|
TESTIMONIALS
This is what some of
the clients said about our services:
|
 NY Banking Investigations
Reference from Premium Finance Co.- March, 2012
For you information, though you already know, you are highly thought of by your customers.
Art
W. Esq.
Roswell,
GA
MISSING PERSON
January 2, 2005
Today I woke up and went to check my email as I do every morning along with the forums and guestbook on the
website. As I was checking my email I saw an email with the subject line “CRIME TIP re TEALER, IVORY LEE”. I noticed
that it had also been sent to the Pampa PD investigator which was good.
I had this cool feeling come over me. I tried to open it but my email program (Incredimail) kept crashing for
some reason. I became instantly angry. I tried it again and the same thing happened. This time it opened on the email and
said “Incredimail did not shut down properly” So I decided to forward it over to my Outlook. This time it opened.
The email was from a Mr. Augustine Papay Jr. Mr. Papay is a private investigator in New York . The email was 49 pages long.
He provided some information that I had not seen about Tealer and some avenues in which to take and look at in the case. I
got emotional after reading through the email. He even suggested that I take legal action for negligence in this case. Hmmm
something to think about and discuss with the rest of the family. I emailed Mr. Papay back thanking him for his information.
He emailed me again within a few minutes with even more information. He is a great person.
LOCATE SEARCH
January 2005
Dear Gus,
As I mention in my last email, in our firm Krochmal Special Investigations, I would like to thank you for
your reliable, polite and fast service that you gave us.
ADAPTION SEARCH
I was also adopted in Westchester County in 1970. I had a very hard time searching but had a tremendous amount of help
from a local Private Investigator named Augustine Papay Jr. a retired NYC Detective. His firm is called Inter-Pro Investigations.
Between the reports I received from Mr. Papay and the Non Identifying information reports I got VERY close but had very little
patience so I found a searcher named Pamela O'Brien who found and contacted my birthmother in 4 days! After obtaining my birthfathers
name from my birthmother I went back to Mr. Papay who located my birthfather, half brother and half sister the same day. Hope
this helps. If anyone wants contact information I am sure I can find it. Good luck!
CIVIL
RIGHTS VIOLATION & POLICE MISCONDUCT CASE December 1998. Gus Papay is one of the most honorable man I have ever met. John
P. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
Daughters Boyfriend / Suspected substance abuse. May
6, 2000 Dear Mr. Papay: I truly, enjoyed reading all the
material and found it insightful as well as interesting.
At least, you feel a sense of purpose in what you do and feel a sense of appreciation by those who have accessed your services. Thank you, again for all of your material and patience. It helps add some measure of peace to my mind knowing the quality of individual I am dealing with. The depth of your background and your sincerity is a rare
quality in today's standard of conditional
ethics. I appreciate this rare combination above
all else.
I appreciate
your thoughts on the whole issue. If anything, I am
grateful that I was able to locate someone such as you, who pursued
looking
for information so diligently. I have no regrets there, only that I couldn't
pursue the next stage
in financing you tracking both of their movements. I
have always appreciated and admired someone who has honed their
skills so
well and find it a privilege to have accessed your services. I have the
highest regard for your integrity
and expertise and will highly recommend you
to anyone I know of who has need of such services. I feel I owe you far
more
then what I paid you. Considering the circumstances and the nature of my
contact, I can say, it was a rewarding
being able to invest this confidence
in you.
Sharon N. CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION & POLICE MISCONDUCT CASE
January 2001. Happy New Year Gus! Yes, you did more than your best.
You went the extra yard and I appreciate it deeply. I guess it was just time to put this thing behind me and look forward
rather than back.... Well, may the New Year bring you and yours many blessings. Take care. I'll send
a "E" now and then...
John I. MISSING PERSON - FAMILY REUNIFICATION IN HUNGARY
| Name: George M Bangor, Maine | | Country: U.S.A | Date: Thu Feb 7 00:09:22 2002 | | Comment:
Having never enlisted the services of a private investigator, I didn't know what to expect when I contacted Inter Pro
Investigations regarding a search for a missing relative in Budapest, Hungary.
Det Papay's responses were
always quick and very professional. With very few clues to work with, Det Papay was able to locate my lost relative in one
week. I was extremely impressed since my family had lost contact more than 45 years ago. I would highly recommend Det Papay
to anyone looking for private investigator services. My family is very pleased with the quality services he provided us and
we sincerely thank him for his help in reuniting our family. DIVORCE CASE -
January 30, 2004 NEW YORK CITY
I can't thank you enough, Gus, for your wisdom and for the way
you CARE..... I am sure we will talk soon, but again, thank you so much for helping me at this incredibly difficult time in
my life. regards, C.R. in New York. |
MISSING PERSON CASE
- January 26, 2004 Jersey City - N.J. Hi Gus,
Thank you
for your help. Although my brother finally found his way home. Your capacity and speed of your work already impressed
me a lot. Will definitely recommend you to my friends when chances come.
Thanks and best regards,
A. Y. in
Hong Kong
MISSING PERSON INVESTIGATION
- HOLOCAUST VICTIMS Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Dear Mr. Papay,
Your report was the subject of today's court hearing and the judge
was
impressed by its thoroughness and complimented your work. He accepted your conclusions fully. I would like
to express my deep gratitude for your excellent investigative work, that helped us to get the finaly wanted results. Your
help and backing were imperative for our success. Thank you again. I will recommend your services without hesitation
to any one who might need them. Best regards, G. E.
Haifa 32688
Israel
RISK MANAGEMSNT- Corpoarte Background Investigation
April 2, 2001 Dear Gus,
My client was extremely pleased with the investigation and wanted me to tell
you. Thank you, and please thank your associates in Hungary.
Best regards,
Noel www.globalintelligence.net
Litigation Support
I sincerely thank you for your most excellent service and will always refer any other matters I
may have in the future to you. Sincerely, S. A. Attorney At Law
Excellent Article on Medical Privacy, Disability, Discrimination Issues
by John F. Wasik
Consumer's Digest Magazine
Protecting Your Medical Privacy
Consumer's Digest Article Part 2 of 2
Gus Papay Jr., a former New York City police detective (now based in Chester,
N.Y.) who was hired by Smith to see who was spying on her, traced the investigators to her employer. Smith is appalled that
her employer turned against her and is also pressing a claim through the EEOC
|
| Uncovering a $100 million Scam ! |
UNDERCOVER TRADERS' EXPOSED
By KATI CORNELL SMITH
November 28, 2001 -- Long before the terror attacks exposed two executives in an alleged plot to steal $100 million
from their WTC brokerage firm, the company had at least one investor and a pair of private eyes crying foul, it was claimed
yesterday.
Hired by a jittery investor, who was suspicious of the high-pressure tactics at Evergreen International Spot
Trading and worried about his $200,000 investment, Augustine Papay and his partner, Irwin Silverman, told The Post they posed
as job hunters and snuck into the firm's Wall Street offices in 1999.
Evergreen's president told the men they were "too old" to become traders, but gave them a personal tour of
a boiler room operation that was right out of the movies, Papay said.
"It was strange. It looked like they had just moved in," said the investigator. There were no licenses, plaques
or photographs on the bare walls, he said. But the inner sanctum where the traders sat really sent up the red flags.
"There were 30 to 50 young guys, between the ages of 20 and 25, sitting behind computers with headphones and
talking to their clients all at the same time," Papay said.
Papay took his suspicions to a lawyer for the Securities Exchange Commission, but was told that foreign currency
spot traders - the business Evergreen claimed to be in - are not regulated and do not have to be licensed, he said.
The investigator immediately called his client, Richard Golletz, a Canadian concrete company owner.
"I told him I wouldn't invest a dime with this company any more," Papay said.
Golletz told The Post he pulled his money out of the brokerage firm and feels "lucky" he got out when he did.
Evergreen and clearing firm First Equity Enterprises - both allegedly owned by Russian businessman Andre Koudachev
- are now at the center of the major federal fraud and money laundering case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lacewell would not comment on the new allegations, but a federal indictment
unsealed last week accuses Evergreen, which had an office in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, of using cold-calling
techniques - instructing traders to essentially run through the phone book - to solicit new investors in the spot foreign
currency market.
In the alleged scheme - described by FBI assistant director Barry Mawn as a "boiler room operation" in which
investors were strung along with "blatant deception" - brokers misled clients about the past performance of Evergreen investments
and the value of existing accounts, court papers say.
Koudachev is accused of transferring the missing $100 million into overseas bank accounts - with help from
First Equity President Gary Farberov. Koudachev became a fugitive after the towers collapsed and his clients requested their
money, authorities said.
Koudachev's lawyer, Nathaniel Marmur declined to comment. Gary Farberov's lawyer Charles Clayman also declined
to comment for the story. Evergreen's lawyer did not return calls for comment.
The chase for Evergreen
Byline: Pamela Williams
Australian Financial
Review
December 10, 2001
A tip-off from
a private investigator was ignored but it could have stopped Evergreen's scam much earlier, writes Pamela Williams in New
York.
A tip-off from a private investigator was ignored but it could have stopped Evergreen's scam much earlier, writes
Pamela Williams in New York.
Augustine Papay Jr sniffed the
air. To this New York private investigator and former NYPD detective, something smelled rotten and he decided to extricate
his client as quickly as he could.
It was October 26, 1999, and Papay Gus
to his colleagues was standing in the offices of Evergreen International Spot Trading in the Trump Building at 40 Wall
Street. He had a brief from a client, Canadian concrete company owner Richard Golletz, to check out Evergreen. Papay did not
like what he found.
Golletz had invested about $US200,000 in Evergreen
after being solicited by cold calls promising fabulous returns and low risk by trading in the foreign exchange spot market.
But Golletz was growing wary. He was receiving phone calls pressuring him to increase his investment
and he thought he had detected background voices during phone calls that sounded as though the broker supposedly a senior
account manager was being coached. And he thought the broker's pitch sounded like a prepared script.
He was becoming uneasy, and he commissioned the private investigators, Gus Papay and his partner
Irwin Silverman, to look into the Evergreen companies for peace of mind.
In 1999, they visited Evergreen's Wall Street office, with Papay using the story that he was looking for work as a forex
trader.
They found a large office suite with no plaques or licenses
on the walls, but with a back office room full of 30 to 50 mostly young men working with computer terminals and headsets.
Their guide, an Evergreen executive, explained these ``brokers'' were soliciting investors by phone. But on being asked about
work, he told Papay there was absolutely no money to be made from foreign currency trading. ``You will probably go broke in
a week,'' he said, according to the report which Papay subsequently issued to his client.
There was other money to be made, however, the Evergreen executive told him. The young salesmen working the
phones were making between 8 and 10 per cent commissions on the money they brought in from investors. But Papay was out of
luck. He was told he was too old for the work.
Next, Papay and Silverman
walked over to No 2 World Trade Center where First Equity Evergreen's clearing house had its office. They were
refused permission to visit the offices on the 15th floor.
Papay told
The Australian Financial Review: ``At the time, I thought to myself, if there's no money to be made in forex trading, what
are you doing soliciting millions of dollars from investors? It made me very suspicious. My client Mr Golletz was suspicious
because of the coaching on the phone, and I was suspicious because the company president told me there was no money to be
made in forex trades.''
Papay went further, conducting background searches
on the two companies. He found no records. He contacted the National Association of Securities Dealers. They too, had no records
of the companies. The broker who generally phoned Richard Golletz, Edward Joseph Motta, had held a license for two months
the year before, but was no longer registered as a broker and was not licensed to conduct securities or commodity trading.
Papay warned his client and Golletz immediately withdrew all his funds from Evergreen.
Then Papay contacted the US regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, but he was told
there was nothing the SEC could do.
``I tried my darndest to get the
SEC to look into Evergreen,'' he says. ``These were a bunch of thieves organized crime. There were no background checks
and nothing to protect investors. And they [the SEC] told me forex trading was unregistered and there was nothing they could
do. They had no jurisdiction unless I could prove there was fraud. So they did nothing, absolutely nothing, though they had
my warning.''
Now, authorities are putting considerable resources into
the Evergreen and First Equity cases, laying charges over money laundering and wire fraud. The scheme ripped off $US110million
($213 million) from 1,400 investors in 14 countries, many of them Australians.
The US Attorney is running a major criminal case and a parallel civil action to locate the looted assets and return them
to investors. So far, and with the investigation still ``live'', they have indicted Evergreen, First Equity, Forex (a Budapest
company which was used in the fraud), Andrei Koudachev, the beneficial owner of the two companies, and Gary Farberov, the
president of First Equity who reported to Koudachev.
Koudachev
is a fugitive, but Farberov, after first pleading not guilty, is now assisting the Government and pleaded guilty on Friday
to charges which could put him in jail for 20 years when he is sentenced in February. Farberov also agreed to the forfeiture
of all assets he has an interest in, such as bank accounts around the world.
The US Government has attempted to freeze assets in several countries, including at the National Australia Bank in Melbourne,
where a First Equity account was used to siphon investors' money.
As
the hunt for assets goes on, the US Attorney is instituting forfeiture action to gain control of such funds. It intends to
disperse the seized assets to investors who were victims of the scheme.
A number of civil actions is also under way by investors who have retained their own counsel. The most recent action has
been brought in New York by a Monaco-based investor, Greek shipping executive Christos Tzaras.
Tzaras' lawyer, Bryan Skarlatos, is seeking trial by jury, naming as defendants, the companies, Koudachev,
Farberov, Evergreen financial officer Polina Sirotina, Evergreen salesmen Justin Fauci, Gary Gelman, Ryan Swanson and Peter
Papaemanuel, and Chase Manhattan Bank.
Tzaras had $US1.7 million invested
in the Evergreen forex trading operation which was allegedly just a front for a money- laundering operation. According
to his complaint, Evergreen was a sham entity created to facilitate the theft of investor assets.
Much of the money was allegedly transferred to bank accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere. For
example, the US Attorney has alleged that in August 2000, Koudachev instructed Sirotina to travel to Zurich and to open a
bank account in her own name with Bank Vontobel AG.
According
to Government court documents, this was the secret Swiss account. Sirotina then traveled to Moscow to give Koudachev the details
of the account.
Koudachev later deposited $US500,000, allegedly
stolen from Evergreen investors, into the secret Swiss account.
After
the whistle was blown on the Evergreen scam in September this year when worried investors tried and failed to get their
money out the account at Bank Vontobel was still active.
According
to papers filed with the US courts, Sirotina, on or about October 15, 2001, transferred the bulk of the money, $US463,600,
to a bank account in her own name at Bridge View Bank in New Jersey.
According
to the court documents, Koudachev, Farberov and/or Sirotina set up numerous such secret accounts. Koudachev paid for personal
expenses using such funds, including a condominium apartment in New Jersey, art, antiques and credit card expenses. Sirotina
is alleged to have used up to $US600, 000 of Evergreen funds to cover credit card purchases of furs and jewelry.
Despite the on-going claims of broker-salesmen, Evergreen engaged in few, if any, foreign currency
trades. To cover this, the monthly statements to clients were falsified to reflect continuous growth in their investments
although the money was long gone.
The complaint by Tzaras alleges that
the theft was made possible by, among other things, Chase Bank not acting on his instructions to place his money in a separate
sub-account but also because Chase had notice of suspicious activities involving Evergreen and First Equity.
According to the complaint, Chase closed two Evergreen accounts in September 2000 after
becoming concerned about suspicious transactions in the accounts. However, it did not close the First Equity account.
According to the complaint filed with the courts, Evergreen salesmen told Tzaras that the fact that
his monies were held by Chase was evidence that his investment with Evergreen was secure.
The Evergreen case has been getting sticky for the banks as angry investors raise questions about the way their
money was handled as it flowed through First Equity accounts never to be seen again.
In Melbourne, a lawsuit has been filed against the National Australia Bank by Melbourne lawyer Geoffrey Ripper,
of Garland Hawthorn Brahe. Ripper, who has about 30 former Evergreen investors as clients, issued the suit on behalf of Paul
Semenov. The claim alleges that NAB knew or ought to have known, that the money in the First Equity account was being held
on trust for investors.
A small amount of money left in the NAB
account was frozen at the request of the US Attorney.
In court proceedings
on Friday, the authorities revealed that two Zurich Insurance bonds worth $US291,500 were purchased with funds stolen from
Evergreen investors. These bonds are subject to forfeiture to the authorities. In addition, part of the $US566,000 paid as
security deposits to New York landlords for the rent on Evergreen premises ($US65,000 a month) is also subject to forfeiture.
The US Attorney has been attempting to stop some of the civil proceedings from racing ahead
of its criminal case. In the case of the civil action brought in New York by Australian investor Dirk Karreman, the US Attorney
has been granted a stay on attempts by Karreman's lawyer for expedited discovery.
Jim McGuire, of White & Case, for Karreman, had also asked the court to freeze assets which were
already under a freeze order by the US Attorney. The US Attorney has also sought a stay on that part of the case, which McGuire
agreed to last week.
The authorities are keen to maintain control of
any assets in order to distribute them fairly among all Evergreen victims, rather than see a handful of investors take precedence
through civil suits.
=====================================================
 Ex-New York cop-turned- private investigator Gus Papay became suspicious as early as 1998 when
an Evergreen customer phoned to say that something about the brokers' telephone manner didn't seem quite right. GUS PAPAY, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: He says he could hear in the background, as if somebody was coaching the salesperson,
the account executive, as if the person was telling him what to say to the investor, what to ask, and how to talk. Gus Papay went undercover to meet Albert Guglielmo. GUS PAPAY: And I said,
you know, I'm really enthusiastic about this. How would I get into this business of foreign currency exchange? And he
says "Forget about it." He says, "Nobody makes money trading foreign currency." He says, "You'll
probably go bankrupt in a week."
GUS PAPAY: It was like a pyramid scheme. What they did was, they
solicited money from new investors. And if an older investor wanted to take his money out, they would use the new investment
money to pay him off.
GUS PAPAY: It was like a pyramid scheme. What they did was, they
solicited money from new investors. And if an older investor wanted to take his money out, they would use the new investment
money to pay him off.
| Thief #2 |
|
| Gary Farberov |
Evergreen
forex sting principal admits guilt
Byline: Pamela Williams NEW YORK
A key figure in the Evergreen currency
trading sting in New York which saw investors, including hundreds of Australians, lose $200 million, pleaded guilty in a United
States court on Friday.
Gary Farberov, the former president of First Equity which represented itself as
a clearing house for Evergreen, but was allegedly a shopfront for money laundering by siphoning investors' funds to secret
bank accounts in Hungary and Austria changed his previous not guilty plea to guilty.
A key figure in the Evergreen currency trading sting in
New York which saw investors, including hundreds of Australians, lose $200 million, pleaded guilty in a United States court
on Friday.
Gary Farberov, the former
president of First Equity which represented itself as a clearing house for Evergreen, but was allegedly a shop front
for money laundering by siphoning investors' funds to secret bank accounts in Hungary and Austria changed his previous
not guilty plea to guilty.
The
charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison. Farberov will be sentenced in February next year.
The Russian-born Farberov is the only executive
to appear in court so far in the US authorities' case against Evergreen International Spot Trading and First Equity Enterprises.
The US Attorney unsealed an indictment two weeks ago, charging the companies and Farberov and Andrei Koudachev, (also Russian
and the beneficial owner of both companies), with mail and wire-fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to launder money.
The indictment alleges that the men presided
over a boiler-room operation in which salesmen made cold calls to investors around the world, hounding them until they agreed
to invest in a foreign currency spot trading scheme which, it was promised, would deliver returns of 25-30 per cent and
that losses would not exceed 10 per cent.
Instead, the money was diverted to another company, Forex, with an address in Budapest, and to various bank accounts.
When more money was
needed, Evergreen salesmen, known as brokers, pressured clients to increase their investments. The swindle unravelled after
the terrorist attacks in September as investors tried to pull their money out of New York and discovered it was gone.
Farberov read a statement to the court,
saying: ``From 1998 through September 2001, I agreed with others to send money by wire transfer from bank accounts of First
Equity Enterprises Inc, to bank accounts of Forex International Ltd, in Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria.
``I knew that Evergreen's brokers and cold
callers had obtained the money from Evergreen's customers by making material misrepresentations. For example, Evergreen and
First Equity represented to customers that their money would be and was securely held in bank accounts controlled by Evergreen
and First Equity as margin for investments in the spot foreign currency market. In fact, Evergreen intended to, and did instruct,
to send that money overseas to Forex, which only returned funds to First Equity once.''
An arrest warrant has been issued for the fugitive, Koudachev,
who is believed to be in Russia. Attempts to contact him by phone and fax were unsuccessful.
==============================================================
| Budapest East-West Business Center |
|
| AKA: Home of the $100.mill Loot |
Forex fiddles beyond SEC's reachPamela Williams NEW YORKAustralian Financial Review 2 April 2002.The US Securities and Exchange Commission has received dozens of complaints about Evergreen
and First Equity, the New York currency trading firms that stole $US110 million ($206 million) from investors, including many
Australians.
However, the SEC has taken no action against the companies because they were part of the unregulated foreign exchange
markets - and not part of the securities industry.
According to a letter from the SEC, the regulator had 45 complaints about Evergreen
International Spot Trading and 21 complaints about First Equity. The information was provided in response to a Freedom of
Information request made by The Australian Financial Review. The two
companies and their owner, Andrei Koudachev, and the president of First Equity, Gary Farberov, were indicted by the US attorney's
office after the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York. First Equity had offices in the twin towers, and when investors
tried to get their money back after September 11 they found the principals and the money had disappeared. Koudachev, charged with wire fraud and money laundering, has since vanished (although his lawyers deny
the charges). Farberov pleaded guilty late last year and is due to be sentenced on May 10. In January this year, a New York private investigator, Gus
Papay, made a formal complaint to the SEC about the regulator's failure to look into allegations he made in 1999
about the activities of Evergreen and First Equity.
Mr Papay was hired in 1999 by a Canadian client to look into the two companies.
His client was already an investor and was being pressed to add more funds to his Evergreen account. Mr Papay visited the Evergreen premises, became suspicious and advised his client to withdraw his money. Mr Papay also contacted the SEC at the time to raise concerns about the two companies. He says he was told by an SEC lawyer there was nothing it could do because the forex
industry was unlicensed. Mr Papay has now complained formally to the
regulator that it should have used its anti-fraud provisions to investigate the ``brokers'' (or salesmen) working
for Evergreen. Some Australian investors have filed a claim against
the National Australia Bank, alleging the NAB ought to have known the money sent to First Equity accounts held in the bank
was being held on trust for investors. In the US a wealthy Monaco investor
who lost money in the sting has filed a suit against JP Morgan Chase, saying the bank, which also had a First Equity account
to which investors wired money, had some liability in the matter. JP Morgan is attempting to have the lawsuit dismissed. Evergreen brokers made cold calls to likely targets around the world, befriending
their potential marks and then soliciting funds with the promise of fabulous returns of 25 to 30 per cent on the investments.
The salesmen were paid handsome commissions on the money they persuaded clients to invest. However,
prosecutors allege the defendants absconded with the money.
 See the Movie:
"The Profiteers - A different 9/11 story"
Film documentary, 45 and 52 minutes
Written and directed by: Michael
Wech
September 11, 9:03 a.m. The people in the south tower of the World Trade Center had exactly 45 minutes time.
Three quarters of an hour to escape disaster. Three quarters of an hour to help the injured ... or to commit a crime.
Andrei Koudachev and Gary Faberov were two experienced brokers. At least that was the impression they had been cultivating
for years. And they were crowned with success. Investors from around the world had sunk money into their investment firm,
"Evergreen", which had promised its clients profits in the region of 20-30%. Everything seemed above board. A few
dozen investment consultants were the guarantee for inspiring confidence. The affiliate that carried out payments bore the
elegant name "First Equity". And last but not least the firm's address at 2, World Trade Center, 15th floor,
was a respectable and prominent abode. It turned out to be too prominent.
The day on which the twin towers collapsed
and the offices of the two brokers were destroyed must have given "Evergreen" clients a huge fright. Yet the worries
about what had happened to their consultants and their investments were followed by an even greater shock: not only had the
firm's bosses vanished, but all the money was gone, too. Andrei Koudachev and Gary Faberov ran off with over US $100m.
First run: ARD, September 11, 2003
Legal claim: ECO Media TV-Produktion GmbH Contact:
info@ecomediaTV.de
In a country where
image sells everything; certainly commerce and pop culture, and arguably…a war, why not a multimillion dollar currency
trading firm? A movie-like Wall Street funhouse where the mirrors, set between mahogany wood paneled desks that housed a staff
comprised of young, wealthy, and arrogant traders who beat investors in the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, New
Zealand, and Norway out of upwards of one hundred million dollars, would only reflect the ignorance of its investors and the
impotence of the S.E.C., while artfully concealing the steady flow of their clients funds being poured into accounts in Austria
and Budapest.
The scam,
much like Enron’s mark to market accounting with Arthur Andersen: “Our profits are what we say they are,”
was stunningly simple. In Evergreen International’s language, it was “Your money is where we say it is.”
To the world Evergreen was a well packaged currency trading establishment with three New York offices. The office at 40 Wall
St. was constantly packed wall to wall with traders pounding thousands out of the phone with every call, and then Gary Farberov,
former president of First Equity (the clearing house used to launder the money) and Andre Kodouchev, the owner of both companies,
would make large deposits in foreign banks. Clients would be allowed a portion of their money on occasion. As a former employee
said “You give the guy a hundred grand to get the Ferrari-why f—k up a good thing.” If clients wanted to
cash out their whole account, the Evergreen traders were instructed not to take no for an answer. At all costs, keep them
in.
The goal of the aggressive traders that Evergreen International Spot trading and First Equity Enterprises employed
was to build relationships with clients, gain their trust, and then convince them to invest their money in currency markets
that were, in actuality –the private bank accounts of the Russian mob. The traders would call wealthy individuals, owners
of companies etc, and pitch them 25% returns with the tenacity and bravado that comes with a $50,000 monthly check (not an
uncommon payout for 8 to 10% commission, which Evergreen traders commonly received.) These guys, many from Long Island, like
their sales managers Justin Fauci (who legend has it, in a moment straight out of the movie Wall St. burned $10,000) were
skilled at sales and motivated by money. They didn’t ask too many questions. Those who did, didn’t last. The cash
flowed like Stoli in a Moscow whorehouse, and for a while, everyone was happy.
Since Forex trading fell under the realm of unregulated foreign currency markets,
Evergreen International Spot trading enjoyed the benefits of a powerless and disinterested Securities and Exchange Commission
throughout the tech boom of the late 90’s, enabling them to pillage $110 million U.S. (In all, prosecutors said, more
than 1,400 Evergreen clients in more than a dozen countries — many from Australia and New Zealand — were cheated
of $110 million from 1998 to September 2001.)
The firm’s clients, over 1400 worldwid e, but mostly from Australia
and New Zealand, lost millions they thought were secure in accounts. “Reputable” banks like the First Bank of
Australia and Chase Manhattan were in on the action for a while. (Curiously, much like when they invested 50 million into
a partnership with Enron called LJM that Enron C.F.O. Andy Fastow made up; you can count on Chase Manhattan to do no homework
ever.) Evergreen International and First Equity Enterprises (the supposed clearing house) were indeed the worlds’ most
successful “boiler room.” The characters are begging for a major motion picture: politically connected Russians
(owner Andre Koudachev was a consultant to the governor of Moscow), a team of ruthless traders, and the beautiful but venomous
female executive- who, herself, tried to make off with 90 million.( And They say women aren’t equal in the workplace!)
Polina Sirotina, who was an financial officer at the now infamous Evergreen International spot trading and it’s
metaphorical clearing house “First Equity Enterprises” (that actually served as the chop shop for the wildly successful
forex trading/money laundering operation): glanced in the mirrors more than once to admire a $100,000 necklace or fur coat
purchased unwittingly for her by the Australian investor class.
In January of Evergreen’s final year, a New
York private investigator, Gus Papay, made a formal complaint to the SEC about the regulat or's failure to look
into allegations he made in 1999 about the activities of Evergreen and First Equity. .Mr Papay was hired in 1999 by a Canadian
client to look into the two companies. His client was already an investor and was being pressed to add more funds to his Evergreen
account. Mr Papay visited the Evergreen premises, became suspicious and advised his client to withdraw his money. Mr Papay
also contacted the SEC at the time to raise concerns about the two companies. He says he was told by an SEC lawyer there was
nothing it could do because the forex industry was unlicensed. So after a long successful run, the cracks in evergreen’s
foundation began to show. The two Canadian investigators were sure something wasn’t quite right. The tactics employed
by brokers at the instance a client wanted to clear an account were a tip off.
The most interesting thing about Evergreen
International wasn’t the scam. Getting New Zealanders to invest in phony currencies is about as impressive as saying
that Bill Clinton hit on you. Both events are rather common. What intrigues me about Evergreen is how easy it was to fly under
the radar for so long, without the status or political connections of a company like Enron. Evergreen relied solely on presentation
to sell itself. The mixture of well polished operation and an unregulated product set in motion what can be called the most
successful boiler room in history. I’m sick and tired of debating the ethics of corporate governance every time a company
is successful in defrauding its investors. The American left will say that capitalism is to blame: “we need more regulation.”
(Fun Fact-Tyco, WorldCom, Global crossing: all regulated companies!). The American right will say it’s a Godless society
that spawns a materialism so virulent it masks right and wrong. I say shame on everyone. Shame on the traders (those who even
knew what was going on-in a company like Evergreen-you were on a need to know,) shame on the investors for being foolish,
and shame on the masterminds for using our country and our laws against us. Shame on the S.E.C. for lying down. But most of
all, for this ardent capitalist, shame on a public that only asks questions after the fact, and lets a well presented hoax
become reality-whether in the case of a war, an election, or a currency trading firm.
The two companies and their
owner, Andrei Koudachev, and the president of First Equity, Gary Farberov, were indicted by the US attorney's office after
the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York. First Equity had offices in the twin towers, and when investors tried
to get their money back after September 11 they found the principals and the money had disappeared.
The lucrative,
and unnoticed jig-was up. Thus began the list of indictments:
Mr. Gary Farberov, the former president of First
Equity, which represented itself as a clearing house for Evergreen, but was allegedly a shop front for money laundering by
siphoning investors' funds20to secret bank accounts in Hungary and Austria changed his previous not guilty plea to guilty.
Defendant: Forex International Ltd. charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire
to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown
Defendant Andrei Borisovich Koudachev charged with:
18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud.
Status:
Fugitive
Defendant Gary Farberov charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire
to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown
Defendant Evergreen International Spot Trading, Inc.
charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud.
Status: Unknown
Defendant Sergei Habarov charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED
STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Fugitive
Defendant Polina Sirotina charged with: 18:371
and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
Defendant Justin Fauci charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit
Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
Defendant Mamed Mekhtiev charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY
TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud)
Status: Released - Fugitive
Defen
dant Peter Papaemmanuel charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit
Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
Defendant Albert Guglielmo charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY
TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
Defendant Philip Levenson
charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Status:
Released.
Defendant Brian Pasqualini charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
(Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released
posted by Timothy Dillon at 11:25 AM. Most
of these guys are just getting out of jail.
SMILING GARY LEAVES ROOKLYN FEDERAL COURT |
| Released on 10-26-2007 |
|
| $110 mill. smile. |
GARY FARBEROV
Age: 36
Inmate No: 67257-053
Projected release date: 08-16-2008
The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Otisville, is a medium security facility housing male offenders.
The satellite prison camp is a minimum security facility that also houses adult male offenders.
FCI Otisville is situated in the southeastern part of New York state, near the Pennsylvania and New Jersey,
and 70 miles northwest of New York City.
| Farberov's new home |
|
| Otisville FCI, PO. Box 1000 Otisville NY 10963 USA |
Polina Sirotina
Age:
36
Inmate
No: 67847-053
Projected
release date: 05-03-2015
The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Danbury houses low security female offenders and also has an adjacent satellite
camp that houses minimum security female offenders.
FCI Danbury is located in southwestern Connecticut, 70 miles from New York City and 3 miles north
of Danbury on State Route 37.
| Polina Sirotina's new home |
|
| FCI DANBURY, ROUTE 37 DANBURY, CT 06811 USA |
ALBERT GUGLIELMO
Age:
46
Inmate
No: 51997-054
Projected
release date: 03-10-2010
The Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC)
in New York City is an administrative facility housing male and female pre-trial and holdover inmates.
MCC New York is located in lower Manhattan,
adjacent to Foley Square and across the street from the Federal courthouse.
| Albert Guglielmo's new home |
|
| The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Worth, Texas, is low security institution housing |
| Justin Fauci's new home |
|
| FCI Fort Dix New Jersey |
Justin Fauci
Age 39,
Inmate No: 36650-053.
Projected release date 03-10-2011.
The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fort Dix, New Jersey, is a low security facility housing male
inmates. A satellite camp is located adjacent to the FCI and houses minimum security male inmates.
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
5756 HARTFORD & POINTVILE RD
FORT DIX, NJ 08640
Phone: 609-723-1100
New Zealanders and Australians will
see little for the money they threw at the notorious Evergreen scheme, which bilked about 1,400 people worldwide of over $US110
million. The local investors are likely to get back less than 10 cents in the dollar.
Before you make an investment decision we can provide you with
the financial information, licensing, names of corporate officers, credit ratings and essential facts on a corporation,
which may make the difference between success and failure in your investment or business commitments. We conduct investigations
for corporations who suspect employee embezzlement, internal
theft or who are victims of business fraud. We also conduct background and due diligence search on corporate officers, executives
and employees to ensure their integrity.
For
those of you who were victims of the Evergreen scam, in 1999-2000 a mere $500.00 USD fee spent for a background
investigation would have saved your investment. Unfortunately, most of you were blinded
by an intense selfish desire for wealth, which was more presistant than COMMON
SENSE.
| "Travel Alarm Clocks" |
|
| GREED |
|
|
The conspiartors and "The Profiteers"
|
Mr. Gary Farberov, charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and
artifice to defraud. The former president of First Equity, which represented itself as a clearing house for Evergreen,
but was allegedly a shop front for money laundering by siphoning investors' funds to secret bank accounts in Hungary and Austria
changed his previous not guilty plea to guilty. Incarcerated.
Defendant: Forex International Ltd. charged with: 18:371, and
3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown.
Defendant Andrei Borisovich Koudachev charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did
knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud.
Status: Fugitive.
Defendant Evergreen International Spot Trading, Inc.
charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice
to defraud. Status: Unknown.
Defendant Sergei Habarov charged with: 18:371
and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Fugitive
Defendant Polina Sirotina charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD
THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Incarcerated.
Defendant Justin Fauci age 39, charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY
TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Incarcerated.
Inmate No: 36650-053. Projected date of release 03-10-2011. FCI FORT
DIX FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
Address: FCI FORT DIX FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION 5756 HARTFORD & POINTVILE
RD FORT DIX, NJ 08640 Phone: 609-723-1100. The Federal Correctional Institution
(FCI) in Fort Dix, New Jersey, is a low security facility housing male inmates. A satellite camp is located adjacent
to the FCI and houses minimum security male inmates.
Defendant Mamed Mekhtiev charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD
THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud)
Status: Released - Fugitive
Defendant Peter Papaemmanuel charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO
DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
Defendant Albert Guglielmo charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD
THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Incarcerated
Defendant Philip Levenson charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD
THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Status: Released.
Defendant Brian Pasqualini charged with: 18:371
and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.
07-22-2005
New York Postal Inspectors Uncover $100 Million International Investment
Fraud In a case precipitated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, U.S. Postal
Inspectors from the Brooklyn Fraud Team exposed an elaborate investment scam by Evergreen International Spot Trading, Inc.
Evergreen represented itself as a foreign currency trading company with three New York offices, and an affiliated clearing
firm, First Equity Enterprises, Inc., located on the 15th floor of Two World Trade Center. Using aggressive telemarketing
tactics, Evergreen's staff attracted more than 2,000 investors in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe who
were interested in foreign currency trading. Beginning in 1997 and through 2001, investors poured more than $189 million into
the company. Evergreen now owes them more than $100 million. Postal Inspectors first learned of problems with Evergreen in
September 2001, in the days following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and elsewhere. Worried investors tried
to contact their brokers at Evergreen to determine the fate of First Equity and whether its employees and their accounts were
safe. They quickly learned their money was gone-and not as a result of terrorism. Evidence collected by U.S. Postal Inspectors
revealed that, while Evergreen's brokers mailed customers sales brochures and account statements showing high profits, at
least 10 of its employees-including the president, director of operations, chief trader, and chief financial officer-conspired
to direct customers' money through First Equity Enterprises, Inc., to a sham entity in Budapest, Hungary, known as Forex International,
Ltd. Evergreen told investors that First Equity was an independent clearing firm that would maintain and accurately account
for their money. In fact, Inspectors determined that both Evergreen and First Equity, as well as Forex International, were
owned and controlled by Andrei Koudachev, and Evergreen was its only client. Evergreen's employees, including chief trader
Mamed Mekhtiev, misrepresented themselves as officers and directors of First Equity, and Evergreen's director of operations,
Philip Levenson, regularly provided trading data to First Equity, their alleged clearing firm. Evergreen brokers Justin Fauci,
Papaemmanual, and Pasqualini assured investors the company used legitimate banks for trading and their funds were secure.
The men even provided bogus reference letters from legitimate banks to validate their claims. Inspectors, however, determined
that Evergreen never conducted any trading with those banks. Instead, Evergreen used First Equity to transfer large sums of
investors' money to Forex International in Hungary, which then transferred it to accounts in Latvia and Cyprus. A review of
the accounts disclosed that $600,000 was sent from a Forex account to the personal bank account of Fauci, Evergreen's U.S.
sales manager. Worse, any money from First Equity investors that was not transferred to Forex was used by chief financial
officer Polina Sirotina to pay millions of dollars in bonuses, commissions, and personal expenses to Evergreen's employees.
Fauci, Papaemmanual, Pasqualini, and other Evergreen brokers routinely solicited money from investors based on false representations
of their professional qualifications. After Koudachev departed the United States and his associate Habarov refused to return
money that had been transferred to Forex, the defendants continued to draw funds from First Equity accounts. This included
a $500,000 bonus for Mekhtiev and a $99,000 bonus for Sirotina. Postal Inspectors arrested Gary Farberov, president of First
Equity Enterprises, Inc., and he pled guilty in November 2001. Justin Fauci trained the brokers on how to misrepresent Evergreen's
offerings. After learning investigators were on his trail, Fauci contacted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S.
Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York, claiming he and the other Evergreen employees were victims of a fraud
and embezzlement scheme perpetrated by Koudachev. Albert Guglielmo, Evergreen's president; Philip Levenson, director of operations;
Mamed Mekhtiev, the chief trader; and Polina Sirotina, chief financial officer, were all convicted on June 27, 2003, after
an 11-week jury trial. Inspectors to date have seized $6.5 million of victims' money from bank accounts in New York, New Jersey,
Chicago, and Switzerland. Eleven individuals and two corporations have been charged, five people have pled guilty, and four
have been convicted by trial, with sentencing scheduled for March 2004. Koudachev and Habarov remain fugitives since their
indictment in May 2002. An arrest warrant for Mamed Mekhtiev was issued on August 27, 2003, after he violated the terms of
his pre-sentencing release and became a fugitive. It is believed he fled to Russia.
Contact:
Contact the US. Attorney:
| Plaintiff USA |
represented by |
Cynthia M. Monaco |
| Phone: |
631-715-7900 |
| Fax: |
631-715-7922 |
| Email: |
cynthia.monaco@usdoj.gov | | Owners of Foreign Exchange Currency Trading Company Charged with Defrauding Investors Out of More Than $30 Million
How quickly people forget the Evergreen & First Equity Scandal.
Does this sound
familiar?
Now we cannot live in hindsight, but we can learn from our mistakes and shortcomings. By hiring
a Private Investigator with both the knowledge and experience to conduct a comprehensive due diligence investigation
on an investment firm “red flags” would have immediately stood-out and we could have saved you millions of your
hard earned money. Don't fall for the scam artists, and don't invest a dime until we do our due diligence, so contact
me now and I will check them out.
(866) 533-5099
|
june 28, 2003
4 Traders Guilty in Money Laundering and Fraud Conspiracy
By SUSAN SAULNY
Four executives of a currency trading firm that was in the World Trade Center were found guilty yesterday of cheating
investors out of more than $100 million in a scheme that surfaced soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
A jury in Federal District Court in Brooklyn convicted the executives — Polina
Sirotina, Mamed Mekhtiev, Albert Guglielmo and Philip Levenson — on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
and money laundering. The men, who worked for Evergreen International Spot Trading, each face up to 30 years in prison when
they are sentenced on Sept. 26.
In all, prosecutors said, more than 1,400 Evergreen clients in more than a dozen countries
— many from Australia and New Zealand — were cheated of $110 million from 1998 to September 2001. Problems at
Evergreen surfaced soon after Sept. 11, when customers began trying to cash out their accounts. At first, they were told that
their money had vanished. In a subsequent letter, clients were led to believe that the money was secure in a Chase Manhattan
Bank account.
Prosecutors contended that Andrei Koudachev, the owner of Evergreen and a related clearinghouse
called First Equity Enterprises, and others had used the money themselves. An arrest warrant has been issued for Mr. Koudachev.
He has denied the charges and is thought to be in Russia, which seldom extradites its citizens on fraud charges.
The defendants' plan, according to court documents, was to raise $160 million more
from investors around the world to cover the money that was reported missing a few days after the terrorist attacks, along
with Mr. Koudachev.
Four other executives of Evergreen and First Equity have pleaded guilty to charges
related to defrauding customers and are awaiting sentencing, a prosecutor said.
Evergreen customers in the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand,
Norway and elsewhere were promised annual profits of 25 percent to 30 percent, prosecutors said. They were also guaranteed
that any losses would not exceed 10 percent.
A lawyer for Mr. Guglielmo, Louis R. Aidala, said that he thought that the government's
case was legally inadequate and that there was no evidence strong enough to convict his client of money laundering and other
charges. "In our opinion," he said, "the government failed to prove the conspiracy the defendants thought they were charged
with."
Calls to other defense lawyers were not returned yesterday.
Evergreen, which had three offices in Manhattan, was the sales operation, employing
several dozen people who scoured business directories and then called wealthy people around the world to recommend currency
trading as an investment.
First Equity acted as what one prosecutor called a "sham clearinghouse" for Evergreen.
The Murder of Irene Izak on June 10, 1968
Tracking a 30 year old murder case in Watertown New York
Click here to read the article.
THE IRENE IZAK MURDER CASE
From Scranton Times
Flannery column:
31 Years After Izak's Murder, Family Tries To Solve Case
Over 31 years have passed since Miss Irene J. Izak, 25, of Scranton, was murdered at a highway rest stop on
Wellesley Island, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, south of the New York-Canadian border. The June 10, 1968, crime
never has been solved and the pain it caused still is felt by her family.
Miss Izak was the fifth of six children in her family and the last to be born in Ukraine. Her parents, the
late Rev. Bohdan and Maria Izak, were witnesses to persecutions by Nazis and communists, so they brought their family to the
United States in 1948 and eventually settled in Scranton, where he became pastor of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Miss Izak graduated from Marywood University in 1963 and went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. She taught
French in Binghamton from 1964 to 1966 and in Rochester the next year.
The day she died, she was going to Laval University in Quebec for an interview, driving at night to save time.
At 1:15 a.m.. she was halted for speeding by Trooper David Hennigan, who was driving an unmarked car. She
refused to pull over at first, having been scared once by a man who tried to get into her car when she stopped to fix balky
windshield wipers.
However, after Trooper Hennigan put on his police hat, she pulled over, about three miles north of Watertown.
He allowed her to continue with a warning.
Both cars continued north toward the Thousand Islands Bridge, where she stopped. The toll collector, now deceased,
told investigators she was "edgy, nervous" and asked for a match to light a cigarette despite having matches in her purse.
She asked about state police tactics and pointed at Trooper Hennigan's car as it passed.
She continued her journey at 2:10 a.m. but never got to the border. Trooper Hennigan reported at 2:35 a.m.
that he came upon her abandoned car with its lights on at a rest stop off Route 191. He found her body at the foot of a rocky
embankment. It was still warm but she was dead, bludgeoned about the head by rocks.
Due to the fact that the same trooper stopped her for speeding and then found her body, he was questioned.
However, he was not linked to the crime. Thus, he remained on duty and served until his normal retirement time in 1983. He
also became a deacon in his Catholic parish and refuses requests for interviews.
What was never reported here before this is that Miss Izak's family decided last year to sponsor a private
investigation.
Inspired by the 30th anniversary articles by investigative reporter David Shampine in the Watertown newspaper,
Lisa Ewasko Caputo of Taylor, a niece of the murder victim, started a computer search for an investigator to see if new clues
could be found to reopen the case. She found Augustine “Gus” Papay Jr., a former New York City
homicide detective who now is a private investigator in Chester. He met with family members here on July 4, 1998, and then
began a new probe.
By September, he felt the state police were not giving him full cooperation and suggested to Helen Ewasko
of Glenburn, a sister of the victim, that the family ask New York Gov. George Pataki to order a new investigation that would
use forensic investigative techniques not available when Miss Izak was buried here.
That led to a new state police team meeting, with 16 members of Miss Izak's extended family at the Ewasko
home, to discuss an exhumation of the victim's body.
The body of Miss Izak was quietly removed from the grave at St. Vladimir's Cemetery last Dec. 30 and was taken
to Moses Taylor Hospital, where Dr. Michael Baden of New York, one of the most famous forensics pathologists in the nation,
conducted a second autopsy, aided by Dr. Lowell J. Levine, a dental surgeon.
The results are still somewhat cloudy. Senior Investigator Stanley Weidman of the New York State Police Violent
Crime Unit told the Watertown newspaper the forensic investigation has established "new and additional information." But he
also said: "We have not established enough evidence to establish culpability substantiate an arrest. . . ."
Still Dr. Baden and Dr. Levine are said to have found a previously undetected cause of death, other than the
battering of her head with rocks. But what that is has not been made public.
The body was reburied but the skull was kept for more tests.
The search for evidence was followed by state police questioning a number of people again. According to Mr.
Weidman, "Only one declined to be interviewed and sought the advice of counsel." However, he did not identify that person.
Unlike the first time around, when Miss Izak's family was virtually frozen out of the information loop, this
time the family is being given periodic reports on the ongoing investigation.
But there is no sign of a pending arrest.
Click here: Who Killed Irene Izak in 1968 ? in Cold Case Files in AETV Community Center Who
Killed Irene Izak in 1968 ? Mar 24, 2008 8:52 AM | Nearly 40 years ago, Irene Izak, of Scranton, Pa.,
was murdered at a rest stop on Wellesley Island, NY, near the Canadian border.
Miss Izak was 25 years
old, the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants. She taught French in Binghamton and Rochester, NY. The day she died, she was traveling
to Laval University in Quebec for and an interview. She was traveling at night to save time.
She
was stopped at 1:15 am by New York State Trooper, David Hennigan, who was driving an unmarked car. She first refused to pull
over. Ultimately, she realized that this was a policeman and did, in fact, pull over about 3 miles north of Watertown, NY.
She was allowed to continue with a warning.
She continued north to the Canadian border,
stopping at the toll bridge over the St. Lawrence river. Trooper Hennigan also traveled to the border.
The toll collector, now deceased, reported Miss Izak to appear nervous and asked for a light of her cigarette,
although there were matches later found in her purse. She inquired about New York State police tactics and pointed out Trooper
Hennigan's car to the attendant, as it passed.
She continued on at 2:10 am, toward the border, but
never made it. Trooper Hennigan reported at 2:35 am that he had come upon her abandoned car, with it's lights on at a
rest stop off route #191. He found her body at the base of a rocky hill. Her body was still warm, but she was dead and her
head bludgeoned by rocks.
Trooper Hennigan was questioned since he had not only stopped
her for speeding, but also had been the one to find her in a short period of time. The State of New York did not link him
to the crime and he remained a trooper until he retired in 1983. He became a deacon in his church and refuses requests for
interviews.
The 30th anniversary of this crime prompted Miss Izak's niece, Lisa
Ewasko Caputo, to seek an investigator and reopen the case. She located Augustine " Gus " Papay Jr., a former NYC
homicide detective. On July 4, 1998, they began a new probe.
Reportedly, by September
1998, Investigator Papay was not convinced that the New York State police were fully cooperating and suggested that the family
request an executive order of Governor Pataki to invoke forensic investigative techniques that were not available in 1968.
Miss Izak's body was exhumed in December 1998 and examined by Dr. Michael Baden,
a famed forensic pathologist and dental surgeon, Dr. Lowell J. Levine, who assisted with a second autopsy.
The result of the findings were reported by Senior investigator Stanley Weidman of the New York State
Police Violent Crime Unit to the Watertown Daily Times. He reported " new and additional information " tangent to
the exhumed study. He also said, " We have not established enough evidence to establish culpability substantiate an arrest..."
Dr. Baden and Dr. Levine purportedly found a previously undetected cause of death,
other than the battering of the head by rocks. This information was not made public. The body was reburied, although the skull
was retained for more tests.
The renewed search for evidence was followed by state
police questioning numerous people, again. According to Mr. Weidman, " Only one declined to be interviewed and sought
the advice of counsel. " Mr. Weidman did not identify whom the person was.
At
this writing, no one has been arrested. The tragedy of Miss Izak's death is a twofold crime every year that New York has
not solved this. My summary is of published accounts available for anyone who can assist the Izak family with answers regarding
the death of their loved one. |
|
'STAINED BY HER BLOOD': Times reporter writes book
on murder of Irene Izak, a case he covered for years TIMES STAFF WRITER FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010
|
| David C. Shampine |
|
| Irene Izak |
 $19.99 $13.59
In Stock
This review is from: The
North Country Murder of Irene Izak (NY): Stained by Her Blood (Paperback) In the summer of 1968 a pretty young woman, a teacher from Pennsylvania was traveling
to Quebec, Canada for a job interview. Shortly after she crossed the Thousand Islands bridge into a picturesque island resort
area of Wellesley Island in Jefferson County, New York that teacher was savagely and senselessly beaten to death on the side
of the road and her lifeless body left in a ravine. That woman was Irene Izak. Irene's murder is yet to be solved and
her killer was never brought to justice... at least in this lifetime. The case has been reopened, though NY state hasn't
been very helpful to the Izak family and doesn't seem to keep them in the loop about the investigation.
I work on Wellesley Island
and I travel by the very place where Irene was murdered everyday. A client of mine told me of the murder of Irene Izak. Apparently,
she had owned the land where Irene's body had been found. My client told me of how everyone strongly suspected that Irene's
murderer was actually the very police officer that discovered her body. Though there was actually quite a bit of evidence
that pointed to that officer, no arrest was ever made. After reading this book it seems that quite a bit of the evidence was
covered up, blotched or just plain hidden from the public and from Irene's family. It would seem that it's a cover-up
to protect someone, but whom? This book attempts to answer that very question and to serve as a catalyst to help Irene's
family to get some well deserved answers.
This book tells of the evidence and of several suspects
in Irene's death, but the most evidence pointed to the state trooper who had pulled Irene's car over earlier that
night for going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone and then that very officer also found Irene's body in a ravine a short time later.
The trooper had blood spatter on his uniform and one of his fellow officers mentioned seeing a blotch of blood on his unmarked
police car. In Irene's last known conversation before she got killed, she mentioned to a bridge toll collector that the
police officer disturbed her by pulling her over for no reason, she asked of NYS trooper police tactics then she asked the
toll collector for a match for her cigarette even though she had plenty of matches in her purse while letting that very state
trooper get ahead of her on the bridge, as he had continued to follow her after he pulled her over. The toll collector said
that Irene was visibly shaken and nervous. Later 2 tests on the vehicle that Irene was driving proved that her car at full
speed, petal to the metal, would barely reach a solid 62 mph. Less than an hour later Irene's car would be discovered
on the side of the road and her beaten body found in a shallow ravine beside her car.
This is a sad story and
I feel for the Izak family. Until this very day over 4 decades after Irene's murder, NY state officials and police continue
to evade their questions. Hopefully, this book will help them to get the forensic test results from this case reopened and
blood spatter experts be called in, so maybe they can start to find out exactly what happened to their beloved Irene.
I'd recommend this book, it was very interesting. I read in less than a day. I'm glad that David Shampine has
tried to give Irene her voice back. Irene's story fascinated me I felt a sense of kinship. Irene was in the prime of her
life, she was looking forward to what so many young women do- falling in love, a job that she loved and a life of making a
difference. A very sad story which unfortunately leaves too many unanswered questions.
PI fears trouble for missing student By Jake PalmateerStaff WriterONEONTA _ A private investigator hired by the family of a Hungarian exchange student who dropped out of Oneonta High
School in June said the 19-year-old may have been forced into prostitution. Augustine Papay Jr.,
a retired New York City homicide detective, was in Oneonta late last week as part of his investigation into the disappearance
of Natalia Timar. "I am aware that she got involved in a bad crowd and may have befriended
some criminal elements because she was naive and a trusting-type person," Papay said in a news release to The Daily Star.
"However, I have reason to believe that Ms. Natalia Timar may be an endangered missing person." Timar, her passport, plane ticket back to Hungary and other belongings were found missing from her host family's
home in Oneonta on June 2, according to Tom Overbaugh, vice chairman of the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary District 7170,
which includes the Oneonta Rotary Club. State police launched an investigation but later concluded
there was no foul play involved, Overbaugh previously said. But in Papay's release, the investigator
said that although it was initially believed Timar's disappearance was voluntary, there is circumstantial evidence to
suggest that she may be held against her will and was forced into prostitution in New York City by people involved in the
sex trade. "She was an ideal poster child for them and I believe that her movements and communications
are now being restricted and she is being held against her will," Papay said. Papay said
he shared this evidence with the state police and FBI, but he did not disclose it to The Daily Star. Timar's
family has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts, he said. "Natalia
has not contacted her parents in the past three months and the family is devastated ever since they lost contact with her,"
Papay said. "Her mother is suffering from lung cancer and she hopes that someone will come forward with new information
regarding the whereabouts of her youngest daughter." Timar's birthday was Saturday, according
to missing person posters posted around Oneonta last week. Papay said he can be contacted at (866)
533-5099 or through e-mail at guspapay@gmail.com. All information submitted will be handled as confidential, he said.
ONEONTA _ A private investigator hired by the family of a Hungarian exchange student who dropped out of Oneonta High
School in June said the 19-year-old may have been forced into prostitution. Augustine Papay Jr.,
a retired New York City homicide detective, was in Oneonta late last week as part of his investigation into the disappearance
of Natalia Timar. "I am aware that she got involved in a bad crowd and may have befriended
some criminal elements because she was naive and a trusting-type person," Papay said in a news release to The Daily Star.
"However, I have reason to believe that Ms. Natalia Timar may be an endangered missing person." Timar, her passport, plane ticket back to Hungary and other belongings were found missing from her host family's
home in Oneonta on June 2, according to Tom Overbaugh, vice chairman of the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary District 7170,
which includes the Oneonta Rotary Club. State police launched an investigation but later concluded
there was no foul play involved, Overbaugh previously said. But in Papay's release, the investigator
said that although it was initially believed Timar's disappearance was voluntary, there is circumstantial evidence to
suggest that she may be held against her will and was forced into prostitution in New York City by people involved in the
sex trade. "She was an ideal poster child for them and I believe that her movements and communications
are now being restricted and she is being held against her will," Papay said. Papay said
he shared this evidence with the state police and FBI, but he did not disclose it to The Daily Star. Timar's
family has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts, he said. "Natalia
has not contacted her parents in the past three months and the family is devastated ever since they lost contact with her,"
Papay said. "Her mother is suffering from lung cancer and she hopes that someone will come forward with new information
regarding the whereabouts of her youngest daughter." Timar's birthday was Saturday, according
to missing person posters posted around Oneonta last week. Papay said he can be contacted at (866)
533-5099 or through e-mail at guspapay@gmail.com. All information submitted will be handled as confidential, he said. ONEONTA _ A private investigator hired by the family of a Hungarian exchange student who dropped out of Oneonta High
School in June said the 19-year-old may have been forced into prostitution. Augustine Papay Jr.,
a retired New York City homicide detective, was in Oneonta late last week as part of his investigation into the disappearance
of Natalia Timar. "I am aware that she got involved in a bad crowd and may have befriended
some criminal elements because she was naive and a trusting-type person," Papay said in a news release to The Daily Star.
"However, I have reason to believe that Ms. Natalia Timar may be an endangered missing person." Timar, her passport, plane ticket back to Hungary and other belongings were found missing from her host family's
home in Oneonta on June 2, according to Tom Overbaugh, vice chairman of the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary District 7170,
which includes the Oneonta Rotary Club. State police launched an investigation but later concluded
there was no foul play involved, Overbaugh previously said. But in Papay's release, the investigator
said that although it was initially believed Timar's disappearance was voluntary, there is circumstantial evidence to
suggest that she may be held against her will and was forced into prostitution in New York City by people involved in the
sex trade. "She was an ideal poster child for them and I believe that her movements and communications
are now being restricted and she is being held against her will," Papay said. Papay said
he shared this evidence with the state police and FBI, but he did not disclose it to The Daily Star. Timar's
family has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts, he said. "Natalia
has not contacted her parents in the past three months and the family is devastated ever since they lost contact with her,"
Papay said. "Her mother is suffering from lung cancer and she hopes that someone will come forward with new information
regarding the whereabouts of her youngest daughter." Timar's birthday was Saturday, according
to missing person posters posted around Oneonta last week. Papay said he can be contacted at (866)
533-5099 or through e-mail at guspapay@gmail.com. All information submitted will be handled as confidential, he said. ONEONTA _ A private investigator hired by the family of a Hungarian exchange student who dropped out of Oneonta High
School in June said the 19-year-old may have been forced into prostitution. Augustine Papay Jr.,
a retired New York City homicide detective, was in Oneonta late last week as part of his investigation into the disappearance
of Natalia Timar. "I am aware that she got involved in a bad crowd and may have befriended
some criminal elements because she was naive and a trusting-type person," Papay said in a news release to The Daily Star.
"However, I have reason to believe that Ms. Natalia Timar may be an endangered missing person." Timar, her passport, plane ticket back to Hungary and other belongings were found missing from her host family's
home in Oneonta on June 2, according to Tom Overbaugh, vice chairman of the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary District 7170,
which includes the Oneonta Rotary Club. State police launched an investigation but later concluded
there was no foul play involved, Overbaugh previously said. But in Papay's release, the investigator
said that although it was initially believed Timar's disappearance was voluntary, there is circumstantial evidence to
suggest that she may be held against her will and was forced into prostitution in New York City by people involved in the
sex trade. "She was an ideal poster child for them and I believe that her movements and communications
are now being restricted and she is being held against her will," Papay said. Papay said
he shared this evidence with the state police and FBI, but he did not disclose it to The Daily Star. Timar's
family has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts, he said. "Natalia
has not contacted her parents in the past three months and the family is devastated ever since they lost contact with her,"
Papay said. "Her mother is suffering from lung cancer and she hopes that someone will come forward with new information
regarding the whereabouts of her youngest daughter." Timar's birthday was Saturday, according
to missing person posters posted around Oneonta last week. Papay said he can be contacted at (866)
533-5099 or through e-mail at guspapay@gmail.com. All information submitted will be handled as confidential, he said. ONEONTA _ A private investigator hired by the family of a Hungarian exchange student who dropped out of Oneonta High
School in June said the 19-year-old may have been forced into prostitution. Augustine Papay Jr.,
a retired New York City homicide detective, was in Oneonta late last week as part of his investigation into the disappearance
of Natalia Timar. "I am aware that she got involved in a bad crowd and may have befriended
some criminal elements because she was naive and a trusting-type person," Papay said in a news release to The Daily Star.
"However, I have reason to believe that Ms. Natalia Timar may be an endangered missing person." Timar, her passport, plane ticket back to Hungary and other belongings were found missing from her host family's
home in Oneonta on June 2, according to Tom Overbaugh, vice chairman of the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary District 7170,
which includes the Oneonta Rotary Club. State police launched an investigation but later concluded
there was no foul play involved, Overbaugh previously said. But in Papay's release, the investigator
said that although it was initially believed Timar's disappearance was voluntary, there is circumstantial evidence to
suggest that she may be held against her will and was forced into prostitution in New York City by people involved in the
sex trade. "She was an ideal poster child for them and I believe that her movements and communications
are now being restricted and she is being held against her will," Papay said. Papay said
he shared this evidence with the state police and FBI, but he did not disclose it to The Daily Star. Timar's
family has offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts, he said. "Natalia
has not contacted her parents in the past three months and the family is devastated ever since they lost contact with her,"
Papay said. "Her mother is suffering from lung cancer and she hopes that someone will come forward with new information
regarding the whereabouts of her youngest daughter." Timar's birthday was Saturday, according
to missing person posters posted around Oneonta last week. Papay said he can be contacted at (866)
533-5099 or through e-mail at guspapay@gmail.com. All information submitted will be handled as confidential, he said.
Missing ex-OHS student found, is safe
The Hungarian Rotary exchange student who disappeared after dropping out of Oneonta
High School in June was located Thursday.
Natalia Timar, 19, was found Thursday in the East New York section of
Brooklyn and will be returning home, said private investigator Augustine Papay Jr. The retired New York City homicide detective
was hired by her family in September.
|
