PT Resource Center (an oldie but a goody)

[Unidyne]

I was going through some old papers and found a copy of Eden Press' "I.D. By Mail - 20th Edition (July 2000)". I had bought it as reference some time back (I was considering writing a book on Fake ID) and noticed someone was selling "American National" identification cards along with bogus foreign ID cards and "International Operator/Driver Permits". The address was a dead give-away, since it was listed as such:

Mr. Scott Dion
Attn: Dept. PTRC
44 Depot Street #8
Uxbridge 01569
MASSACHUSETTS

Payment accepted only in cash, US postal money order, money orders or cashier's checks made out to "PT Reource Center" or "Don Glessner". They didn't accept personal checks ("This is for your privacy protection, not PTRC.").

The blurbs included: "Become a Permanent Tourist. Retain your Liberty of Movement without waiving any Rights, by overcoming the presumption that you are a U.S. or State resident, with these very impressive documents."

His e-mail address included the domain "ptrc.net". The website is down, but the domain is still registered to a "PT Resource Center" with a "Don Glessner" as Administrative Contact.

Their website is down, but is archived here:
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ptrc.net

A bit of digging found this:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/x030019/x030019.shtm

Full title: Federal Trade Commission v. William Scott Dion, individually and doing business as PT Resource Center and PTRC, also known as Don Glessner; Donald Lockwood, individually and doing business as PT Resource Center and PTRC, also known as Don Glessner; and Vivian Lockwood, individually and doing business as PT Resource Center and PTRC - Civil Action No. 03-40005-NMG
(District of Massachusetts, Central Division)

News release from back in 2004 (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/04/hispanicsweep2.shtm)

On January 8, 2003, the FTC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against William Scott Dion, and Donald and Vivian Lockwood, all doing business as PT Resource Center and PTRC. According to the Commission's complaint, the defendants marketed bogus international driving permits (IDPs) and related identification cards on their website to immigrants and others for $65 or more.

On April 5, 2004, the court entered a default judgment against the Lockwoods banning them from the business of IDPs and requiring them to pay full consumer redress of $88,671.55.

The proposed stipulated final order against Dion, filed on April 27, 2004, likewise bans him from the business of IDPs and prohibits him from making future misrepresentations. Both the default judgment and the stipulated final order contain provisions to assist the FTC in monitoring defendants' compliance.
==========
Anyone know anything else about these losers?

[Number Six]

I'm familiar with that scam. I ordered the IDP but it failed on the first test. It looks like a lot of people who were suckered out of the $100 plus got their money back. Maybe its not too late to get a refund.

[Demosthenes]

That's the same Constitution Ranger Scott Dion that took the 5th in the recent Ed and Elaine Brown criminal trial.

One of Ed's friends even used an "International Driver's License" to gain entry to the federal courthouse during the trial.

[Paladin]

_______________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAX
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2009 (202) 514-2007
http://WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888
NEW HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND RESIDENTS
ARRESTED FOR PROMOTING AND USING TAX DEFIER SCHEMES
Indictment Alleges Fraudulent Payroll Tax and Fraudulent Warehouse Bank Schemes
BOSTON - Seven individuals from around New England have been indicted in federal court in Boston for conspiracies to defraud the United States through the promotion and use of multiple tax fraud schemes, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.
William Scott Dion and Catherine Floyd, both of Sanbornville, N.H., Charles Adams of Norwood, Mass., and Gary Alcock of Westborough, Mass., were arrested today on charges that they conspired to defraud the United States by promoting and using illegal schemes to defraud the IRS. Arrest warrants have also been issued for Gail and Myron Thorick, both of West Warwick, R.I., and for Kenneth Scott Alcock of Westborough, Mass.
One of the conspiracy counts in the indictment alleges that Dion, Floyd, and Adams ran a payroll tax scheme to pay employees “under the table” without properly accounting for, withholding, and paying over to the IRS the payroll taxes required by law. It is alleged that the three promoted the payroll scheme to employers and individuals who wanted to avoid payment of employer payroll taxes and individual payroll taxes. According to the indictment, the three ran the payroll scheme under three different names: Contract America, Talent Management, and New Way Enterprises. Approximately 150 individuals subscribed to the payroll scheme.
Another of the conspiracy counts in the indictment further alleges that husband and wife Gail and Myron Thorick conspired with Dion and Floyd to defraud the United States by promoting and operated a “warehouse banking” scheme which helped subscribers conceal income and assets from the IRS. According to the indictment, the warehouse scheme operated under three different names: Your Virtual Office, Office Services, and Calico Management. Allegedly, as part of the warehouse banking scheme, the defendants maintained accounts at several banks and used the accounts to deposit and commingle business receipts and other funds received from subscribers in order to mask the true ownership of the funds.
It is alleged that between 2000 and 2005, Gail and Myron Thorick, along with Dion and Floyd, caused more than $16 million to be deposited into the warehouse bank accounts. The indictment further alleges that in order for subscribers to withdraw cash from the accounts, the Thoricks, Dion, and Floyd wrote checks to withdraw substantial amounts of cash, which was subsequently delivered to subscribers wrapped in aluminum foil.
A third conspiracy count alleges that Gary Alcock and his brother, Kenneth Scott Alcock, conspired to defraud the IRS as subscribers to the payroll tax scheme promoted by Dion, Floyd, and Adams. According to the indictment, Gary Alcock owned and operated G&K Trucking Co. and Barkmulch & Loam Co., two businesses located in Shrewsbury, Mass. It is alleged that Gary and Kenneth Alcock created a nominee entity named “Alex Management” to conceal the business activities of G&K Trucking and Barkmulch & Loam, and also retained the services of Contract America to pay employees of these businesses “under the table.”
In addition to conspiracies, Dion and Floyd are each charged with one count of obstructing and impeding the IRS; Adams is charged with three counts of tax evasion; Gail and Myron Thorick are each charged with three counts of filing false joint income tax returns ; Gary Alcock is charged with five counts of evading payroll taxes and one count of willfully failing to file a corporate tax return; and Kenneth Scott Alcock is charged with three counts of tax evasion.
If convicted on conspiracy and tax evasion counts, the defendants face up to five years in prison on each count, together with fines of up to $250,000 or twice the financial gain to the defendant or loss to the IRS, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The charges for obstructing the IRS carry maximum penalties of three years in prison, fines of $250,000 and one year of supervised release. False tax return charges each carry a maximum penalty of three years in prison, with fines of $250,000 and one year of supervised release. The failure to file charge carries a maximum one-year prison term, a fine of $100,000 and one year of supervised release.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of Loucks’ Economic Crimes Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston and by Trial Attorneys John N. Kane and Jeffrey L. Shih of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

[Judge Roy Bean]

Anyone have an idea how many "employees" are going to be dredged up into this mess.

I also wonder if Dion knew he was under investigation when he testified in the Brown trial.

Finally, as usual, I wonder how they managed to keep this going as long as they did.

(ed: Moving this one to the TP forum.)

[Number Six]

That was fast! I guess it's just a coincidence that the first poster was reviewing some of his records about these bozos and the whole group get slapped down a few weeks later! Is it possible that our friends in government mine this site for targets?

[Nikki]

Be vewy, vewy quiet !

[webhick]

From today's Concord Monitor:

A Sanbornville couple who supported tax protesters Ed and Elaine Brown during a nearly nine month standoff with federal agents have been arrested and charged with participation in tax fraud schemes in Massachusetts involving more than $16 million.

William Scott Dion and Catherine Floyd have been charged, along with several other defendants, with conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstructing the IRS for their part in creating a series of companies that federal prosecutors say were designed to obscure business finances from IRS scrutiny.

You can read the full article here.

[webhick]

The juicy part is that this isn't about not paying their taxes, it looks like they setup something like an employee leasing company wherein there would be nothing withheld from the paychecks AND they set up a money sheltering thingy.

[LPC]

The names look familiar. Didn't we see them recently in another thread?

[webhick]

The names look familiar. Didn't we see them recently in another thread?

Dammit...yeah. I'll merge the threads together.