in the low section of the park on a night when the Yankees played the Red Sox?  He stuck out like a sore thumb when he fell asleep..... something that would have gone unnoticed if he had nosebleed seats.  Now he is going to sue for $10 million because he got all that screen time but he didn't want it to be that view?

Personally I would settle it out of court.......... here's a ticket to another game, three drinks and a little flag to wave during the game.  Sometimes.......... you just need to grow up and handle the consequences of your action or inaction.  We certainly have become a society that sues at the slightest thing.  Rector hasn't lost his "love" of the Yankees yet.  They are still listed on his FB page as one of his favorite teams.  Go figure.

http://nypost.com/2014/07/07/yankees-fan-caught-sleeping-suing-espn-for-10-million/

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/sleeping-fan-sues-Yankees-ESPN-576321

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2683719/Man-nap-Yankees-game-shown-live-broadcast-sues-ESPN-10M-announcers-feel-like-fatty-cow-needed-two-seats.html

How is illegal, legal?

"I'm going to be shocked if we don't get immediate approval by the court.  I hope that I'm not being too optimistic, but I think it is very likely to come through," stated Talbot D'Alemberte.




The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has recommended that the state Supreme Court admit Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio, of Largo, to the Florida Bar on July 1 2014.  This follows a long legal battle which ended with Gov Rick Scott signing into law, bill HB755.  This bill allows "Dreamers", undocumented children who had been brought to this country, to be eligible for The Bar.  The bill is in response to his petition to the Florida State Supreme Court being turned down previously.  Basically.......... the bill that Scott signed is one of many that is aimed at a single individual or a handful that meet the criteria.

Godinez-Samperio came to the US with his parents when he was nine years old and when their tourist visas expired, they all stayed.  At that point, they were all here illegally,  He has remained in the US, was the class valedictorian of his Florida high school, became an Eagle Scout, graduated from Florida State University College of Law and passed the state bar exam.  He managed to sit for the state bar exam by receiving a waiver from having to show his immigration status in 2011 and he passed the exam on his first try.

Federal law requires that children receive an education in the US, whether they are here legally or not.  Most undocumented students who go on to college, receive help through scholarships that do not require them to be legal residents of the US.  Godinez-Samperio certainly excelled while he was in the US but when he received a waiver to sit for the state bar exam, the can of worms only got larger.  He has known for years that he is in the US illegally and despite his dreams of practicing law, he should have also realized that he was heading for a serious roadblock to that dream.

Since Dec 2012, Godinez-Samperio has been living here lawfully because he received "deferred status" under the DACA program.  He now has a social security card, Florida drivers license, work permit and is working as a law graduate at Gulf Coast Legal Services in Clearwater FL.  His deferred status does not mean that he is on the path to becoming a legal citizen, it only means that he has had any review of his status delayed by two years.  He is also eligible to reapply to renew this status when the original deferral expires.  Gov Rick Scott has in effect, signed off on a bill that narrowly allows someone who is not a citizen of the US and has broken immigration law for years, to practice law now.

He is not the only young man seeking to practice law in the US.  Sergio Garcia came to the US as a teenager and worked picking almonds with his father.  He put himself through college and Cal Northern School of Law by working odd jobs.  He has passed the California Bar exam on his first try as well.

He evidently applied in the mid 1990's for legal residency and has been put on a waiting list for final approval which may take as much as another 10 years.  As a result of this........ he too is in the US illegally.  California had also passed a law that would make Garcia eligible to be admitted to the bar there after the federal courts left the decision with individual states.  Garcia is too old to apply for the deferment offered by DACA.

Cesar Vargas is also trying to get admitted to the bar but in New York State.  He came to the US illegally as a young child and graduated from CUNY School of Law.  He also passed that state's bar exam on the first try but despite his review of being a "stellar candidate", New York has blocked his admittance to the bar due to his immigration status.  He has received a work permit through DACA and it's deferral of his case but that leaves him in the same status as Godinez-Samperio, legal for two years until they have to reapply.

"This is trying to steal a base.  In other words, they're trying to skip over the debate over whether people in his situation should get legalized.  It's one more way of trying to create a de facto legalization,"  stated Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

I do believe that they are trying to steal a base in regards to their legal status in the US.  If they are indeed allowed to practice law, it could be viewed as another reason to not deport them.... as in, they have done so well here, we have to make an exception for them.  The other fact of them being so public in stressing what their immigration status is a;most a dare to the US to deport them.  The flip side would be an even larger debate and court battle to deport them.  For the moment, it seems that they have bought themselves time to escape the legal system......... one that they now believe they deserve to work in.

As much as these young men have excelled and seem to exemplify the American Dream....... they are still here illegally.  They don't deserve to move to the head of the class because of that either, especially in the legal field.  There have been cases of people who have committed terrible crimes and hid from the law for decades.  The fact that they may have led exemplary lives afterwards has not caused people to push for them not to pay the price for their previous crimes.

In 1971, John List murdered his wife, mother and three children.  He disappeared for 18 years until his arrest.  In those 18 years, he had assumed a new identity, remarried and had been a contributing member of society working as an accountant again.  I don't believe that anyone would have said that he should not be prosecuted to the letter of the law since he had been so nice after the murders.

Unfortunately, all three of these young men entered the country illegally and as such, I find it hard to believe there are those who believe they should be practicing law.  I am not against immigrants....... my own grandparents did just that, legally through Ellis Island.  America is built on immigration but there are rules to follow.  Unfortunately, these men as well as some 11 million, are not here legally and shouldn't receive special treatment just because they have done so well with their lives.




http://flaglerlive.com/68291/jose-manuel-godinez-samperio-attorney/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/02/us-usa-florida-immigration-idUSBREA410Z420140502

http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/SMTGT/Are%20undocumented%20immigrants%20eligible%20for%20Bar%20admission%3F

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/calif-man-u-s-illegally-practice-law-article-1.1564600

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/04/24/11369925-can-an-illegal-immigrant-become-a-lawyer?lite

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/sergio-garcia-lawyer_n_1819571.html

Blondes do have more fun........

“Golden retrievers are not bred to be guard dogs, and considering the size of their hearts and their irrepressible joy in life, they are less likely to bite than to bark, less likely to bark than to lick a hand in greeting. In spite of their size, they think they are lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at many moment, cry, "Let's go!" and lead them on a great adventure.” 
― Dean Koontz


It began in 2006 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland and last year, 222 Goldens arrived to celebrate the breed.  The Friends of Guisachan plan for an even larger crowd in 2018 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the breed.  They hope to have a commissioned life size bronze Golden Retriever to place near the granite markers for Lord and Lady Tweedmouth.

Guisachen Estate, near the conservation village of Tomich, is located about 200 miles north of Glasgow.  It is the home of Sir Dudley Majoribanks, Lord of Tweedmouth who developed the breed in 1868.  At that time in history, many of the aristocrats were developing their own hunting dogs that were both practical and good looking.  Tweedmouth liked the golden color of a dog he had purchased and set about to develop a golden coated retrieving dog that also enjoyed the water.  He bred his original yellow wavy coated retriever that came from Lord Chichester's breeding with a Tweed Water Spaniel.  From this mating he kept the golden coated pups and started to carefully line bred and out crossed to develop the dog he wanted.  He continued this through 1889 while adding black Wavy Coated Retrievers, Tweed Water Spaniels and at one point, a Red Setter to improve upland hunting abilities and a Bloodhound to improve the tracking ability.

It took 64 years before the breed was recognized by the AKC but the breed has stayed a popular breed world-wide.  The breed is very versatile, have a coat like a gold coin and a happy face that seems to be always smiling without looking goofy.

The event last year lasted three days and was more than just a bunch of dogs milling around,  There was a dog show, tug of war tournament with teams made up of visiting coutries and the all important donning of the kilt for frozen haggis tossing.  The celebration planned for 2018 should be even larger and packed with plenty of types of fun.

 It is no wonder that all 222 dogs and their owners had so much fun at the gathering at their historic birthplace.

Let freedom ring..........

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

To often we may forget what that a holiday is not just a day off from work or a great sale day for shopping....................................

This day celebrates our independence.

Up in flames........

"The next thing I know big boom, smoke, screams - something I'll never forget," stated eyewitness Shaquille Glover.



The quick and violent explosion at 3rd St and Wyoming Ave was caught on nearby surveillance cameras and at 5:30 pm, July 1 2014 the La Parridiada Chapina food truck was seen exploding.  The explosion injured 12 people and destroyed the dreams of 42 year old Olga Gaidamez.  Olga and her 17 year old daughter, Jaylin Landaverry, remain in the hospital critically injured, two others have been upgraded and all the others listed as injured have been released.

Witnesses describe hearing a large boom and then seeing the fireball that engulfed the surrounding area.  It damaged nearby cars, two passing cars and telephone poles.  Those injured other than Olga and her daughter Jaylin, were just passing by in the Feltonville section of the city where the explosion occurred.  The explosion did destroy the food truck as well as launch various parts across the street.  One of the two propane tanks that had been on the back of the truck was found about 150 feet away in the backyard of a residence.

Olga was described as having a lifelong dream of owning her own food truck.  She finally made this true two months ago when she purchased the truck.  Nearby residents stated that she had always parked in that location serving food.  Police state that they believe the explosion may be due to a propane leak that then exploded.  They are having the bomb squad assist in the investigation though, to rule out any other possibilities.

According to reports, firefighters respond to propane incidents almost every day in the US, though most are not as sever as this explosion.  The national average seems to be about 315 per year with more than 17.5 million propane tank installations nationwide.  Given that there is less than one incident a day for that number of tanks, some holding thousands of gallons of propane, it seems that they are fairly safe.

The US Chemical and Safety Board (CBS) handles investigations involving propane explosions such as the April 9 1998 in Albert City Iowa and the January 30 2007 explosion in Ghent WV.  In the case in Iowa, it was discovered that the propane leaked from an unprotected above ground pipe that was accidentally hit by an ATV.  That propane caught fire but it led to a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion when an excess pressure value failed.  The explosion that destroyed the Little general Store in Ghent WV was due to a build up of gas that had leaked during a propane transfer.  Propane is not something to fool around with but most accidents seem to be just that, an accident that may be prevented with more diligence when handling or using it.

The video is incredible to watch and it is amazing that more people were not seriously injured by the fireball.  One can only hope that Olga and her daughter will survive and continue to follow their dreams into the future.





http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/philly-food-truck-explodes-video-article-1.1851807

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/07/01/food-truck-explosion-reported-in-feltonville-4-injured/

http://www.phillytrib.com/news/state-and-region/police-2-critical-in-philly-food-truck-explosion.html

http://www.aristatek.com/newsletter/jan09/TechSpeak.pdf



*** Update July 7 2014:

Investigators now believe that the explosion was caused by a propane leak from the tank that was not in use at the time.  Witnesses stated that they had smelled gas before the explosion.  The tank may have leaked from the valve being opened slightly, tampered with or just been faulty.  It would have led to gas pooling beneath the truck and ignited when it finally came in touch with an open flame such as the grill itself.

Smoke, mirrors and candy?

"Quadriga Arts is a global leader in direct marketing and creative services.  We offer nonprofit organizations, fundraising agencies and commercial brands innovative direct marketing campaign solutions that produce extraordinary results."




The New York City based company Quadriga of 70 years, has reached a settlement with New York State's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to end a six month investigation it had been conducting.  The $24.6 million dollar settlement is believed to be the largest settlement obtained for a charge of deceptive charitable fundraising.  This may end the investigation by New York State but Quadriga is still being investigated by the Senate in  regards to several other organizations they have done fundraising for.

New York's investigation involved Quadriga and it's fundraising for the Disabled Veteren's National Foundation and their campaign involved the story of Arnie.  Quadriga created Arnie who they claimed in their mailings, was a disabled National Guard vet who had been on a downward spiral since suffering a brain injury from an IED in Afghanistan.  The mailing described how he was despondent and living in his car at the moment and how the DVNF was trying to get him into a VA hospital.  It is a heart-wrenching story but it is also completely false, since Arnie only exists in  the mind of the mailing designers.

The bulk of the money for the settlement will be paid by Quadriga.  They will pay a fine of $9.7 million, forgive $13.8 million in outstanding bills they have with DVNF and pay $800,000 to the AG in New York.  Convergence Direct Marketing, a Bethesda MD based company will pay $300,000 for it's part in designing the direct mailings.  Quadriga will pay $6.7 million of the fine now and then make quarterly payments of $500,000 until April 2016.  Convergence will make three payments broken down to $75,000 by July 15, $100,000 by July 2015 and a final $125,000 by July 2016.

The $10 million in damages will not just be shoved into someone's bank account.  The AG's office has stated that the money will go to support federal funding for programs that benefit and improve veteran's lives. One million dollars of the money will go to support cutting edge spinal-cord injury research being conducted at James J Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, NY.  Another $1.25 million will go to support research into mental health issues and $750,000 will support research into medical issues faced by disabled female veterans.

"We deeply apologize for our actions and for adverse impact they may have had on our industry," stated Quadriga president and CEO Mark Schulhof.

Schulhof is going to need more than apologies to dig his company out the tar-pit of investigations he now finds himself in.  CNN has been investigating the business practices of Quadriga since 2010 and it;s dealings with the DVNF as well as SPCA International and the St Bonaventure Indian Mission and School.  The Tampa Bay Times did an in depth investigation of the charity for it's article "America's Worst Charities" and the U S Senate Finance Committee began it's own investigation in May of this year.

Quadriga and it's subsidiary, Brickmill Marketing Services, practice what they call a "funded model" for new charities.  This means that they will pay all the start-up costs and beginning fundraising costs up front for the charity, hoping to find a profit for themselves in the future.  What has been revealed is that they have made a very good business of making a large profit for themselves while leaving next to nothing for the charities.Almost every charity listed in the investigations has seen little or no profit for their own work and still owes millions to Quadriga for the work it has done for them.

The settlement announced today only applies to Quadriga and it's dealings with the Washington based charity DVNF.  It does find that DVNF needs to change it's structure as well as bringing the business practices of Quadriga to light.  The investigation reveals that Quadriga has never been fined in the 70 years it has been in business and it never made a profit for DVNF since it began it's relationship in 2007.  In 2011, it raised about $20 million but only gave about $344,000 to groups that assist groups that help veterans with their rent or mortgages.

The scheme that has been uncovered is not too difficult to understand but it does show how there are several intertwined "companies," some of which almost seem as though they are shells for Quadriga.  In 2007, DVNF signed a contract with Brickmill and under that contract, Brickmill would act as their fundraising counsel.  They would advance DVNF the funds needed to start a direct-mail operation, pay for the state registration costs, design and manage the campaigns and offer data management services.  The contract also offers PEP Direct to process the payments that would be rolling in.  Oddly, PEP Direct is another subsidiary of Quadriga, so the money gets to stay pretty much in the same nest.  The contract doesn't mention that they will offer expensive gifts with their mailings such as calculators and fleece blankets as incentives to donate.

The DVNF paid Charity Services International to acquire items that would be donated, place a value on them and ship them.  They did not know that Convergence was receiving a comission from CSI based on the value that had been placed on the donated items.  Unfortunately, most of the items were candy, chefs hats, coats and leftover shoes that no one wanted................... basically worthless items for the groups they were planning to help.

The St Bonaventure Indian Mission and School reportedly made $9 million but very little of that was used by the mission.  They do however owe about $5 million to Quadriga for services rendered, which they state they did not even know about until the 2012 CNN investigation.  The SPCA International has a 10 year contract that runs through 2016 and reports that in 2010, it had expenses of almost $16 million and liabilities of about $8.7 million, both of which were owed to Quadriga and Brickmill.  Another client of Quadriga, Los Angeles based Help the Children, tried to cancel his contract with them after one year.  Of the 800,000 that was raised for the charity by them, they were only able to keep $32,000 and still owed Quadriga $285,000.

It looks like Quadriga is still in hot water over their business practices but DVNF was also told in this settlement that they have to make serious changes to the structure of their charity and how it does business as .  This settlement should be a cautionary tale for those who wish to raise money for a favorite charity......... read the contracts carefully and then, review them again and again.  The money that people donate should be going to the help that is advertized, not to line the pockets of triple dipping companies.







http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ag-settles-vet-scam-24m-article-1.1850217

http://www.quadrigaart.com/about-us/

http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/fundraisers-hit-24-6-million-fines-restitution/

http://philanthropy.com/article/Tough-Questions-Raised-About-a/133691/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/us/new-york-fundraiser-settlement/

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/26/us/senate-charities-investigation/