How Many Gibbons Scandals Can Dance on the Head of a Guitar?

Sunday Giblets keep on coming:

• Senator Barbara Boxer joins the growing club of people who will do anything to get Gibbons to stop whining like a little girl. (RJ)
• Ralston writes a "dog bites man" piece about Gibbons' family favorings of well-connected cronies, and how Nevada has ultra-minimalist, corruption-enabling "ethics" laws. (Sun) Say, remember when Gubernatorial corruption wasn't a "dog bites man" story? Only 38 months left!
• VGO Commentators are finding out all sorts of interesting connections in the--dare I say it?--Forsythe saga. There are almost as many characters as one would find in a Galsworthy novel.
• A reader points to a interesting comment to the RJ's interview with the first co-conspirator:

One can only wonder if Jim or Dawn can produce an authentic cancelled check or some other form of payment in the amount of $2000.00 for this exotic guitar back in '04 whilst Jim was in congress and secured much needed fedgov grant funding for the state prison luthier(guitar-crafting..)..program that was facing closure due to funding issues..??

To see the subject guitar in question,go to: http://www.angelfire.com/art3/xula/

This website is now defunct,but back in '03 and '04 state inmates were producing top-flight -rock-star-grade-exotic guitars...Jim's guitar is the blue one which is fifth from left...the one with the solid gold congressional seal atop the fretboard,and adorned with real Carson City silver dollars meticously inletted on the body, and in addition bears genuine mother-of-pearl inlays that are custom inset to form Jim's signature on the body...Those in the industry and bussines of custom guitars have stated that this custom-one-of-a -kind-precious-metal-masterpiece is worth well north of $10,000.00. Xula instruments(the prison luthier/guitar program)was shut-down by state prison officials when it was audited in late '04 and subsequently discovered that literaly tens of thousands of dollars in raw materials..(exotic-hardwoods and fixtures)..and finished products..(exotic and custom guitars)..were unaccounted for.This in turn led to the arrest of the state employee whom at the time was responsible for oversight of Xula Instruments at the prison;said individual made bail and has since disappeared..

• And commentators to the post about Thomas Spellissy's new attempts to clear his name, point to an interesting paragraph from a document from the case:

Defendant Spellissy was against awarding a classified sole source contract to eTreppid Technologies LLC.  At USSCOM the contract was known as the “Etreppid Contract.”  There was at least $12 million wasted on the contact because no product worked to satisfy user requirements. This contract was directed by General Brown.  Colonel Spellissy told his Deputy, Stan Highsmith that he didn’t think it was legal for General Brown to direct a sole source contract without a market survey and getting a recommendation from the classified users at the Joint Special Operations Command.

Comments

[NVMojo]

Very interesting piece on the Spellissy deal.

[What?!]

....more on Pat Lundvall and her husband from renoanditdiscontents (read the whole thing and then there are some interesting questions at the end);

"John McCain is coming to town to raise money for the National Republican Party at a fundraiser hosted by Jerry Bussell and Pat Lundvall at the Lakeshores home. People will pay $5,000 a piece to take part in the private roundtable, but you can go too for only $200 and seat at the back of the room, or maybe on the front lawn?

But it seems like I’ve heard Bussell’s name in the news before. What was that about again? Oh yeah. Bussell’s 2004 retirement from his position as the state Security Advisor and Chairman of the Homeland Security Commission raised some questions about his involvement in a $40 million contract for installing a statewide emergency radio system. Some wondered if he might have tried to help his friend Jim Endres who was a lobbyist for M/A-Com and the government affairs director at the McDonald Carano Wilson law firm (Bussell’s wife, Pat Lundvall is a partner there too), secure the contract. Bussell denied the accusations and maintained that his retirement has nothing to do with them:

“There is not enough money in the world for me to compromise my integrity,” Bussell said. “I don’t need money. I don’t see any conflict. I didn’t help anyone.”

And Kenny Guinn’s spokesman, Greg Bortolin, denied that the governor asked for Bussell’s resignation. Bussell’s stated reason for retiring? All of his secretaries were retiring at the same time for various reasons and he wanted Guinn to be able to hire an entirely new staff.

I wonder if Endres will be at McCain’s fundraiser? When you’re running for president and losing the fundraising race to Mitt Romney, these small appearance related items don’t matter–even if you are mister campaign finance reform."

Okay, why a fundraiser for McCain when Bussell's Nevada based LLC, "Bussell-Belle, Inc." in the person of Jerry Bussell has donated $350 to Hunter for President in Feb 2007?

In fact in 2000 Bussell gave Giuliani (sp) $250 for his pres. expolratory committee.

He gave Hunter $1,000 back in 2000. So what is with him and Hunter (anything to do with homeland security contracts?)

What does Bussell-Belle, do?

Busselll lists giving money to Ewing and listing employer as Squeeqe in Truckee, CA, but I can't find anything on this company.

Lundvall ran Mill Direct Services, A Nevada Corporation and Growth Steel, Inc, A Nevada Corporation. In 2007 the first went into default and the second was revoked by the Nevada Secretary of State. Any info out there on these corps?

Is Dawn Gibbons "Friends of the Nevada Mansion" registered as a charity with the IRS? If not, what happens to the 'write off' ability of Rogich's Inagural Ball Commission that donated $50k? NOt that I could find his charity listed with the IRS either. But, if Lundvall is Secretary of a charity run by the First Lady, would that be a business relation that is to be reported and perhaps prohibitied by the Ethics laws (NRS 281A.400)?

Bussell also involved with UNLV's much discussed Institute for Security Studies. In fact, he is listed as an instructor for the University Continuing Ed. Association seminar October 12, 2007. The bio states that he [still] is Director of Special Projects at UNLVEO (Ed.Outreach). He was on Gibbons Public Safety Transition Team (he did give Gibbons $1,000 back in 2000), and he is the Director of the Nevada Patriot Fund.

[Mike]

More breaking news from Tampa. At 4pm EST 29/10/07, Federal Judge James Whittemore ordered the US Attorney to respond to all of Spellissy's motions by 5pm 10/31/07.

[What?!]

You didn't mention Bob Beers, but since he is all about yellin and screaming to help the Gov hold the line on the economic decline:

Bob Beers is the Nevada Client Audit service guy for Public Company Management Corporation which seems to be the parent company of the Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board (NEDAB) which got a recognition from Gibbons in July 2007 even though their registration with the Nevada Secretary of State expired in MAY 2007!!!! BBeers got a chunk of value from PCMC during the Legislative session (according to SEC filings), and just last week PCMC announced a mysterious company has been helped by them:
"LAS VEGAS, NV--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 25, 2007 -- Public Company Management Corporation (OTC BB:PUBC.OB - News) announced today that another client has been cleared for quotation on the OTCBB. Under the contract, PCMC provided management consulting services to the client during the client's process of becoming a fully reporting, publicly traded company.
"We have completed the process of moving this client from a private company to a public company, which opens new capital market options and value-creation in the form of market capitalization for the client," said PCMC President Stephen Brock."

Another? Was there a first?
BB, what can you tell us about State Continuation LLC?, you know a "Texas Company founded in 2001" according to PCMC news release of August 2, 2007. According to Nevada SOS, it was registered in Nevada on July 25, 2007. According to a PCMC news release of 8/2/7, they "provide continuing education credit for professionals in insurance, real estate, MORTGAGES, private security"....by "online and home study courses."

How about Sirius, a "McDonough, Georgia manufacturer of sanitation cleaners", (October 23, 2007 press release) but only registered as an LLV in Nevada on September 26, 2007?

Does BB fear any loss of State money to his wife's BEST Coalition? Where Sarah Beers is recorded as Secretary on IRS forms in 2004? BEST C. in 2004 reported almost $700,000 in government grants and spending some $307,171 on accounting and payroll expenses. They did not report one single human contact on their IRS 990?! Not one single client contact!

[Bob Beers]

Hi What?!:

Happy to oblige.

Check out PCMC here. My employer - and I, by extension - is in the business of consulting small businesses seeking to become publicly traded. This, in turn, helps them expand and provide more jobs. My co-workers and I encourage them to locate business operations in Nevada, because we believe more high quality jobs helps Nevada.

Most often, our first piece of advise is for our clients to become a Nevada corporation. Their original company reports all its business activity and financial results under the new company structure, so there is complete and continuous transparency. Transparency - honesty - is an important component in accessing public capital markets.

To answer your question - yes, there is another. Several others in fact. Moreover, it would be excellent for Nevada's economic diversification if there were a dozen more per year. If you have any industrious friends trying to expand their small business, please send them my way.

Lesee... next conspiracy, check. Here is the Best Coalition's website. It is a coalition of organizations who are trying to educate humans out of destructive behavior. It is grant funded and does a bunch of things to try to make the world better. It is, and has been for as long as I have known about it, audited annually, a condition of its funding. Sarah's been involved as a volunteer board member for longer than I've been in the Senate.

At my house, we've been cursed with active do-gooderism for a couple of decades. You?

Beers would have made a much better
governator... and that isn't even
much of a compliment.

Sam

The Encyclopedia of Reno Govt

[What?!]

You didn't answer som specific questions, and I note that you are in your first term in the senate.

curious....Uithoven and Beers are part of the Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board(part of Public Company Management Corporation, a publically held corporation that indicates on their 2007 SEC 10sb form as giving Bob Beers stock "bonuses" during this past Legislative session), that Governor Gibbons "honored" on July 2, 2007. A visit to the Nevada Secretary of State website shows that NEADB existed from 2/2/07 to 5/3/07. How the hell is an expired entity getting "honored"? At least j3strategies is registered....

let's continue on this NEDAB item.

The Governor signs the proclamation on June 29,2007 almost two months after the group's Secretary of State "registration" expired.

So a group that doesn't seem to be legally functioning in the State is "honored" by our State, i.e. the proclamation reads;
"WHEREAS, NEDAB is a shining example of private sector ingenuity applied to the challenge of
Nevada economic development." Ingenious? Yes! Integrity? NO!

continuing from the Proclamation;
"NEDAB holds a vision of making Nevada a premier home to America's corporations, 'the
Delaware of the West', and an economic spawning ground for growing companies, 'the Wall Street of the West."'

The parent company of NEDAB is Public Company Management Corporation. Between the two, they promote incorporation in Nevada. Nevada has recently been in the news for being a haven for hiding corporate ownership and not in a good way according to the SEC. Matter of fact, there was legislation this session in Carson City to have more transparency in corporate filings reported and publically available.

The "Reservation Holder" of NEDAB is Tracey Padilla (even though Nevada law requires a "resident agent", but this is another story), is the director of Stem Cell Therapy (didn't Beers push for stem cell funding?), and President of Budget Corp (budgetcorp.com), which assists in creating corporate shells in Nevada. Creating corporate shells and helping them with their SEC filings and Sarbanes Oakley filings is the stated business plan (per SEC filing) of Public Company Management Corporation.

The transfer agent for Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc (SCTI), is Standard Transfer & Trust Company, Inc., Las Vegas, NV 98146. The Secretary of State website indicactes Standard's registration EXPIRED 5/1/2007.

scticorp.com website lists Westminster Securities of NY as their financial advisor. Westminster Securites (WS) was exposed by the Kate Marshall campaign aginst Mark DeStefano when it was uncovered that WS principals (like John P.O'Shea), had been in business with DeStefano. WS has been fined numerous times over the past decade by the SEC and NASD and had their license revoked in several states.

HEY! Anybody want to see if there are Beers and Uithoven fingerprints on the bill (it was extensively watered down)?

BTW, According to Nevada Secretary of State website, a B. Beers is Manager of Oxford Adams Capital, which defaulted 9/1/2006. Geoffrey A. Gish is another manager of this LLC.

According to the SEC website Geoffrey A. Gish litigation # 19759, July 13, 2006, of OXFORD ADAMS; Weston Rutledge/Zamindari/Lexington companies, was accused of "fraudulently [selling] at least $8.8m of securities to over 100 investors...he consented to the entry of order [cease and desisit] without admitting or denyinig allegations."

There are numerous outsatnding court cases (see Eastern Kentucky Dist Court case, SEC v Oxford Adams).

Is this B.Beers one of our B.Beers?

[What?!]

Back to Beers: "Somer Hollingsworth..Mutual settlement and release...105,000 shares" of Public Co Management Corp. per SEC filing period ending June 30, 2007. Hollingswoth and Beers owned this business together?

Dan Burdish...got 7,500 shares for services rendered on behalf of NEDAB [Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board] Information was in the same SEC filing.
According to billionairesforbush.com, Dan tried to purge 17,000 Democratic voters from the rolls just weeks before the 2004 election.

Somer Hollingsworth is President and CEO of Nevada Development Association which according to their IRS tax return, receive significant amounts of their operating revenue from government sources, and as Hollingsworth receives a six-fiqure salary from the NDA, I QUESTION BEERS IF HE EVER DISCLOSED THAT HE OWNED A BUINESS WITH HOLLINGSWORTH BEFORE HE VOTED TO PROVIDE ANY TAXPAYER BENEFITS TO THE NDA?

As to Beers' claim that his corporation brings jobs to Nevada I ask him to prove it! As of June 30, 2007 nine companies are under contract withPCMC.OB. Sirius Chemical Group, State Continuing Education and Najaro are based in Georgia, Texas and California. Do they have any employees here? Brick and mortar buildings? Pay any business tax in Nevada? By incorporating in Nevada, do they get to dodge PAYING TAXES IN THE STATES THEY ARE OPERATING?

Bob tries to make it sound like he is expanding and diversifying business in Nevada, so let's hear about the tax paying corporations that he has helped expand IN NEVADA.

As for the charity; do they get money from Clark County? Does you wife work for Clark County? Does Clark County require an audit every year, really? Because that is no my experience. Helping people? Maybe, but they claimed on their 2004 tax return that their help consisted of a poster contest and claimed zero client contacts.

[Dave Zirkle]

Just how stupid can we wait for our public officials to be be before we vote for some one that has a brain or at least some guts?
Shit-For-Brains is the best I can say about most of these people. But the good tax payin citizens of Nevada seem to think they are real political winners.
If they don't serve so well then who do you blame?
Blame yourselves fools because you voted them in.

[NVMojo]

This is all outrageous!

The sad part is that the average working fool in Nevada can't keep up with all of these shenanigans.

[Bob Beers]

Trying to find specific questions, much less any I didn't answer...

Nope, I have never pushed for stem cell research funding. Or against it, for that matter. Nevada taxpayers do not fund specific research projects.

Yep, most adults, including the Governor, "get" the benefit of economic development.

I don't know Tracy Padilla. Suggesting a connection between companies for which she is a registered agent is as silly as finding conspiracy between Hugh Jackson and Chuck Muth, because you read both their blogs.

No on the NDA disclosure. Somer didn't have his shares during the session, it appears. And since neither one of us owns > 5% no disclosure would be required. Few minor shareholders in any company know who any other minor shareholders are.

No, incorporating in Nevada does not generally avoid income taxation in jurisdictions where a taxpayer has a physical presence. And we do not recommend Nevada for any tax strategies, but for capitalization purposes and in hopes they will like what they find here and eventually move all or part of their business operations here.

Yes, some of our clients have a physical presence here. Several current clients are considering locating (at least) parts of their businesses here.

No, it's not my company. I own less than a half percent of PCMC, much less. I have received this in lieu of cash for services rendered. I have a bachelors degree in business administration, with distinction, and a CPA license, so I am very highly qualified to provide the services I am being paid for. The value of my stock compensation from PCMC is less than $5,000.

Government and non-profit audits... your experience clearly trails your rhetoric. Yes she works for Clark County (see the About Bob section of my website, where this information has been posted since I started serving in the legislature, and is disclosed each legislative session) and has since before I ever ran for office. Yes BEST is audited. Yes Clark County is audited. I have no idea if Clark County is a funder of BEST.

I don't know Westminster Securities, SCTI, Oxford Adams Capital, or Geoffrey A. Gish, and I've not been to Kentucky, but I think Davy Crockett was a wise congressman.

[What?!]

Bob didn't answer specific questions because he is a professional politician. For those with reading comrehension skills, you may have noticed I asked;
1. Prove your claim that your corp brings jobs to Nevada;
2. Name the tax paying corps you have helped expand in Nevada.
There, just 2 'specific questions" that you 'couldn't find'.

I'll be brief in replying to your other comments;

1. As for your assertion that PCMC does not "recommend Nevada for any tax strategies":
I see on PCMC's SEC filing (see from 10-WSB period ending June 30, 2007), under "Nevada Economic Development" this line; "...advantages to concentrating our marketing efforts in the State of Nevada because we perceive Nevada as offering...favorable securities, corporate and tax laws."

2. You state that as you do not 'own[s] >5% no disclosure would be required":
But NRS 281.571 subsection 1(f) requires disclosure at the much lower 1% threshold. And I thought that your belief in "transparancy" would preclude you from hiding behind any statute.

3. You have a "bachelors degree in business administration, with distinction, and a CPA license, so I am very highly qualified to provide the services I am being paid for":
a) I note the absence of that language in PCMC SEC filings! I do read where you are a "Nevada State Senator District 6". Some might question why a federal filing of a publically held company would 'hype' your senatorship and yet say nothing of your 'qualifications' (for which you seem to have received 20,000 shares as of June 30, 2007 and the record indicates you recieved 2,500 of these shares at the end of April, May and June 2007...perhaps this has 2,500 shares per month has continued since?)
b) You should trade these shares in for restricted shares as they are worth $1 each (as you may know the CEO just converted each dollar of debt for an exact number of restricted shares).
c) It's a small State and maybe you didn't know about Somer's relationship with PCMC, I mean there are some 22 people with unregistered sales of this security. And you were on the PCMC Advisory Board in 2005 and alot could have changed since then. But is it plausible that you as an advisor for the Nevada Economic Development Advisory Board (since January 2007)would not know of any NEDAB relationship with the CEO of the Nevada Development Advisory Board?

IN closing,let us review Bob's understanding of 'formal logic':
Charities are audited,
Clark County is audited
Therefore Clark County audited BEST.
Whew!
Let's try that with the following:
Western Senator Gets Busted in MPLS airport,
Bob Beers is a Western Senator,
Therefore......