UPDATED: Mark L. Schifter, PLEADS GUILTY to suspicion of charity fraud

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wshuff

wshuff

Audioholic
I think this was discussed in the other thread here, or on AVS. As I recall, what that means is that the case has been turned over to the state AG, who will be prosecuting the case rather than the local prosecutor.
 
C

Chu Gai

Audioholic Samurai
dane said:
I logged on with the case number provided earlier in this thread and saw the below ... what does Vacated mean? A quick google search indicates the term has different meanings based on how it is used...

Code: 
Case Events 
  3/2/2010 8:15 AM   ARRAIGNMENT Continued   
  3/4/2010 8:15 AM   BOND HEARING Posted   
  3/4/2010 4:33 PM   CASE CLOSED     
  4/6/2010 8:15 AM   ARRAIGNMENT Vacated AG's office, David Cosson will prosecute. Our file is closed unless help is needed. 
 
 Page 1 of 1 
  4/27/2010 11:52:33 AM
thanks,
..dane
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Explained here. The matter has been continued to May 7, 2010 for 1 pm. Further details as they become available.
 
C

Chu Gai

Audioholic Samurai
I spoke with Carol, the court clerk, who informed me the arraignment has been continued to June 29th. MLS at that time will be represented by a Steven Jacobson. There may be more attorneys with that name, but I think it's this one.
 
C

Chu Gai

Audioholic Samurai
July Update

The matter has been continued to August 13, 2010 at 1 pm. The particulars of the plea deal are being discussed by the attorneys. Sorry, but no information on what the particulars are. Still not safe to send your kids with lunch money unfortunately.
 
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tonygeno

Junior Audioholic
Call me devious, but their trade in deal appears to be a way to get some nice "b" stock items for sale once the warehouse runs out. The terms of the deal has you sending in your speakers for "evaluation" and if they don't measure up you get to pay to ship them back. Sounds like you would be out more than the speakers are worth and might just say keep 'em. Also, given their track record of not fulfilling their orders, who in their right mind would send a speaker back to them in the "hope" you would get either the new series or your old speakers back?
 
C

Chu Gai

Audioholic Samurai
tonygeno said:
Call me devious, but their trade in deal appears to be a way to get some nice "b" stock items for sale once the warehouse runs out. The terms of the deal has you sending in your speakers for "evaluation" and if they don't measure up you get to pay to ship them back. Sounds like you would be out more than the speakers are worth and might just say keep 'em. Also, given their track record of not fulfilling their orders, who in their right mind would send a speaker back to them in the "hope" you would get either the new series or your old speakers back?
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You'd have to be nuts to consider buying a pair of G2 whatevers given their track record and without hearing them. If you're tired of your own Rickets then sell them on craigslist.
 
MinusTheBear

MinusTheBear

Audioholic Ninja
Chu Gai said:
The matter has been continued to August 13, 2010 at 1 pm. The particulars of the plea deal are being discussed by the attorneys. Sorry, but no information on what the particulars are. Still not safe to send your kids with lunch money unfortunately.
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I am not familiar with the legal system and have a few questions. At this point would one have to plead guilty to start negotiating plea deals? What is a setting like this, would there be witness testimony and jurors or is it more just lawyers on both sides and the judge going over stuff?
 
gonk

gonk

Full Audioholic
tonygeno said:
Call me devious, but their trade in deal appears to be a way to get some nice "b" stock items for sale once the warehouse runs out. The terms of the deal has you sending in your speakers for "evaluation" and if they don't measure up you get to pay to ship them back. Sounds like you would be out more than the speakers are worth and might just say keep 'em. Also, given their track record of not fulfilling their orders, who in their right mind would send a speaker back to them in the "hope" you would get either the new series or your old speakers back?
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Their new product launch track record is painfully dreadful. On the bright side, if they are somehow able to suck in some customers who use the trade-in program, they will have accumulated lots of practice with the B-stock/open box section of their site while selling off everything in the building that isn't bolted to the floor (shirts, hats, individual speakers, sub cabinets, LS cabinets, spare amp channels they haven't sold in years, and the rest...

Chu Gai said:
The matter has been continued to August 13, 2010 at 1 pm. The particulars of the plea deal are being discussed by the attorneys. Sorry, but no information on what the particulars are. Still not safe to send your kids with lunch money unfortunately.
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If AV123's estimates are accurate (I almost typed that with a straight face), he might get to see some G2 speakers before he has to go back to court.
 
T2T

T2T

Senior Audioholic
gonk said:
If AV123's estimates are accurate (I almost typed that with a straight face), he might get to see some G2 speakers before he has to go back to court.
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How much would you like to wager on your statement? :D ;)
 
gonk

gonk

Full Audioholic
That depends - can I wager other people's Russian orphanage donations, or do I have to wager actual money from my own pocket?
 
T2T

T2T

Senior Audioholic
gonk said:
That depends - can I wager other people's Russian orphanage donations, or do I have to wager actual money from my own pocket?
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Oh, nothing but PayPal as the vehicle to transfer the funds. Of course, I don't care where the funds came from ... just as long as it lands in my PayPal account, should I win the bet. ;)
 
gonk

gonk

Full Audioholic
Heh - in that case, no way. Their web site has already been updated to change the expected arrival date from "late July" to "late July or early August." The LS-4's were similarly due in "about five weeks" when they were first announced but actually took quite a bit longer, assuming they even have any of them now (I don't think I've heard of anyone actually buying them even after all this time).
 
M

mhawker

Audioholic
C

Chu Gai

Audioholic Samurai
MinusTheBear said:
I am not familiar with the legal system and have a few questions. At this point would one have to plead guilty to start negotiating plea deals? What is a setting like this, would there be witness testimony and jurors or is it more just lawyers on both sides and the judge going over stuff?
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The plea deal, from what I understand, is something that's offered by the prosecution. Schifter defrauded 100's of people of their monies they thought were going to reputable causes. It's the government's objective to recoup that money, properly apportion it via a payment schedule, apply appropriate fines and court costs, in exchange for things like reduced and/or consolidated charges as well sparing the cost of a trial. That cost works both ways here.

I have no idea what the plea deal is specifically and the nature of the negotiations have been kept private as well as nothing that can be obtained from the court clerk. If the defense agrees to it, then it will be submitted to the judge who generally approves of the deal. Perhaps after it's all over, maybe it'll be part of the court transcripts. There are consequences if MLS violates the terms of the plea deal. This is one of the reasons why some time back, I provided means by which affected parties, meaning you donated monies, could file a Victim's Impact Statement. What is it they say? A million deaths is a statistic but the death of an individual is a tragedy. Each statement provided shed a light to the judicial system of a tragedy.

From speaking to other individuals, MLS will have to come up with some percentage of the total amount. We've already seen the mass sell-off at Longmont including the sale of one of his cars and sundry watches. At some point Longmont will close and the Groupe will launch their hail Mary pass where they try to operate on a shoestring budget maybe from a small office in a building or someone's home. Whether the money comes from being able to sell G-2's or maybe even a foreclosure, I have no idea. Personally, I'd rather see it come from the latter. For all we know, Ms. Khabarovski will sell of her furs and liquidate her parent's home in Russia to help her conjugal hockey buddy out.

T2T said:
Well, technically speaking, they didn't indicate which year this late-July early-August would fall on. :cool:
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I think it's this year.
 
M

mhawker

Audioholic
An ironic email

Years :)() ago, Brucer from the av123 took $2,000 of my money and never delivered what I paid him for. I discussed this at length with MLS and the following is an email from him that talks about his disappointment in Bruce and how his handling of the situation was not appropriate.

Stumbling onto and reading, again, this email, I found it very ironic; almost as if he was talking to himself.

Replace "Bruce" with "I or I've" and it's almost eery.


Thanks Mike...

I have TONS to say about this... But I'm sort of remaining in the background
again... Bruce has not done a good job in many areas... I have tried to
help, and admittedly it's I that owes HIM a call back right now...

I have thought about injecting money and just getting everyone's goods to
them - but honestly (and directly) the way Bruce has handled all of this
really upsets me... Actually makes me angry...

His post to me and all of you was not the apology I was hoping to see ---
just the ramblings of someone that feels his rights are different from yours
or mine... Or that somehow we had it "wrong" about him...

I'm frustrated for sure... :)

I'm mostly sorry that you and your family must suffer for this... Like I
said... Lots more to say about all of it - but I'm trying to keep my dignity
and perspective...

Apologies for sure...

mls
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T2T

T2T

Senior Audioholic
mhawker said:
Tick-Tock, the end of July is near.
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I don't ever wish for time to fly by because it goes fast enough as it is. However, I'm eagerly awaiting this date - less than 48 hours to go.
 
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