Worldwide Financial Group, California and Nevada
Bulletin Board Complaint

January 12, 2010 Sanel Seremet of DSL Express Trucking, Riverview, Florida signed a lease for a White, 2006 Volvo VNL 670 Sleeper truck, costing $35,000 with Worldwide Financial Group, 45 Encantado Canyon, Rancho Santa Margarita, California (which Google shows as a condominium) and also provided a cashiers check for $2,462.54 which was first and last and $125 processing fee, cashed by Worldwide Financial Group by their Nevada Bank. The company also has a 9041 Sunny Hills Court, Las Vegas, Nevada 89147 address (which Google shows as a residential house.)

February 22, 2010 Leasing News tried to reach Mr. Rodney Kim, listed by the BBB as president, and also communication from DSL showed as the only contact.

March 8, 2010 Mr. Kim told Leasing News he was waiting for financial statements, didn't know the DSL Express wanted their money returned, and said he would send them a check right away.

March 18 the check was not received, and two telephone calls were made on each day of March 18, 19, 20 and 22, with no response.

Worldwide Financial Group
45 Encantado Canyon
(714) 580-0721
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688
BBB: F
http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Worldwide-Financial-Group-100090031

Worldwide Financial Group
9041 Sunny Hills Court
(714) 580-0721
Las Vegas, Nevada 89147
BBB: F

http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Worldwide-Financial-Group-100090031

Rodney Kim - President
License for finance leasing in California or Nevada not found
Does not appear to belong to a leasing association.

Classified Ads---Senior Management

Europe 25+ yrs exper. management roles Chase, AT&T Capital, Heller Financial, SFS. Develop biz from “scratch to success”. Looking for challenging & pioneering job. Email: frans@alliedproperty.net

Northeast CFO/Controller/IT Director. 24 yrs. exp; Accounting, Finance, Securitizations, Systems,  all areas. exp with large & small co's. , Great value added. Willing to relocate. gosween@comcast.net

Philadelphia, PA 27 yrs. exp. sales, ops., credit, strategy, P&L mngmet. Most recently created & executed the biz plans for 2 highly successful Bank-owned small ticket leasing subsidiaries. email: mccarthy2020@comcast.net

Philadelphia Metro Area - 30 Years experience Healthcare sales/ management- 3 years experience newly create "small-ticket" healthcare division. Good success - Mitch Utz 215-460-4483 Email: mitutz@msn.com

Southern CA 20 years exp. as hands-on leasing CFO, managing accounting, treasury, FP&A, including securitizations, Great Plains/FRx, budgets, risk management.  MBA.  Also available as interim Controller/CFO, consultant. Email: leasecfo@gmail.com

 

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Other e-Mail Posting Sites:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of columns. Opinions
contained in the columns are those of Mr. Michael Witt, Esq.)

Southern California Leasing Gypsies
by Christopher Menkin

This is not fiction but can be collaborated as Leasing News has received complaints about two of the operations, and also was aware of the parent operation, who settled complaints.

Two of these companies are members of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers.

Last year the owner of a Southern California leasing company had a meeting with the sales reps explaining they were going out of business soon because of lack of cash flow. He explained the lenders were no longer approving their deals and cutting them off as a broker. He instructed all the sales staff to close as many deposit checks as they could in the remaining few months until they were going to be kicked out of the office space.

The owner explained he would give 40% of the deposit to the rep knowing they would be able to file BK and the client would not have a chance to request or receive the refund. There were 12 reps in this meeting and within 2 months they had gathered over $150,000 in deposit checks.

According to one of the sales reps who was present, "The owner then closed the doors and once the company was closed the owner stiffed all the reps and explained he needed the money for future legal fees. He is now operating a different corp. out of his home and got away with the 150k in deposits.

"From this company at least 5 other small broker shops were opened by the former reps of this company. Southern California is now full of these companies that know full well they call get away with not returning large 10k plus deposit checks from clients all over the country. These reps simply use a PO Box as their physical address and use fake names on the phone so that they can deflect any issues or complaints. They do not register with the BBB so that the clients have no way of complaining. They also use fax marketing under a fake company name so they can avoid marketing lawsuits."

Two of the members belong to the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers.  Several have incorporated and believe if it gets too hot, they can move on to another corporation and address.

They all get together for beers and to trade war stories such as who was able to obtain the highest documentation fee, and how they tricked various leasing companies, likening their lifestyle to Gypsies.  Several have been called by local police, a district attorney, but there has been no action as almost all the victims are out of state.

Leasing News was told, "These brokers all know the police, the BBB, the FBI, and their banks can do nothing to force them to return the funds."

Many of the tactics are similar to what brought down Jim Raeder and Mark McQuitty's CapitalWerks, as well as Adam Zuckerman of Brickbanc, but the different is aiming more toward obtaining first and last rather than a disguised "sale/leaseback."

There are other Southern California leasing companies who specifically target credits that will not go forward, but obtain first and last and a processing and documentation fee over $500, sometimes approaching $795, which is never returned as per the conditions of the proposal.

The intention was never to get the lease approved, but collect the documentation and proposal fee.  One such company was recently expelled from the National Association of Equipment Leasing
Brokers.

Trucking Repos Decline, But Why?
Castagna Explains

 

Summary
Trucking repos are down 55% from the previous year.

Analysis
Ed Castagna, president Nassau Asset Management states that trucking repos have fallen from 2008 levels and ponders if this is an early indicator that the health of the trucking industry is starting to improve.

Mr. Castagna is quoted as saying: “These numbers indicate some relief for the battered trucking and machine tool verticals of the equipment leasing sector, but that relief has yet to spread to other important sectors.”

"Now while I do agree that we may be at the bottom of the cycle and hope that we will see used truck values increase, and orders for new trucks also increase...Is this a sign that things are improving or is this an indication that the used market has fallen so far that lenders don't want the equipment back."

Castagna sites the Freight statistics:

"To me this statistics reflect the way things feel  - Not getting worse or much better," he adds." The improving trend is so slight and gradual  you can barely notice it. Most sources will agree this is the way it’s going to be for a while."

It is true most banks and finance lenders are shying away from not only new trucks, but especially used trucks.

A reader points out the market has a lot of "pent-up" demand, as evidenced by the bankrupt Arrow Truck auction last Friday:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14& articleid=20100319_11_A1_Thetop596745&rss_lnk=11 

Leasing is at least not going down as fast as before
by Christopher Menkin

(Leasing News Chart)

Despite the effort to be positive about the change in equipment leasing, the trend continues down, not up. It went from $3.4 million in January to $3.2 million in February. Regrettably that is far below any of the four quarters in 2009, let alone 2008.

So while the recession appears to be technically over, there is no joy in Mudville as leasing is still striking out.

Banks remain tight and concerned about their own liquidity and seem to be more active in purchasing banks in trouble from the FDIC (some are being arm twisted). These failing banks the FDIC are closing mostly have not had a profit in two years, some in three years, equity has really decreased, Tier 1’s are a mess, some even negative, and the main culprit from Bank Beat observation are commercial real estate and development loans, and individual loans, not just foreclosed residential mortgages that are plaguing the major financial mortgage industry. Until the banks are more “comfortable,” look for securitization and even private money to remain “conservative” for use of perhaps a better street description.

The quote in the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) February MLFI-25 report from Thomas Jaschik, President, BB&T Equipment Finance, Towson, MD., who is also on the ELFA board of directors, basically sums up the MLFI-25 report findings very well plus expresses what those in the industry also are feeling:

“The fact that February new business volume is down compared to February 2009's anemic numbers tells you that we still have a long way to go in the economic recovery,” he said.

“Businesses continue to lack the confidence to make substantial investments in capital equipment. The increase in delinquencies and charge-offs from January to February has a seasonal factor associated with it, but is not a trend you like to see given the run up in these two items in 2009.”

Ralph Petta, ELFA interim President. said: “Hopefully, as we move in to the second quarter of the year and beyond, this growth trend continues and is sustainable."

New business volume is February data showing a noticeable increase in delinquencies.

Receivables over 30 days rose significantly when compared to both the prior month and year-earlier period.

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

Charge-offs increased to 1.89 percent, up from 1.68 percent in the prior month.

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

Credit approvals decreased to 69 percent in February, up from 65.0 percent in the same period the prior year. Almost half of participating organizations reported submitting fewer transactions for approval during the month.

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

Total headcount for equipment finance companies decreased by one percent in the January-February period.

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

And, once again, the construction and trucking transportation industries led the underperforming sectors.

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

(ELFA Chart -click image for larger view)

As reported in Monday's edition, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation's Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI), for March was down slightly to 60.1, compared to February 2010 index of 60.6:
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2010/3_22.htm#elff

ELFA MLFI-25 Participants

ADP Credit Corporation
Bank of America
Bank of the West
Canon Financial Services
Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation
CIT
De Lage Landen Financial Services
Dell Financial Services
Fifth Third Bank
First American Equipment Finance
GreatAmerica
Hitachi Credit America
HP Financial Services
John Deere Credit Corporation
Key Equipment Finance
Marlin Leasing Corporation
National City Commercial Corp.
RBS Asset Finance
Regions Equipment Finance
Siemens Financial Services
Susquehanna Commercial Finance, Inc.
US Bancorp
Tygris Vendor Finance
Verizon Capital Corp
Volvo Financial Services
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

Joins the “Back Office” list

Rank	Company Name Year Founded Web site	Employees	CEO	Additional Services Offered	Yearly Volume	Region	Major Clients
6	Orion First Financial, LLC 2001 David Schaefer dtschaefer@orionfirst.com 253-857-9610 www.orionfirst.com	25	David T. Schaefer, President	Lease & Loan invoicing, payment processing, sales & property tax reporting, collections, workouts, repossessions & remarketing as well as credit underwriting, portfolio valuation, credit/loss analysis and due diligence procedures	N/A	United States	Contact us for client list

Complete “Back Office” List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Ag_leasing/backoffice.htm

Sales makes it Happen by a Successful Salesman 7 Reasons to Do Business with me The great majority of our leases are referrals, some from vendors, and some from direct advertising and mailing. Sixty-five percent of our business is repeat. We must be doing something right, wouldn't you agree? We get a lot of referrals (most likely the person we are addressing has been referred). We have experience in advising you on accepting equipment, making sure it is what you ordered and what you wanted. What appears to be simple is often not as simple as it appears. We have been in business for 10 years. We mention previous customers, tell them to call for referral, etc. We are there after the equipment is paid for. We make sure there are no extra payments made. We don't charge for early payoffs or termination fees, and if you sell the business or experience late charges or insurance problems, we will be there for you. We want your business. We want you to come back to us. We want you to refer us to others. Our attitude is we will treat you the way we would like to be treated and should be treated. We are competitive. You are not paying extra for this. We want to give you the best we can. We want you to come back. We look at this as a long term relationship, not just a one time sale. We like to collect financial statements so we can set up a larger lease line of credit, and you won't have to go through this all the time. All you need to do is call us on the telephone. We know you. We want to understand your business. The majority of our customers come back to us because we make leasing easy for them. We don't give you any hassles. Previous Sales Makes It Happen articles: http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

Classified Ads---Help Wanted

Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Sales

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

Body Language Speaks Volumes on a Job Interview

By Karl Rozemeyer
TheLadders.com

Actors know that body language speaks volumes, and the good ones use it subtly to persuade the audience.

Poses, positions and postures tell the audience what to think about the character.

A job interview is no different, said Jodie Bentley, owner and co-founder of The Savvy Actor, a firm that coaches actors on the business of acting and teaches them how to market themselves. Your body language tells the interviewer things about you.

"I think it is important to have body awareness before you go into an interview," she said. There are many actions and habits that we should consider doing or avoid doing to tell the right story during the interview setting.

Actor John Treacy Egan, featured in such Broadway hits as "The Producers" and "The Little Mermaid," demonstrates some of the body-language tricks he uses and avoids on stage.

"Practice these, and you will take it over," he said. "It's like muscle matter."

Full Article with Photo's of Body Language:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Body_Language.pdf

Frontier Bank, Everett, Washington in Trouble

Frontier Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FTBK), the financial holding company for Frontier Bank, announced that Frontier Bank has received from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a Supervisory Prompt Corrective Action Directive (Directive) due to the Bank's critically undercapitalized status.

The Directive requires that within 30 days of the effective date of the Directive, or by April 15, 2010, the Bank must either recapitalize by the sale of shares or obligations so that the Bank will be adequately recapitalized, or accept an offer to be acquired by another institution.

The Directive also reiterates a number of restrictions already imposed on the Bank by the regulators, prohibiting the Bank from accepting or renewing brokered deposits, increasing assets, paying dividends, increasing compensation or paying bonuses to directors or officers, opening, relocating or selling new offices, and requiring the Bank to comply with certain restrictions on interest rates and transactions with affiliates. The Bank was already subject to these restrictions prior to the issuance of the Directive, and key elements of the Bank's strategic plan have included the reduction in its asset base and brokered deposits.

Last week, Frontier restated its 2009 financial results, increasing its loss to $295.1 million from the $258.8 million it initially reported. The higher loss occurred mainly because the FDIC ordered Frontier Bank to put aside an additional $30 million to cover the expected future cost of bad loans.

Frontier Bank's Tier 1 is 1.65%. The bank may make this Friday’s list as more local banks find themselves in the same position.

Frontier states it has been aggressively reducing its concentration in real estate acquisition, development and construction loans and nonperforming loans. Frontier is attempting to raise additional capital which began in the fourth quarter of 2008, when an investment banking firm was retained to assist in raising capital and deleveraging its balance sheet. In view of the recent FDIC action, raising the capital does not seem likely.

vendor fraud:

((Please Click on Bulletin Board to learn more information))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

### Press Release ############################

Reward Available as IRS Tackles Return Preparer Fraud

(Here also is a wrap-up of tax preparer convictions. editor)

LOS ANGELES – While most tax return preparers provide excellent service to their clients, the Internal Revenue Service urges people to be very careful when choosing a return preparer this filing season.

"Income tax return preparers occupy a unique position in our system of taxation. Their position is unique in that they are trusted by their clients to help them pay the least amount of tax allowed under the law and they are trusted by the IRS to follow the law," said Leslie P. DeMarco, Special Agent in Charge of IRS - Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field Office. "The key is the law. Those return preparers that violate the law, for their own benefit or for the benefit of themselves and their clients, will be prosecuted. As a part of its national strategy, IRS - Criminal Investigation is committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those income tax return preparers who exploit our nation's tax laws and violate the public trust for their own personal financial gain."

Helpful Hints When Choosing a Return Preparer

• Be cautious of tax preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.

• Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of the refund. Use a reputable tax professional who signs the tax return and provides a copy.

• Consider whether the individual or firm will be around to answer questions about the preparation of the tax return months, or even years, after the return has been filed.

• Check the person’s credentials. Only attorneys, certified public accountants (CPAs) and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in all matters, including audits, collection and appeals. Other return preparers may only represent taxpayers for audits of returns they actually prepared.

• Find out if the preparer is affiliated with a professional organization that provides its members with continuing education and resources and holds them to a code of ethics.
  

Reputable preparers will ask to see receipts and will ask multiple questions to determine whether expenses, deductions and other items qualify. By doing so, they are trying to help their clients avoid penalties, interest or additional taxes that could result from an IRS examination.

Recently, a Gardena return preparer was sentenced to spend 72 months in federal prison after being convicted of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns, causing a loss to the government of more than $2.7 million. Additionally, a National City return preparer was sentenced to 65 months in prison for preparing false tax returns.

The following are summaries of recent return preparer investigations in the greater Southern California area:

Gardena Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison

Los Angeles – On Monday, February 22, 2010, in United States District Court in Los Angeles, James Otis Swift, a Gardena tax return preparer was sentenced to spend 6 years in federal prison after being convicted of aiding and assisting others in the preparation of false income tax returns.

According to his plea agreement, from 2003 through 2008, Swift willfully prepared hundreds of false income tax returns for clients for the tax years 2002 through 2007, claiming inflated deductions for charitable contributions, unreimbursed employee and business expenses, personal property taxes, and home mortgage interest payments. Swift specifically inflated deductions for home mortgage interest, which his clients claimed on their tax returns, by more than $12.5 million.

The resulting tax loss to the government, based upon the falsified mortgage interest deductions and the tax loss from one client’s fraudulent charitable contribution deduction, totals more than $2.7 million.

National City Owner of Fe’s Tax Service Sentenced to Serve 65 Months in Federal Prison
Prepared False Return for IRS Undercover Agent

San Diego – On March 1, 2010, Fe S. Garrett, a resident of National City, Calif., was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison and ordered to pay $377,468 in restitution by U.S. Judge M. James Lorenz in San Diego. In August 2009, Garrett was convicted of filing false individual tax returns, failure to pay taxes, and multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns following a nine-day trial.

For tax years 2001 and 2002, Garrett prepared at least 18 federal income tax returns for her clients that were false as to material matters in that the tax returns claimed fraudulent itemized deductions, child care expenses and Schedule E real estate rental expenses in amounts that she knew her clients were not entitled to claim.

Additionally, Garrett was a licensed tax return preparer and licensed real estate broker who operated a tax return preparation and bookkeeping business and a real estate financing business. Garrett failed to report over $300,000 of her business gross receipts from those businesses on her federal income tax returns for tax years 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Garrett also prepared a false tax return for an undercover IRS agent that included false items similar to those on her client’s returns. In a recording presented at trial, Garrett was heard describing her “style” of preparing tax returns using “loopholes” for claiming deductions on income tax returns.

 

Daughters of Rialto Tax Return Preparer Each Sentenced to 72 Months in Federal Prison
Father previously sentenced to serve 108 months in prison

Riverside, California – On October 5, 2009, the daughters of the patriarch of an income tax preparation business were sentenced in United States District Court in Riverside to spend 72 months in federal prison.

Karen Denise Berry of San Bernardino and Carla Denine Berry of Rialto were each sentenced to serve 72 months in federal prison followed by 36 months supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson also ordered both Karen and Carla Berry to pay $14,000,000 in restitution to the IRS.

Their father, Matthew Carl Berry, a Rialto tax return preparer was previously sentenced to serve 108 months in federal prison, 36 months on supervised release, and ordered to pay over $15 million in restitution to the IRS, after having been previously convicted at trial on charges that he conspired with others to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and filed false personal income tax returns for the years 2001, 2002, and 2004.

Co-conspirators Ivan Taylor Johnson and Valerie Madel Dixon also pleaded guilty to charges contained in the indictment. Johnson was sentenced to 35 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $19,034,901. Valerie Dixon was sentenced to five years probation, including 10 months home detention, and was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS of $19,034,901.

According to court papers, the false returns prepared for clients by Matthew Berry, in conjunction with the returns prepared by Karen Berry, Carla Berry, Ivan Johnson, and Valerie Dixon, caused losses of more than $45,000,000 in tax revenue to the IRS.

Chula Vista Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Evasion
Faces 25 years in prison and fines totaling $350,000

San Diego – On March 8, 2010, tax return preparer David Canales pled guilty before United States District Court Judge Thomas J. Whelan to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion in connection with a scheme to defraud his clients out of more than $1 million.

According to the plea agreement, between 2001 and 2008, Canales operated a tax preparation and bookkeeping business in Chula Vista, California. Canales admitted that he controlled two bank accounts in the fictitious business names, “International Recovery Systems/IRS” and “Freight Transport Brokers/FTB."

Canales further admitted that he falsely represented to his clients that they owed substantial amounts of tax to the Internal Revenue Service and California Franchise Tax Board and directed his clients to write checks to “IRS” and “FTB.”

In his plea, Canales admitted that instead of forwarding these checks and the tax returns to the IRS and FTB, Canales deposited the checks into his own “IRS” and “FTB” bank accounts and either did not submit the clients’ returns to the relevant taxing authority or submitted different returns showing little or no tax due and owing.

Canales admitted that he caused losses in excess of $1,000,000 and willfully evaded payment of income taxes on $457,653 in income he earned for the tax years 2003-2007.

Other recent cases in the Southern California area include:

- Christopher Daniel Laza, in conjunction with co-defendant Robert Dean Larsen, worked for Larsen’s Tax Pros at various locations in San Bernardino County and operated Laza’s Tax Service in Apple Valley. As a part of their scheme to defraud the IRS, Larsen and Laza prepared income tax returns for clients that contained one or more false statements. The items on the returns that Larsen and Laza prepared for clients that contained false statements included taxes paid, mortgage interest paid, charitable contributions, unreimbursed employee business expenses, business losses, and investment losses. In total, Larsen’s and Laza’s scheme resulted in more than 2,500 false tax returns being prepared for clients, resulting in a tax loss to the United States of at least $3.5 million. If convicted of all the charges contained in the indictment, both Larsen and Laza face 62 years in federal prison and fines totaling $2,150,000

- Haroon Amin, of Upland, faces a statutory maximum 5 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 after pleading guilty to charges that he conspired to defraud the United States in connection with an income tax preparation scheme in which more than $2 million in income tax refunds were claimed. His co-conspirator, Ather Ali, of Diamond Bar, who also pleaded guilty in this scheme, similarly faces 5 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

- Pablo Amesquita, a self-employed tax preparer doing business as “Tax & Weddings,” located in San Ysidro, California, faces a maximum of 6 years in federal prison and fines totaling $200,000 when sentenced later this year. Amesquita previously pled guilty in federal court in San Diego to two felony counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns for tax years 2005 and 2006. Amesquita admitted in his guilty plea that in preparing tax returns for his clients for the 2005 and 2006 tax years, he knowing and willfully falsified and exaggerated itemized deductions claimed on the returns in an attempt to defeat a total of approximately $65,096 and $80,227 in additional taxes due and owing to the United States in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

- Rosa Isela Naranjo, 34, of San Fernando, operator of Irma’s Tax Service, admitted in her plea agreement that she falsified information on her clients’ tax returns in order to generate fraudulent tax refunds and to under report her clients’ tax liability to the IRS. Naranjo also admitted that, with respect to ten of her clients, she stole their tax refund payments by advising them that they did not qualify for a tax refund and showing them tax returns that did not claim a refund. When sentenced, Naranjo faces a statutory maximum 30 years in federal prison and fines totaling $1,000,000 or more

- Henry W. Johnson, a resident of Hesperia, and Jesse A. Felix, of Monterey Park, were sentenced on August 17, 2009, for one count each of willfully assisting or advising another person in the preparation of an income tax return that was false, in violation of Title 26 U.S.C. Code section 7206(2). Johnson was sentenced to serve 5 years probation, 3 months home detention, 300 hours of community service, and ordered to pay a fine of $3,000; Felix was sentenced to serve 5 years probation, 3 months home detention, and ordered to pay a fine of $8,000.

In related cases, Estella Ruiz was sentenced to serve one year probation and pay a fine of $3,600; Eric V. Carino and Dina O. Carino were both sentenced to serve 12 months probation for their role in criminal tax fraud; Albert Luna entered his guilty plea and was sentenced Patrick J. Walsh, to serve 18 months probation.

- Arnold C. Libman, of Rosemead, a licensed CPA since 1973, was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison followed by 1 year supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $250,000 and restitution of $100,000 to the IRS, after pleading guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns.

- Maria Ophelia Pinzon-Virula, of Paramount, a Long Beach tax preparer, was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal custody and one year of probation for preparing and filing false income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. Pinzon-Virula was also ordered to pay approximately $223,709 in restitution.

- Tu Ky Huynh, aka Tiffany Huynh, of Westminster, California was sentenced to serve 16 months in federal prison and to spend three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and making false statements to the IRS. Huynh agreed to make full restitution in the amount of $100,545.00 in losses caused by her fraudulent activities.

About the IRS’ Return Preparer Program
The IRS Return Preparer Program focuses on enhancing compliance in the return-preparer community by investigating and referring criminal activity by return preparers to the Department of Justice for prosecution. The IRS can also assert appropriate civil penalties against unscrupulous return preparers.

Additional information on return preparer fraud can be found on the internet at the following link: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=217788,00.html and at the IRS’ Return Preparer Compliance and Enforcement link at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=217928,00.html

Where Do You Report Suspected Tax Fraud Activity?
If you suspect tax fraud or know of an abusive return preparer, you can report the subject directly to IRS – Criminal Investigation in person at one our local offices or over the phone. In the Los Angeles area, you can call (213) 576-3232 and in San Diego (619) 615-9079 to report suspected tax fraud.

Additionally, you can report suspected tax fraud online using IRS Form 3949-A, Information Referral. You can download Form 3949-A from the Web site at www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-3676 to order the form by mail. Send the completed form, or a letter detailing the alleged fraudulent activity, to Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA 93888. Please include specific information about who you are reporting, the activity you are reporting and how you became aware of it, when the alleged violation took place, the amount of money involved and any other information that might be helpful to an investigation. Although you are not required to identify yourself, it is helpful to do so. Your identity can be kept confidential. You may also be entitled to a reward.

#### Press Release #############################

Braintree, Massachusetts---Adopt a Dog

Luther
Breed: Great Pyrenees Mix
Size: X-Large 101 lbs (46 kg) or more
Color: White
Sex: Male
Age: Young

LUTHER is:
already neutered
housetrained
good with kids
good with dogs
good with cats
up to date with shots

LUTHER's story...
-THIS IS A COURTESY POSTING, PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL RESCUE ANGELS REGARDING LUTHER, PLEASE REFER ALL INQUIRIES TO REHOMEADOG@YAHOO.COM

"Luther is a full bred Great Pyranese that is approximately 10 months old and weighing 104#. He was surrendered into rescue as an Owner surrender (he liked the chickens on the farm TOO much). So we think a fowl-free home would be better for him. He is now living the life of luxury and awaiting his forever home.

“ In his current foster home he has full access to a doggie door and uses it to do his business outside. He doesn’t seem to mind the resident cats but will occasionally chase the birds that land to try and “steal” his snacks in his kennel. He is super friendly and loves attention. His favorite thing to do is go for walks with his foster dad through the woods and enjoy the sights.

“He holds true to the Gentle Giants that this breed is known. Other traits of this breed are the tendency to keep an eye on their family. They will walk around to make sure everyone is where they should be before settling down for his own comfort.

“Luther has a brother who he loves very much and what a wonderful thing it would be if they could be placed together. However, this is not a requirement for Luther's adoption. His adoption fee is $425 and he will be microchipped before going to his new home. Luther is neutered, up to date on vaccines, and current on flea/tick and heartworm preventatatives."

Contact this rescue group to adopt LUTHER ...
Rescue Group: Rescue Angels, Inc.
Pet ID #: COURTESY POSTING
Contact: Vickie
Phone: Please email this shelter below!
(They don't list their phone number here)

E-mail: vickie@rescueangels.org
- Let 'em know you saw "LUTHER" on Adopt-a-Pet.com!
Website: http://www.rescueangels.org

Address:
Braintree , MA
02184

http://www.adoptapet.com/pet-search-display?clan_id=1&clan_name=dog&country_code=US&end_number=50&geo_range= 35&geo_range_km=55&is_dog=1&postal_code=02184&start_number=1&state_code=MA

Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

Court papers place Arrow Truck assets at $8.55 million
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid =20100323_11_A1_ArrowT787300
(also see related story above about the truck auction)

Mack ranks as 2009’s top truck exporter
http://refrigeratedtrans.com/fleet/trucks/mack-ranks-2009-top-exporter-0322/

California Nuts Briefs---

California, in Financial Crisis, Opens Prison Doors
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/us/24calprisons.html?hp

Baseball Poem

Birthday of poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Baseball Canto

Watching baseball, sitting in the sun, eating popcorn,
reading Ezra Pound,
and wishing that Juan Marichal would hit a hole right through the
Anglo-Saxon tradition in the first Canto
and demolish the barbarian invaders.
When the San Francisco Giants take the field
and everybody stands up for the National Anthem,
with some Irish tenor's voice piped over the loudspeakers,
with all the players struck dead in their places
and the white umpires like Irish cops in their black suits and little
black caps pressed over their hearts,
Standing straight and still like at some funeral of a blarney bartender,
and all facing east,
as if expecting some Great White Hope or the Founding Fathers to
appear on the horizon like 1066 or 1776.

But Willie Mays appears instead,
in the bottom of the first, and a roar goes up as he clouts the first one
into the sun and takes off, like a foot runner from Thebes.
The ball is lost in the sun and maidens wail after him
as he keeps running through the Anglo-Saxon epic.
And Tito Fuentes comes up looking like a bullfighter
in his tight pants and small pointy shoes.
And the right field bleachers go mad with Chicanos and blacks and Brooklyn beer-drinkers,
"Tito! Sock it to him, sweet Tito!"
And sweet Tito puts his foot in the bucket
and smacks one that don't come back at all,
and flees around the bases like he's escaping from the United Fruit Company.
As the gringo dollar beats out the pound.
And sweet Tito beats it out like he's beating out sury,
not to mention fascism and anti-Semitism.
And Juan Marichal comes up, and the Chicano bleachers go loco again,
as Juan belts the first ball out of sight, and rounds first and keeps going
and rounds second and rounds third,
and keeps going and hits pay dirt
to the roars of the grungy populace.
As some nut presses the backstage panic button
for the tape-recorded National Anthem again,
to save the situation.

But it don't stop nobody this time,
in their revolution round the loaded white bases,
in this last of the great Anglo-Saxon epics,
in the territorial libre of Baseball.