I also know for a fact that there was inappropriate accounting (Hell, NO accounting) - the money was immediately distributed among the high rollers, Cort, Alec Defrawy, Rafiah Kashmiri, Ed Bell, I even think they let Jason Hoffman get some. All of this is irregular and hopefully is part of the criminal investigations all over the press. If not they will miss the good stuff. Look in the British Virgin Islands because that is where they are stashing their money and I heard some of them talking that their reassigning trust will keep the government from ever getting to it.
All of the other franchisees, who are truly victims of the Alec Defrawy scam, which has also been Pearlman-ized, have been given their marching orders. Go forth and multiply, but without the TCT or Wilhelmina name. We can't use the Web Style Network name either - that's just the description of how we are tied together and a way to keep us together. (We have to come up with our own names and they aren't letting us off the hook for our franchise.)
One of the affiliated names in Hollywood, California is Scouting Entertainment Group. Dave Linn is messing around out there with one of his franchises - another in NYC and one in Miami. Ed Bell's proxy for this scam is Michele Fields Presley of Dateline fame. They are strong and still running in the Bay area. (I saw a recent victim on this site.)
One of the VP's is not the only one involved in facilitating this franchise fraud, so is Treci Voorhees and Erin Cameron. So, I hope criminal investigators find their way to their doors. Besides, any pressure and they will sing if they think it will save their rapidly-aging hides.
I also saw that Dave Cohen "granted" an interview to the Buffalo press acting like he was "just" a talent executive with the scam. Why didn't anyone ever ask about his franchises of Trans Con Talent. He is in the same boat as the rest of us and I know the price had to have gone up substantially between the time many of us bought in and when he and Susan Oh bought in. I can't believe the press let them get away with it.
Some of the really bad guys are gonna get away if you don't watch it. Usacomplaints.com needs to dig deeper into the Monster.com affiliation. You have the right idea with the web network and SOS Employment. Dave Elliott was reselling the ads answered. We had to pay for leads from advertising which was more money in his pocket. Then the monster ads for the scouts and photographers and interns... We had to pay for them, too.
Mo'money, Mo'money, Mo'money.
Franchisees are victims too.
No'money, No'money, No'money.
With our luck, we will have to take the fall and the REAL bad guys will get off with a slap on the wrist... They always do.
0 comments