For Immediate Release – October 20, 2015
Wealthy Max Limited Files Motion to Dismiss Civil Forfeiture Case in U.S. District Court in NJ
Newark, NJ – The Wealthy Max Limited legal defense team filed a motion to dismiss the civil forfeiture case brought by the US Attorney for the District of New Jersey. The motion is filed with the US District Court in New Jersey and seeks the immediate release of $2,388,091.18 that the company is owed by the US Treasury for coins submitted to the US Mint’s Mutilated Coin Redemption Program. The original complaint was filed in March 2015 and claimed that Wealthy Max and its Foshan, China based affiliate that administers its quality assurance program, ( hereinafter “Wealthy Max”), and several other recycling companies, had attempted to pass counterfeit US coins through the US Mint’s program.
The motion to dismiss cites multiple inconsistencies in the original complaint and the fact that there has been no direct proof of counterfeiting, or of a conscious attempt to cheat the US government. The original complaint expressed doubts that Wealthy Max and other recycling companies with links to China could source the number of coins claimed through scrap metal exported from the US to China. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the scale and organization of the Chinese metal recycling industry.
“We are filing the motion to dismiss on behalf of Wealthy Max because we believe the complaint brought by the US Attorney’s Office has a number of errors relating both to points of law as well as to misunderstandings about our client’s business,” said Bradford L. Geyer of GeyerGorey LLP. “In our opinion we do not believe that many of the points in the government’s complaint could be substantiated as they are either speculative or based on incorrect assumptions about the industry in question. The original complaint and the amended complaint, regrettably, also contain incorrect information. For instance, the amended complaint in paragraph 35 claims that pennies have never been submitted through the Mutilated Coin Redemption Program and only small parts of shipments have contained nickels. In actuality, from 2002 through 2006, Wealthy Max submitted to the U.S. Mint, and the U.S. Mint accepted 178 metric tons of pennies and from 2002 through 2009, Wealthy Max submitted to the U.S. Mint, and the U.S. Mint accepted, 31 metric tons of nickels.
“Under the circumstances, I am mystified how allegations in paragraph 35 and other questionable allegations found throughout the complaint could still remain in the government’s pleadings. The reason the U.S. Mint has seen fewer nickels or no pennies in recent years is because redemption rates do not allow those coins to be redeemed profitably. This economically rational behavior and many other reasonable actions are presented in the complaint as if they part of some nefarious scheme,” added Geyer.
The scrap reclamation operations in question process millions of tons of non-ferrous scrap metal each year. The irony is that since this investigation has effectively shut down the Mutilated Coin Redemption Program, hundreds, perhaps thousands of tons of clad U.S. coins have been accumulating at scrap reclamation facilities in China that continue to find coins as a by-product of aluminum scrap reclamation. According to Geyer, “We have advised scrap reclamation facilities in China to keep the faith and to stockpile and secure their mutilated coins. We will soon determine whether the United States Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security intend to kill the program. As a practical matter, we probably have a 30-90 day time window before the scrap reclamation companies in China have to give up on the U.S. Mint giving full faith and credit to its coinage, and simply send the coins to local smelters.
“You could never guess from the complaint that Wealthy Max has an unblemished past performance record that spans 13 years with over 150 shipments accepted by the U.S. Mint and converted into coin roll. What we have as a matter of public record is one alleged non-conforming shipment awash in a 13 year sea of conforming shipments from a responsive government contractor with an unblemished past performance record,” said Geyer.
“The shipment in question was accepted and converted into coin roll by the U.S. Mint in June 2014 and the government provides notice that its payment was confiscated almost 11 months later? I am not sure how far the government can stretch civil forfeiture rules, but its conduct in this investigation strikes me as unacceptable. For these and other reasons and, in the interest of fairness, we believe that this case should be dismissed and our client’s funds unfrozen as quickly as possible,” concluded Geyer.
The US Mint’s Mutilated Coin Redemption Program was established in 1911 and allows individuals and organizations to return damaged US coins to the Mint and be paid on the basis of the weight of the coins returned. The Mint then melts the coins down and uses the resulting metals in the production of new coins. Americans may be surprised to learn that coins jingling in their pockets today could actually be manufactured from coins minted by the U.S. Mint in prior centuries.
Wealthy Max Limited is a Hong Kong based company. The company is involved in recovering mutilated coins that are a by-product of the metal recycling business, and its operations in China collect, sort, wash and visually inspect coins it receives from scrap aluminum processors who process millions of tons of aluminum scrap materials. The aluminum comes from multiple sources including scrapped automobiles and other consumer and industrial goods. Before being melted down, the scrap metal is hand sorted to remove any non-aluminum items including copper wire, glass, plastic and coins. This sorting is done by well-trained individuals who further sort the coins by country and denomination. The exponential growth of the Chinese scrap industry, extensively documented in other forums and contexts, has enabled millions of tons of waste to be sorted in this manner (obviating the need for extensive use of water or electricity and substantially reducing carbon emissions) which results in purer, more efficient smelting.
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For Immediate Release – October 29, 2015
Wealthy Max Limited Files Suit Against The Treasury, Mint and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – The Wealthy Max Limited (Wealthy Max) legal defense team today filed a lawsuit against the US Treasury, US Mint and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection along with Jacob J. Lew, Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, Rhett Jeppson, Deputy Director of the US Mint, and R. Gil Kerlikowske, Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection for improperly seizing three shipments of damaged coins that were sent to the Mint under the Mutilated Coin Redemption Program with a total value of $3.25 million. The suit argues that the government violated the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (“CAFRA”) and the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution by failing to notify Wealthy Max of the seizure within 60 days or file a civil forfeiture complaint within 90 days.
Wealthy Max is involved in recovering mutilated coins that are a by-product of the metal recycling business in China. The company has an unblemished 13 year record with over 150 shipments of mutilated coins accepted by the US Mint. The three shipments that have been mysteriously seized were delivered on June 26 and October 16, 2014 and March 25, 2015. Multiple requests to the relevant government authorities by the company for the status of its shipments and later for the return of its property have been ignored.
“Wealthy Max has filed this suit against the US government authorities to recover its property, or receive compensation, as is its right under the law,” said Bradford L. Geyer of GeyerGorey LLP. “CAFRA was enacted to prevent just this type of government overreach in the seizure of private property. The rules are clear, if the government seizes property it has to provide notification to the owner within 60 days and file a complaint for forfeiture within 90 days. In this case the government has utterly failed to comply with the law.”
The total value of the three shipments is over $3.25 million, which Wealthy Max would have used to source additional coins for redemption in the program. That these funds have been indefinitely frozen has had a significant negative impact on the company’s business and opened the US Mint’s program to questions about its trustworthiness.
“For the last 13 years Wealthy Max has been a participant in good standing in the Mint’s program, which makes the government’s de facto confiscation of its property all the more disappointing. This action is a clear violation of CAFRA and of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution, and as such needs to be corrected as soon as possible. For the sake of fairness and justice the government will need to either return the shipments or compensate our client for their full value,” concluded Geyer.
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For Immediate Release – November 11, 2015
Wealthy Max Limited Supports Treasury’s Decision To Suspend Coin Redemptions For Six Months
Philadelphia, PA – The Wealthy Max Limited (Wealthy Max) legal defense team today announced the company’s agreement with the Department of the Treasury’s decision to temporarily suspend the U.S. Mint’s Mutilated Coins Redemption Program. This move clearly demonstrates that senior officials within the Treasury Department are taking issues related to the Mint’s mutilated coins program very seriously.
“The Treasury has prudently decided to suspend the program until key questions related to the sourcing of coins are clarified and appropriate quality checks have been implemented,” according to Bradford L. Geyer, counsel for Wealthy Max.
The announcement of the program’s suspension was made by the U.S. Mint’s Deputy Director for Manufacturing and Quality, Richard A. Peterson, and was reported in the Federal Register Vol. 80 No. 209 on October 29, 2015. The announcement states that during the suspension the U.S. Mint will “…assess the security of the program and develop additional safeguards, as necessary, to ensure the integrity of United States coinage.”
“Treasury’s decision to temporarily suspend the mutilated coin program is welcome news for Wealthy Max and for all legitimate vendors,” said Geyer. “It demonstrates that the highest echelons of the Treasury Department have taken note of our filings and recognize the importance of this program, which goes to the core of such issues as how the U.S. manufactures its currency and whether that currency is still backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
Further, the rationale for the suspension is very much in line with Wealthy Max’s interest of assuring that only legitimate U.S. coins are redeemed under the program and the company is willing to continue its longstanding cooperation with the Mint in developing and implementing any quality controls that it deems appropriate.”
Wealthy Max currently has approximately 13 metric tons of damaged U.S. coins packed and ready for shipment to the Mint in a warehouse in Hong Kong. The future of these orphaned coins, and many others stockpiled at aluminum scrap recycling facilities in China, have been thrown into doubt by the U.S. Government’s seizures of four Wealthy Max coin shipments, as well as the seizures of additional shipments by other vendors.
“We can’t speak as to the legitimacy of any other vendor’s coins,” stated Geyer, “but Wealthy Max has employed a time-tested quality assurance system since 2002, and it has been trying to find a some weakness in its quality assurance system that would have allowed any non-genuine coins to be submitted to the Mint. This has devastated its employees almost all of whom have been sorting and ensuring quality of its mutilated coins for more than 10 years.”
According to Geyer, a partner in GeyerGorey LLP in Washington, D.C., “Wealthy Max more than anyone is struggling for answers and wants a system in place that will effectively guarantee that all the coins redeemed under the program are genuine. It has set-up its own quality assurance process to visually inspect all the coins it ships and will gladly adopt any further inspection and/or testing protocols the U.S. Mint might require.”
As a by-product of metal recycling programs, U.S. coins are recovered from scrap that is hand-picked and sorted largely in China. “The sooner the U.S. Mint’s program is back in operation the sooner Wealthy Max and other legitimate vendors can get back to the business of returning these coins to their homeland,” added Geyer.
In September 2014, agents from the Department of Homeland Security seized a wire transfer of $2,388,000 of “funds” sent to Wealthy Max by the Mint to pay for a shipment of coins accepted by the Mint in June 2014 of that year and melted at the Mint’s direction (the usual procedure for recovering the metal from the coins) by a foundry in Iowa. In March 2015, and despite the fact that the Mint was aware before it sent the payment that the forensic laboratory of Customs and Border Protection Bureau had indicated that the coins in the June shipment were not genuine, the Mint nevertheless made the payment. In March 2015, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey initiated a civil forfeiture proceeding against the funds, claiming that the coins tendered by Wealthy Max were counterfeit.
The complaint was amended in August 2015 and, in October, the case ordered transferred from New Jersey to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Wealthy Max has filed a motion to dismiss the case on multiple legal grounds. That motion is pending before the Court in Philadelphia.
Separately, Wealthy Max has initiated litigation against several Government agencies and their top leadership, including the Department of the Treasury and its Secretary, Jacob Lew. Under the law, the Government has from 60 to 90 days to initiate forfeiture proceedings. Unless it does so, a person who claims an interest in the property may initiate a civil action to recover the property. Wealthy Max brought its case to recover the value of the shipment of coins under this statute, known as the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act.
“A civil forfeiture is an extreme action, particularly when the property at issue is not alleged to have been stolen or been derived from fraud,” Geyer said. “Here Wealthy Max is a well-regarded, long-term government vendor, having sent more than 160 large shipments of mutilated coins to the Mint for redemption in the past 14 years. The action has had negative financial and reputational consequences for Wealthy Max and for the multi-billion dollar scrap reclamation industry in China and it could result in further reduction of US Mint operations in the historic City of Philadelphia.”
“We are struggling to demonstrate to U.S. enforcers the scope of the Chinese scrap reclamation industry and to substantiate the fact that a significant quantity of mutilated coins are recovered as a by-product of this processing,” Geyer noted. “We have invited representatives of the Government to tour one or more scrap reclamation facilities in China as well as to examine Wealthy Max’s quality assurance program. For the sake of this business, I hope law enforcers will accept these invitations.”
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For Immediate Release – November 19, 2015
Wealthy Max Limited Transparency Program Gains Momentum
Philadelphia, PA –Wealthy Max Limited (Wealthy Max) and its counsel, GeyerGorey LLP are finalizing plans to hold a public audit of 13 metric tons of damaged U.S. coins currently in storage in Hong Kong. The audit will be conducted by former U.S. law enforcement agents from the FormerFedsGroup.com and the results will be shared freely to all relevant U.S. government agencies. In order to further demonstrate its commitment to transparency, Wealthy Max will invite officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice to observe the audit and retain whatever samples they need for their own investigations.
Planning for the audit began shortly after March 2015, when Wealthy Max was informed that the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey initiated a civil forfeiture proceeding, claiming that the coins tendered by Wealthy Max were counterfeit. The U.S. Attorney’s complaint was amended in August 2015 and, in October, the case was transferred from New Jersey to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Wealthy Max has filed a motion to dismiss the case on multiple legal grounds. That motion is pending before the Court in Philadelphia.
“Wealthy Max has complete faith in the U.S. legal system and the integrity and competence of the officials and agents involved in this investigation and is ready to cooperate in every way possible to resolve the government’s concerns,” said Bradford L. Geyer, counsel for Wealthy Max. “The recent announcement by the United States Mint (a branch of the Treasury Department) that it will suspend the coin redemption program in order to address questions about the sourcing of coins as well as put in place appropriate quality checks is a very positive development. Wealthy Max will adhere to whatever protocols are developed during this suspension.”
“Additionally, our recent interactions with other officials involved in this case have been very satisfactory and productive. We are confident that as the U.S. officials gain a better understanding of the scope and nature of the scrap recycling business in China, where Wealthy Max sources its damaged coins; they will see that this is a highly reputable company that is conducting its business with the U.S. Mint honestly and transparently.”
In addition to organizing the public audit of its stockpile of damaged U.S. coins, Wealthy Max has also invited U.S. government officials to tour several aluminum scrap recycling facilities in Foshan, China to see how U.S. and other coins are recovered from the enormous amount of scrap aluminum and other valuable metals, or “zorba,” that China imports from around the world and hand sorts as part of the reclamation process. This tour would take place a day or two after the audit. Foshan is a major metal recycling hub.
“At present we have not received replies from the U.S. officials we invited to the audit and recycling facilities tour, but we are hopeful that they will be open to this initiative, and see it as a demonstration of Wealthy Max’s commitment to transparency, and its strong desire to resolve the misunderstandings regarding its coin shipments to the Mint. Coins are continuing to be sourced and stockpiled at recycling operations around China and Wealthy Max stands ready to return them to their homeland as a long-term government vendor and leading participant in the Mint’s coin redemption program,” concluded Geyer.
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December 28, 2015
FormerFeds Freedom Foundation Today Announced its Formation as a New Jersey Non-Profit Corporation
The FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation (FFFF) today announced its formation as a New Jersey non-profit corporation. It will be devoted to actively assisting law enforcement, criminal justice and legal professionals in cases, where lack or resources, or expertise, threatens to generate a result that is inconsistent with the interests of justice. FFFF also intends to lend its expertise to intractable law enforcement challenges of the day.
FFFF further announced that it would begin to build its capacity in three core areas:
1) FFFF will focus its efforts on civil forfeiture abuse. Under state and federal law, police departments can seize and keep property that is suspected of involvement in criminal activity. Unlike criminal asset forfeiture, however, with civil forfeiture, a property owner need not be found guilty of a crime—or even charged—to permanently lose her cash, car, home, or other property.
2) FFFF will focus its efforts to support cold case investigations and serial profiling investigations. FFFF will offer support and development of cold case investigations and serial profiling investigations by offering professional, interdisciplinary cold case review, educational opportunities, published peer-reviewed research, broad-based societal outreach programming, and by creating supportive resources for families of victims in the pursuit of truth and justice.
3) FFFF will support anti-human trafficking efforts. Human trafficking continues to be a significant challenge, not only in the United States, but in many nations around the world. FFFF will deploy its international network of retired federal agents and law enforcement contacts to develop initiatives to undermine human trafficking and will, as resources are available, engage in operational work to secure the safety and well-being of witnesses, oversee the repatriation of those victims and help to provide the emotional, psychological and financial support to facilitate the full recovery of victims.
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December 29, 2015
FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation Appoints Interim CEO
The FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation (FFFF) today announced that Susan C. Geyer has been appointed as interim president and CEO, while a permanent successor is sought.
Susan C. Geyer, who helms the Cinnaminson, NJ-based FormerFedsGroup.com, a certified woman-owned business, announced that it was always her intention to hand over the leadership of the FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation as soon as possible, but that she would remain in the position until an interim Board can be established and an interim management team put in place.
The search for a new CEO has been underway and active, but it has become increasingly apparent that a special committee will need to be established to identify and vet suitable candidates. “The main focus of the search is not just to fill the role of CEO – we also need to create a suitable board and appropriate committees to properly develop the unique capabilities or our retired experts in the months to come. I am committed to taking the time necessary to make sure we find the right candidate to lead the organization’s next phase of growth which, because of how our organization is comprised, is unusually robust.” FFFF’s spokesman Jeremy E. Plotnick said. “Ms. Geyer is looking for an external candidate who embodies the goals of the organization. Ideally, it would a retired federal agent who fully understands our capabilities, practices and culture.”
The 49-year-old Geyer formed FFFF at the end of 2015, after steadily building the capabilities of its for-profit sister company, the FormerFedsGroup.com (FFG), behind the scenes since 2010. FFG is an international consulting and investigations firm specializing in a wide-range of services including private investigations, security consulting, computer forensic analysis and policy guidance for the business sector and government entities worldwide. As a global consulting firm with offices in New Jersey and Hong Kong, FFG enjoys a competitive edge due to the expertise of its personnel, all of whom have extensive experience in conducting complex investigations and due diligence reviews involving business disputes in domestic and international settings.
With its “PerfectShield™” system of providing cross-disciplinary assessment and training modules designed to assess, address and mitigate international legal risks, FFG utilizes highly-skilled investigators and analysts who previously served with U.S. Government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and other law enforcement agencies throughout the world, to include North and South America, Asia and Europe. The organization emphasizes the need for building trust-based relationships with its clients, and a collaborative approach to solve problems and prevent future ones.
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January 15, 2016
FormerFeds Freedom Foundation announced the appointment of Joan E. Marshall as General Counsel
The FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation (FFFF) is pleased to announce that Joan E. Marshall, a former Department of Justice prosecutor has joined the New Jersey non-profit company as General Counsel.
Ms. Marshall comes to FFFF from the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, where she also served as a prosecutor on the Department’s Disaster Fraud Task Force and its predecessor, the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force. While with the Department of Justice, Ms. Marshall supervised numerous multi-agency investigations of bid rigging, price fixing, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, bribery, perjury and obstruction of justice.
Ms. Marshall had the distinction of breaking the Dallas Field Office’s acclaimed vitamins cartel case and helped to devise, structure and carry out what became one of the most comprehensive international investigations and prosecutions of all time, resulting in more than $1 billion in collected criminal fines. She led the Antitrust Division’s bribery prosecutions involving construction of the levees surrounding New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Her experience spans investigations and prosecutions involving numerous industries including wholesale groceries, milk, seafood, medical equipment, oilfield supplies, military moving and storage, road and building construction, and municipal finance.
“We are pleased that Joan has joined us to assist us in our work,” said Susan C. Geyer, Interim Chairman of the Board. “We have an ambitious growth strategy and Joan’s deep experience in the law and with numerous enforcement agencies will clearly be beneficial to our work.”
Ms. Marshall is a frequent speaker on antitrust enforcement and fraud prevention and detection and has developed numerous training programs. She is a recipient of the United States Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General’s Award and certificates of appreciation from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit.
Headquartered in Cinnaminson, NJ, FFFF will direct its efforts to support cold case investigations and serial profiling investigations, combat human trafficking and undermine civil forfeiture abuse and rights deprivations.
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February 1, 2016
FormerFeds Freedom Foundation Announced the Formation of a Steering Committee and Board Member Search Committee
The FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation (FFFF) today announced formation of a Steering Committee and a Board Member Search Committee.
The Steering Committee will be chaired by Susan C. Geyer, interim CEO, and will be staffed by Jeremy E. Plotnick, Roy Johnson, Steven Gomez, Ray Carr, and Lisa Garcia. Braford L. Geyer will serve as a special advisor to the committee.
The Board Member Search Committee will be chaired by Susan C. Geyer, interim CEO, and will be staffed by Jeremy E. Plotnick, Roy Johnson, Steven Gomez, Ray Carr, and Lisa Garcia. Braford L. Geyer will serve as a special advisor to the committee.
The FormerFedsGrounp Freedom Foundation provided the following biographical statements regarding the members of the committees:
Roy Johnson is a veteran of over 35 years in law enforcement, Mr. Johnson served more than 23 years as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducting complex investigations in Fraud, Embezzlement and Violent Crimes, all within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice. During this tenure, he was the recipient of two national case awards from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia, which both resulted in the safe return of abducted children to their parents in 1996 and 2004. In addition, Johnson has received nominations for other case awards by the U.S. Attorney General, Director of the F.B.I and he also received separate Congressional recognition. Johnson volunteered to work as a Field Division Coordinator for the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which was housed at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, involving the study and analysis of criminal behavior.
In 2006, after retiring from the Bureau, Johnson went to work for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which was a unique IG, answering to both the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, in support of the efforts of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this assignment, Johnson served as Assistant Deputy Inspector General for Investigations and also Special Agent in Charge, directing investigative personnel working contract fraud matters in Iraq and Kuwait. As an investigative manager with SIGIR, Johnson was assigned to the National Fraud Procurement Task Force and worked as a Governor for the International Contract Corruption Task Force, which investigated and successfully prosecuted numerous cases with other ICCTF partner agencies. Those combined efforts resulted in significant prosecutions of contracting companies, U.S. military personnel and individual contract agents from the war effort. The National Fraud Procurement efforts and ICCTF continue to operate today as a priority for domestic and international matters for the Department of Justice.
Steven L. Gomez is a highly experienced consultant on investigative and security assessment matters worldwide, particularly in North and South America, as well as Asia. In this capacity, Mr. Gomez has managed and participated in over 100 domestic and international private investigations, most of which were focused in the United States but also involved cities in Central and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa. Moreover, Mr. Gomez is frequently utilized by media outlets to provide guidance and counsel on domestic and international security issues. Mr. Gomez’s prior security and investigative experience consists of 22 years as a Special Agent with the FBI, which included serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Counter-Terrorism Division in Los Angeles. In this capacity, Mr. Gomez was responsible for managing domestic and international cases in the United States and Southeast Asia. Most notable was Mr. Gomez’s role in leading the U.S. investigation into the 2008 Mumbai, India terror attacks. Mr. Gomez also played a central role in the 2011 Los Angeles Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel to review security procedures at the LAX Airport, serving as the Chair of the Counter-Terrorism/Homeland Security Committee.
Ray Carr is Special Agent in Charge (SAC-FFG) in the Eastern U.S. and currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Drexel University College of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor at Wilmington University in Criminal Profiling, Criminalistics, Work Place/ School Violence, Victims of Crime, Criminal Investigation, Organized Crime, Hostage Takers, Graduate: Victimology, Violent Crime, Typologies of Crime, and Criminological Theory. Carr served for over 25 years in the FBI and is a leading serial profiler who consults all over the world involving serial crimes.
Joseph Barlow, who brings with him over 30 years of combined federal, state, municipal, and corporate experience, served in managerial and investigative roles at the Departments of Justice and Defense, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Mr. Barlow has also managed investigations at a major transit authority, conducted health care fraud investigations at the state level, and performed corporate solutions consulting. Mr. Barlow has led investigations which resulted in multi-million dollar recoveries for the U.S. Government. In the aftermath of the tragedy of September 11th, he was called upon to investigate fraud perpetrated against the Victim Compensation Fund. Mr. Barlow’s efforts resulted in the conviction of a number of individuals who fraudulently received funds earmarked for actual victims of terrorism. His international experience includes dismantling of a million dollar fuel theft ring operating in Afghanistan. Mr. Barlow is a recognized subject matter expert in the area of Government Contract and Grant Fraud. He has channeled his extensive experience into the development and delivery of high quality and innovative training programs. He has received numerous awards during his career, including four Awards for Excellence from the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
Lisa Garcia previously worked for the United States Government, serving three years with the FBI as a contract Data Analyst and three years as an Analyst and Office Manager with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Country Offices located in Paris, France and Cairo, Egypt. In 2005, Ms. Garcia co-founded H. Garcia & Associates, Inc., an international investigations-fraud and risk mitigation consulting business serving the U.S. and Latin America. Ms. Garcia specializes in data research and analysis supporting various matters including corporate internal investigations, anti-fraud examinations, security vulnerability assessments, and due diligence background screening.
As Crisis Management and Marketing Director, Jeremy E. Plotnick, PhD, is responsible for positioning the organization’s offerings in the US and international markets, overseeing media relations and working with the senior leadership to develop and execute its go-forward strategy. Dr. Plotnick has over 20 years of international experience in the areas of marketing communications, public affairs and public relations. He has provided counsel to global clients in the areas of corporate communications, issues management, marketing and brand development, and financial communications. Additionally, he was been involved in several crisis communication programs, as well as the development and execution of training programs in media relations and crisis communications. Dr. Plotnick’s work on the agency side of the business has included management positions at Burson-Marsteller, Wilson-McHenry Company and Aziam Burson-Marsteller (B-M’s affiliate in Thailand). On the client side he held the position of Regional Public Affairs and Communications Manager at Coca-Cola (Thailand) Limited. In addition to his corporate experience, he has taught several undergraduate and graduate level courses on communications and business at Bangkok University, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, the University of Maryland’s University College, and George Mason University. Dr. Plotnick holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University and a master’s and doctorate in international relations from Northern Illinois University. He also earned an MBA in marketing from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Management.
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Wealthy Max Limited Publicly Unseals 13 Tons of Coins
Calls for Justice for Chinese Companies the Face of the U.S. Government’s Civil Forfeiture Case
[Hong Kong, 23 February, 2016] – Wealthy Max Limited (Wealthy Max), a claimant in a federal civil forfeiture case involving supposedly counterfeit coins, today invited the representatives of the U.S. government to attend a public unsealing and audit of 13 tons of damaged U.S. coins destined to be shipped to the U.S. Mint until the civil forfeiture caused a halt to operations. The unsealing was overseen by former U.S. FBI agents who are members of the FormerFedsGroup.com, to demonstrate Wealthy Max does not traffic in counterfeit U.S. coins.
In March 2015, Wealthy Max was informed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey that a payment of US$2.38 million owed to it by the U.S. Treasury for damaged U.S. coins shipped and accepted to the U.S. Mint in June 2014 were subject to civil forfeiture and that the company was being accused of trafficking in counterfeit U.S. coins. Another two shipments delivered in October 2014 and March 2015 have also been seized, with a total value of US$3.25 million. The seizure by the U.S. government has been lasting for more than a year without any further notification or complaints filed, which is already a failure to comply with the law under civil forfeiture cases. The test and report from the Customs and Border Protection Laboratory actually failed to connect counterfeit coins to any shipment made by Wealthy Max.
“Wealthy Max Limited is calling on the U.S. government to stop the harassment of honest Chinese companies, and return our property and money immediately,” said Matthew Wong, Director, Wealthy Max Limited. “Now, all of a sudden, our property was taken and we are accused of a crime, but not charged. This is not fair, and we are committed to defending our rights and reputation through the U.S. justice system, and more, we are demanding justice for ourselves and others who have been wronged by the U.S. authorities. We organized this unsealing and audit to demonstrate, in a very tangible way, our belief in the legitimacy of our product and our commitment to transparency.”
Wealthy Max has been engaged in redeeming damaged coins from Chinese scrap recycling processors for over 12 years with over 160 shipments of coins submitted to the U.S. Mint without any problems, under the Mutilated Coin Redemption Program established in 1911. Requests to the relevant government authorities by the company for the status of its shipments and return of its property have been ignored.
The legal disputes finally triggered the suspension of the coin redemption program for six months. Wealthy Max currently has approximately 13 metric tons of damaged U.S. coins packed and ready for shipment in a warehouse in Yuen Long. The future of these orphaned coins, and many others stockpiled at aluminum scrap recycling facilities in China, are uncertain due to the U.S. Government’s seizures of Wealthy Max shipments, as well as the seizures of additional shipments by other vendors.
“This unsealing and audit followed a very strict set of rules established by U.S. federal law enforcement agencies to ensure a clear chain of evidence that will hold up in court,” said Steve Gomez, Director, FormerFedsGroup.Com. “Our agents have a deep understanding of these rules as they have conducted hundreds of investigations and are experts in the proper handling of physical and documentary evidence.”
In addition to Wealthy Max, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed civil forfeiture cases against at least two other Chinese companies as well as a U.S. company with links to the Chinese recycling industry.
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