2004 - 2006 Traveling Door to Door Sales Article Archive
Articles Listed In Decending Order By Date
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Civil Lawsuit Filed Against World Wide Circulation, Inc. February 21, 2006 World Wide Circulation, Inc is a member of the National Field Selling Association NFSA A civil lawsuit has been filed against World Wide Circulation, Inc. in response to the brutal murder of Benjamin Suazo on October 20, 2005. STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ELEANOR S. OCANA, as Personal Representative of the Estate of BENJAMIN SUAZO, PLAINTIFF, v. WORLDWIDE CIRCULATION, INC.; SILVA BOWLING, INC.; DEWELL KEITH LAFLEUR individually and d/b/a MEGA SALES INC.; ANDREW LONG; JASON FURDEN; JAMES COMBS; JOSHUA BURGESS, DEFENDANTS. Read The Civil Lawsuit Against World Wide Circulation, Inc. |
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June 19, 2006 Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Vincent Pitts President of National Field Selling Association NFSA A civil lawsuit has been filed against Vincent Pitts (president of the National Field Selling Association) and owner of Palmetto Marketing, Inc. (palmettomarketinginc.com) in response to the brutal beating and rape of a 50 year-old Menomonie, Wisconsin Woman on July 1, 2005. STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT DUNN COUNTY Ms.x Menomonie, WI 54751 Plaintiff, Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Victim Compensation Program 17 West Main Street P.O. Box 7951 Madison, WI 53708-7951 and Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire County 2503 North Hillcrest Parkway Altoona, WI 54720 Subrogated Parties. Case No: Case Codes: 30106, 30107 vs. Vincent Pitts, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Palmetto, Marketing, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Sunshine Subscription Agency, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Robert Cecil, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Tina Michelle Cecil, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Gemini Subscriptions, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Brandon Green, an Individual Dunn County Jail 615 Stokke Parkway Menomonie, WI 54751 Read The Criminal Complaint Againsit Brandon Lee Green Read The Civil Lawsuit Against Vincent Pitts |
"Brandon Lee Green" and magazine "Robert Cecil" and magazine "Tina Michelle Cecil" and magazine "Gemini Subscriptions" and magazine Palmetto Marketing and magazine Vincent Pitts and Palmetto Marketing Vincent Pitts and Magazine Vincent Pitts and NFSA For additional information on the door to door magazine sales trade group: National Field Selling Association For additional information on the magazine publishers who supply the magazine sales crews, companies and clearinghouses: Magazine Publishers of America "sexual assault" and "selling magazine" "sexual assault" and "palmetto marketing" "palmetto marketing" and "rif off" "national field selling association" and "magazine publishers of america" |
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Ypsilanti Man Pleads No Contest To Sexually Groping Magazine Sales Agent!!! December 19, 2006 Suspected groper pleads no contest The Ann Arbor News IN BRIEF Tuesday, December 19, 2006 mlive.com Michigan Read This Story |
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December 17, 2006 Missing teen found dead in Memphis Mother has lots of questions, few answers By Rachel Beck, Lebanon Express writer Sunday, December 17, 2006 Last modified Wednesday, December 13, 2006 3:40 PM PST Rachel Beck may be reached at 258-3151 or rachel.beck@lee.net. Lebanon Express lebanon-express.com Lebanon, Oregon Read This Story |
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Missing Traveling Magazine Sales Agent Found Murdered!!! December 13, 2006 Body found in Memphis was woman lost in NLR BY JIM BROOKS ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE 12/13/06 arkansasonline.com Little Rock, Arkansas Read This Story |
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Door to Door Salesman Sentenced In Rape of Teenager!!! December 12, 2006 Salesman sentenced in rape of teenager Victim: 'My life will never be the same' By Greg Moran UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER December 12, 2006 Archie Lee Thomas, who worked selling cleaning products to households, was handed the sentence after the 18-year-old victim and her parents told Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson of the lasting emotional damage from the attack. Jurors convicted Thomas in October of numerous charges, including rape and assault with intent to commit rape. Prosecutors said he forced his way into the home of the victim the afternoon of April 14, when the girl was home alone. She fought hard, kicking and punching Thomas as he dragged her around the house but eventually gave in out of fear Thomas would kill her. At the hearing yesterday, she told the judge the attack has turned her life upside down. She had intended to attend a school in Northern California on a softball scholarship. But because she does not feel safe, she has remained at home. Even there, however, she is reminded of the attack. “I no longer feel safe there,” she said. “My life will never be the same.” Her mother and father said the attack haunts them. The mother also said she does not feel safe in the home, even though they have increased security. During the attack, the father called home twice. Thomas allowed her to answer the phone, but each time she said she was too terrified to tell her father what was happening. The father asked Cookson to give Thomas the 80-years-to-life term, the maximum possible sentence. Thomas denied any wrongdoing. He told a probation officer for a report filed for the sentencing that the sex was consensual. That statement simply “added insult to injury” to the victim, prosecutor Terrie Roberts said. Thomas also criticized and blamed his lawyer, saying he was not aggressively defended during the case. Cookson was not swayed, noting that Thomas had shown no remorse. After Thomas left the victim's house, he continued going door to door in the neighborhood selling products, authorities said. El Cajon police arrested him a few blocks from the home after one of the victim's friends called 911. Cookson also lauded the victim for coming forward and testifying against Thomas, saying “she showed tremendous strength and willpower just to survive.” Greg Moran: (619) 542-4586; greg.moran@uniontrib.com UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER signonsandiego.com EL CAJON, California Read This Story |
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May 21, 2006 DMPG research into the above cleaner sales company based on court documents and police reports indicates that the Archie Lee Thomas was working for T&B Sales: T&B Sales Manager: Timothy Burgess 8405 Avalon Drive Riverdale, GA 30274 Phone (800)323-6444 T&B Sales distributes Advanage Wonder Cleaner for: Austin Diversified Products 16615 S. Halsted Street Harvey, IL 60426 (708) 333-7644 FAX: (708) 333-4775 cs1@advanage.com Owner: Nathan T. Edwards Austin Diversified Products Website:advanage.com Austin Diversified Products is a member of the National Field Selling Association: 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175 National Field Selling Association Website:nfsa.com View other crimes: Profiles By Name And Company Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Claremont California !!! December 9, 2006 TRAGEDY IN CLAREMONT Rondie Walz formally charged; suspect’s background comes into focus Will Bigham Claremont Courier Saturday, December 9, 2006 Rondie Lamont Leland Walz, 22, did not enter a plea at the hearing; a second arraignment hearing is scheduled for December 13. The suspect’s bail has been raised to $3.3 million from its original $1 million, a change that reflects the seriousness of the charges filed against Mr. Walz, said Samer Hathout, a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Mr. Walz could face a life sentence—with the possibility of parole after 31 years—if convicted on all 4 charges, which include rape, oral copulation, rape with a foreign object, and kidnapping with the intent to rape. He is currently in custody at the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles. Last Saturday, Mr. Walz was one of about 12 magazine salesmen canvassing the city. The salesmen were employed by a sales organization working in conjunction with the Gig Harbor, Washington-based Pacific Coast Clearing House, a company that works with independent sales organizations that employ individuals who sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door, said Ken Fryk, the company’s chief operating officer. At about 3 p.m., Mr. Walz began walking the 1900 and 1800 blocks of Wheaton Avenue, where he came in contact with several residents before arriving at the victim’s house near the end of the street’s cul-de-sac. Ellen Crawford, whose family’s home sits at the end of the cul-de-sac, said Mr. Walz visited her home at about 3:30. “He came to our house and my husband talked to him,” she said. Mr. Walz, she recalls, was acting short and aggressive while talking to her husband about a contest that he wished to enter, or win. The contest, presumably, was one that would award the winner with a vacation or an educational scholarship. Her husband asked Mr. Walz to leave, and he walked away without incident. After leaving Ms. Crawford’s house, the magazine salesman continued down the block, and eventually arrived at the rape victim’s house between 4:30 and 5 p.m., according to a police timeline of the incident. The victim, a 20-year-old woman, was home alone when Mr. Walz arrived. Details of the conversation that took place between the victim and Mr. Walz before his entry have not been revealed by police, but he did eventually talk his way in to the house on the pretense of filling out paperwork. He did not enter the home by force, nor was he carrying a weapon, Claremont Police Capt. Gary Jenkins said. Once inside, with the front door closed behind him, Mr. Walz attacked. The details of the crime remain withheld by police, but Mr. Walz apparently forcibly moved the victim into a different room before raping her. Mr. Walz did not strike or batter the young woman, but “it was more along the lines of fear that he would do that—and intimidation,” Capt. Jenkins said. Claremont PD was not contacted regarding the crime until about 5:50 p.m., about 45 minutes after police believe the incident took place. The victim, Capt. Jenkins said, was shaken an unable to call police, but an anonymous call from a friend who she had contacted tipped police to the crime. By the time officers had arrived, Mr. Walz was far from the neighborhood, presumably in Norwalk after being picked up along with the rest of the group’s salesmen. Previous reports that linked the suspect to the 600 block of Black Hills Drive have proved to be false, as police confirmed that Mr. Walz had left the city prior to the unusual man roaming that neighborhood at about 6:15 p.m. Links to Oklahoma Attempts to investigate Mr. Walz’s past—both criminal and personal—have uncovered links to 4 locations: Gig Harbor, Washington; Reno, Nevada; two small cities in northeast Oklahoma; and Bakersfield. When arrested by Claremont PD, Mr. Walz listed his home address as Pacific Coast Clearing House’s corporate office in Gig Harbor. It is unknown whether Mr. Walz ever lived in Gig Harbor —company officials said its employees often have their mail sent there—but an Oklahoma man whose son was friends with Mr. Walz said he believed the suspect may have grown up in Washington state. The Reno connection stems from an ID card obtained by police, Capt, Jenkins said, on which Mr. Walz’s listed address was in that city. Mr. Walz may have also lived for a time in Bakersfield, where several sources in Oklahoma said his mother had lived at one time. In 2004, Mr. Walz was arrested on petit larceny charges in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a city of about 14,500 in northeast Oklahoma. Mr. Walz, 19 at the time, was arrested along with two juveniles for stealing less than $50 worth of merchandise from a local grocery story, Tahlequah Police Chief Steve Farmer said. On his arrest form, Mr. Walz listed his home address as one in Stilwell, Oklahoma, another small city in northeast Oklahoma with a population of only about 3300. Mr. Walz reportedly lived in Stilwell for about 2-3 years, according to several people in the city contacted by telephone who knew him. According to those who knew him said his mother had remarried and settled temporarily in Stilwell. Detective Chad Smith of the Stilwell Police Department remembers Mr. Walz well—because he once arrested him. While still a juvenile, Mr. Walz was arrested on burglary charges after he attempted to break in to a local school to steal yard-work equipment, Detective Smith said. It was the only time he was in trouble with local law enforcement in that city. Stilwell, Detective Smith said, is “a small home-town town,” with the nearest big city—Tulsa, Oklahoma—90 miles away. Mr. Walz, during his time in Stilwell, mostly kept to himself, Detective Smith recalled. His mother worked at the Schwan’s Bakery factory in the city—nearly everyone in town is employed at a factory—and Mr. Walz may have worked there as well. When told that Mr. Walz was now in custody in Los Angles County, being charged with 4 rape-related felony counts, Detective Smith said the young man he remembered was not capable of raping someone. “I don’t think so,” he said, “but nothing surprises me as long as I’ve been doing this. … “He just seemed like a quiet, alone-type person,” he said. “I didn’t see him hanging around a whole lot of people. When I did it was usually only the Blackman kids. They were really the only people who I saw him hang around.” The “Blackman kid”—17-year-old Jacob Blackman—was one of Mr. Walz’s closest friends during his years in Stilwell, his father, Jimmy Blackman said. Kim Curtis, one of Mr. Blackman’s roommates, remembered Mr. Walz as “a lot of trouble.” “He was a real strange kid,” Mr. Blackman said. “He was real quiet, kind of like your nerdy type. We did let him stay with us, but I think he only stayed about 3 days, and then he split again. … I know he used to sneak out of his house and stuff.” Mr. Walz left Stilwell two or 3 years ago—those in the city can’t recall the exact date—and some time after he became employed as a door-to-door magazine salesman. Claremont investigation leads to quick arrest When police investigators determined conclusively that the rape suspect was a door-to-door magazine salesman, they assumed he had visited other homes that night, and planned their investigation accordingly. On Sunday, with the help of about 13 police volunteers and members of the city’s Community Emergency Response Team, police distributed 1200 crime bulletins to the neighborhoods surrounding the home where the crime took place. The bulletin, which included the rough location of Mr. Walz’s canvassing that day and his physical description, yielded several responses from residents who had been visited by the salesman. Several residents had purchased magazines from Mr. Walz and other salesmen from his company, and the order receipts listed that company’s name, which police have withheld from the public. Investigators contacted the company, which police said was cooperative during the entire investigation, and determined that the salesmen who had canvassed Claremont on Saturday were staying in a motel in Norwalk. On Monday night, the company took all of the salesman—about 12 total—to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Norwalk station, where 3 Claremont investigators and the victim went to investigate the crime, and hopefully identify the suspect. When Claremont PD and the victim pulled into the station’s parking lot, the victim stayed in a car as the salesmen lined up in front her. They were illuminated by a spotlight—which also prevented the salesmen from viewing the victim—and the victim pointed out Mr. Walz as the rapist. Two Claremont investigators took Mr. Walz into the Norwalk station for questioning, and though the interrogation that took place there was not discussed by police for fear of tainting a potential jury pool, officers eventually made an arrest at about 10:30 that night. Pacific Coast Clearing House, and solicitor regulations in Claremont Pacific Coast Clearing House, the company that employed Mr. Walz through an intermediary sales organization, is one of several umbrella organizations in the country that manages door-to-door magazine sales operations. The name of the smaller group—or sales organization—that Mr. Walz worked for has not been revealed by police or the parent company, but all sales organizations under Pacific Coast Clearing House have a similar function. “There’s an umbrella company that has all these independent groups that contract with them, and they work under the name of the umbrella group,” Capt. Jenkins said. The umbrella group itself, he said, would likely not have direct control over the hiring practices of the company that it contracts to work with. It would also not likely be privy to information regarding those companies’ employees’ criminal records, such as Mr. Walz’s theft charge in Oklahoma. “I don’t think it’s an issue with that particular company,” he said. Ken Fryk, Pacific Coast Clearing House’s chief operating officer, said his Gig Harbor, Washington-based company did not employ people who walk door-to-door, and instead focuses on data entry, refund issuances, and working directly with the magazine publishers. “I’m in charge of processing the magazine subscriptions,” he said. “Each sales organization is contractually obligated to follow the laws and abide by ethical business practices.” He was unwilling to name the sales organization that hired Mr. Walz, and was unsure when the alleged rapist was hired. “We’re in the process of trying to do our own investigation, and we cooperated with the police, and so did the sales organization,” he said. “That’s how, from what I understand, this arrest was made.” Asked if the company requires its sales organizations to practice any specific hiring standards, Mr. Fryk replied: “I’m going to have to end our conversation now.” In Claremont, door-to-door solicitors are required to obtain a permit from city hall before canvassing the city, City Clerk Lynne Pahner said. A search of the city’s licenses yielded no permit under Mr. Walz’s name, or that of Pacific Coast Clearing House, Ms. Pahner said, but it is unclear whether Mr. Walz’s sales organization had obtained a permit. In order to legally solicit door-to-door in Claremont, the company must acquire a permit, Ms. Pahner said, so if Mr. Walz’s sales organization had proper permission he would have been legally permitted to canvass the city. Local television descends on Claremont After news of the rape in Claremont broke, and the subsequent arrest was made, Los Angeles-based television news stations were on the story throughout the day Tuesday. At about 3 p.m. that afternoon, there were two ABC-7 trucks and a van from CBS 2 on Wheaton Avenue. As TV reporters filmed standups with the street’s tree-lined view in the background, residents walked their dogs and tried to go on with their daily routines. But because of the prominent news coverage—it was CBS 2’s top story on its 2 p.m. broadcast—everyone in the neighborhood had already learned of the rape, and had already learned that Mr. Walz had been arrested. “Well, it’s frightening,” said Marilou Doepke, who lives on the 1900 block of Wheaton Avenue, just down the street from where the crime took place. “This has been a nice neighborhood, a family neighborhood, and it’s really unsettling.” Ms. Doepke had not been visited by the rapist on Saturday, and did not know the victim or her family. But she was apprehensive about opening her door when a reporter came by because, she said, the rape was fresh in her mind. Ellen Crawford, whose husband spoke to Mr. Walz when he visited her home, said she was friends with the victim’s family. “I’m sure, just like all of us, they’re relieved,” she said. “It’s nice to have closure to it. … “We’ve lived here for 12-13 years, and we’re a tight little street here. It’s like it’s happening to your own family when it happens to a neighbor.” Later that evening, Claremont Police Lt. Paul Davenport chuckled as he sat in his watch commander’s office, as another resident call came through about a solicitor. The comprehensive television coverage of the event, along with online and print accounts of the crime, had seemingly reached everyone in Claremont. “It’s a bad time to be a solicitor in Claremont,” he said. “You won’t get far without police being called.” At about 6 p.m. Tuesday, 3 vans from NBC 4 were parked in front of the police department on Bonita Avenue. A female reporter positioned herself, with a spotlight trained directly to her face, with the Claremont Police Department sign within the frame. As a cameraman and producer looked on, she relayed her standup. “Residents say it’s unusual for a crime like this to happen in Claremont, especially one this brutal. …” —Will Bigham Claremont Courier claremont-courier.com Claremont, California Read This Story |
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Port St. Lucie, Florida Woman!!! December 8, 2006 Police: How to stay safe during the holiday season Posted: 2006 Dec 08 - 01:31 By Kim Cotton Staff writer Hometown News Staff writer Hometown News myhometownnews.net Port St. Lucie, Florida Read This Story |
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Missing Traveling Magazine Sales Agent!!! December 7, 2006 19-Year-Old Missing for Three Weeks Posted By: Jessica Sahene Fox 16, Little Rock, Arkansas Last Update: 12/7/2006 8:56:40 AM Fox 16, Little Rock, Arkansas fox16.com Read This Story |
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Four Magazine Salesmen Arrested For Harboring A Missing 17-year-old Colorado Girl!!! December 7, 2006 Man's suspicions lead to missing teen By Howard Mintz Mercury News Posted on Thu, Dec. 07, 2006 Mercury News mercurynews.com California Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Charged With Kidnapping With Intent To Commit Sodomy And Attempted Sodomy With A Person Under 16 Years Old !!! December 6, 2006 Man Accused Of Dragging Teen Into Bushes Pleads Not Guilty KGTV 10News.com POSTED: 6:30 am PST December 6, 2006 UPDATED: 3:01 pm PST December 6, 2006 10News.com Vista, California Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Warning !!! December 1, 2006 Official: Don’t buy salesman’s claim of raising money for UTPB ODESSA AMERICAN ODESSA AMERICAN oaoa.com Odessa, Texas Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Warning !!! December 1, 2006 Police: Beware of strangers soliciting door-to-door Friday, December 01, 2006 palmbeachdailynews.com Palm Beach, Florida Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Charged With Statutory Rape !!! November 30, 2006 Peddler sought in sex case Police say man, 21, was selling magazines when he targeted girl, 14 BY ALEX FRIEDRICH Pioneer Press Posted on Thu, Nov. 30, 2006 Authorities don't know where 21-year-old Quario Deeric Dozier lives or how to find him, though they say his last known address was in East Point, Ga. They say he sweet-talked a teen and her friend over several days last spring as he went door to door selling subscriptions. How much of a danger he presents is unclear, said Forest Lake Police Chief Clark Quiring. "I have no idea whether it's a crime of opportunity," he said, or whether he got into door-to-door sales to have access to women "who are vulnerable." According to a Washington County criminal complaint filed against him, Dozier came to the girl's door May 15 and struck up a conversation with the student, who went to Century Junior High School at the time. During the chat, he told her he was "trying to start a new life," the complaint states. The girl did not allow him into the house. A friend apparently gave Dozier the girl's number. He began "bugging" her with calls, the girl told police, yet they continued to talk on the phone - sometimes for as long as two hours. Meanwhile, Dozier had his own problems. Police stopped him May 16 and warned him to stop going door to door without a license, Quiring said. At the time, he told an officer he sold magazine subscriptions for Urban Development Solutions out of Grosse Pointe, Mich. But a woman who identified herself as the office manager there said no one by that name had worked for the organization in the past year. On May 16 or 17, as the teen and her friend were preparing to go to a wake, Dozier returned to her house, and she finally allowed him in, the complaint states. After he repeatedly urged her to have sex, she told investigators, she finally gave in after her friend left the house. They had sex in the basement bathroom near her room, the complaint states, and then proceeded to watch television. Soon the girl's grandmother came to the residence and asked Dozier who he was. He said his name was "Ryan," that he was 17 years old and recently had graduated from Forest Lake High School, the complaint states. The woman told investigators Dozier looked older than 17 and that she asked him why he was "sniffing around" a 14-year-old. She made him leave. Dozier returned to the teen's home about 1 a.m. May 19 after taking a cab from New Hope. But he failed to pay the cabdriver the fare - the amount wasn't stated - and police arrested Dozier after the cabbie flagged down a patrol car to complain, Quiring said. He was released later that day. The teen went to the police May 22, Quiring said. Dozier faces a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Quiring said police have heard about no other such incidents in Forest Lake. Alex Friedrich can be reached at afriedrich@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2109. Pioneer Press twincities.com Forest Lake, Minnesota Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Alert !!! November 30, 2006 Suspect Behavior Death threat of a salesman By Sarah Kelley Nashville Scene Nashville Scene nashvillescene.com Nashville, Tennessee Read This Story |
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St. Paul, Minnesota Magazine Salesman Charged With Statutory Rape of 14-year-old Girl !!! November 30, 2006 Peddler sought in sex case Police say man, 21, was selling magazines when he targeted girl, 14 BY ALEX FRIEDRICH Pioneer Press Posted on Thu, Nov. 30 Alex Friedrich can be reached at afriedrich@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2109. Pioneer Press twincities.com St. Paul, Minnesota Read This Story |
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Rape!!! November 27, 2006 Salesman allegedly assaulted PSL woman By staff report TCpalm Local news November 27, 2006 TCpalm Local news tcpalm.com Port St. Lucie, Florida Read This Story |
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Van Crash!!! November 20, 2006 At Least 10 Injured In Van Crash POSTED: 12:45 am CST November 19, 2006 UPDATED: 12:57 pm CST November 20, 2006 KOCO 5 Oklahoma City koco.com View The KOCO Video On This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! November 14, 2006 West Seattle News westseattleherald.com Seattle, WA Read This Story |
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Door-to-door salesman convicted in rape of teen By Ray Huard UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER November 2, 2006 San Diego, CA Ray Huard: (619) 542-4597; ray.huard@uniontrib.com UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER November 2, 2006 signonsandiego.com San Diego, CA Read This Story |
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May 21, 2006 DMPG research into the above cleaner sales company based on court documents and police reports indicates that the Archie Lee Thomas was working for T&B Sales: T&B Sales Manager: Timothy Burgess 8405 Avalon Drive Riverdale, GA 30274 Phone (800)323-6444 T&B Sales distributes Advanage Wonder Cleaner for: Austin Diversified Products 16615 S. Halsted Street Harvey, IL 60426 (708) 333-7644 FAX: (708) 333-4775 cs1@advanage.com Owner: Nathan T. Edwards Austin Diversified Products Website:advanage.com Austin Diversified Products is a member of the National Field Selling Association: 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175 National Field Selling Association Website:nfsa.com View other crimes: Profiles By Name And Company Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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No Knock!!! November 1, 2006 Public hearing scheduled on solicitation ordinance Political candidates would be required to obtain 'no knock' list BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer News Transcript November 1, 2006 FREEHOLD - People who plan to go door to door for any purpose in the borough may be required to know which doors they are not permitted to knock on. The Borough Council is expected to conduct a public hearing at its meeting on Nov. 6 on an ordinance that will, if adopted, require everyone who wants to go door to door for any purpose to obtain a copy of the town's "no knock" list before embarking on their work. The "no knock" list will be developed by the borough if the amendment to the solicitor and canvasser ordinance, which was introduced on Oct. 2, is adopted. The local "no knock" list would be similar to the federal "no call" list people may sign up for to prevent unwanted telephone solicitation. Officials believe this ordinance will provide some measure of comfort by implementing a do not disturb policy for residents who do not wish to be bothered by anyone. In the month since its introduction, the section of the ordinance that addresses political canvassing has drawn some attention. As written, the ordinance would require any political candidate or representative to obtain the "no knock" list, pay a $10 administrative fee and obtain a permit from the borough before going door to door. A previous story in the News Transcript prompted a letter to the editor from Tinton Falls Councilman Michael Skudera, who said he believes the ordinance would violate an individual's constitutional right to free speech. "Free speech is a right, not a privilege in this great country," Skudera wrote. "Passing a law that requires people to inform their government in advance that they plan on sharing religious or political views with other residents is a threat to democracy. You should not have to ask permission to exercise your first amendment rights." When asked why a permit is necessary for political or charitable canvassers, Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said, "It was really just a safety concern. Maybe the term is register rather than permit. But we want to know who is out there canvassing, so that if a resident calls and says so and so just knocked at my door, we can verify that they are who they say they are and that we have their information. And, if the police see someone going door-to-door, they can easily call the clerk and find out who registered to canvas." The ordinance defines a commercial solicitor, canvasser, peddler or hawker as one "traveling by foot, automobile or any other type of conveyance from place to place, to distribute circulars for business or commercial purposes." Other approaches include selling real property, taking orders for the sale of goods or personal property or for services. Any person talking a poll or a survey from house to house or on the streets, or distributing advertisements or handbills is also included and must obtain the "no knock" list. The section that addresses charitable and political canvassers defines them as "anyone going from house to house to interview, interact, or inform another person or persons in an attempt to convince him or her to embrace or support or vote for a proposition, person, candidate, philosophy, idea, concept or organization." The ordinance calls for anyone who wants to solicit for a commercial purpose to apply for a commercial solicitor's license at a cost of $100. Politicians and representatives of charitable organizations need not apply for a license, but would have to pay a $10 administrative fee, according to the ordinance. In addition to the license for solicitors or the permit for political and charitable canvassers, anyone knocking on doors for those purposes will also need a photo identification badge. The soliciting or canvassing can only take place between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Freehold Township officials adopted a similar solicitation ordinance but they handled the section that dealt with political canvassing a bit differently. According to Township Administrator Tom Antus, there were some concerns about political canvassing which were discussed at length by Township Committee members. "We realized that we could not restrict everyone from knocking on doors," Antus said, citing fire department members, first aid squad members and the delivery of goods to a home as just a few examples. The Freehold Township ordinance does not require that politicians obtain a permit to go door-to-door, informing the public about their ideas and goals. Politicians are, however, required to obtain a copy of the township's "no knock" list which provides all the addresses of those people who do not wish to have solicitors and canvassers knocking on their doors. "We are not prohibiting politicians from going door-to-door," Antus said. "I believe it is an inherent right of political candidates to go door-to-door, but I also feel that it is equally important to respect the wishes of individual homeowners who do not want the candidates knocking on their doors." Antus said that in addition to the "no knock" list provided to politicians and solicitors by the township clerk, a small sticker is also provided for a resident to affix to his front door, reinforcing that he does not welcome solicitors or canvassers. Both towns call for the municipal clerk to prepare a list of addresses of those premises where the owner and/or occupant has notified the clerk that canvassing and soliciting are not permitted. The clerks must provide the non-solicitation list to all applicants who are seeking a license or a permit for commercial, charitable, political or philanthropic solicitation. Staff Writer News Transcript newstranscript.gmnews.com Freehold, New Jersey Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 23, 2006 Police log Man asks to be arrested, fired The Daily News Transcript Monday, October 23, 2006 Magazine seller nabbed on bylaw charge WALPOLE -- Police picked up a Mississippi man on a bylaw violation Thursday evening. Douglas Glenn Jarrell Jr., 24, of 21299 Houston Ladner Road, Gulfport, Miss., was arrested at 7:44 p.m. at 755 North St. on charges of disturbing the peace and violating a municipal bylaw. Police arrested the man after getting a complaint of someone selling magazines door-to-door. dailynewstranscript.com Massachusetts Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 23, 2006 Police issue advisory on door-to-door sales BY MATTHEW KEMENY STAFF WRITER The Scranton Times-Tribune 10/23/2006 Contact the writer: mkemeny@timesshamrock.com STAFF WRITER www.thetimes-tribune.com Scranton, Pennsylvania Read This Story |
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Obnoxious Magazine Salesman by Carlene R. written to unknown Posted Wed October 18, 2006 9:49 am planetfeedback planetfeedback.com Read More Stories About Magazine Salesman |
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Residents may have chance to deny home solicitation BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer October 18, 2006 FREEHOLD - Most people are aware of a "no call" list implemented by the federal government to help people avoid unwanted telephone solicitations. Now there is a proposal for a "no knock" list in Freehold Borough. An amendment to the borough's solicitor and canvasser ordinance was unanimously introduced at the Borough Council's Oct. 2 meeting to bring it into compliance with a recent court ruling involving a similar law in another municipality. It further provides for a non-solicitation list by which no soliciting or canvassing may take place at any home that is on the list. A public hearing for the ordinance and a vote on its adoption is scheduled for the council's Nov. 6 meeting. Councilman Marc Le Vine said he started thinking about a "no knock" list after a resident told the council that people in her neighborhood were being bothered by solicitors. Sheryl Mott, of First Street, had informed the council that her neighbors were being harassed by people who were trying to buy their homes for cash. Le Vine said, "I realized the whole issue of solicitation could be addressed by bringing in an ordinance that other municipalities had already passed. This is another tool against slumlord blockbusters in our neighborhoods. "Our no-knock ordinance nicely complements the government's no-call list, which bars telemarketers from annoying people during their family time. We have no problem with people coming into our town and knocking on our doors as long as residents want that. "Those that do not can now place themselves on a list and solicitors will pass them by. Often, we don't know who many of these people really are or what they're selling or, in the case of slumlord blockbusters, sometimes even pressuring to buy. Some people worry about what their intentions are," Le Vine explained. A commercial solicitor, canvasser, peddler or hawker is defined in the ordinance as one "traveling by foot, automobile or any other type of conveyance from place to place, house to house, or street to street, to distribute circulars for business or commercial purposes." Other approaches include selling real property, taking orders for the sale of goods or personal property, or for services. Any person taking a poll or a survey from house to house or on the streets, or distributing advertisements or handbills is also included. A section also addresses charitable and political canvassing. "Anyone going from house to house to interview, interact or inform another person or persons in an attempt to convince him or her to embrace or support or vote for a proposition, person, candidate, philosophy, idea, concept or organization" is also included in the ordinance. The amendment will require anyone who wants to canvass or solicit in the borough to first obtain a license, unless they have already obtained a charitable solicitor or canvasser's permit. Persons engaged in political, charitable or philanthropic canvassing will need to first obtain a permit. Every applicant for a license must pay $100 to the Borough Clerk. Those who are applying for permits will not be required to pay the $100 license fee, but will need to pay a one-time processing fee of $10 for administrative costs. In addition to obtaining a license or a permit, every applicant will be required to wear a photo identification badge which will identify the person as a licensed commercial solicitor. All canvassing or soliciting must take place between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The Borough Clerk will prepare a list of addresses of those premises where the owner and/or occupant has notified the clerk that canvassing and soliciting is not permitted on the premises. The clerk must provide the non-solicitation list to all applicants who are seeking a license or permit for commercial, charitable, political or philanthropic solicitation. Anyone found to be violating the law will have his license or permit revoked and if convicted, will be subject to a penalty not to exceed $1,250 or imprisonment for 90 days. Staff Writer News Transcript newstranscript.gmnews.com Farmingdale, New Jersey Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 14, 2006 Police report Three accused of subscription scam Posted on Sat, Oct. 14, 2006 Centre Daily Times centredaily.com Pennsylvania Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 13, 2006 Three Arrested for Solicitation Violation 10/13/2006 5:14 pm Penn State College statecollege.com Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 5, 2006 Police charge man in assault of girl Another man sought for unrelated Columbia attack COLUMBIA FLIER 10/05/06 By MIKe Santa Rita Woman grabbed, assaulted The Columbia incident occurred when a 23-year-old woman was grabbed from behind and fondled on the bike path near the 6300 block of Tamar Drive in Long Reach at 2:50 p.m., Sept. 26, police said. A bicyclist interrupted the incident, police said. The man police are seeking is described as an Asian male in his late 20s or early 30s, about 5-foot-9, weighing 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was clean-shaven, and wearing glasses with thick black rims and a red short-sleeved polo shirt at the time of the incident. Police are offering a $1,000 reward for information the Columbia incident. E-mail Mike Santa Rita at Mike Santa Rita@patuxent.com By MIKe Santa Rita news.mywebpal.com/index.cfm?pnpid=658 Read This Story |
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October 14, 2006 Traveling Magazine Salesman Sexual Assault of a 12-year-old girl October 2, 2006 Police reports (0696118) indicate that David Fernando Garcia works for Chapel Sales, Inc. out of New Jersey. Howard County Police Department Case Number: 0696118 News Release Howard Count Department of Police Office of Public Affairs Police Arrest Suspect in Sexual Assault on Child Read Howard County Police Press Release Chapel Sales Inc. 595 Haddon Avenue Collingswood, NJ 08108 (856) 858-7245 FAX: (856) 858-9709 info@chapelsales.com Tracy Lynch Ken Squires Website: Chapel Sales
Search: "David Fernando Garcia" Search: "Chapel Sales" Search: "Chapel Sales" + magazine As of August 28, 2006 Chapel Sales, Inc. is an active member of the National Field Selling Association (Website: NFSA) National Field Selling Association 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175
Search: "National Field Selling Association" Search: "NFSA" Search: "traveling magazine salesman" Search: "magazine sales crew" Search: "traveling sales crew" Search: "selling magazines door to door" Search: "magazine sales crew" + crime Search: "door to door sale" + crime Search: "sexual assault" + magazine sale Search: "rape" + magazine sale" Search: "rape" + door to door sale" Search: "rape" + traveling sale" Search: "sexual assault" + traveling sale" Search: "traveling magazine saleman" + murder |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! October 4, 2006 Police Make Arrest In Assault Of 12-Year-Old Girl Oct 4, 2006 10:31 am US/Eastern CBS 13 WJZ-TV wjz.com Baltimore, Maryland Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 27, 2006 4 magazine salesmen accept plea agreements Wednesday, September 27, 2006 nycrimewatch.blogspot.com nycrimewatch.blogspot.com Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 27, 2006 Crime Where You Live: Door to Door Salesmen Fox16 Posted on 9/27/2006 9:00:48 PM by Sandra Kirk by Sandra Kirk fox16.com Little Rock, Arkansas Read This Story |
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Magazine sales job guarantee disputed By Heidi Cenac Independent-Mail September 26, 2006 Heidi Cenac can be reached at (800) 859-6397 ext. 248 or by e-mail at cenache@IndependentMail.com. Independent-Mail independentmail.com South Carolina Read This Story |
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October 21, 2006 DMPG research into the above magazine sales company: Force One Recruiting Agency, Inc. Website: forceoneteam.com Force One Clearing House: Interstate Subscription Services Interstate Subscription Services Website: intersubserv.com Interstate Subscription Service: aka Interstate Subscription Services aka Youth Incentive Promotions aka Youth Incentive Promotions of America aka Avalanche aka The Force aka Furman aka Future aka Pure Platinum aka The Raiders aka The Scorpions aka TCB Sales Force One Recruiting Agency, Inc. 108 W. Ryder - Litchfield, IL 62049 Phone: 1-800-701-1442 info@forceoneteam.com Search Illinois Secretary of State For Force One Recruiting Agency, Inc. Illinois Secretary of State Google Search
Search: "Force One Recruiting Agency" Search: "Interstate Subscription Service" As of August 28, 2006 , Interstate Subscription Service is an active member of the National Field Selling Association (Website: NFSA) National Field Selling Association 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175
Search: "National Field Selling Association" Search: "NFSA" |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 21, 2006 Man charged with peddling Around the region [published on Thu, Sep 21, 2006] Northwest Herald Regan Foster Regan Foster nwherald.com Crystal Lake, IL Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 21, 2006 Police want you to call if you see something suspicious Thursday, September 21, 2006 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette North Neighborhoods (Len Barcousky can be reached at lbarcousky@post-gazette.com or 724-772-0184.) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette post-gazette.com Pittsburgh, Pa. Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 20, 2006 A summary of recent criminal activity in Boardman: vindy.com Published: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 Arrest: After being called to Applewood and Oakridge drives to investigate someone soliciting magazines without a permit, officers arrested a 21-year-old Columbus, Ind., woman after finding out she was wanted on a warrant from Shelby County, Ind. The charge was probation violation. Youngstown, OH Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT!!! September 14, 2006 Crime And Punishment A Roundup Of The Police Reports From Around The Region September 14, 2006 Get Ye a Permit Hartford Advocate www.ctnow.com Hartford, Connecticut Read This Story |
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September 10, 2006 Police: Man Put Kids At Risk Selling Door-To-Door POSTED: 1:47 pm MDT September 10, 2006 UPDATED: 2:09 pm MDT September 10, 2006 The Denver Channel Denver, Colorado Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Rape Case September 2, 2006 Solicitor may face 27 years for rape SOLICITOR ADMITS ATTACKING 74-YEAR-OLD By Scott Herhold Mercury News Posted on Sat, Sep. 02, 2006 The Mercury News mercurynews.com San Jose, California Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Rape Case September 1, 2006 Magazine salesman sentenced in rape of 74-year-old By Scott Herhold Mercury News Posted on Fri, Sep. 01, 2006 The Mercury News mercurynews.com San Jose, California Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! September 1, 2006 Seaside Park cops charge Mo. man in door-to-door scam Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 09/1/06 BY JEAN MIKLE STAFF WRITER The Asbury Park Press STAFF WRITER The Asbury Park Press 3601 Highway 66, PO Box 1550, Neptune, NJ 07754 732.922.6000 app.com Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 31, 2006 Woman thwarts a bogus charity magazine salesman by closing door Anchorage Daily News Published: August 31, 2006 Last Modified: August 31, 2006 at 04:36 AM -- Anchorage Daily News adn.com Anchorage,Alaska Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 30, 2006 Action Line: Door-to-door salespeople can too often be hucksters By Dennis Rockstroh The Mercury News San Jose, California Posted on Wed, Aug. 30, 2006 Q In regard to your Q&A on door-to-door solicitors (Action Line, Aug. 18), let me tell you about a solicitation that I was victim to. A few years ago a young man came to my home selling magazines. He told me that his parents live down the street; he even gave me a last name and street. He told me that he plays soccer for UC-Berkeley as a goalie and was raising money to go to a tournament in France. Since my stepson played soccer, I had a soft spot for him and gave it a listen. He showed me his ID card for the company he was selling magazines for and it all seemed legit. I bought four magazine subscriptions from him and even referred him to a fellow neighbor. After he left, I decided to go online and look up his stats at UC-Berkeley. I couldn't find him anywhere. Later I found he had changed my order. I ordered four magazine subscriptions, but the kid changed it to six. Since this event, my husband and I have been approached three different times with the same type of story. One time the kid even got belligerent with my husband. There may be some legitimate sellers out there, but I will never buy from them again. You'd be better off ordering through Publishers Clearing House and maybe have a chance to win millions! LOL. C.C. San Jose A Thanks, C.C. Everyone, take note. Q Last year I convinced one of those kids to come inside, have a soda, and tell me all about the ``Disneyland vacation'' he was trying to earn by selling magazines. He disclosed that the ``vacation'' (or college or whatever) story was indeed a lie fabricated as a sales tactic by his company. He was just a traveling salesman, but working under unusual conditions. The company, he said, picks up teenagers from the streets (this young man had been in foster care and then homeless), puts them up in motels, and gives them a few bucks every week for food. Their ``commission'' is put away into a ``savings account'' that the kids never see. He described himself as caught between a rock and a hard place: On the one hand, he knew he would never see his ``commission,'' but on the other, he had a roof over his head at night (or at least most nights). J.R. Berkeley A Thanks for the enlightening details, Judith. Q I would like to suggest that you NEVER open your door to solicitors. Simply say, ``No thank you'' through your closed door. If you are truly interested in the product being sold, you can buy it somewhere else through a guaranteed safe and legitimate location. Opening your front door exposes you to many risks; keeping your door closed keeps you safer. S.S.B. San Jose A You get the last word, Susan. Here is how to reach Action Line: • Mail: San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190 • E-mail: actionline@mercurynews.com (most efficient). • www.mercurynews.com. Click Columnists, then Action Line. • Phone recording: (888) 688-6400. • Fax: (408) 288-8060. Please include full name, address and daytime phone number. Because of the volume of requests, I cannot respond to everyone. For tips, self-help, news and discussion, see the Consumer Action Line Weblog ( http://blogs.mercurynews.com). The Mercury News mercurynews.com San Jose, California Read This Story |
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Magazine Salesman Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison !!! August 29, 2006 Prison Sentence for Door-to-Door Salesman The court sends a door-to-door salesman behind bars. News 18 ABC TV Updated: August 29, 2006, 11:19 pm Eau Claire, WI wqow.com Eau Claire, WI Read This Story |
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Palmetto Marketing Vincent Pitts and Palmetto Marketing Vincent Pitts and Magazine Vincent Pitts and NFSA For additional information on the door to door magazine sales trade group: National Field Selling Association For additional information on the magazine publishers who supply the magazine sales crews, companies and clearinghouses: Magazine Publishers of America "sexual assault" and "selling magazine" "sexual assault" and "palmetto marketing" "palmetto marketing" and "rif off" "national field selling association" and "magazine publishers of america" |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 22, 2006 Sex Offender Escapes Courthouse Burlington, Vt -- August 22, 2006 3 WCAX-TC NEWS wcax.com Burlington, Vermont Read This Story |
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August 24, 2006 DMPG research into the above magazine sales company: Police reports indicate that David Banda works for Buckeye Sales, Inc. Buckeye Sales is a magazine sales crew owned and operated by: Points Across America and George Frederick Senner IV Magazine Company Name Change: Formerly: Entrepreneurs Across America Website: Entrepreneurs Across America Points Across America Entrepreneurs Across America, Inc. Phone: (940) 565-1000 Fax: 214-975-1269 401 S. Locust St. Ste. 104 Denton, TX 76201 Owner: George Frederick Senner IV Sales Crews: Threedom Sales, Inc. - 333 PMA, Inc. - 037 Buckeye Sales, Inc. - 528 Schaefer Sales - 247 Titan Sales, Inc. - 046 Kenmore Sales - 057 Attitude Sales - 501 Power Plus Sales - 011 Tomohawk Sales - 094 Production Sales - 143 |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 18, 2006 Action Line: Door-to-door solicitors must have contact phone By Dennis Rockstroh The Mercury News San Jose, California Posted on Fri, Aug. 18, 2006 Check out Dennis Rockstroh's Consumer Action Line blog Q People often come around attempting to sell newspaper or magazine subscriptions. Generally, they are teenagers who claim that they are in some sort of school-related program to help them raise money for college. Once, just to be nice, I took a subscription to the S.F. Chronicle to help a kid with this program. When I called at the end of the initial subscription period to cancel and explained that I had only subscribed to help the kid out, I was informed by the person working for the paper that they weren't really in any sort of a program, they just worked on a straight commission. The next time someone came around doing the same thing, I told him what the person at the newspaper had told me and this guy insisted it was a real program and offered to have the guy in charge call me. I declined. Is there really any sort of program of this nature or is it just a sales tactic? If this is really a scam, I'm sure it would be very helpful to many other people to know about it. Also, the guy had requested to come into my apartment and sit down at the table to write out the subscription form. I didn't let him, but I think it would be wise for you to remind people that many of these door-to-door solicitors can be dangerous. A.F. San Jose A This seems to be a seasonal thing. And this is the season, A.F. You need to be careful with door-to-door solicitors. If you don't say ``no'' right away, then ask to see a card or brochure. California law requires that solicitors have something that shows the name and contact numbers for the organization they represent. If they can't produce that information, thank them politely and close the door. If you are interested in buying, get everything in writing first and ask the sales person to check back later after you've gone over everything. Q My company has mandatory automatic paycheck deposit. They are supposed to provide me with a pay stub informing me of how much was deposited, how much of the earnings went to taxes, medical insurance, etc. But the company is often lax in providing those pay stubs. I have gone for several months without receiving one. I have asked human resources but get the runaround. Is there some law concerning the employer's obligation for pay stubs? S.H. San Jose A Yes, S.H. Section 226 of the California Labor Code requires that an employer provide employees with a pay stub at least twice a month. If this is not corrected, you might want to contact one of your local state legislators for help contacting the Department of Industrial Relations. Here is how to reach Action Line: • Mail: San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190 • E-mail: actionline@mercurynews.com (most efficient). • www.mercurynews.com. Click Columnists, then Action Line. • Phone recording: (888) 688-6400. • Fax: (408) 288-8060. Please include full name, address and daytime phone number. Because of the volume of requests, I cannot respond to everyone. For tips, self-help, news and discussion, see the Consumer Action Line Web log (http://blogs.mercurynews.com). The Mercury News mercurynews.com San Jose, California Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 18, 2006 Bismarck woman warns of magazine sales Bismarck Tribune By JENNY MICHAEL 08-18-2006: news-local (Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.) By JENNY MICHAEL bismarcktribune.com Bismarck, North Dakoda Read This Story |
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Mags R Us
AM Press Association On The Web Mags R Us On The Web |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 17, 2006 Questionable Sales Practices Chris Gallegos KFYR-TV News Stories Bismark, North Dakoda 8/17/2006 KFYR-TV News Stories kfyrtv.com Bismarck, North Dakoda Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 11, 2006 Subscription for disaster PART I: Door-to-door magazine sales crews ensnare young, vulnerable By Todd Murphy The Portland Tribune Aug 11, 2006 On a sunny Monday afternoon eight days ago, on a street in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood of Southeast Portland, 25-year-old Brittany Pierce and 20-year-old Sally Slone told the truth — finally — to a stranger. Instead of trying to get him to buy a magazine subscription at a highly inflated cost, they hesitatingly asked for help. And with that, the two young women found a way to break free from a slimy, violent and mostly invisible underworld — an underworld that turns homeless, naive and scared young adults from across the country into what often amounts to 21st-century indentured servants. It was an underworld that had ensnared Pierce for almost five years. “I feel like I’m 40,” Pierce says quietly, as she sits in the shade of a Southeast Portland backyard, taking a drag on a cigarette and talking about the life she’d led for the last half-decade. “Not 25.” What Pierce and Slone revealed on that Monday afternoon first to Mark Freimark, an inquisitive Brentwood-Darlington homeowner, and later to the Portland Tribune, were the twisted and sordid details of life working for a door-to-door magazine subscription sales company called Integrity Program. The company sent dozens of agents door-to-door in Portland all of last week, while basing itself out of a Gresham hotel. After a week of knocking on doors, trying to get people to buy magazine subscriptions, the company and its crew apparently left the area Sunday morning — for Denver, Pierce believes. Industry watchers and various public records suggest that Integrity Program is closely linked to, or possibly part of, a company called Integrity Sales. The owners and managers tied to both companies are infamous in an infamous industry — including one crew manager who’s spent time in a Texas prison for felony theft and another who owned a company that was involved in one of the worst vehicle accidents in Wisconsin history, a 1999 rollover van crash that killed seven magazine sales agents. The rollover happened when an unlicensed driver working for the magazine sales crew tried to switch places with another passenger while traveling 80 mph on an interstate highway. But Pierce and Slone, and two other former magazine sales agents who spoke to the Tribune, suggest that sketchy backgrounds and tragic accidents are only part of the sordidness of the magazine sales industry. To work for Integrity Program, they suggest, was to naively answer a newspaper “help wanted” advertisement promising free travel and easy money and suddenly enter a world of violent and abusive sales crew managers who transport vanloads of young “sales agents” from town to town and state to state. A world of being put up in cheap hotels, where young agents are sometimes physically and sexually assaulted and often emotionally abused, and are forced to work 12 and 14 hours a day, six days a week, for $20 dollars a day or less. And, in essence, the young people, usually age 18 to 25 but occasionally younger, have no choice — or believe they have no choice — but to stay on the job. Because crew managers won’t give them the money — either the money they’ve earned or money they were promised when they hired on — to get a bus ticket back home. Pierce says she asked to quit the job and to leave the Integrity Program — she knew it as Integrity Sales for most of the time she worked for the crew, she says — several times during her five years, and asked for the promised money for a bus ticket home to Illinois. Each time, she says, her crew manager refused. The last time, her crew manager, Jonathan Tork, who has been in the business since at least the 1980s and has the theft conviction in Texas, threw her into a closet in her hotel room and raised his fist to hit her, before leaving the room, Pierce says. He later called her to his room and told her to get back to work. As it turns out, Pierce’s and Slone’s details about working for Integrity Program are hardly unusual in the door-to-door magazine sales industry, according to people who’ve watched the industry over the years. The industry operates in a strange parallel universe that most of the public doesn’t know or care about, and that law enforcement and other authorities either can’t or won’t do much to regulate. “These people are devils on the face of the Earth,” Phil Ellenbecker, whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in the Wisconsin van crash two days after she joined a magazine sales crew, says of the people who own and run many of the crews. The owner of the sales company that operated the van was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with the accident. The driver was sentenced to seven years. Since his daughter’s death, Ellenbecker has been on a crusade. “My daughter was killed by these people,” says the Verona, Wis., telecommunications engineer. “What I’ve tried to do over the years is focus my anger and my pain and my energy toward stopping these people.” He has established a Web site, www.travelingsalescrews.info, that chronicles and monitors problems with the decades-old industry. And he has lobbied to pass more stringent Wisconsin and federal laws to govern it. “What can be worse than a human being exploiting a kid?” asks Ellenbecker, who says his daughter joined the crew because she wanted to see the ocean. “As far as I’m concerned, they are all very evil. The kinds of things they do to these kids … it’s beyond horrific. It’s criminal. It’s evil.” The man most directly involved with Integrity Program — Tork — isn’t talking. Last Wednesday morning, the Portland Tribune went to the Gresham hotel to talk to him, about Pierce’s and Slone’s charges and about his company. A message was left with a company official at the hotel, but Tork did not respond to it. He also did not return messages left on his cell phone. Meanwhile, Dan Smith, general counsel for the National Field Selling Association, the trade group that represents door-to-door sales crews, says he believes most criticism of the companies and the industry are secondhand rumor or just wrong. “To be horribly frank, I think a lot of the comments made by Phil (and other critics) are in some respects exaggerated and based on things that may have happened many years ago,” Smith says. • • • Better Business Bureaus across the country have received thousands of complaints against magazines sales companies, most often from people who never received their subscriptions. But for anyone who thinks the industry is mostly about scamming people out of $40 for a subscription to Rolling Stone — industry watchers point out some numbers. • In the last three decades, at least 32 young door-to-door sales agents — almost all of them working for magazine sales crews — have died in vehicle accidents, often in mutliple-victim incidents. At least 13 of the deaths were considered vehicular homicide because of sleepy, drunken, reckless or unlicensed drivers or poorly maintained vehicles. Most of the deaths have happened in the last 15 years. Seven years before the Wisconsin accident, an eerily similar one occurred: A driver of a magazine sales van with no license and little driving experience rolled into a freeway median in May 1992 near Des Moines, Iowa. The van rollover ejected nine people onto the freeway. Five sales agents were killed, and six were injured. More recently, in September 2002, a sales van jammed with 15 people — it had seats for eight and seatbelts for six — rolled over on a desolate highway in New Mexico. The rollover killed two teenage girls. The investigating police officer says in a report that “all four tires (on the van) … were lacking tread (bald) and had dry rot on the sidewalls.” He estimated the van was traveling 80 mph in a 55 mph zone. Earlene Williams, whose Manhattan, N.Y.-based Parent Watch group has been monitoring the industry for 23 years — ever since her son was briefly in a crew — says the accidents often happen during “jumps.” That’s the industry term for when the sales crews move from one community, or one state, to another. Many of the accidents happen because of reckless drivers or dangerous vehicles. “There’s a lot of drinking and drugs in a number of crews. And if they go on long jumps, they’re going to change drivers,” she says. “Sometimes they fall asleep at the wheel.” Then there’s the magazine sales agents themselves, who also can pose a danger to others. • Ellenbecker’s research has found more than 275 felony charges against door-to-door traveling sales crew members over the last few decades. He suspects the actual number of felonies is much higher. Included in that number are dozens of sexual assaults against women who answer their doors to the sales agents, and at least a half-dozen murders. One of the more recent assaults happened in Portland. Last October, a man who represented himself as a magazine sales agent and who was going door-to-door in Sellwood, physically and sexually assaulted a woman after knocking on the victim’s door and forcing his way inside. Police say the man, age 21 to 25, was cleanshaven and wore a dark suit with a pink-striped tie. No one has been apprehended in the crime. The problem is caused, Ellenbecker says, because the magazine sales companies do minimal or no background checks of their prospective sales agents before they hire them. “So you’ve got convicted rapists and sex offenders” who are hired as agents, he says. “They don’t care. They don’t care who it is,” Ellenbecker says of the magazine sales companies. “They need the body to sell the magazine, to make the subscription sale. If they do background checks — and they say they do — they’ll look the other way” if a criminal record turns up. Smith of the National Field Selling Association says the association does recommend to its members that background checks be done on prospective employees, and believes that, as opposed to a few years ago, most association members now do them. But it appears unlikely that a background check ever was conducted by Integrity Program for Pierce or Slone. Slone says that Integrity Program wanted her to get on a bus, from the small town in Illinois where she was homeless, the day that she called the toll-free number to ask about a job. As is common in the industry, the company arranged for a paid bus ticket to be waiting at the local bus station for Slone. She was on a bus, headed for the magazine crew’s location in Dallas, the day after she called, Slone says. Meanwhile, the numbers attached to the accidents or the assault cases don’t speak to another, almost entirely unreported, category of violence: The assaults against sales agents by their bosses or by other members of the crew. Jan Margosian, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Justice, who also has monitored the industry for years, says: “There have been indications that kids are murdered. They can’t find them. They’re never found again.” Ellenbecker and Williams say they also often hear directly from sales agents and former sales agents about assaults and rapes of sales agents, by other crew members and often by crew managers. Ellenbecker says he also has photos, delivered to him by a former crew manager who became disenchanted with the industry, of boxing matches in which sales agents who had low sales were forced to box each other without gloves — “beat the hell out of each other,” says Ellenbecker — while other crew members bet on the match. “Like a dogfight or chicken fight,” Ellenbecker says. In the photos, Ellenbecker says, there is “blood coming out of their mouths … they’ve got bruises on their face. Most assaults against sales crew members likely go unreported to police, the industry watchers say, because the sales agents do not know how to or don’t want to or are afraid to file criminal charges. The young agents, Margosian says, are told by crew managers: “‘Don’t you say a thing or we’re going to come after you.’ And when you’re just a kid, that scares the hell out of you.” • • • It’s 8:45 last Wednesday morning, just outside the Quality Inn near the corner of Northeast Division Street and Burnside Road in Gresham. In the parking lot are several large white vans, and a couple of brown ones. Most of them are dented; one has tape over a broken side window. Also in the parking lot are two large panel trucks, with “Integrity Sales” emblazoned across the side. Painted on the side, as well, are reproductions of photos of young adults having fun — sky-diving, partying, sunning on a beach. “Call today, travel tomorrow,” read words printed on the side of the truck. “All expenses paid. No experience necessary. Travel and benefits. Return trip guaranteed.” “1-877-PAID-FUN.” Shouts spill from a small conference room on the edge of one wing of hotel rooms. Inside are 20 or 30 people, most of them in their early 20s, listening to someone talking. They intermittently cheer, hoot, chant. After 20 minutes or so, the people stream out of the room, and into the vans, eight or 10 to a van. The vans bolt out of the parking lot, going in several different directions, apparently to points in neighborhoods throughout Portland, maybe Gresham as well. They will be dropped off at corners, to walk neighborhoods for two or three hours, before they are picked up again to be dropped in another neighborhood. There will be three or four “drops” before the 12- or 14-hour day ends. This was Brittany Pierce’s normal day, six days a week, for the last five years, she says. By Wednesday, she and Slone had been away from the crew for almost two days. Thanks to Freimark, who decided he wanted to help them, they were staying in a house rented by his nephew. The nephew will temporarily stay with his uncle. They don’t know what next week might bring, they say. But they won’t be going back to the magazine crew. Pierce and Slone have both left the crew with no money. The sales agents seldom see the money they supposedly are making — don’t often see any real money at all, according to Pierce and Slone and the two other former magazine sales crew agents. Sales agents are supposed to get a credit of $8 for every magazine subscription they sell, but generally get a maximum of $20, always in cash, at the end of every day. The rest of the money ostensibly is kept in an account, or goes on their “books.” That $20 — $40 dollars on Saturday, which needs to last until the end of the day Monday — is what the sales agents live on. That has to pay for all their food — they often get only a quick lunch stop at a gas station — their toiletries, their cigarettes. And that $20 daily, a little more than $1 an hour for their work, is often the only money they will ever get from the company, say Pierce and Slone and the two former agents. The agents aren’t required to be paid any minimum or hourly wage, because the magazines sales companies consider them not to be company employees but “independent contractors,” and they are deemed outside salespeople not governed by most federal or state labor laws. Often, agents won’t be able to sell enough magazine subscriptions to cover their daily hotel and other costs. They actually acquire a negative balance on their “books.” Even the agents who do well selling don’t see any extra money, because deducted from the supposed credits on their “books” are the cost of hotel rooms, “supplies,” and “fines” that the crew manager might have assessed against them. Agents get fined $100 or $150 for being late to the daily 8:30 a.m. meeting, Pierce says. “I got fined $100 once for wearing sandals,” she says. “He makes up rules as he goes along,” Pierce says of Tork. “You’d get weekly papers saying how much is on your books and stuff, but they would never let you draw out your entire bank account,” says Tony Wattanaparuda, who worked for Integrity Sales for six months last year before quitting in September. Wattanaparuda is now back home in the St. Louis area. “It’s crazy,” he says of life on a magazine crew. “It’s definitely not normal.” The low daily pay forces agents sometimes to beg for money from people they’re trying to sell to — sometimes to pay for drugs or alcohol, which are widely used by the crews — but also just to eat, or buy toothpaste, Pierce says. “They almost have to do it because they’re not getting any money from the boss,” she says of agents. “And they have to eat.” There are no days off. “You’re not allowed to be sick,” Pierce says. And, say the four former Integrity Program or Integrity Sales agents, there is constant yelling from crew managers, for everything from not selling enough to not making enough of the sales in untraceable cash rather than checks. And there is the constant threat of sexual assault or other violence if an agent somehow displeases the crew manager, the four say. Pierce says she has never witnessed a crew manager beating agents, although she has heard stories, and believes it has happened. But, there was the time Tork shoved her into the closet, she says. And she says of Tork: “I’ve seen him throw things at people. He’s thrown lamps at people, a typewriter at people. He’s thrown a table at people. I’ve seen him throw lots of things at people.” Williams, from Parent Watch — which gets about five calls from sales agents or former sales agents daily, talking about their life in the industry — says she has “a large number of complaints from people who have worked for Integrity Sales and Subscriptions Unlimited Plus,” a company owned by some of the same people who’ve owned or run Integrity Sales. “Those complaints consist of drugs and beatings, management (using) drugs, no pay, stranding (of sales agents), not enough to eat, no medical treatment when they need it, reckless driving,” she says. And she’s heard other charges directly from young adults who’ve worked for the company, allegations strange even for this industry: “My other complaints about this company — managers can buy and sell kids,” Williams says. If a crew manager wants a sales agent on his team, the allegation goes, he must pay the other crew manager for the agent. And the “sale” must be approved by Integrity Sales’ owner, Robert Spruiell. The Portland Tribune attempted several times to reach both Spruiell and his ex-wife, Karleen Hillery-Spruiell, who has been a crew manager for Integrity Sales and has owned a range of magazine sales companies during the last decade or more. A company that Hillery-Spruiell owned was the subscription processor for the company that operated the Wisconsin van that rolled over and killed the seven agents. The man who ran that company also was a former husband of Hillery-Spruiell’s. Hillery-Spruiell was not charged, but she and her companies have been banned from doing business in Wisconsin. Messages left for Hillery-Spruiell at an Integrity Sales phone number were not returned. Spruiell, meanwhile, reached last week on his cell phone with a sales crew in Montana, says that while he owns Integrity Sales, he has no ownership of or control over Integrity Program, the crew that was operating in Portland last week. (He says Tork bought the “Integrity Sales” trucks from him.) Spruiell acknowledged, however, that he takes Tork’s crews’ subscription orders and “clears” them by transferring them to a magazine clearinghouse for Tork. And Pierce’s Internal Revenue Service 1099 form for 2005 shows Integrity Sales LLC as her employer. Spruiell says that “every individual in my company … if they get fired, they get paid … and they get a (paid) return trip.” He also says he tolerates no physical or other abuse of agents. “If I know about it, they’ll definitely be fired — zero tolerance,” he says. He then says he has to pick up an agent and has no more time to talk. He did not return subsequent phone calls. • • • Sometimes, Pierce says, she wonders how it became five years. Five years of dealing with violence and abuse and exploitation, and of coming up with a way to leave. But the people who run the companies have a way of convincing people — at least some people, Pierce says — that the outside universe is just as bad as the ugly universe they’re living in. “They make you think that you have to stay there because … there’s nothing out there for you,” she says. “You’re not going to be able to get a job. And you’re not going to have anywhere to go.” Some young adults — runaways, kids who are homeless, kids from abusive homes — can’t come up with a real good argument against that. Slone actually left Tork’s crew last year and went back to Illinois, before joining up again in the last couple of weeks. “Because I was homeless,” she says. “I didn’t have no place to live, and I didn’t want to sleep outside no more … I was hoping that maybe, like, things had changed.” “People that have something usually don’t stay very long,” Pierce says. “But the people who have nowhere else to go, and have no money, and that are on a lot of drugs … apparently those are the people they like,” she says. “Those are the people they’re aiming for. That makes it easier to hold them.” Neither Pierce or Slone are drug users, they point out. And they are no longer a part of a magazine sales crew. By Sunday morning, the Integrity Program trucks and vans had cleared out of the Gresham Quality Inn parking lot, on their way to the next stop, their next neighborhoods, their next group of doors to pound on. And left behind were Pierce and Slone, free at last. “I like it a lot,” Pierce says Sunday. “I’m my own person now.” She and Slone are looking for jobs in Portland. And they’re looking for housing. After several nights of staying at the nephew’s house, his landlord has said they must leave by Monday. They don’t know where they will be sleeping Monday night. This is the first part of a two-part story by the Tribune's Todd Murphy on Integrity Program and the door-to-door magazine sales industry. To read the second part and its related stories, click the links below. Subscription for disaster, Part II: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525463085268000 Daughter’s death sets off father’s crusade: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525667016166000 Industry complaints aren't new: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525687461688100 toddmurphy@portlandtribune.com The Portland Tribune portlandtribune.com Portland Oregon Read This Story |
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Website Integrity Program Website
Integrity Sales On The Web Magazine Fulfillment Services Website Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Integrity Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Magazine |
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Magazine Company: Integrity Sales/Integrity Program Integrity Program Website: integritypgm.com Arizona Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Az. S.O.S. Corp/LCC Arizona Secretary of State: Integrity Sales: Integrity Sales Criminal Profiles: Search For: Integrity Sales Magazine Scams: Integrity Sales Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Integrity Sales BBB Report Phoenix, Az.: unsatisfactory Rip Off Report: Integrity Sales Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/13/06: Magazine Fulfillment Services - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales, Inc. - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Program, Inc.- Operated by Robert Spruiell Circulation I - Operated by Karkeen Hillery Circulation II - Operated by Karleen Hillery SERVICES UNLIMITED PLUS - Operated by Karleen Hillery Spruiell/Robert Spruiell National Community Clearing, INC - Operated by Karleen Hillery TEAM X-TREME DYNASTY SALES POWERHOUSSE SALES KAYS NATURALS - Karleen Hillery Crew Crew Name: 029 Crew Name: 032 IP MARKETING IMPACT PUBLICATIONS Subscriptions Plus - Operated by Karleen Hillery (old mag. company name - may be in use again) Google Search: Karleen Hillery Google Search: Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org RIP-OFF Report.com Integrity Sales ripoff Phoenix Arizona *Consumer Comment ..New Info Read This Rip-Off Report On Integrity Sales Lookup: Karleen Hillery on Profiler: Karleen Hillery Profile Lookup: Karleen Hillery - Janesville Wisconsin Van Crash March 25, 1999 Karleen Hillery Profile View Recent Criminal Activities of Karleen Hillery Spruiell: Karleen Hillery Spruiell (NOTE: for search on Arizona State Supreme Court Criminal Records Enter: Last Name: Spruiell, First Name: Karleen in search box. View Wisconsin DOJ Civil Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 00-CV-0852) State of Wisconsin V. Karleen Hillery View Illinois Magazine Sales Fraud Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 02-CH125) State of Illinois V. Karleen Hillery Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 11, 2006 Subscription for disaster PART II: Trio’s easy to track in shady industry, but cash trail isn’t By Todd Murphy The Portland Tribune Aug 11, 2006 The magazine sales agents who go door-to-door selling often-bogus subscriptions – including the crew of agents who were in Portland last week – are at the bottom of the tawdry industry’s food chain. They barely make enough money, maybe $20 dollars a day, to eat. At the top of the food chain – where the real money is made, according to industry watchers – are people like Robert Spruiell. And Karleen Hillery. And Jonathan Tork. The three manage, own or are otherwise closely linked to the sales crew that was in Portland last week, a crew that works for a company operating under the name of Integrity Program. And in an industry known for checkered histories, few people have histories more checkered than two of the three – Hillery and Tork. Tork is the manager, and, according to Spruiell, the owner, of Integrity Program. Tork was in Portland with the Integrity Program crew last week. (A Portland Tribune reporter went to the Gresham hotel where the crew was staying last week and asked to speak to Tork, then left a message when a company official said he wasn’t there. The Tribune later left phone messages for Tork. He never responded.) Tork has been in the magazine sales business since at least the 1980s, operating and owning various companies. In 1992, he was assessed a $50,000 penalty by the Federal Trade Commission for handing out fraudulent receipts to customers that effectively prevented them from canceling magazine orders. And in 1993, he was sentenced to a Texas prison on a felony theft charge. Hillery is more recently infamous in the industry, however – in large part because of a horrific 1999 Wisconsin van accident that killed seven magazines sales agents working for a company to which she was linked. Hillery – at various times also known as Karleen Hillery-Spruiell, Kay Hillery, Kay Hillery Spruiell and several other aliases – is the former wife of Spruiell, the current owner of Integrity Sales. She apparently still manages a sales crew for Integrity Sales, the company that appears to be either a sister company or parent company of Integrity Program. Wisconsin issues its ban Five years ago, Hillery settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin attorney general related to her company’s involvement in the Wisconsin accident. The accident happened when a driver with a suspended license working for a magazine sales company called Youth Employment Services tried to switch places with a van passenger while traveling 80 mph on an interstate highway. The driver tried to make the switch after seeing a patrol officer but lost control of the vehicle, which rolled several times. Twelve sales agents were thrown from the vehicle. According to the Wisconsin attorney general’s lawsuit complaint, Hillery owned 20 percent of Youth Employment Services and another ex-husband, Choan Lane, owned the rest and managed the company. Hillery also wholly owned a company called Subscriptions Plus, which processed Youth Employment Services’ magazine orders by sending them on to magazine publishers. As part of the Wisconsin settlement, Hillery agreed to personally pay $25,000 in forfeitures and fees and was banned from doing business in Wisconsin. “She’s the woman responsible for my daughter’s death,” Phil Ellenbecker, whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in the Wisconsin accident, said of Hillery. A receptionist for Integrity Sales said Hillery worked for the company, and messages were left for her there. She did not return the calls. The driver of the van, Jeremy Holmes, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and was given a seven-year prison sentence. Lane pleaded guilty to several charges related to the accident and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison and jail. Hillery was not criminally charged. Midwest lawsuit looms More recently, a pending Illinois lawsuit against Hillery and one of her companies could result in her being fined $3.5 million and being banned from selling magazine subscriptions anywhere in the United States. A consumer fraud lawsuit filed by the Illinois attorney general in 2002 charges Hillery and two companies she owned with defrauding six Illinois consumers and 64 other consumers in 14 states by selling them subscriptions to magazines that never came. The lawsuit is demanding civil penalties of up to $50,000 per violation, and is asking for a permanent injunction prohibiting Hillery from selling magazines anywhere in the U.S. Meanwhile, an Arizona court has a pending warrant for Hillery’s arrest for something not related to magazines – for her failure to pay fines related to a drunken driving conviction, in January of last year. The conviction was at least her fourth drunken driving conviction. In November 2000, an Iowa court sentenced her to five years in prison after her third drunken driving conviction. She served less than a year of the sentence, in a halfway house, before she was paroled and moved to Illinois. Cash trail’s hard to follow The arrests, convictions and civil penalties connected to Hillery and Tork are easy to find. What’s harder to find is their money – the significant money that industry watchers believe the Hillery, Tork and Spruiell have made from the business. Brittany Pierce, who just left Integrity Program while her crew was in Portland and who described the difficult five years she spent working for the company, said Spruiell “has a lot of cars.” Pierce said she thinks her crew was working for Spruiell’s company, and she said he would visit her crew periodically. “He’s had a couple of different (Cadillac) Escalades,” Pierce said of Spruiell. “Some really, really old restored (Ford) Mustangs. All really expensive cars. … Every time I see him he has a different vehicle.” Real estate’s attractive, too Arizona real estate records show that Spruiell has in recent years purchased two fairly modest Arizona residential properties. He also, in partnership with an entity called the “Martha Ann Rice Revocable Living Trust,” bought a $200,000 piece of land in Maui, Hawaii, in April 2005. Hillery also appears to like unusual cars. When she was arrested on her third drunken driving charge in October 1999, she was stopped driving a recent-model Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car. But she apparently doesn’t like paying taxes. In 2002, the federal government placed a $213,000 lien on a home she owned in Coal Valley, Ill., then worth about $370,000, for unpaid federal taxes. The next year, she and Spruiell moved to Arizona. This is the second part of a two-part story by the Tribune's Todd Murphy on Integrity Program and the door-to-door magazine sales industry. To read the first part and its related stories, click the links below. Subscription for disaster, Part I: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115501199061804400 Daughter’s death sets off father’s crusade: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525667016166000 Industry complaints aren't new: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525687461688100 toddmurphy@portlandtribune.com The Portland Tribune portlandtribune.com Portland Oregon Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 10, 2006 Industry complaints aren’t new Calling agents ‘contractors’ shields sales firms from some laws By Todd Murphy The Portland Tribune, Aug 10, 2006 They received no salary but had an “account” in which the crew manager ostensibly kept track of pay they were due. From the account were deducted hotel expenses, canceled orders and fines for being late to meetings. The agents seldom made any real money, and sometimes had a negative balance on their account. They were forced to work long days and often felt intimidated by their managers, who ignored most state and local laws regarding door-to-door sales. “A disturbing number of (agents) described – with striking uniformity – very troublesome situations and unsavory crew leaders – persons who might best be described as merchants of venom,” the chairman of the Senate subcommittee said. It sounds very much like what two former magazine sales agents – who found a way to free themselves from an Integrity Program sales crew that was in Portland last week – told the Portland Tribune about their recent lives. And when was that Senate subcommittee hearing, with the outraged subcommittee chairman? April 1987. The moral: Violence, danger and exploitation within the door-to-door magazine sales industry have existed for years. And almost nothing has been done over the past two decades to deal with the problems. There are local ordinances as well as state and federal laws and regulations that in some ways regulate the industry. For the most part, the measures deal with business permits and consumer fraud issues. The companies are sometimes fined for violations. But there is no real governmental oversight of the aspects of the industry that lead to its biggest problems – working conditions for the sales agents, and the frequent criminal environment that can lead to danger, both for sales agents and for people who open their door to them. Status complicates things The companies avoid most labor regulations because they consider the agents “independent contractors.” Their status as outside sales agents makes them exempt from the minimum wage and overtime regulations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The fact that the companies consider the agents independent contractors means company owners make themselves exempt from many normal employer duties – including paying for workers’ compensation insurance and paying the agents in a consistent way. The assertion that the agents and even the crew managers are independent contractors is what the entire door-to-door magazine sales industry is based on, industry watchers say. That assertion is critical both in how employees are treated and in how companies have tried to avoid liability for dangers and violence that have for years swirled around the industry. “These magazine companies are set up on an economic fiction,” says Elden Rosenthal, a Portland lawyer who has successfully sued two magazine companies for crimes – a brutal assault and a murder – that their sales agents have committed. “The economic fiction is that everyone all up and down the chain are independent contractors.” Rosenthal and others say crew managers are seldom if ever independent contractors. And the individual sales agents certainly are not, he says. One of the most common tests for independent contractor status, formulated by the Internal Revenue Service, is that a company has limited control over when, where and how the independent contractor does the work. Rosenthal and others say the crew manager has almost total control over when, where and how the sales agents do their work. And, in liability cases where a sales agent committed a crime or was responsible for recklessness, courts often have considered them employees of the company. Still, the company’s assertion that the agents are independent contractors makes it more difficult for governments to regulate their labor practices. Earlene Williams, whose Manhattan-based Parent Watch group has been monitoring the industry for 23 years, says she believes some crews are committing civil rights and other criminal violations that federal authorities could prosecute. Laws against indentured servitude, for instance, could apply with many magazine sales agents, she says, since the agents believe they can’t leave the crews because they owe their bosses money for hotel rooms and other expenses and don’t have the money to pay them. She believes federal agencies – or a consortium of state attorneys general – could find a range of significant violations of current law if they conducted a real investigation. But it would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other state and federal agencies to “do a huge prosecution,” she says. “(And) that’s expensive and time-consuming. And the FBI focuses on terrorism. “We don’t have labor on our minds in this country right now,” she says of the federal government. “We have religion and war on our minds right now.” Apart from regulatory oversight, even crimes committed within sales crews – often against sales agents by their crew managers – are seldom prosecuted, says Jan Margosian, an official with the Oregon Department of Justice who has followed the magazine sales industry in the state. That’s because the sales agents typically don’t file charges with local police, because they don’t have the opportunity or are afraid to do so. Meanwhile, how much local police care about the existence of sales crews in their towns depends on how much they may relate door-to-door sales crews to larger crime trends, Williams says. “It’s really way down the list of priorities for police in towns where there have been no significant crimes,” Williams says. “I’ve seen that change overnight as soon as there’s a rape or killing or some big crime … then police pay a lot more attention to it.” Williams believes the percentage of magazine sales agents who have criminal records or who are dangerous is relatively small. Still, since last October, the magazine sales industry certainly has had Portland Police Bureau Detective Liz Cruthers’ attention. Cruthers is investigating the October 2005 sexual assault of a Sellwood woman. A man who told the woman he was a magazine sales agent sexually assaulted her after knocking on her door and forcing his way inside. The crime compelled Cruthers to do more research on other crimes apparently linked to the crews. “There seems to be like a wake of crime left behind by these people wherever they go,” she says. “These people are dangerous.” Some push for change But even after 20 years of seeing little action on policing the industry, its critics hold out hope for change. Massachusetts and Wisconsin are among the states considering “no-knock” legislation, which would allow people to put themselves on a list that would demand that their homes be free from door-to-door solicitors. And the Wisconsin Legislature also this year considered one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation that any state has considered to deal with traveling sales crews. Wisconsin’s political environment is probably more receptive to policing the industry than many states because of a 1999 traveling sales crew van accident, caused by a reckless sales crew driver, that killed seven agents. Among other things, the proposed Wisconsin legislation would have defined all sales agents as “employees” of the company rather than independent contractors; required traveling sales crews to register with state officials and give officials a list of their sales agents three days before they entered the state so their criminal records could be checked; and required that all sales crew companies post a $10,000 bond when they enter a state, to cover any damages they might be assessed. “The intent of the bill is to keep them the hell out of here,” says Phil Ellenbecker, whose 18-year-old daughter was killed in the 1999 accident and who was one of the major proponents of the bill. The Wisconsin Senate approved the bill 33-0, but it died in a committee of the Legislature’s other chamber, the Assembly. “We’ll come back,” Ellenbecker says. He says he expects the bill will be filed again Jan. 1, for consideration by next year’s Legislature. Related stories: Subscription for disaster, Part I: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115501199061804400 Subscription for disaster, Part II: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525463085268000 Daughter’s death sets off father’s crusade: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525667016166000 toddmurphy@portlandtribune.com The Portland Tribune portlandtribune.com Portland Oregon Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! August 10, 2006 Daughter’s death sets off father’s crusade Accident spurs legislative action By Todd Murphy The Portland Tribune, Aug 10, 2006 But it still feels like yesterday, Phil Ellenbecker says. So every night, and on most weekends, there’s a good chance the Verona, Wis., telecommunications engineer is in front of his computer at home. Checking one more criminal court case. Finding one more news article. Talking to one more reporter from some distant newspaper. And putting another new Web link, another new warning, onto the Web site he created to monitor and dog an industry he thinks cavalierly exploits and throws away vulnerable young adults, such as his daughter, to make a buck. “It’s something that never leaves you, you know,” Ellenbecker says, talking about losing a child — in his case, his 18-year-old daughter, Malinda Turvey. “What I’ve tried to do over the years is focus my anger and my pain and my energy toward stopping these people.” Turvey was one of seven agents from a traveling magazine sales crew killed in a van accident outside Janesville, Wis., in March 1999, when a driver for the crew tried to switch places with a passenger while the van was traveling 80 miles per hour down an interstate highway. The driver, who had a suspended license and a bad driving record, had spotted a patrol officer. He lost control of the van, which rolled several times. Twelve sales agents were ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the van pleaded guilty to reckless homicide. The owner of the magazine sales company was sentenced to three and a half years of incarceration on charges related to the accident. While the Wisconsin accident was one of the most horrific, it was only one of a number of fatal accidents involving magazine sales crews in which reckless, drunken or sleepy drivers or poorly maintained vehicles were to blame. And for his daughter’s death and the others, Ellenbecker blames an entire industry that, he says, routinely exploits young agents, working them long hours while paying them $20 or less a day, caring little about their safety and in some cases actually allowing crew managers to physically and sexually assault them. “If I had my way, I’d herd them up and dump them into the ocean — every one of them,” he says of the people who own and run the magazine sales crews. Web sites raise awareness Ellenbecker’s focus during the past several years has been twofold. One is to create and update Web sites — especially www.travelingsalescrews.info — that detail, monitor and chronicle the industry’s problems and problem companies. The other has been to lobby the Wisconsin Legislature to make changes in state law that would make it more difficult for the magazine sales crews to operate in that state. A bill in last year’s Wisconsin Legislature — which Ellenbecker helped champion and which was called Malinda’s Traveling Sales Crew Protection Act — won unanimous approval in the state Senate but was stalled in a committee of the other house, the state Assembly. Ellenbecker says the bill will be sponsored again in next year’s legislative session. And, he said, he will continue working on his Web site, monitoring the industry, finding ways to either change the way it operates or kill it entirely. He doesn’t mind the work, which he figures is 100 hours a week beyond his 40-hours-per-week job. And that work is spurred on not only by his daughter’s memory but by some of the “agonizing and painful” phone conversations he has had with other parents whose children have been killed or have died in an accident while on a magazine sales crew, Ellenbecker says. “If you talk to these people like I’ve talked to these people … and seen the things I’ve seen … you’d want to stop them, too,” he says. Related stories: Subscription for disaster, Part I: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115501199061804400 Subscription for disaster, Part II: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525463085268000 Industry complaints aren't new: www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=115525687461688100 toddmurphy@portlandtribune.com The Portland Tribune portlandtribune.com Portland Oregon Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! July 28, 2006 Cops round up door-to-door salesmen Kinnelon police say nine of 11 solicitors had criminal records 07/28/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom DAILY RECORD STAFF REPORTS After receiving several complaints of solicitors selling magazines door-to-door on Thursday, police picked up the group, who told police they had been dropped off in various locations around Kinnelon to sell magazines for Fun Inc and Magazine Inc., a company based in Colorado. Police contacted a coordinator for the company to pick up his workers. The coordinator, McCollium Landers, 28, of Evergreen, Colo., was issued a summons for soliciting without a permit. John Anthony, 22, of North Fort Myers, Fla., was charged with driving without liability insurance. A computer check revealed that insurance on the company-owned van Anthony was driving was canceled in May, authorities said. The solicitors were released from custody. Three solicitors had previously spent time in prison. Police asked the public to be aware of door-to-door sales people and to call immediately if one comes to the door. dailyrecord.com Kinnelon, New Jersey Read This Story |
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Great Lakes Circulation Magazines Inc |
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Magazine Company: Great Lakes Circulation Colorado Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Colorado S.O.S. Corp/LCC Magazine Scams: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Mountain Subscriptions BBB Reliability Report As reflected in the Denver/Boulder BBB on: 05/14/06 at 9:45 AM PST BBB Report: Great Lakes Circulation Western Virginia BBB Consumer Alert Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. d/b/a Gold Coast Subscriptions Read This PDF Consumer Alert ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Great Lakes Circulation Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/14/06: Great Lakes Circulation Face-to-Face Technologies dba Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. aka: Fun Sales aka: Gold Coast Subscriptions aka: Youth Incentive Marketing aka: American Cash Award aka: Payne Sales aka: Shumate Sales aka: Magazines Inc. aka: Mountain Subscriptions Great Lakes Circulation Contact Info: Great Lakes Circulation (edumacation.com) 2656 S Kittredge Park Rd, Evergreen, CO 80439 P.O. Box 1060, Kittredge, CO 80457 Great Lakes Circulation (nfsa member directory) 29029 Upper Bear Creek Rd. Suite 202 Evergreen, CO 80439 (303) 674-8252 FAX (303) 679-9909 Principle: Mark Shumate Google Search: Mark Shumate Google Search: Great Lakes Circulation Great Lake Circulation is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org Article Info: Great Lakes Circulation State To Investigate Company That Allegedly Abandoned 2 Teens Organizations Leaves Girls, 17, At Bus Stations In Dallas, Austin Read This Story Magazine sales work ends in tale of terror Read This Story Crews live and die to sell Young magazine peddlers nationwide face abuse, danger Read This Story Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Swampscott has anti-solicitor program By Debra Glidden The Daily Item Weekend Edition Monday, July 24, 2006 The Daily Item Weekend Edition thedailyitemoflynn.com Swampscott, Massachusetts Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! July 19, 2006 Two arrested for theft in Drain The News-Review July 19, 2006 newsreview.info Drain, Oregon Read This Story |
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July 30, 2005 DMPG research into the above Felony Thefts reveals that the 'traveling door to door' magazine salesmen were working for Atlantic Circulation Inc. operating out of Mountville, PA.. DMPG resource: Douglas County Oregon Sheriff's Office, police report: 06-3594. For more info on Atlantic Circulation see: http://edumacation.com/AtlanticCirculationInc
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Police seeking suspect in 3 attacks Ypsilanti man named following groping incidents Tuesday, July 18, 2006 BY SUSAN L. OPPAT News Staff Reporter The ANN ARBOR NEWS Susan Oppat can be reached at soppat@annarbornews.com or 734-482-1166. News Staff Reporter The ANN ARBOR NEWS mlive.com ANN ARBOR, Michigan Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! July 14, 2006 Pushy peddlers in Greece get arrested Victoria E. Freile and Meaghan M. McDermott Staff writers The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle VFREILE@DemocratandChronicle.com MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com Staff writers The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle democratandchronicle.com Greece, New York Read This Story |
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Missing Arizona teen found in Decatur By Seth Burkett DAILY Staff Writer DAILY Staff Writer THE DECATUR DAILY sburkett@decaturdaily.com · 340-2355 decaturdaily.com Decatur, Alabama Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! July 6, 2006 Salesman arrested after brawl with a customer; deal falls through, altercation ensues By Journal Staff The King County Journal July 6, 2006 The King County Journal msnbc.msn.com MAPLE VALLEY, Washington Read This Story |
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Website Integrity Program Website
Integrity Sales On The Web Magazine Fulfillment Services Website Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Integrity Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Magazine |
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Magazine Company: Integrity Sales/Integrity Program Integrity Program Website: integritypgm.com Arizona Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Az. S.O.S. Corp/LCC Arizona Secretary of State: Integrity Sales: Integrity Sales Criminal Profiles: Search For: Integrity Sales Magazine Scams: Integrity Sales Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Integrity Sales BBB Report Phoenix, Az.: unsatisfactory Rip Off Report: Integrity Sales Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/13/06: Magazine Fulfillment Services - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales, Inc. - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Program, Inc.- Operated by Robert Spruiell Circulation I - Operated by Karkeen Hillery Circulation II - Operated by Karleen Hillery SERVICES UNLIMITED PLUS - Operated by Karleen Hillery Spruiell/Robert Spruiell National Community Clearing, INC - Operated by Karleen Hillery TEAM X-TREME DYNASTY SALES POWERHOUSSE SALES KAYS NATURALS - Karleen Hillery Crew Crew Name: 029 Crew Name: 032 IP MARKETING IMPACT PUBLICATIONS Subscriptions Plus - Operated by Karleen Hillery (old mag. company name - may be in use again) Google Search: Karleen Hillery Google Search: Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org RIP-OFF Report.com Integrity Sales ripoff Phoenix Arizona *Consumer Comment ..New Info Read This Rip-Off Report On Integrity Sales Lookup: Karleen Hillery on Profiler: Karleen Hillery Profile Lookup: Karleen Hillery - Janesville Wisconsin Van Crash March 25, 1999 Karleen Hillery Profile View Recent Criminal Activities of Karleen Hillery Spruiell: Karleen Hillery Spruiell (NOTE: for search on Arizona State Supreme Court Criminal Records Enter: Last Name: Spruiell, First Name: Karleen in search box. View Wisconsin DOJ Civil Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 00-CV-0852) State of Wisconsin V. Karleen Hillery View Illinois Magazine Sales Fraud Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 02-CH125) State of Illinois V. Karleen Hillery Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Door to Door Salesman Rape Suspect Published: 7/4/2006 10:01:36 AM Bay City Television live.fox6.com San Diego, California Read This Story |
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May 21, 2006 DMPG research into the above cleaner sales company based on court documents and police reports indicates that the Archie Lee Thomas was working for T&B Sales: T&B Sales Manager: Timothy Burgess 8405 Avalon Drive Riverdale, GA 30274 Phone (800)323-6444 T&B Sales distributes Advanage Wonder Cleaner for: Austin Diversified Products 16615 S. Halsted Street Harvey, IL 60426 (708) 333-7644 FAX: (708) 333-4775 cs1@advanage.com Owner: Nathan T. Edwards Austin Diversified Products Website:advanage.com Austin Diversified Products is a member of the National Field Selling Association: 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175 National Field Selling Association Website:nfsa.com View other crimes: Profiles By Name And Company Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Police urge caution with door-to-door sales July 3, 2006 Staff reports Democrat and Chronicle democratandchronicle.com Rochester, New York Read This Story |
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Bowling-alley killing jury acquits salesmen of murder By JASON AUSLANDER | The New Mexican July 2, 2006 Victim’s mother says jurors send wrong message Contact Jason Auslander at 995-3877 or jauslander@sfnewmexican.com. jauslander@sfnewmexican.com The New Mexican Santa Fe, New Mexico Read This Story |
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Jury now deliberating in Santa Fe bowling alley murder case Last Update: 07/01/2006 2:21:50 PM By: Todd Dukart Eyewitness News 4 and KOBTV.com Eyewitness News 4 and KOBTV.com Albuquerque, New Mexico Read This Story |
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Passenger: Driver in fatal SUV acted as peacekeeper By Bo Rosser Court TV Updated June 30, 2006, 3:43 p.m. ET Court TV courttv.com Read This Story |
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Prosecutor: Salesmen boasted that man they beat up, crushed with their car 'got what he deserved' By Bo Rosser Court TV Updated June 28, 2006, 1:59 p.m. ET Court TV courttv.com Read This Story |
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Two salesmen on trial for murder after bowling-alley brawl By Bo Rosser Court TV Updated June 28, 2006, 1:58 p.m. ET Court TV courttv.com Read This Story |
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World Wide Reader's Services World Wide Readers Services World Wide Readers Service |
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Court TV covers trial By JASON AUSLANDER The New Mexican June 28, 2006 jauslander@sfnewmexican.com The New Mexican Santa Fe, New Mexico Read This Story |
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Know who’s knocking? By Cheryl Lecesse/ Staff Writer Thursday, June 22, 2006 townonline.com Town Online townonline.com Massachusetts Read This Story |
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Mother Attacked In Home By Door-To-Door Salesman Reported by: Shannon Kettler Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller Photographed by: 9News First posted: 6/22/2006 5:14:36 PM 9News wcpo.com Union Township, Ohio Read This Story |
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July 8, 2006 DMPG research into the above magazine sales company: "Points Across America." Magazine Company Name Change: Formerly: Entrepreneurs Across America Website: Entrepreneurs Across America Points Across America Entrepreneurs Across America, Inc. Phone: (940) 565-1000 Fax: 214-975-1269 401 S. Locust St. Ste. 104 Denton, TX 76201 Owner: George Frederick Senner IV Sales Crews: Threedom Sales, Inc. - 333 PMA, Inc. - 037 Buckeye Sales, Inc. - 528 Schaefer Sales - 247 Titan Sales, Inc. - 046 Kenmore Sales - 057 Attitude Sales - 501 Power Plus Sales - 011 Tomohawk Sales - 094 Production Sales - 143 |
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Residents: Watch out for scam by Kristin Pazulski TheChestnutHillLocal.com Contact staff writer Kristin Pazulski at 215-248-8819 or kristin@chestnuthilllocal.com. TheChestnutHillLocal.com chestnuthilllocal.com Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor Northwest Philadelphia Read This Story |
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Lawyers wrangle over restitution for rape NH news briefs June 21. 2006 8:00AM Lawyers cannot agree on how much money a magazine salesman convicted earlier this year of raping a Concord woman should be required to pay the victim to cover her doctor bills. Prosecutor David Rotman presented a judge Monday with three Concord Hospital bills totaling roughly $1,950, but defense attorneys for Joseph Haniffy said restitution could not be determined, because they had not seen the bills. Haniffy, 25, of Chicopee, Mass., was sentenced to 7½ to 15 years in prison in January. At the time, a judge ordered him to pay restitution estimated at $2,000, but the exact amount has still not been set. Haniffy's public defender, Meredith Lugo, told Judge Edward Fitzgerald that Haniffy's defense team should have received a notice about the medical bills from the prosecutor months ago. Rotman said he wasn't sure why that notice never went out; it could have been the mistake of his office, or the victim may not have provided the bills in time. Fitzgerald said he would take the matter under advisement. concordmonitor.com Concord, New Hampshire Read This Story |
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June 19, 2006 Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Vincent Pitts President of National Field Selling Association NFSA A civil lawsuit has been filed against Vincent Pitts (president of the National Field Selling Association) and owner of Palmetto Marketing, Inc. (palmettomarketinginc.com) in response to the brutal beating and rape of a 50 year-old Menomonie, Wisconsin Woman on July 1, 2005. STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT DUNN COUNTY Ms.x Menomonie, WI 54751 Plaintiff, Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Victim Compensation Program 17 West Main Street P.O. Box 7951 Madison, WI 53708-7951 and Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire County 2503 North Hillcrest Parkway Altoona, WI 54720 Subrogated Parties. Case No: Case Codes: 30106, 30107 vs. Vincent Pitts, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Palmetto, Marketing, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Sunshine Subscription Agency, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Robert Cecil, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Tina Michelle Cecil, an Individual 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Gemini Subscriptions, Inc., a Florida Corporation 7522 Wiles Road, Suite 112 Coral Springs, FL 33067 Brandon Green, an Individual Dunn County Jail 615 Stokke Parkway Menomonie, WI 54751 Read The Criminal Complaint Againsit Brandon Lee Green Read The Civil Lawsuit Against Vincent Pitts |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! June 15, 2006 Face-to-Face Technologies Going Door-to-Door Selling Magazines for Cause Date: June 15, 2006 TheLocalBBB News Release: Face-to-Face Technologies Going Door-to-Door Selling Magazines for Fundraising Purposes According to BBB Denver reports, this firm is an order processing center for magazine and book sales groups. They process orders, handle customer issues and issue refunds that have been approved by the sales groups. The groups typically include school youth or church youth using door-to-door or telephone solicitation practices. These groups are trying to raise funds for their own causes. Consumers report the prices for the magazine subscriptions are usually higher than if they had just subscribed to the magazine by themselves. This is because a portion of the amount received is kept by the sales group doing the solicitation for the purposes of their fundraising. Consumers also report they don't get magazines after they order. The sales contract says that the company has up to 6 months to complete the delivery of the individual magazine subscriptions that are being processed for the sales group. Consumers sometimes report that the sales groups in door-to-door sales have questionable or vague fundraising causes. Consumers should always ask and be clear what the fundraising is intended for. It is legal for anybody to solicit door-to-door for any reason so do not assume these door-to-door sales groups are charities. Complaints against this group concern sales, delivery and refund issues. This company also does business as Fun Sales; Gold Coast Subscriptions; Magazines Inc., and Youth Incentive Marketing, and it participates in the Denver/Boulder BBB Complaint Extranet Program. This means that the company has agreed to expedite the handling of any complaints filed with that bureau. TheLocalBBB began hearing about this company from callers who were concerned about the company's pitch. Regionally, the sales group currently working here is going door-to-door stating that your magazine "donation" will be going to either Seattle Children's Hospital or GIs in the Middle East. One customer paid over $50 for a Nickelodeon subscription to be sent to the kids at Seattle Children's Hospital. Another customer wrote a check to the company donating his subscription to the GIs. In both cases, each consumer felt that the "cause" presented was vague, causing concern after the fact. TheLocalBBB decided to give the company a call to find out more details about how their sales groups are operating, and to address concerns regarding "causes" with them. We spoke with a manager named India, who was very forthright about their company's mission. She stated the following: 1. Unless you specifically designate a cause to which your subscription will go, it will go to one of two places (right now): Military hospitals throughout the USA, or Seattle Children's Hospital. She stated that if you wish for your subscription to go to a specific place, tell the agent, and they will make that happen. 2. Anyone purchasing magazines from this company's agents can track their order by calling the number on the back of their receipt. Rather than six months, India stated that magazines are getting out to the places within 120 days. If in tracking your order you come to find that it is going somewhere you don't want it to go, contact the company directly and let them know! 3. India stated that their company was told by the federal government that they can't ship magazines overseas to military personnel in the Middle East or anywhere else they may be out of country, thus the shift to "military hospitals" across the US. (You just have to specify.) TIPS Given this additional information from the company, if you have already entered into an agreement with them for donating magazines and are not satisfied with how the transaction went down, or feel there was deception in getting you to sign up, file a formal complaint with the company directly first for a resolve by calling India at: 866-675-9869. If you gain no resolve going directly to the company, then file a formal complaint with the Denver BBB for resolve at: www.denver.bbb.org Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Washington, North Idaho & Montana Hosted by Hurdman Communications thelocalbbb.com Eastern Washington, North Idaho & Montana Read This Story |
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Great Lakes Circulation Magazines Inc |
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Magazine Company: Great Lakes Circulation Colorado Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Colorado S.O.S. Corp/LCC Magazine Scams: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Mountain Subscriptions BBB Reliability Report As reflected in the Denver/Boulder BBB on: 05/14/06 at 9:45 AM PST BBB Report: Great Lakes Circulation Western Virginia BBB Consumer Alert Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. d/b/a Gold Coast Subscriptions Read This PDF Consumer Alert ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Great Lakes Circulation Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/14/06: Great Lakes Circulation Face-to-Face Technologies dba Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. aka: Fun Sales aka: Gold Coast Subscriptions aka: Youth Incentive Marketing aka: American Cash Award aka: Payne Sales aka: Shumate Sales aka: Magazines Inc. aka: Mountain Subscriptions Great Lakes Circulation Contact Info: Great Lakes Circulation (edumacation.com) 2656 S Kittredge Park Rd, Evergreen, CO 80439 P.O. Box 1060, Kittredge, CO 80457 Great Lakes Circulation (nfsa member directory) 29029 Upper Bear Creek Rd. Suite 202 Evergreen, CO 80439 (303) 674-8252 FAX (303) 679-9909 Principle: Mark Shumate Google Search: Mark Shumate Google Search: Great Lakes Circulation Great Lake Circulation is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org Article Info: Great Lakes Circulation State To Investigate Company That Allegedly Abandoned 2 Teens Organizations Leaves Girls, 17, At Bus Stations In Dallas, Austin Read This Story Magazine sales work ends in tale of terror Read This Story Crews live and die to sell Young magazine peddlers nationwide face abuse, danger Read This Story Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Bill would slam the door on aggressive salesmen By KAREN JEFFREY STAFF WRITER Registration required The proposed ''No Knock'' bill would require door-to-door solicitors, including magazine salespeople, to register with municipal police departments. It also makes police departments responsible for maintaining No Knock lists, a registry of addresses supplied by residents who do not want solicitors showing up at their homes. Door-to-door salespeople would be prohibited from visiting these homes in much the same way businesses are prohibited from calling telephone numbers listed on No Call lists. Although initially aimed at magazine solicitors, the law would also apply to driveway pavers, fly-by-night landscapers and all for-profit enterprises. The law would not apply to religious or charitable organizations. Four years ago the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York sued Stratton, Ohio, when that town passed an ordinance requiring permits for canvassers, including religious groups. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Stratton could not require a permit for canvassers such as religious groups. Stratton's ''no knock'' list, however, was not challenged by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Current law has no teeth Current state law requires businesses to register with police departments when coming into a town to do business, but there are no teeth in the law, according to area police. Failing to register is not an arrestable offense, nor is solicitation after sunset. ''About the worst we can do is yell at someone - that's if we can find them,'' Sweeney said. ''Often, by the time we get to a neighborhood, the people have cleared out.'' ''The push behind this (legislation) came as a result of a series of crimes in New Hampshire, including the rape of a woman,'' said Yarmouth police Lt. Frank Frederickson, who worked with Turner in creating the bill. ''Our particular interest arises out of the situation we face every summer - groups of people come here to sell magazines. They work for these big out-of-state concerns, have no local ties and in a few instances we have arrested fugitives from other states, or found runaway juveniles working on these crews,'' he said. According to Frederickson, across the country crime has come to be associated with work crews of door-to-door solicitors going from town to town. He points to a Web site - http://travelingsalescrews.info/ - operated by a Wisconsin man whose daughter was killed in a van crash involving a working crew of young people hired for door-to-door solicitation. Among other things, the site includes stories about crimes and accidents involving door-to-door salespeople. Under the proposed Massachusetts law, door-to-door solicitors would have to provide police with name, age, address and Social Security number, and police could run criminal history checks. Under the provisions of this legislation, violators would also be subject to arrest. Special protections for the elderly call for civil penalties of up to $5,000 and not less than $1,500 for knowing violations involving someone 65 or older. Other towns on board Several municipalities across the country already have No Knock provisions in place. Two years ago the city of Alexandria, Ky., adopted a No Knock ordinance. The ordinance was popularly received in the community of about 9,500 people, said Alexandria city clerk Karen Barto. However, only about 100 people have signed up for the No Knock list, which is maintained and enforced through the city clerk's office. Door-to-door solicitors are required to register and are provided with a list of addresses to avoid. Additionally, residents who sign up with the No Knock list are given a sticker to place on their doors, warning away would-be solicitors, Barto said. ''The people most interested are our senior citizens,'' she said. On the Cape, police say the most frequent complaints about door-to-door salespeople come from senior citizens. ''One of the big issues is that the magazine solicitors are usually young, usually from out of state, and often are from the city,'' Frederickson said. ''Many of our older residents feel intimidated when someone shows up on their doorstep and just refuses to leave.'' Karen Jeffrey can be reached at kjeffrey@capecodonline.com. (Published: June 14, 2006) STAFF WRITER Cape Code Times capecodonline.com Yarmouth, Massachusetts Read This Story Yarmouth Police Department Press Release - 06/13/06 Read Proposed Massachusetts "No Knock" Legislation |
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Union Township Police Department Media Release Union Township, Ohio Read This Story |
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Plea Reached In Silva Lanes Death Thursday, June 8, 2006 Around Northern New Mexico Journal Staff Reports Journal Staff Reports Albuquerque Journal abqjournal.com Albuquerque, New Mexico Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! June 6, 2006 Missouri Magazine Door-to-door Salesman to Pay Restitution and Penalties Tuesday, June 06, 2006 Kansas City info Zine infozine.com Kansas City, Missouri Jefferson City, Missouri Read This Story |
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Magazine salesman ordered to pay for undelivered material Posted: Tuesday, Jun 06, 2006 - 04:25:07 pm CDT News Tribune newstribune.com Jefferson City, Missouri Read This Story |
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June 5, 2006 Second door-to-door salesman who stiffed consumers on magazine subscriptions to pay $4,699 in restitution, penalties Last December, Nixon filed a lawsuit in Boone County Circuit Court against Cogbill , one of the owners of Creek House Subscription. At the time of the lawsuit, Cogbill had a Joplin address as his current residence. Cogbill's co-defendant, Kameron C. Johnson, was ordered to pay $6,863 in restitution and penalties as part of an agreement reached with the Attorney General in April. Nixon said his office received more than 60 complaints from consumers in Boone, Callaway, Camden, Christian, Cole and Greene counties who said they paid for subscriptions they never received. Cogbill and Johnson also falsely claimed to be students from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Missouri State University in Springfield. Cogbill is prohibited by the court order from continuing to operate Creek House Subscription in the state of Missouri. Consumers who purchased magazine subscriptions from Creek House can file a complaint through the Attorney General's Office Web site, www.ago.mo.gov , or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222. In addition to the restitution, Cogbill will pay a $1,000 civil penalty and $1,000 to cover the costs of the Attorney General's investigation and prosecution of the case. The consent judgment and permanent injunction approved by Circuit Judge Gene Hamilton also prohibits Cogbill from engaging in door-to-door sales or soliciting magazine sales in Missouri. E-mail Phone: 573-751-8844 Fax: 573-751-5818 Missouri Attorney General ago.mo.gov Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! June 5, 2006 Missing teen returned to home Source: KRQE News 13 Posted: 6/5/2006 12:21:00 AM krqe.com Albuquerque, New Mexico Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! June 4, 2006 Traveling Magazine Sales Crews Recruiting Wisconsin Kids Consumer Protection Warns Parents To Check Out Companies POSTED: 9:06 pm CDT June 4, 2006 UPDATED: 9:53 pm CDT June 4, 2006 channel3000.com WISC TV Channel 3 CBS Madison, Wisconsin Read This Story |
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Fraud of the Month The Latest Scams Circulating the Consumer World. Be warned. Be informed. Magazine Sales Scams consumerjungle.org How the Scam Works A teenager knocks on your front door to sell you a magazine and convince you that a portion of the proceeds will go towards one of the following or something similar: Charity Earning tuition Going to camp Winning a prize Working their way through school There are two victims in this scam: 1. You If you buy a magazine from them, it is highly likely that you will be overcharged and never receive the magazine(s) that you order. While most magazine publishers take 90 days to deliver the first issue, you’ll be waiting even longer for these magazines to show up. 2. The Teenager The young adults who sign up for this work often get scammed as much as the customers who buy the subscriptions. They receive promises of reasonable incomes but find out later that the work is not as easy or profitable as advertised. The sales companies prompt the teenagers with the misleading sales pitch, even though none of the sale proceeds goes to charity, tuition, or camp. Play it Safe • Discourage young adults from magazine sales jobs. • Beware of the emotional appeal of buying from a teenager selling door-to-door. • If you buy from a door-to-door salesperson in your home, and the purchase is more than $25, you're protected under the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule. The Rule gives you three days to cancel your order and receive a full refund. The seller must tell you that you have a right to cancel, and give you a summary of your cancellation rights and two copies of the cancellation form. Ask to see the required cancellation notice before you agree to buy. If the salesperson doesn't have it, don't place an order. Source: www.ftc.gov Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! May 31, 2006 Traveling sales crew warning "Whatever they're selling... you don't want it" By Jim Dick Wisconsin Radio Network Wednesday, May 31, 2006, 10:19 AM AUDIO: Jim Dick reports Listen To Audio Interview Glen Loyd Wisconsin Department of Trade and Consumer Protection Listen To This Interview With Glen Loyd Wisconsin Radio Network wrn.com Madison, Wisconsin Read This Story |
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Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Press Release May 31, 2006 Don't Go With Door-To-Door Crews Contact: Glen Loyd 608-224-5007 PO Box 8911 Madison, WI 53708-8911 Read This Story |
May 24, 2006
Magazine salesman charged with multiple felonies
Amanda C. Tinnin
Of the Suburban Journals
St. Charles Journal
05/24/2006
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ST. CHARLES COUNTY A 19-year-old woman invited a magazine salesman into her home Wednesday, according to police, but when she refused to buy his product he made sexual remarks and pinned her to the floor. Derell Lee Sikes, 20, of Cleveland, was charged Friday with first-degree burglary and sexual abuse — both felony charges. "She didn't suffer any physical injury," said St. Charles County Sheriff Tom Neer. "Just scared to death of course." The incident happened in the Oak Ridge Subdivision, which is located outside of the city of St. Peters in unincorporated St. Charles County. Neer said the 19-year-old invited Sikes into her home, but eventually told the salesman his magazine subscriptions were too expensive. Neer said Sikes kept putting pressure on the potential customer, but she again refused and asked him to leave. "Then he asked if he could use the bathroom," Neer said. "He went into the bathroom, but she didn't hear him use it." When Sikes came out of the bathroom, Neer said he once again began to push the sale. The customer again refused. The victim then grabbed for her cell phone. Neer said Sikes took the phone away and broke it. "He made a few sexual comments to her and then grabbed her and put her down on the floor," Neer said. "She started screaming for her mother who wasn't at home, but he didn't know that." Police don't know if Sikes otherwise would have sexually assaulted the women, Neer said. "If you have a man that's 175 pounds and 5-foot-7 push you on the floor what do you think is going to happen?" Neer said. "He didn't want to smell her shampoo." Once Sikes fled, the woman called the police and responding officers stopped a group of young men walking near the subdivision. "She identified one of those men as the one who had sexually abused her," Neer said. Sikes had no current address, Neer said. Sikes was working with Magazine Inc., a company out of Kitteridge, Colo. Neer said the sheriff's department has responded to a few calls about pushy door-to-door salesmen over the years. But Neer said he does not remember anything similar to this incident. "Right now we don't have a soliciting ordinance in the county so they'll bring a group of mostly young people in and drop them off in a subdivision," Neer said. "What I would personally like to remind the residents is don't admit anyone into the house that they did not call or don't know. Even a utility person is required to carry some kind of identification." Amanda C. Tinnin can be reached at atinnin@yourjournal.com Of the Suburban Journals St. Charles Journal St. Louis Post-Dispatch stltoday.com St. Louis, Missouri Read This Story |
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Great Lakes Circulation Magazines Inc |
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Magazine Company: Great Lakes Circulation Colorado Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Colorado S.O.S. Corp/LCC Magazine Scams: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Mountain Subscriptions BBB Reliability Report As reflected in the Denver/Boulder BBB on: 05/14/06 at 9:45 AM PST BBB Report: Great Lakes Circulation ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Great Lakes Circulation Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/14/06: Great Lakes Circulation Face-to-Face Technologies dba Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. aka: Fun Sales aka: Gold Coast Subscriptions aka: Youth Incentive Marketing aka: American Cash Award aka: Payne Sales aka: Shumate Sales aka: Magazines Inc. aka: Mountain Subscriptions Great Lakes Circulation Contact Info: Great Lakes Circulation (edumacation.com) 2656 S Kittredge Park Rd, Evergreen, CO 80439 P.O. Box 1060, Kittredge, CO 80457 Great Lakes Circulation (nfsa member directory) 29029 Upper Bear Creek Rd. Suite 202 Evergreen, CO 80439 (303) 674-8252 FAX (303) 679-9909 Principle: Mark Shumate Google Search: Mark Shumate Google Search: Great Lakes Circulation Great Lake Circulation is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org Article Info: Great Lakes Circulation State To Investigate Company That Allegedly Abandoned 2 Teens Organizations Leaves Girls, 17, At Bus Stations In Dallas, Austin Read This Story Magazine sales work ends in tale of terror Read This Story Crews live and die to sell Young magazine peddlers nationwide face abuse, danger Read This Story Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
May 23, 2006
Men Make Deal in Bowling Alley Death;
Two of Four Face Six-Year Sentences
By Martin Salazar
Albuquerque Journal
May 23,2006
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Two of the four men charged in the Oct. 20 slaying of Benjamin Suazo outside the Silva Lanes
bowling alley have reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, the case's presiding judge was told Monday.
"We have reached a tentative plea agreement," Prosecutor Barbara Romo told District Judge Michael
Vigil during a status hearing on the case.
Joshua Burgess, 24, of Miamisburg, Ohio, and Andrew Long, 22, of Liberty, Mo., are
slated to plead to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery, Romo said.
She added that the state will make no sentencing recommendation, and that Burgess and Long
face up to six years in prison.
The other two defendants, James Combs and Jason Furden, have turned down plea offers and
are slated to go on trial June 27, Romo said.
Romo said Combs, 20, of St. Clair Shores, Mich., and Furden, 28, of Lawrence, Kan.,
weren't offered the same deal as Burgess and Long.
"I don't think it would be appropriate to offer them anything less than a voluntary
(manslaughter charge), and they wouldn't accept that," Romo said.
All four men were set to go on trial together next month on second-degree murder charges;
all were accused of beating Suazo and then running him over with a sport-utility vehicle
in the Silva Lanes parking lot. The four were members of an out-ofstate magazine sales crew.
The beating followed an alcohol-fueled verbal dispute, according to testimony presented
during the preliminary hearing.
Suazo, a 32-year-old Santa Fe resident, was beaten into unconsciousness, but was still
alive when the SUV driven by Furden and containing the other magazine salesmen ran over him,
according to testimony presented during a Nov. 8 preliminary hearing. Suazo died shortly thereafter.
A fifth man, Dewell Keith Lafleur, 31, was arrested and charged in the incident, but charges
against him were dropped after witnesses testified that he had acted as a peacemaker during the incident.
Suazo had a blood-alcohol level of .227 when he was killed, and Judge Vigil said after
hearing testimony that he could have walked away from the fight several times during the night.
At one point during the fight, Suazo attacked the men while they were in their SUV and broke
a window on the vehicle.
Suazo's mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Silva Lanes, the men charged
in the death and their employer, Michigan- based Worldwide Circulation Inc.
Albuquerque Journal May 23,2006 abqjournal.com Albuquerque, New Mexico Read This Story |
Minnesota
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 21, 2006
Neighbors question magazine sales
BY DAN WEST
STAFF WRITER
Article published May 21, 2006
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Residents of one Livonia neighborhood said they were scammed by a smooth-talking magazine
salesman who asked for people to pay with cash and may have stolen prescription drugs.
"Usually, I say no when someone asks me to buy magazine subscriptions, but he said he was
my neighbor, he said he was a college student and he acted like he belonged so
I wanted to help him," said Barbara Bauman, who paid $19 for one subscription plan.
"We fell for it, and now I feel like an idiot."
Livonia police said they are investigating the activities of an 18-year-old man who
claimed to live in the Livonia Hills Estates neighborhood in the Eight Mile-I-275 area.
Detective Martin Donnelly said he is looking into a report from one homeowner who
accuses the magazine salesman of stealing prescription drugs while using the homeowner's restroom.
"The victim provided receipts from a legitimate company," Donnelly said. "It's
possible this salesman may have been a rogue employee, or he used to work for the
company, but he uses their materials to do this on his own."
Bauman said the man was asking people to pay $76 for a package of magazine
subscriptions and books, where some proceeds would benefit a children's hospital,
sold by the St. Clair Shores-based company World Wide Circulation-Infinity Sales.
He told her that he would get extra credit if he received cash payments.
"He pointed to an exact house where he said he lived, but after talking with
my neighbors, we realized he or someone he described as his mother did not live
there," said Bauman, who added a number of her neighbors paid for some sort of magazine package.
The young man was described as 5-foot, 5-inches tall, with short black hair and
wearing a T-shirt and cargo shorts.
Donnelly suggests that residents should not deal with solicitors who
do not obtain permits or show documentation issued by the Livonia City Clerk's office.
People who peddle sales without such permits are breaking city laws and can be arrested by police.
STAFF WRITER dwest@hometownlife.com (734) 953-2109 Observer & Eccentric Newspapers hometownlife.com Livonia, MI. Read This Story |
May 19, 2006
Magazine salesman charged in attack
ST.Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
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Lee Sikes, 20, of Cleveland, had been selling magazines in the Oak Ridge subdivision
near St. Peters. A woman let him into her home to talk about the magazines, but she told him
they were too expensive.
Sikes asked to use her bathroom and when he came out, he made several
sexual comments to the woman, police said. They said she asked him to
leave and tried to call for help on her cell phone but Sikes forced her
to the floor and then fled when she started screaming.
He was arrested a short distance from the home and charged with sexual abuse and burglary.
stltoday.com St. Louis, MO. Read This Story |
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BBB cautions students seeking traveling sales work May 18, 2006 • Request written details of travel, food and housing arrangements. • Determine who pays for expenses, how long training lasts and if you will be paid during the training period. • Get documentation of your rate of pay and how often you are to be paid. • Ask what happens if a customer cancels an order. Will the canceled order be deducted from your income? • Find out whether you can return home or call home any time you want. Ask how family and friends can reach you while traveling. Anyone joining a traveling sales crew should have a way to call home if they become stranded with no money available. • If you feel in danger, call the local police department and ask for assistance. • Check the company offering employment with the BBB. Reliability reports can be obtained by calling (330) 253-4590 or (800) 825-8887, or by visiting the Web site www.akronbbb.org. Akron, Ohio Read This Story |
May 17, 2006
Magazine salesman nabbed in Cohasset
By Sue Reinert
Patriot Ledger
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COHASSET - Police arrested a Louisiana man on a six-year-old warrant after several residents
complained that his door-to-door sales tactics were too aggressive.
Terrence McKinney, 30, who said he lived in Mansfield, La., was selling magazines on
Monday night in Cohasset, Police Chief James Hussey said. He said officers found
McKinney after "we had three or four calls from residents about aggressive soliciting."
A check showed that he was wanted on a warrant from Dedham District Court, Hussey said.
A court official said a judge issued the warrant when McKinney didn't show up for a
June 1, 2000, hearing to answer charges that he was soliciting without a permit in Wellesley.
Patriot Ledger ledger.southofboston.com COHASSET, MA. Read This Story |
May 17, 2006
Salesman to be tried in rape
By Ray Huard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 17, 2006
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EL CAJON – A high school student told a judge yesterday that a door-to-door cleaning supply salesman
forced his way into her El Cajon home and repeatedly raped her during a violent struggle while
she was home alone on spring break in April.
“He was choking me, holding me. It seemed like he wanted to kill me when he choked me,”
the 18-year-old woman testified in El Cajon Superior Court.
After hearing the testimony Judge Patricia K. Cookson ruled there was sufficient evidence for a trial
and ordered Archie Lee Thomas held in jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail pending a May 30 hearing to
set a trial date. Thomas, 20, of St. Louis is charged with six counts of rape, rape with a
foreign object, forced oral copulation, residential burglary with intent to commit rape,
assault with intent to commit rape and tampering with a telephone.
He faces a maximum penalty of 80 years, eight months in prison if convicted of all charges,
prosecutor Terrie Roberts said outside the courtroom.
The woman Thomas is accused of raping said Thomas came to the front door of her
family home around 4 p.m. selling cleaning products. She said Thomas forced his way in and
grabbed her around the neck after she opened the door to see what he wanted.
She testified that Thomas dragged her from room to room as she tried to fight him off, punching,
kicking and poking him. She said she picked up a potted plant and tossed it at his head,
then tried hitting him with a dining room chair.
Nothing stopped him, she testified, as they stumbled into furniture, knocking a cup to the floor
and smashing a ceramic framed photograph.
When Thomas dragged her into the kitchen, the woman said she grabbed for a nearby phone,
but Thomas snatched it from her and threw it on the floor.
Ultimately, the woman said she gave in because she feared Thomas would kill her.
“I was scared,” she testified.
The woman said that after Thomas raped her in her bedroom he told her “we could hook up sometime
as girlfriend and boyfriend” and told her she couldn't tell anyone what happened because it
would ruin his chances to get into college.
Thomas then forced her to clean up broken glass and dirt that had spilled from the plant during
the struggle before taking her back into her bedroom and raping her again.
The woman testified that her father called twice during her hourlong ordeal. She said Thomas
let her answer the phone, but she was too terrified to tell her father what was happening.
After Thomas left he continued going door-to-door through the neighborhood selling cleaning products,
according to police.
El Cajon police arrested him a few blocks from the woman's home after one of her friends
called 911, testified Police Officer Keith MacArthur.
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Ray Huard: (619) 542-4597; ray.huard@uniontrib.com signonsandiego.com EL CAJON, California Read This Story |
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May 21, 2006 DMPG research into the above cleaner sales company based on court documents and police reports indicates that the Archie Lee Thomas was working for T&B Sales: T&B Sales Manager: Timothy Burgess 8405 Avalon Drive Riverdale, GA 30274 Phone (800)323-6444 T&B Sales distributes Advanage Wonder Cleaner for: Austin Diversified Products 16615 S. Halsted Street Harvey, IL 60426 (708) 333-7644 FAX: (708) 333-4775 cs1@advanage.com Owner: Nathan T. Edwards Austin Diversified Products Website:advanage.com Austin Diversified Products is a member of the National Field Selling Association: 100 North 20th Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103-1443 215.564.1627 FAX: 215.564.2175 National Field Selling Association Website:nfsa.com View other crimes: Profiles By Name And Company Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
May 12, 2006
Staying safe during visits from door to door salespeople
May 12, 2004
By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter
WATEChannel 6
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KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- It's the time of the year when door-to-door sales people peddle magazines or
coupons and 6 On Your Side tells you ways to stay safe.
The sales people are usually young. Many say they're on summer break from college, trying to earn
extra money. But be extra careful.
If a solicitor comes to your door, you don't have to answer it. If you do answer, you need to
ask questions. And if you're in Knox County, ask to see a solicitation certificate from the
clerk's office. The salesperson is also required to register.
The best advice is, don't let them into your home. Remember, you didn't invite them.
A young door-to-door salesman came to Ben Burks' home May 7th, selling magazines for a company
called AM Press, out of Miami. Ben said, "I ordered Forbes magazine. It would've cost me $25."
After the sale, Ben said the salesman went to other homes in the neighborhood. But Ben didn't
have a good feeling about the salesman.
So he went online to inquire about AM Press. He learned that it's a subsidiary of Mags R Us.
Then Ben went to the Miami Better Business Bureau web site where "I learned that they don't
deliver goods. They've had complaints for non-delivery of goods."
Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison said, "You don't know who's knocking on your door to
solicit...to sell you something."
Hutchison said that despite local measures to monitor solicitors, home owners must be on
guard when a salesperson comes to the door. "There's no background check. We have no idea who
these people are, what they've done in the past. And that's a scary thought."
Ben Burks said the salesman at his house flashed some kind of ID. Don Dare told Burks,
"In the city of Knoxville, solicitors don't have to carry identification. But in Knox County,
they do. Did it seem as if he had a Knox County ID?"
"Well you know, I didn't look at it like I should have," Ben said.
wate.com KNOXVILLE (WATE), Tennessee Read This Story |
May 12, 2006
Runaway caught peddling door-to-door
MidHudsonNews.Com
Friday, May 12, 2006
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A teenaged runaway from Missouri is back home after she showed up in a Putnam County neighborhood peddling
magazines door-to-door.
Marlyse Skinner, 18, of Kansas City, who absconded from a secure residential facility in that city
back in January, was returned to the custody of Missouri officials after a deputy sheriff found her
knocking on doors along Weatherhill Road in Southeast.
A resident of that area had called the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and reported that two
suspicious females were walking from house to house and knocking on doors. A deputy investigated and
found two females, Skinner and another teenage girl, walking down a private driveway.
They told the deputy they were selling magazine subscriptions for a Missouri-based company,
however, neither could show him a peddling permit.
The deputy ran a computer check and received a hit from the national Crime Information Center
revealing Skinner was wanted on a warrant from the Jackson County Family Court in Kansas City.
Putnam County, New York Read This Story |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! May 11, 2006 Woman Reports Injury From Door-To-Door Salesman Sarpy County Has Several Reports Of Aggressive Salesmen POSTED: 8:19 am CDT May 11, 2006 UPDATED: 8:37 am CDT May 11, 2006 KETV 7 Omaha ketv.com Omaha, Nebraska Read This Story |
Virginia
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 11, 2006
Police Warn About Magazine Solicitors
By Melissa Martin
WSLS NewsChannel 10
Thursday, May 11, 2006
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Lynn Hines had just gotten home from work when a magazine salesman ignored trespassing signs,
and walked up to her porch.
Lynn Hines: You know, at first he was nice, everything was peaches and cream until I said no
And she says he got aggressive.
Lynn: I kept backing up, but he kept coming a little closer. I was like no I don't want to
do that but he kept on, and kept on and he was very persistent, more or less he wasn't leaving
until he got my check.
And he got it. Here's a copy of Lynn's check. She bought a 51 dollar subscription to
people magazine, and the salesman went away.
That sales person should not have been going door to door in the first place. We checked with
the BBB and the Commissioner of Revenue, the company does not have a solicitor's license,
so if they try and sell you a magazine, it's against the law.
The BBB warns this company, Great Lakes Circulation based in Colorado has 76 complaints in the
last three years. They say some people don't get their magazines, or end up paying more than
they would on their own, pressured in by questionable sales tactics.
Julie Wheeler, Better Business Bureau: The really hard pitch, I'm trying to raise money for
school, or I'm trying to raise money for charity.
Any time people are using anything other than the product they are selling as the hook
or reason you need to support it, people need to be weary.
Lynn: It was harassment. I would have probably called the police had I had my phone on me,
just to get him to leave me alone.
Lynn wrote the company this letter asking them to refund her money, she hopes other people
will won't be cornered when someone comes knocking on their door.
We checked with Roanoke County Police. They tell me they are trying to track down these
solicitors and say they could be charged if they're caught. In the meantime, if
you are not interested close the door. If they won't go away, call police.
They tell us it's ok to use 911, they want to know when a group is in your neighborhood.
If you are interested in buying a magazine, write down the information, and check the company's
record with the BBB. Always write a check to a company, not an individual. And remember,
you've got 3 days to cancel, but make sure the receipt has a proper date.
WSLS NewsChannel 10 wsls.com Roanoke, VA. Read This Story |
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Great Lakes Circulation |
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Magazine Company: Great Lakes Circulation Colorado Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Colorado S.O.S. Corp/LCC Magazine Scams: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Great Lakes Circulation Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Mountain Subscriptions BBB Reliability Report As reflected in the Denver/Boulder BBB on: 05/14/06 at 9:45 AM PST BBB Report: Great Lakes Circulation Western Virginia BBB Consumer Alert Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. d/b/a Gold Coast Subscriptions Read This PDF Consumer Alert ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Great Lakes Circulation Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/14/06: Great Lakes Circulation Face-to-Face Technologies dba Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. aka: Fun Sales aka: Gold Coast Subscriptions aka: Youth Incentive Marketing aka: American Cash Award aka: Payne Sales aka: Shumate Sales aka: Magazines Inc. aka: Mountain Subscriptions Great Lakes Circulation Contact Info: Great Lakes Circulation 29029 Upper Bear Creek Rd. Suite 202 Evergreen, CO 80439 (303) 674-8252 FAX (303) 679-9909 Principle: Mark Shumate Google Search: Mark Shumate Google Search: Great Lakes Circulation Great Lake Circulation is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org Article Info: Great Lakes Circulation State To Investigate Company That Allegedly Abandoned 2 Teens Organizations Leaves Girls, 17, At Bus Stations In Dallas, Austin Read This Story Magazine sales work ends in tale of terror Read This Story Crews live and die to sell Young magazine peddlers nationwide face abuse, danger Read This Story Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
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Door To Door Sales ALERT !!! May 10, 2006 Consumer Alert Western Virginia Door-To-Door Magazine Crew In Area For Immediate Release Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. is located in Evergreen, CO. According to the Denver, CO BBB, the company is an order processing center for magazine and book sales groups. Consumers report the prices for the magazine subscriptions are usually higher than if they had just subscribed to the magazine by themselves. This is because a portion of the amount received is kept by the sales group doing the solicitation for the purposes of their fund-raising. The firm is NOT a member of the Better Business Bureau. Consumers also report they don't get magazines after they order. The sales contract says that the company has up to 6 months to complete the delivery of the individual magazine subscriptions that are being processed for the sales group. Consumers sometimes report that the sales groups in door- to-door sales have questionable or vague fund raising causes. Consumers should always ask and be clear for what the fund raising is intended. It is legal for anybody to solicit door-to-door for any reason; so do not assume these door-to-door sales groups are charities. The Denver BBB has processed 76 complaints on the firm in their current three-year reporting period. The majority of complaints involve sales issues, delivery issues, and refund and exchange issues. The firm has resolved complaints presented by the Bureau. "Consumers should be aware that many door-to-door magazine sales often involve hidden costs," said Julie Wheeler, president of the BBB Serving Western Virginia. "Unscrupulous salespeople sometimes trick consumers into purchasing multi-year magazine subscriptions costing hundreds of dollars. When a salesperson offers a package of magazines for a few dollars a week, it may sound like a real bargain, but it may include inflated prices and subscriptions stretching over several years." Consumer Alert Great Lakes Circulation, Inc. d/b/a Gold Coast Subscriptions Read This PDF Consumer Alert |
Arizona
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 9, 2006
Door-to-door sales may be fraudulent
By DOMINIKA MASLIKOWSKI
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 7:33 PM PDT
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BULLHEAD CITY - Marie, a Laughlin Ranch resident who wanted her last name withheld, said a young man
was going door-to-door in her neighborhood last week selling books for sick children.
The man claimed to be a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, raising money for a
chance at an internship at the BBC.
“I know people have given him money,” Marie said. “He showed me a check from one of the neighbors
and he had other checks in his binder. He also had a wad of cash in there, too.”
Marie said the man looked about 19 or 20 years old and had short blond hair and slight acne.
He carried a handwritten form for donors to fill out and a worn magazine brochure. The
checks he had collected were made out to “Integrity.”
Marie said the man was unable to produce a piece of I.D. when asked.
Gary Larson, undergraduate coordinator at UNLV, said the fundraiser had nothing to do with
any of their internship programs.
“I did talk to Marie,” Larson said. “She said she notified the police, which is just fine.
We have nothing going on that's like that.”
Carrie Conner, public information officer at the Bullhead City Police Department,
said the case is similar to the types of fraud reports the department sees.
“Luckily most reports are alerts of fraud,” Conner said. “Kudos for our community for doing an
excellent job of not falling victims and for educating themselves.”
A business license issued by Bullhead City is required of anyone going door-to-door.
Everyone should ask to see that license before handing over any money, Conner said.
Tri-State OnLine mohavedailynews.com Bullhead City, Arizona Read This Story |
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Website Integrity Program Website
Integrity Sales On The Web Magazine Fulfillment Services Website Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Integrity Search: Magazine Fulfillment Services + Magazine |
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Magazine Company: Integrity Sales/Integrity Program Integrity Program Website: integritypgm.com Arizona Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website: Az. S.O.S. Corp/LCC Arizona Secretary of State: Integrity Sales: Integrity Sales Criminal Profiles: Search For: Integrity Sales Magazine Scams: Integrity Sales Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: Integrity Sales BBB Report Phoenix, Az.: unsatisfactory Rip Off Report: Integrity Sales Magazine Company/Sales Crews as of 05/13/06: Magazine Fulfillment Services - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales, Inc. - Operated by Robert Spruiell Integrity Program, Inc.- Operated by Robert Spruiell Circulation I - Operated by Karkeen Hillery Circulation II - Operated by Karleen Hillery SERVICES UNLIMITED PLUS - Operated by Karleen Hillery Spruiell/Robert Spruiell National Community Clearing, INC - Operated by Karleen Hillery TEAM X-TREME DYNASTY SALES POWERHOUSSE SALES KAYS NATURALS - Karleen Hillery Crew Crew Name: 029 Crew Name: 032 IP MARKETING IMPACT PUBLICATIONS Subscriptions Plus - Operated by Karleen Hillery (old mag. company name - may be in use again) Google Search: Karleen Hillery Google Search: Robert Spruiell Integrity Sales is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org RIP-OFF Report.com Integrity Sales ripoff Phoenix Arizona *Consumer Comment ..New Info Read This Rip-Off Report On Integrity Sales Lookup: Karleen Hillery on Profiler: Karleen Hillery Profile Lookup: Karleen Hillery - Janesville Wisconsin Van Crash March 25, 1999 Karleen Hillery Profile View Recent Criminal Activities of Karleen Hillery Spruiell: Karleen Hillery Spruiell (NOTE: for search on Arizona State Supreme Court Criminal Records Enter: Last Name: Spruiell, First Name: Karleen in search box. View Wisconsin DOJ Civil Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 00-CV-0852) State of Wisconsin V. Karleen Hillery View Illinois Magazine Sales Fraud Lawsuit Against Karleen Hillery (case # 02-CH125) State of Illinois V. Karleen Hillery Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
Colorado
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 7, 2006
Officials warn of sales scams
Girls act as students, go door-to-door selling magazines
By SARA REED
The Coloradoan
Article published May 7, 2006
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A recent incident of girls posing as Fort Collins High School students selling magazines to
raise money has police reminding citizens to protect themselves from fraud.
The girls, whom police determined were not students, were selling magazines door-to-door in south
Fort Collins, telling residents they were trying to raise money for a six-week trip to London,
according to police spokeswoman Rita Davis. A resident alerted police after a neighbor told
him of the scam, Davis said. The man then noticed a black van with New York license plates
in the neighborhood. When he went to write down the license plate number, the driver yelled
and made obscene gestures at him, Davis said.
Police were unable to find any ties between the registered owner of the van and Fort Collins,
Davis said.
No charges have been filed in the case, Davis said.
It is not unusual for people running scams to come from out of town, Davis said.
It is illegal to mislead someone in order to sell them something, Davis said. City code
also prohibits solicitors from ignoring posted "No trespassing" or "No soliciting" signs.
Students from Fort Collins High School rarely solicit door-to-door, said principal Mark Eversole.
"They (students) usually sell to friends or family just because of the safety aspect,"
Eversole said. "(Going door-to-door) is not something we promote."
When students do raise money for a school program, they will tell those they are soliciting
specifically what the money is for, whether it is the football team, forensics team or
any other team, Eversole said.
Students also are encouraged to wear their uniforms, he added.
Eversole said that anyone with questions about solicitations from students claiming
to be from Fort Collins High should not hesitate to call him.
"If it smells fishy, it probably is," he said.
Counterfeiting checks, stolen or obtained otherwise, and using them for personal use is one
of the most common types of fraud, said Detective Brien O'Malley.
Residents who believe they are victims of check fraud should immediately contact their banks
and close their checking accounts, police said.
The easiest way to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to not leave checkbooks in
mailboxes or cars and to only write checks to people you know, O'Malley said.
People should not be afraid to say "no" if they do not want to buy what the solicitor is selling,
O'Malley said, and should never be afraid to ask for a phone number they can call to get
more information.
SaraReed@coloradoan.com coloradoan.com Ft. Collins, Colorado Read This Story |
Ohio
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 4, 2006
Police cancel man's plan to peddle mags
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Nordonia Hills Sun
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MACEDONIA _ Police warned a man to stop soliciting magazines door to door without a permit
about 5:30 p.m. April 29. The man said he was trying to make money to support his kids.
Two hours later, a resident called police to complain about a solicitor. It was the same man.
He got upset when police approached him a second time and started swearing at officers.
He was arrested for disorderly conduct and cited for soliciting without a permit.
cleveland.com Macedonia, Ohio Read This Story |
Texas
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
May 3, 2006
I-Team: Be cautious of scamming solicitors
Joe Conger
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
Web Posted: 05/03/2006 12:23 AM CDT
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Door-to-door solicitors can often be trusted. However, the KENS 5 I-Team discovered that
some solicitors selling magazines might be selling only a subscription to trouble.
Meet James. He says his mom lives on the next street over. He also says he's a communications
major at the University of Texas at Austin, and his teacher, Professor Matthews, has him
selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door to get enough
money for a class field trip to Europe.
"We sure don't send people out on the street, soliciting magazines," said Barry Brummett,
a professor of communication studies at UT. "There's no unit in the college that does that,
I'm not aware of anyone at UT that does that."
Brummett is right. James is no student. He's a solicitor, selling subscriptions to magazines
a buyer may or may not ever receive. His sales pitch is designed to grab a buyer's emotions,
and what he won't tell you is he's working out of a non-descript van from Nevada with a bunch
of other young men and women, who are all part of what's known as a mag-crew.
"They come from New York, New Jersey, California, companies from all over the United States,
and they hire people and travel all over the country," said Dean Taylor with the Better Business Bureau.
Ignoring posted signs against soliciting, James and his crew comb neighborhoods looking for sales.
Margaret Cullins, who lives in the neighborhood, didn't buy James' act this time. She says
she's been burned before.
"Why are you coming to my door selling these if they're not going to arrive on time?" she asked.
"Somebody's getting ripped off somewhere. They are or we are."
James wasn't carrying the proper peddler's permit the city of San Antonio requires of solicitors.
He also was unable to produce a UT identification card for the I-Team and was unwilling to
tell reporters what he was doing in San Antonio or where he was from.
When James was asked if he was part of a scam, he got defensive.
"Why don't you guys just get back in the truck and leave me alone?" he asked.
As he waited for his ride, the I-Team traced the van to a company called Integrity LLC out of Las Vegas.
The company has no listed phone number. However, there were dozens of complaints against the company
and similar subscription companies on the Internet. The complaints were remarkably similar, all
from consumers scammed by youngsters claiming they were studying communications at local universities,
and financing overseas trips through magazine sales.
"It is a sales pitch, and we just have to be good consumers and ask the right questions," said
Assistant Attorney General Marsha Acock, with the Texas Attorney General's Office's charitable
trust division.
A check with the AG's office and the Better Business Bureau shows that the state does little
more than compile consumer complaints against mag-crews.
But the Integrity mag-crew had plenty of complaints against the I-Team when we tried talking with them.
"Get the (expletive) out of my face! That's harassment," said a youth with the group.
When the I-Team explained that reporters just wanted to ask some questions about the solicitors,
the verbal assault continued.
"Cause we're solicitors, quit harassing us," said another youth.
It's a far cry from the life depicted on Web sites that entice teens with vacations, travel and
their own businesses.
The Better Business Bureau says the solicitors often become bigger victims than the people
they sell to, as they're transported from state to state, making very little money for themselves.
"They take them out and dump them, and they're out all day and then pick them up at
night and go somewhere. I mean it's a tough way to make a living," Taylor said.
Are the magazine sales legitimate? Authorities said it depends on the company, and the companies
frequently change their names to avoid consumer complaints.
Consequently, we found none for Integrity LLC from the Better Business Bureau or the Attorney
General's Office.
If you do happen to sign up for a subscription, federal rules give three days to send the
company a written cancellation notice. Once your check is cashed, a buyer can wait up
to six months for the first issue of their magazine.
KENS 5 Eyewitness News The San Antonio Express-News mysanantonio.com San Antonio, Texas Read This Story |
May 3, 2006
Magazine Salesman Robbed In West Chester
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller
Photographed by: 9News
First posted: 5/3/2006 5:31:45 PM
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Police in West Chester want you to be on the lookout for three men who allegedly robbed a door to
door saleswoman on Wednesday.
The trio is accused of approaching a woman who was selling magazines in the Quail Run Farms
neighborhood off Hamilton Mason Road.
Investigators say they appeared to be interested in making a purchase when they stole her money
bag and took off.
They're worried the group could attack again.
"They could be out here looking for people who are doing this kind of stuff and they could be an
easy victim. They're trying to make money and sell a product, and the suspect's going to know
they have cash on them," said Joseph Buschelman of West Chester Police.
The descriptions of the suspects are vague.
The victim says they were in a blue pickup truck.
Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller wcpo.com Cincinnati, Ohio Read This Story |
Apr. 29, 2006 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
As salesman goes door to door, red flags go up
'It's not illegal to lie,' bad businessman says
JJ Hensley
The Arizona Republic
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The line between scam artist and bad businessman is a thin one. Matthew David Longo insists he is the latter,
but some of his potential customers disagree.
Longo, 23, is a self-employed door-to-door magazine salesman for a company he started called Impact
Publications. Longo caught the attention of a south Mesa neighborhood last summer when residents complained
that he took $40 for magazines that were never delivered and promised carwashes that never happened.
He used the same sales pitch in Ahwatukee last week, but Longo contends he has turned his business
around and that his actions last summer were those of a naïve businessman,
"I really do take pride in what I'm doing, but I screwed up in the beginning and I didn't do this right,"
Longo said. "I would like to make that better. I don't want people out there thinking I'm a scam artist or
a con artist."
That's what residents in one Ahwatukee Foothills neighborhood think.
Neighbors said a young man using the name "Matt" worked the neighborhood last week, selling magazines
and claiming to raise money for a number of groups, including Arizona State University's soccer program
and Mesa Community College's Speech and Debate team. ASU does not have a men's soccer program and
MCC nor longer has a traveling debate team.
"We just host on-campus tournaments," said Erin Rawson, MCC's director of speech activities.
"We've never done any kind of fund-raising for it because the school provides an adequate budget."
Longo says that "Matt" wasn't him. But another aspect of "Matt's" sales pitch caught the neighbors'
attention. He said residents could purchase subscriptions and have the magazines sent to Phoenix
Children's Hospital. Longo said he was selling magazines in the neighborhood last week and
offering to send subscriptions to the hospital, but denies presenting himself as a representative of
Phoenix Children's Hospital or evoking the name of college clubs to solicit funds.
Steve Schnall, vice president of the hospital's foundation, said the group never solicits door-to-door.
"To my knowledge, nobody has purchased magazines and donated it to the hospital. If they have,
they have not informed us so we would have no way of knowing," Schnall said.
To Dawn Chin, the entire pitch, including references to living in the neighborhood and offers
to wash cars, sounded familiar after a cursory Internet search turned up a story about Longo's
antics in south Mesa last summer. Chin initiated her search after Longo and her husband
fought in their Ahwatukee driveway when Richard Chin refused to purchase the magazine subscription.
Last summer, Longo admits he canvassed Mesa neighborhoods promising to wash subscribers
cars, which never happened, and selling magazines of which he has never been able to verify delivery.
He also said he told residents he lived in the neighborhood and said his name was "Matt Williams,
like the ballplayer."
"It's not illegal to lie," said Longo, who was arrested in Mesa in 2003 on a suspicion of check
forgery and is serving a probation sentence for theft from a Tempe residence. He declined to
provide contact information for satisfied customers, citing their right to privacy.
Dawn Chin said Longo would probably be better off if he were up front with people.
"If he really is trying to do a business, he's just not good at it," she said.
"He needs to get his temper under control and stop lying to people."
Still, Longo said his criminal past is behind him and he's concentrating on raising his
6-month-old daughter by himself.
"Am I going to (sell magazines) anymore? I don't even know. I may look into doing something different,"
Longo said. "Most importantly, I am trying to look out for the well-being of my daughter.
Do you have kids? It's a whole different story, man."
Mesa police Sgt. Chuck Trapani said residents who were interested in doing something to
help a charity or school group should contact the recipients directly if someone comes soliciting funds.
"If somebody comes knocking on your door and says they're trying to raise money for some
charitable organization, if you don't know the person and you're not 100 percent sure
it's legitimate, get a business card and contact the charity directly," he said.
For any residents who think Longo ripped them off or even those who feel owed a
carwash, Longo has a request.
"If I can get a hold of all these people and make things right with certain things
I said and did in the past, I really would, I really would make it right," he said.
The Arizona Republic azcentral.com Phoenix, Arizona Read This Story |
Apr. 28, 2006
Miss. Man Faces Sexual Assault Charge
Connecticut Nightbeat
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FARMINGTON — Police on Thursday charged a Mississippi man with the
sexual assault of a mentally disabled man.
Donnie McDonald, 31, of Rose Hill, Miss., was charged with
second-degree sexual assault and second-degree burglary. He was
ordered held on bail set at $75,000.
Police said McDonald was illegally selling magazine subscriptions door
to door when he influenced the resident of a home to give him cash and
checks for the magazines. McDonald also engaged in a sexual act with
the man, police said in a press release.
McDonald was not authorized to solicit door-to-door sales in town,
police said.
He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
courant.com FARMINGTON, Connecticut Read This Story |
Wisconsin
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
April 28, 2006
Door-to-door salesman's antics result in citation
By Patty Brandl
fdlreporter.com
Posted April 28, 2006
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Questionable behavior by a door-to-door magazine salesman prompted calls to police from two local
women in separate incidents over the past few weeks.
A 19-year-old New York State man was cited for disorderly conduct after the women called police
to report his aggressive, and in one case, sexually suggestive behavior, according to a Fond du
Lac Police Department report.
Police were on the lookout for the man after an 18-year-old woman told officers that the man had
come to her 14th Street residence selling magazines at about 1:30 p.m. April 19. He said he
was selling subscriptions to earn a trip to Mexico.
The woman agreed to buy a subscription and left the door to get her checkbook. When she returned,
she found the man inside the house.
The man made several sexual comments to her, asking her to shake her breasts and give him a show,
according to the report. He told her he provided a free backrub with each magazine subscription
purchased and offered the woman a full body massage.
The officer who responded to the residence later that day noted in his report that the woman
cried while providing details of the incident. He took a description of the man.
On April 22, a woman on Rockrose Drive called police to report that a man had come to her home
selling subscriptions and asked to use her bathroom. When he asked for a soda and seemed reluctant to
leave, she became nervous and got him out of the house. She checked the bathroom and
noticed the window had been opened, but said she was unsure if the man had opened it.
She immediately called police.
According to the report, the man fit the description of the suspect in the April 19 incident.
Officers located the man in the neighborhood a short time later.
He told officers he was employed with a company from Milwaukee and was living in a motel there,
the report said. The man said he worked for a man named "Bob Barker."
He was cited for disorderly conduct.
fdlreporter.com The Reporter pbrandl@fdlreporter.com fdlreporter.com Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin Read This Story |
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May 07, 2006 DMPG research into the above magazine sales company based on police reports indicates that the offender was working for a magazine sales company out of Pilot Point, Texas by the name of "Direct Subscription Services, Inc." Coincidently, Direct Subscription Services, Inc. has the same exact address as All-Star Promotions aka AllStar Promotions. Direct Subscription Services, Inc. 1017 N Hwy 377 Pilot Point, TX 76258 Website: Direct Subscription Services, Inc. edumacation info on All-Star: All-Star Promotions |
April 25, 2006
Sales job meant death for Mesquite teen
10:51 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 25, 2006
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA-TV
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Brad Hawkins reports An estimated 50,000 young people will journey the streets every day this summer, selling magazines, candy and cleaning products. But before you let your teen take that kind of a job, you'll want to hear one Mesquite mother's story. Just six months after her daughter graduated high school, Karen Oldaker faced teenage independence with an uneasy feeling. Shamblin Rodriguez, 18, was setting out to sell magazines and see the country. "She told me about it and she was packing while she was telling me about it. She thought it was such a great deal," said Oldaker. "She wanted to do it and she wanted to see the world. So, I let her go. I let her go and now she's not coming back." Days into her new job, Shamblin saw something else. "It wasn't enough to live on. Not for her personal needs, it wasn't. And that's the most infuriating thing is - the way she sounded and the way they made it sound to her." Long hours, in rough parts of town, dreams of finding wealth door-to-door turned over on an interstate highway. When the crew van flipped, throwing nine passengers into the median in the Arizona desert, two people died, including the always-smiling teen from Mesquite. "A couple of hours before the accident, I talked to her. She told me they were going to the Grand Canyon on their way to California," Oldaker continued. "None of her friends have deleted her number from their cell phone. I haven't even deleted her number from my cell phone." The Internet is littered with anonymous stories of deception, abuse, exploitation for teens and young adults on their own; they become either stories of survival or death. The Illinois company that owned the van - Alliance Services Company - did not return our calls, and when a grieving mother had to call them for information. "They said she was a subcontractor so she didn't work for them. But yet, their name was on the insurance for the vehicle and I'm sure they paid for the hotel rooms and the meals," said Oldaker. Another parent turned a similar fatal crash into a crusade for door-to-door sales regulations in Wisconsin. This mom wants Texas to be next. "I don't want another kid to go to their parents and say: 'Mom, this is a great deal. I could be making $500/month or more.' And then, not come home," said Oldaker. E-mail bhawkins@wfaa.com WFAA-TV wfaa.com Dallas, Texas Read This Story |
West Virginia
Door To Door Magazine Sales
CONSUMER FRAUD ALERT !!!
April 25, 2006
West Virginia Sues To Stop Collection Efforts For Bogus Magazine Sales
consumeraffairs.com
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West Virginia has gone to court to stop a Florida collection agency
from trying to collect debts supposedly based on magazine subscription
purchases.
West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw took the action against
Check Game Solutions and its President, Catherine Key of Vero Beach,
Florida.
McGraw says problems began when CGS's client, Universal Subscription
Agency, sent vendors into West Virginia selling magazines door to door.
Consumers were taken in by the young vendors' pleas for assistance in
meeting sales quotas, and wrote checks on the spot to purchase
subscriptions for various magazines.
Some consumers regretted the purchase right away and, when they could
not find the salesperson in their neighborhoods, decided to stop
payment on their checks.
Under West Virginia law, contracts for multiple magazine subscriptions
can be canceled at any time and for any reason.
Instead of canceling the purchases, McGraw says Universal hired CGS to
send debt collection letters to consumers, accusing the consumers of
writing the magazine company bad checks. In one case, CGS threatened to
turn the debt over to the "Worthless Check Division" of the "State
Attorney's Office," a fictitious entity made up by CGS to frighten
consumers.
CGS has never obtained a license to conduct business as a collection
agency in West Virginia, and has failed to post a bond as required by
law.
McGraw's office attempted to resolve complaints against CGS informally,
but he says CGS refused to settle the matter. McGraw said his office
had no other choice but to sue CGS.
In his suit, McGraw seeks a preliminary injunction barring CGS from
conducting any debt collection activity in West Virginia until the case
can be resolved, and asks that the Court eventually order restitution,
debt cancellation, and civil penalties.
Read This Story |
April 25, 2006
Attorney General Darrell McGraw's
Consumer News
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Press Releases and Consumer Information Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:18 pm Post subject: Attorney General McGraw Sues Check Game Solutions April 25, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chris Hedges 1-800-368-8808 304-558-8986 ATTORNEY GENERAL DARRELL McGRAW SUES TO STOP CHECK GAME SOLUTIONS, A FLORIDA COLLECTION AGENCY, FROM HARASSING CONSUMERS OVER BASELESS DEBTS Attorney General Darrell McGraw filed suit today in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County against Check Game Solutions (“CGS”), a Florida collection agency, and its President, Catherine Key of Vero Beach, Florida, for trying to collect money from West Virginia consumers for debts they claim were based on magazine subscription purchases. Problems began when CGS’s client, Universal Subscription Agency (“Universal”), sent vendors into West Virginia selling magazines door to door. Consumers were taken in by the young vendors’ pleas for assistance in meeting sales quotas, and wrote checks on the spot to purchase subscriptions for various magazines. Some consumers regretted the purchase right away and, when they could not find the salesperson in their neighborhoods, decided to stop payment on their checks. Under West Virginia law, contracts for multiple magazine subscriptions can be canceled at any time and for any reason. Instead of canceling the purchases, Universal hired CGS to send debt collection letters to consumers, accusing the consumers of writing the magazine company bad checks. In one case, CGS threatened to turn the debt over to the “Worthless Check Division” of the “State Attorney’s Office,” a fictitious entity made up by CGS to frighten consumers. CGS has never obtained a license to conduct business as a collection agency in West Virginia, and has failed to post a bond as required by law. McGraw’s office attempted to resolve complaints against CGS informally, but CGS refused to settle the matter. McGraw’s office had no other choice but to sue CGS. In his suit, McGraw seeks a preliminary injunction barring CGS from conducting any debt collection activity in West Virginia until the case can be resolved, and asks that the Court eventually order restitution, debt cancellation, and civil penalties. Consumers who would like to file a complaint are encouraged to call Attorney General McGraw’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808 or 304-558-8986. Consumers may also write to Post Office Box 1789, Charleston, WV 25326-1789 Fraud Update Florida State University |
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Check Game Solutions Universal Subscription Agency United Subscription Agency MyTravelJob "Catherine Key" + vero "Catherine Key" + magazine "Charles Key" + vero "Charles Key" + magazine |
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Check Game Solutions Posted May 27, 2006 DMPG Research: Check Game Solutions: State of Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce Commerce Enforcment Actions: Date: 05/26/05 Cease and Desist order and notice of right to hearing Enforcement Actions May 2005 Cease and Desist order CHECK GAME SOLUTIONS INC Lic# UC20519978 Against: Unlicensed Company Action: Cease & Desist/Hearing Signed: 5/26/2005 File # CA 2500661 KRJ Allegation: Respondent conducted themselves as a collection agency without first applying for and receiving a collection agency lincense. |
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D.M.P.G. Research: United Subscription Agency (mytraveljob.com) Check Game Solutions Universal Subscription Agency MyTravelJob United Subscription Agency: mytraveljob.com PRINCIPAL ADDRESS 1850 43RD AVENUE SUITE C-10 VERO BEACH FL 32960 Changed 05/23/2005 Registered Agent: CATHERINE M KEY Business Types: For-Profit Magazine Sales Florida Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website United Subscription Agency Sales Crews: New Generation #001 New Edition #003 M.P.R. #004 T.K.O. #005 Untouchables #006 Power House Sales #007 #008 Team USA #009 Momentum Sales #010 Total Power Sales #011 Trailblazers #012 Check Game Solutions, Inc.: 1850 43rd Avenue Vero Beach, FL 32960-0504 Phone: (772) 299-1787 Registered Agent: CATHERINE M KEY Business Types: Collection Agency Service Florida Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website Universal Subscription Agency 6380 McLeod Drive Suite 8 Las Vegas, NV 89120 (702) 795-0038 FAX (702) 795-0039 Registered Agent: Steve Ingraham President: Richard Lamb Business Types: For-Profit Magazine Sales Nevada Secretary of State Corporation/LLC Website Criminal Profiles: Search For: United Subscription Agency Magazine Scams: United Subscription Agency Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com: United Subscription Agency Consumer Advocacy: Alabama man jailed for attempted rape Consumer Advocacy: Six magazine salesmen arrested after complaint Check Game Solutions, Inc. Florida BBB Reliability Report As reflected in the Florida BBB on: 05/27/06 Florida BBB Report Universal Subscription Agency Nevada BBB Reliability Report This company has an Unsatisfactory Record with the Bureau due to failure to eliminate the underlying cause of consumer dissatisfaction. As reflected in the Nevada BBB on: 05/27/06 Nevada BBB Report United Subscription Agency Rip Off Reports as of 05/27/06: complaints.com: complaints.com Report: United Subscription Agency ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: United Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: United Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: United Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: United Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: United Subscription Agency Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Reports as of 05/27/06: ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Rip Off Report: Universal Subscription Agency Check Game Solutions Rip Off Reports as of 05/27/06: ripoffreport.com: Rip Off Report: Check Game Solutions United Subscription Agency is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com Check Game Solutions is a Supporting Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com Universal Subscription Agency is a Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org Note: The DMPG collects information from various sources: police reports, court documents, media articles, and secretary of state websites. The DMPG is not responsible for inaccurate data in any of the above sources of information. Various company websites change over a period of time. Information and Links also change. The DMPG cannot control this and for this reason cannot guarantee 100% accuracty of data. If you have a question or find an error on this website please contact the DMPG WebMaster: WebMaster ~or~ read the DMPG disclaimer: DMPG Disclaimer |
April 24, 2006
Protecting Traveling Sales Crews?
Traveling Sales Crews
Updated: 6:28 AM Apr 24, 2006
NBC 15
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A state lawmaker says one out of state company is standing in the way of protecting kids who work
in traveling sales crews.
This memorial off the Interstate near Janesville serves as a reminder of a van crash in 1999.
It killed seven young people and injured five others, who were doing door to door sales.
Phil Ellenbecker lost his 18-year-old daughter Malinda in the crash. He says companies recruit
kids with promises of adventure and good money but then put them in danger.
The state Senate passed a bill last year to regulate the industry.
It then went to the Assembly. But the author, Senator Jon Erpenbach, says he can no longer
support it because the Assembly committee's amendment leaves "the loophole the size of a semi."
"There was one company in particular out of Nashville, TN, that didn't want to change what they
called their business practices that they've had over the past 100 years so they got the committee
chairman to write an amendment that basically guts the bill, and that's probably the most
frustrating part about all of this stuff," says Erpenbach.
If the Assembly approves the bill, it heads back to Senate, where lawmakers could approve the
amended version or try to work out the differences. Ellenbecker says he would rather see no
bill than a bad bill.
The legislation would have required companies to register with the state and treated recruits
more like employees than independent contractors.
nbc15.madison.com Madison, Wisconsin Read This Story |
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Malinda's Traveling Sales Crew Protection Act Gutted By Assembly Small Business Committee And Southwestern Company Wisconsin Senator Jon Erpenbach Press Release April 21, 2006 Read This Story |
The Dedicated Memorial Parents Group Needs Your SupportPlease help us pass Malinda's Traveling Sales Crew Regulation Act here in WisconsinSenator Jon Erpenbach is re-introducing Malinda's Act into the Wisconsin State Senate. The SB 251 is a comprehensive bill to regulate the traveling sales crews here in Wisconsin. If passed it would protect both homeowners and sales kids from violence and exploitation. Please help us support this very important legislation by sending Senator Erpenbach an Email casting your support.Thank you The Dedicated Memorial Parents Group Staff Please Support The SB 251 Bill Senate Bill SB 251 Passes Through Committee Hearing Read PDF Record Of Committee Proceedings and Letters Of Support Letters Of Support CLC - Child Labor Coalition Read PDF Child Labor Coalition Letter Of Support Janesville Van Crash Mom Supports SB-251 Pam Christman Letter Of Support Milton, Wisconsin Police Officer Supports SB-251 Officer Conger Letter Of Support Dedicated Memorial Parents Group Testimony DMPG Testimony Lobbying For The SB-251 Bill: American Federation of Teachers ATF 0f Wisconsin Wisconsin Council On Children And Families The Voice for Wisconsin's Children wccf.org Wisconsin State AFL-CIO wisaflcio.org Wisconsin State Agencies In Support Of The SB-251 Bill: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection datcp.state.wi.us Wisconsin Department of Justice doj.state.wi.us Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development dwd.state.wi.us Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction dpi.state.wi.us Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service Agency cesa11.k12.wi.us Lobbying Against The SB-251 Bill: Southwestern Company southwestern.com
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April 21, 2006
3rd verdict in rape case
Salesman takes guilty plea
He avoids his boss's longer sentence
By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Monitor staff
April 21. 2006 8:00AM
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Christopher Armstrong, the only magazine salesman who was still facing criminal charges, pleaded guilty
yesterday to raping a woman in her Concord home nearly a year ago.
In exchange for pleading guilty to four charges yesterday, Armstrong, 24, of Jonesboro, Ark.,
will spend about one more year in the Merrimack County jail and will have to register as a sex offender
for life. He also received a 5- to 10-year suspended prison sentence and must spend five years on
probation. It's the same sentence his sales partner Cassidy Coburn,
20, of Monroe, Utah, received late last month when he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman.
It's much less time than what their sales boss, Joseph Haniffy, 25, of Chicopee, Mass., received
after he took his case to a jury in September and lost. Merrimack County Superior Court Judge
Edward Fitzgerald gave Haniffy a 7½ to 20-year prison sentence and a second 10-20 year suspended sentence.
Haniffy is appealing.
The men were working as salesmen for Fidelity Reader Services out of Florida when they raped
the woman in March 2005. Coburn and Armstrong arrived at the woman's apartment before Haniffy,
and they listened to music and drank with her. Haniffy arrived later and took the woman into a bathroom
and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Later, all three men raped her together, she said.
When they were first interviewed, Coburn and Armstrong said they thought the sex had gone too far.
"I wasn't really sure if she wanted to do this or not," Armstrong told Concord detectives in 2005.
"Then definitely, by . . . a minute or two into it, I could tell that she didn't want it to happen."
Later, the three men said the sex was consensual. Yesterday, Armstrong pleaded guilty to aggravated
felonious sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault and two counts of simple assault that
allege he touched the victim against her will. Prosecutor David Rotman dropped a second charge
of aggravated felonious sexual assault as part of the negotiated plea.
Fitzgerald gave Armstrong one year's jail time each for the two simple assault charges
and the aggravated felonious sexual assault. Armstrong has already served just more than a
year of that time because he's been in jail awaiting trial since March 2005. Because the jail awards
"good time" off for each day served, Armstrong could end up serving just one year of the two he has left.
For the charge of conspiracy to commit rape, Armstrong received a 5-10 year suspended prison sentence.
He must also complete a psycho-sexual evaluation and spend five years on probation.
He can have no contact, directly or indirectly, with the victim.
In addition, the men must pay $1,288 in restitution to the victim.
The woman was in court yesterday but did not make a statement. Armstrong also did not speak,
other than to confirm for Fitzgerald that he understood the terms of his plea agreement.
His lawyer asked if Armstrong could serve his probation in Arkansas, where his family resides.
Fitzgerald said that was up to probation officials. In an e-mail yesterday, Armstrong's sister
Rachael said her family is eager to have Armstrong home. She said Armstrong was the first person she
told after she learned she was pregnant, and she's eager for him to meet his niece, Zoey.
"Our hearts are with him, and (we are) praying for him," she wrote. "We know what a good man he is."
The owner of Fidelity Reader Service, the magazine sales company, said yesterday that this rape case
has prompted him to improve the company's training and hiring practices. Belo Kellam said his employment
contracts now clearly forbid his salesmen from fraternizing with customers in any way. And his company uses
this case as an example in trainings, he said. If a woman lets a salesman into her home and offers him a
beer or initiates physical contact, the salesman will be fired if he does not decline and leave,
Kellam said. "He has to say, 'If you don't want to buy a magazine, I'm done. I gotta go and sell magazines
somewhere else,'" Kellam said. "Everybody understands now that you not there to do anything but
sell magazines," Kellam said. Kellam said he fired Aaron Harvey, the man who was supervising Haniffy,
Coburn and Armstrong in New Hampshire, but he wouldn't say why. He also said Haniffy wrote him from jail,
before his trial, seeking work if he was acquitted. Kellam said he told Haniffy he wouldn't hire him again.
Monitor staff concordmonitor.com Concord, New Hampshire Read This Story |
|
Fidelity Reader Service |
|
FL Dept. of State, Division of Corporations: Fidelity Reader Service Criminal Profiles: Search For 'Fidelity' Magazine Scams: Fidelity Reader Service Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com FRS Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org |
April 20, 2006
Business fined for missing magazines
60 mid-Missourians said they didn’t receive their orders.
By MATTHEW HAAG
MISSOURIAN
April 20, 2006
|
A Joplin business that solicited magazine subscriptions from Columbia residents but never delivered
them was ordered to stop soliciting, advertising or selling magazines in Missouri.
Judge Gene Hamilton of the 13th Judicial Circuit granted the permanent injunction against
Kameron Christian Johnson and his business, Creek House Subscription, after more than 60
people from mid-Missouri complained that they had never received magazines they ordered.
Johnson was ordered to pay $4,863.50 in restitution to the customers and $2,000 in civil
penalties and fees to Missouri. The ruling in the case of Jason Erhart Cogbill, who is
also named in the lawsuit, is still pending.
“We have reason to believe that they may have been selling the subscriptions out of the back
of their car as they went to different areas of the state,” said John Fougere, press secretary
for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon.
The two defendants went door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions to people in mid-Missouri,
including 18 residents in Boone County, according to the lawsuit filed by Nixon in December
in Boone County. Johnson and Cogbill told residents in Columbia and Springfield that they
were students at nearby universities and were selling the subscriptions to “earn points
toward a trip,” according to the lawsuit.
A total of 63 people — the greatest number of them from Boone County — contacted the Better
Business Bureau and the attorney general. They were bilked by the defendants of a total of
$4,273.50 as of Dec. 13, 2005, according to the lawsuit.
Johnson and Cogbill’s attorney couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
MISSOURIAN columbiamissourian.com Columbia, Missouri Read This Story |
April 20, 2006
Rapist in Court
Fox 6 News
Published: 4/20/2006 1:05:49 AM
|
A door-to-door salesman accused of sexual assault was in court today. According to authorities
50 year old Archie Lee Thomas was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman in her El Cajon home.
Thomas was selling cleaning supplies door-to-door on Friday evening when he forced his way into
the woman’s home, according to the El Cajon Police Department.
Thomas could face up to 73 years to life in prison if convicted. According to officials
he is charged with suspicion of rape, false imprisonment with violence, burglary, damage to
power lines, robbery, kidnapping and assault with intent to commit lewd acts.
Archie Lee Thomas remains in custody
fox6.com San Diego, California Read This Story |
Missouri
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
April 19, 2006
Magazine salesman who didn't deliver will pay back customers
BREAKING NEWS 12:07 pm | April 19, 2006
Springfield News-Leader
|
A man who sold magazine subscriptions door-to-door in central and southwest Missouri but never
delivered the magazines will pay $4,863 in restitution to consumers and $2,000 to the state,
the Attorney General?s Office announced Wednesday.
Kameron C. Johnson has been permanently barred from selling magazines or engaging in door-to-door sales
in Missouri, according to a judge's order issued in Boone County Circuit Court.
In December 2005, Attorney General Jay Nixon filed suit against Johnson, one of the owners of
Creek House Subscription. Johnson had a Joplin address at the time.
Nixon said his office received more than 60 complaints from consumers in Greene,
Christian, Camden, Boone, Callaway and Cole counties who said they paid for subscriptions they never received.
Johnson and Jason E. Cogbill both of whom falsely claimed to be students from the
University of Missouri-Columbia and Missouri State University, Nixon said. A second suit against
Cogbill is still pending.
In addition to restitution, Johnson will pay a $1,000 civil penalty and $1,000 to cover the
costs of investigating and prosecuting of the case.
Consumers who purchased magazine subscriptions from Creek House can file a
complaint through the Attorney General?s Web site, www.ago.mo.gov,
or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.
news-leader.com Springfield, Missouri Read This Story |
California
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
April 18, 2006
Door-to-door magazine scam reported in Santa Cruz area
The Mercury News
Mercury News.com
Posted on Tue, Apr. 18, 2006
Bay City News Service
|
Santa Cruz County officials are warning residents about a door-to-door magazine salesman they
say has scammed residents.
A man in his 20s who reportedly goes by the name Devin and claims to be a student representing a
business called Blue Water Sales has arrived at doorsteps in both city and rural
neighborhoods in Santa Cruz, Aptos and Soquel, offering subscriptions to various national magazines,
according to Robin Gysin of the Consumer Affairs Division of the Santa Cruz District Attorney's Office.
The man has taken advance payments for the magazine subscriptions and the checks have been cashed,
but no magazines have arrived.
Gysin said that they began receiving complaints about the possible scam one year ago,
and have received 20 calls from the public just this morning.
Neither the Blue Water Sales nor the organization it claims to be a part of, World Class Publications,
have been located by the District Attorney's Office, though Gysin reported that the business address
is in Long Beach, and that the scam may be going on in Southern California as well.
The Consumer Affairs Office advises residents to be wary of door-to-door salespeople and
solicitors and to take precautions such as asking salespeople for business identification or
printed literature to review, never allowing a door-to-door salesperson into your home,
and contacting the police about suspicious activity.
The office is also advising residents who have been victimized by Blue Water Sales to
call the office at (831) 454-2050 and mail copies of checks and receipts from
any transaction with this business.
Bay City News, Inc.
mercurynews.com Santa Cruz, California Read This Story |
April 18, 2006
TUESDAY MIDDAY NEWS ROUNDUP
A door-to-door magazine salesman has been scamming
Santa Cruz County residents
San Francisco Oakland San Jose
cbs5.com
04/18/06 12:05 PDT
Bay City News Wire
|
A door-to-door magazine salesman has been scamming Santa Cruz County residents in recent days and officials
are warning residents to be on alert.
A man in his 20s who reportedly goes by the name Devin and claims to be a student representing a
business called Blue Water Sales has arrived at doorsteps in both city and rural neighborhoods in
Santa Cruz, Aptos and Soquel, offering subscriptions to various national magazines, according to
Robin Gysin of the Consumer Affairs Division of the Santa Cruz District Attorney's Office.
The man has taken advance payments for the magazine subscriptions and the checks have been
cashed, but no magazines have arrived.
Gysin said that they began receiving complaints about the possible scam one year ago,
and have received 20 calls from the public just this morning.
Neither the Blue Water Sales nor the organization it claims to be a part of,
World Class Publications, have yet been located by the District Attorney's Office,
though Gysin reported that the business address is in Long Beach, and
that the scam may be going on in Southern California as well.
The penalty for such a scam could be a misdemeanor and/or civil lawsuit for unfair
business practices, Gysin said.
The Consumer Affairs Office advises residents to be wary of door-to-door salespeople
and solicitors and to take precautions such as asking salespeople for business identification
or printed literature to review, never allowing a door-to-door salesperson into your home,
and contacting the police about suspicious activity.
The office is also advising residents who have been victimized by Blue Water Sales to call
the office at (831) 454-2050 and mail copies of checks and receipts from any transaction with this business.
Bay City News Wire San Francisco Oakland San Jose California Read This Story |
April 15, 2006
Police: Door-To-Door Salesman Rapes Customer
Man Fled Scene
POSTED: 1:52 pm PDT April 15, 2006
UPDATED: 2:18 pm PDT April 15, 2006
10News.com
|
EL CAJON, Calif. -- A door-to-door salesman was behind bars Saturday,
arrested on suspicion of raping a woman in her El Cajon home,
authorities said.
The woman was raped around 5:40 p.m. Friday when a man selling cleaning
products forced his way into her home, according to El Cajon Police Lt.
Tim Henton.
After the rape, the man fled the scene, but was detained around 6 p.m.
at Bradley and Mollison avenues by El Cajon police.
The victim identified Archie Lee Thomas, 20, of St. Louis, Mo. as the
man who raped her, Henton said.
Thomas was booked into the county jail on suspicion of rape, false
imprisonment with violence, burglary, damage to power lines, robbery,
kidnapping and assault with intent to commit lewd acts, a clerk said.
He remained in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, pending arraignment
at the El Cajon Courthouse April 19, the clerk said.
San Diego, California 10news.com Read This Story |
April 15, 2006
Salesman accused of rape in El Cajon
Pauline Repard
CRIME WATCH: EAST EDITION
signonsandiego.com
April 15, 2006
|
EL CAJON – A door-to-door salesman was arrested last night on suspicion of raping a woman about
half an hour earlier, El Cajon police said.
The woman, 18, told police that the man knocked on her door with some cleaning products to sell.
When she opened the door, the man forced his way inside.
The woman tried to fight off the man, but he overpowered her and raped her, police Lt.
Tim Henton said. The man then left, and the woman called police about 5:40 p.m.
A description of the man was broadcast to officers around the city. Officer Keith
MacArthur saw a man of the same description carrying cleaning supplies, walking at Bradley
and Mollison about 6 p.m.
Henton said the victim identified the man as the rapist. Archie Lee Thomas,
20, of St. Louis was jailed on suspicion of rape.
signonsandiego.com EL CAJON, California Read This Story |
|
DMPG Press Release Dedicated Memorial Parents Group Press Release |
April 14, 2006
Soap scam reported
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 14, 2006
|
Murrysville police are advising residents to be wary of a trio who are
going door to door trying to sell cleaning products purported to be new
to the market.
Police said the sales are suspicious because the products are available
in grocery stores, said Sgt. Bob Jones. In one instance, he said, the
product offered for sale was a bottle of Dawn dish detergent.
The three also failed to obtain a required permit for door-to-door
sales, Jones said.
Three residents told police they were approached by the soap sales team
Thursday, but they turned them away.
Jones said the three were described as a heavyset black male, a
heavyset white male approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and with short
brown hair, and a white female 5 feet 8 inches tall, approximately 160
pounds, with long blond hair and glasses.
The three are believed to be traveling in a silver or gray minivan with
out-of-state plates, possibly from Ohio. Jones said the same people may
have been involved in a similar incident March 27, as well as another
incident in neighboring Washington Township.
Jones said residents should not let the sales people into their homes.
He said anyone who is approached by them should contact police as soon
as possible.
pittsburghlive.com Murrysville, PA. Read This Story |
April 11, 2006
Tennessee
Traveling Door To Door Magazine Sales
SCAM ALERT !!!
MTSU Students Not Selling Door-to-Door
Posted: 4/11/2006 3:51:47 PM
News Channel 5
Nashville, TN
|
Middle Tennessee State University is out with a notice. They don't have any college students selling
magazines door-to-door.
MTSU says some residents in the Belmont area of Nashville, as well as people in LaVergne in
Rutherford County, have told them that young people are going door-to-door selling magazines
and identifying themselves as MTSU students.
The university says that's just not true. MTSU doesn't have any students selling magazines to
benefit the school.
newschannel5.com Nashville, TN Read This Story |
April 5, 2006
Police logs
Alamogordo Daily News
Night shift
Wednesday, April 5
|
ADPS units responded to Alamo Apartments in reference to subjects soliciting magazines.
The following were arrested for soliciting without a license and jailed in lieu of bond to appear
in Alamogordo Municipal Court:
Danielle R. Belair, 21, of Logan, Mont.; Sherie Middleton, 20, of Denton, Texas; Matthew L.
Hubbs, 19, of Muskogee, Okla.; Brandon Sewell, 19, of Eagle Point, Ore.; and Daniel Earl, 22,
of Ellsworth, Ill.
alamogordonews.com Alamogordo, NM Read This Story |
|
OPINION Dedicated Memorial Parents Group MALINDA’S TRAVELING SALES CREW PROTECTION ACT POUNDED BY OUT-OF-STATE COMPANY Read This Story |
April 1, 2006
Concord
Salesman pleads in rape case
He receives lighter sentence than cohort
By JOELLE FARRELL
Monitor staff
Article published Apr 1, 2006
|
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty yesterday to raping a Concord woman in her apartment last year.
Cassidy Coburn of Monroe, Utah, is the second of three magazine salesmen sentenced in the assault
of the woman in March 2005. He pleaded guilty to aggravated felonious sexual assault, conspiracy to
commit sexual assault and two counts of theft for taking the woman's camera and identification.
Coburn is expected to serve one year at the Merrimack County House of Corrections as part of the
plea bargain. A 5 to 10-year state prison sentence for the conspiracy charge was suspended for 10
years after his release.
Until Coburn's hearing in Merrimack County Superior Court yesterday, all three salesmen had
contended that the sex was consensual. Coburn hesitated when the judge asked if he was
pleading guilty because he was guilty.
"Is there some doubt in your mind?" asked Judge Edward Fitzgerald.
"I feel I must have missed something that night," Coburn said.
The first salesman to stand trial for the charges, Joseph Haniffy, was found guilty of
three counts of rape and sentenced to 7½ to 20 years in prison. Another 10- to 20-year
sentence was suspended. Haniffy, 25, of Chicopee, Mass., has appealed, said his attorney, Donna Brown.
The third salesman, Christopher Armstrong, 24, of Arkansas, awaits trial.
The men met the woman on March 28, 2005, when they knocked on her door and asked her to
buy magazine subscriptions, according to the police. Coburn and Armstrong showed up first and
had a beer with the woman, according to the police.
Haniffy later came to the apartment and took the woman into the bathroom. A Merrimack County
jury convicted Haniffy of forcing the woman to perform oral sex on him in the bathroom.
The men later had group sex with the woman in her bedroom.
When questioned by the police after his arrest, Coburn said he knew the woman "did not want
to do something with all of us." All three men told the police that things had gone too far.
But Brown and Coburn's former attorney, Ted Barnes, said the police pressured the men to
give the statements. At Haniffy's trial, the woman admitted to flirting with the men and
kissing them but said she never consented to sex. Coburn said at the trial that the woman
asked them to stay the night.
Brown believes the prosecutors sought a long sentence for Haniffy to scare the other two
salesmen into pleading guilty. Coburn hesitated in court yesterday because he doesn't
feel he's guilty of rape, she said.
"He was offered a 12-month sentence: That's the only reason he confessed," Brown said.
"This sentence is further evidence that the state knows their weaknesses in this case."
Coburn's attorney, Jim Rosenberg, said Coburn accepted responsibility for the charges by
pleading guilty. The 12-month jail sentence "appropriately reflects the nature of conduct
charged in this case," he said.
David Rotman, who prosecuted the case for the Merrimack County Attorney's office, said the
state is satisfied with the outcome. He said he could not comment further because Armstrong's
case is still pending.
Merrimack County Attorney Dan St. Hilaire said that he could not comment on the specifics
of Coburn's case. But he said that in seeking a sentence, prosecutors consider a person's
criminal history and whether they take responsibility for a crime. Prosecutors also
consider whether the victim would be happier with a lesser sentence if he or she would not
have to go through a trial, which can be a painful experience.
The woman did not speak at Coburn's hearing, but she asked the victim advocate from the
Merrimack County Attorney's office to read a statement. In it, she said she still has nightmares
about the men and has a strong fear of men. The woman also said she was relieved that Coburn
admitted guilt, but "the relief doesn't erase what he did to me," she said in her statement.
Haniffy's trial was a difficult experience for her, she said, and "I do not want to relive
this any more than I have to."
Coburn was sentenced to three years in jail, one year for each of three charges: one count
of felonious sexual assault and two counts of theft. He received credit for the year he
has already served, and he is expected to receive another year of credit for good behavior,
Rosenberg said.
Coburn will be on probation for five years after his release and could face 10 to 20 years in
prison if he violates his probation, Rosenberg said. He must also pay $1,288 in restitution
to the victim and he will be a registered sex offender.
Armstrong's attorney, James Laura of Concord, said yesterday that he's still preparing to
take their case to trial. But he's also talked at least briefly with prosecutors about plea options.
Laura attempted to have the charges against Armstrong dismissed. Fitzgerald denied that request,
and Laura has recently asked the judge to reconsider that denial.
Laura said he is also considering appealing a part of the case to the state Supreme Court,
a move that would put Armstrong's criminal charges on hold until the high court ruled. Laura's
complaint is with the immunity agreement the state offered Armstrong when it forced him to
testify during Haniffy's trial. Laura believes the terms were unconstitutional because
Armstrong was offered partial, not complete immunity.
Monitor staff (Staff writer Annmarie Timmins contributed to this article.) concordmonitor.com Concord, New Hampshire Read This Story |
|
Fidelity Reader Service |
|
FL Dept. of State, Division of Corporations: Fidelity Reader Service Criminal Profiles: Search For 'Fidelity' Magazine Scams: Fidelity Reader Service Consumer Advocacy: Edumacation.com FRS Member of National Field Selling Association: nfsa.com National Field Selling Association is a member of: Magazine Publishers of America: magazine.org |
March 30, 2006
FW resident robbed by door-to-door salesman
05:44 PM CST on Thursday, March 30, 2006
By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA-TV
|
Not much gets past 74-year-old Suzanne Reynolds. She still works hard for her money as full-time
account executive.
"I won't ask anybody for anything. If I want something I get what I call a job and earn the money for it."
And she chose to spend some of it when a boy in need came to her door.
"He was very personable, very clean cut. He said he was selling magazine subscriptions and
the more magazines he sold, the more points he would get and he was trying to make a better
life for himself."
Reynolds invited the boy in, twice. A second time he asked for water and a cigarette.
Not until the next day did she realize she'd been had.
"I picked up my purse and it was very light and I said to myself, 'what's wrong with
this picture?' My credit card case was gone - I had over $300 in my case.
"I wish I could get him, to talk to him. I'd speak to him by hand."
Reynolds isn't the only one complaining.
Fort Worth police made two arrests this week after solicitors bullied homeowners.
They arrive from out of state, usually without a license, to sell and no legitimate charity.
At risk kids come by the busloads, make the rounds, and leave.
Reynolds is through with them - and just about everybody else - for that matter.
"I will never let anyone in my house again, unless I gave birth to them," she says.
Homeowners in Highland Park, Coppell, Dallas and Arlington are being hit, too.
Their main complaint - solicitors who won't take no for an answer - who even get belligerent.
Police say the solicitors will go away as soon as it gets hot outside. Meantime, call police
if you feel threatened.
wfaa.com Fort Worth, Texas Read This Story |
March 27, 2006
Teens duped into selling mags and duping you
The Clark Howard Show
|
We’re getting closer to summer and the time when more scam artists try to take our money.
One of these scams involves young people who sell magazines door-to-door.
They claim they are working their way through school by selling magazines, and it’s a lie.
The worst part is that these young people work for real lowlifes who have recruited them,
moved them across the country and put them out on the road selling all hours of the day.
These people, who are usually 18 or 19, are just dropped off in a van and told to sell
magazines or they won’t eat. It’s mental abuse and for some reason the young people see no way out.
Clark’s advice is to give the young people a little money or help getting home,
but don’t buy the magazines. You will pay an exorbitant amount and will probably never see them.
And, if you have teenagers who will soon be adults and are looking for a job, remember that
this is going on. The ads will claim that the young people will “see the world” and make
money while doing it. The truth is it’s extortion and it’s a con. Keep an eye on your kids.
clarkhoward.com Read This Story |
March 25, 2006
Seven years on, fatal van crash at center of Senate bill
Published Saturday, March 25, 2006
By Frank Schultz
Gazette Staff
|
This is the time of year it happens: Companies recruit teens and young adults, promising good wages
and travel.
Some of them end up far from home, selling magazine subscriptions or cleaning supplies door-to-door.
They often work long hours, sleeping in crowded motel rooms with strangers. Sometimes they're
abused and sometimes they assault their fellow workers or their customers, said Phil Ellenbecker
of Verona, who has monitored such practices for seven years.
On this date in 1999, a van loaded with 14 young people was headed to a motel in Janesville after
a day of selling subscriptions. The van was going 81 mph when it rolled over on Interstate 90/39.
Seven died. Five others were critically injured.
One of the dead was 18-year-old Malinda Turvey. She was Ellenbecker's daughter.
In the years since that tragic day, Ellenbecker has worked to document other deaths,
injuries and crimes connected to traveling sales crews. He says 28 people have died while working
for such companies nationwide since 1999.
In 2004, Ellenbecker began working with Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, to get a bill passed to
regulate such sales crews.
The bill sailed through the state Senate last fall. But it stalled in an Assembly committee
after a company objected. The Southwestern Co. of Nashville, Tenn.,
contracts with college students to sell books door-to-door. It hired a lobbyist to try to
change the bill.
Lobbyist Peter Christianson calls the magazine-selling companies "snakes."
Christianson said Southwestern isn't like that; it operates differently and has been doing so
for more than 100 years.
Southwestern is a book publisher that recruits college students as independent contractors,
Christianson said. It gives them a week of training in Nashville and sends them to mostly
suburban communities around the country, where they sell reference books door-to-door.
They stay in one community all summer. They earn money and learn how to run a business,
Christianson said.
"It's a completely different animal from what they're after," Christianson said of Erpenbach
and Ellenbecker.
The bill would forbid traveling sales people from being independent contractors, which would
ruin Southwestern's way of doing business.
Christianson noted that the bill is very complicated and seems designed to make it impossible
for such companies to operate in Wisconsin.
That's a laudable goal when it comes to companies that exploit their workers, but Southwestern is
not that kind of company, he said.
Ellenbecker doesn't see a difference between Southwestern and the companies that hire young people
to sell subscriptions or cleaning supplies.
Tryg Knutson, an aide to Sen. Erpenbach, said Southwestern is simply trying to avoid complying
with Wisconsin labor laws.
The bill, known as SB 251 in the Senate, would require a company to post a $10,000 bond,
register with the state Department of Workforce Development and follow Wisconsin laws, Knutson said.
Knutson, too, sees Southwestern as an exploiter of its workers. He said the company does not allow
its contractors to work in their home states.
"That's a way to isolate them from friends and family under the guise of allowing them to focus on
their work," Knutson said.
By using "independent contractors," Southwestern doesn't have to pay unemployment or workers'
compensation and doesn't have to comply with work-hour rules, Knutson said.
Southwestern's Web site states that its most successful contractors work more than 75 hours a week.
After the bill stalled in committee, lawmakers, state agencies, Southwestern, Ellenbecker and a
governor's representative worked out a compromise, but Southwestern later rejected it, Ellenbecker said.
"This has been the most frustrating experience I've had since my daughter died," Ellenbecker said
in a telephone interview this week.
Ellenbecker said Southwestern arranges for its workers to carpool to Nashville and to their
ultimate destinations. He said the company is being sued in Minnesota after one carpooler was
paralyzed in an accident.
Christianson replies that thousands of people have contracted to work with Southwestern and when
people get into cars, sometimes accidents happen.
Ellenbecker tells of talking to another victim of the '99 crash, Monica Forgues of Madison, at a
memorial service two years ago. Forgues was 15 at the time of the crash, which paralyzed her from
the waist down.
It was a cold day at the Interstate rest stop near Janesville. Ellenbecker offered Forgues his
gloves for her bare hands.
"She looked up at me and she said, 'Phil, I can't feel my hands.'
"And I had to walk away because I started crying," Ellenbecker said, choking up at the memory.
"That's what they did to Monica. That was just one kid."
Ellenbecker said its just wrong that an out-of-state company can stall the legislation at the
last minute.
"One kid's death is not worth Southwestern's business in this state," he said.
Gazette Staff gazetteextra.com Janesville, Wisconsin Read This Story |
March 25, 2006
Crash Anniversary
Channel 15 NBC News
Updated: 8:42 PM Mar 25, 2006
| Saturday marks the 7th anniversary of a fatal crash that left 7 dead and 5 others injured near Janesville. Family and friends held a memorial near the site of the accident Saturday afternoon. The passenger van involved in the crash was carrying teenagers who were hired to be door-to-door magazine salesmen. The State Senate approved a bill that would stop door-to-door agents from recruitin |