Showing posts with label Yvonne Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yvonne Johnson. Show all posts

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Proof of Control Fraud by Kathy Manning, City of Greensboro's Matt Brown, CFGG's Walker Sanders and everyone else who knew and didn't say anything, especially the elected officials who voted for it

Matt, Kathy and Walker conspired to mislead the public with farcical, unattainable math;


330 spaces x $18 = $5,940

$5,940 x 150 = $891,000

Which matches within $20,000 of what was presented to the public 
and voted on by City Council;


$10 million + 2.1 + $1.079 million = $13,179,000 million from VIP parking,
which is just about $13,195,710.  From Fri, Mar 16, 2018 at 4:24 PM;


330 x 18 = $5,940

$5,940 x 150 = $891,000 per year, from 330 VIP parking spots at $18 a piece 
sold out at every event for 150 events

$13,195,710 / $891,000 = 14.81 years of 330 VIP spots 
sold out at every event for 150 events every year
for almost 15 strait years

The paid consultant said the center could host about 149 events per year after 3 years, some of which obviously couldn't get sold out VIP parking money;

The STPAC is not going to sell 330 VIP parking spots at every event

31 events don't look like they can charge $18 for VIP parking


149 - 31 = 118

66 annually projected performances are expected to bring in less than 2,000 patrons, which are not going to sell 330 VIP parking spaces for $18 a piece

There are 12 expected student plays or concerts, which will likely have no VIP spaces sold for.

The 11 recitals won't sell 330 VIP spaces

CTG's Wizard of Oz etc... can't/won't be able sell 330 VIP parking


So how much is the parking going to cost, 
relative to taking a Uber/Lyft, or parking for free?

There were 488 free on street parking spots within 1,200 feet of the site, 
not counting the VF and the Marriott parking across the street,
and another couple thousand in two more parking decks on the way;


The Bellemeade Deck across the street has 1,276 spaces

DPAC charges $5 per car in a similarly proximate deck.

The public presentation didn't include how much the parking would cost at $18 per spot, and certainly didn't include the projected 2019 rate and potential more VIP parking
on top of the 330 spaces currently planned;


As of November 14, 2017, only $20 million of the $40 plus million in private donations have actually been "raised", not counting expected interest payments on the loan CFGG took out to make up the difference;

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2018/04/as-of-november-14-2017-only-20-million.html

Manning and Walker Sanders, the president of the Community Foundation,
also announced that they had met their goal
of raising $38.5 million from private donors.

Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane
Financially Illiterate News and Record reporter who lied to her readers

Manning and Walker among others purposefully misled our community
and have conspired against Greensboro's taxpayers for personal profit

Costs for the entire project will be covered by private donations,
hotel and motel tax revenues, ticket fees and parking revenues
— not taxpayer money, [Matt] Brown said.

Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane

If taxpayer money becomes involved, 
Matt Brown should be removed from his position
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Performing Arts Center: "[Notable]...Task Force Members";

GPAC Development / Marketing Task Force; Kathy Manning, co-chair

GPAC Economic Impact / Feasibility Task Force; Randall Kaplan and Roy Carroll

GPAC Development / Marketing Task Force; George House, one of Randall's partners
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Two reasons among many that a GPAC with 3,000 seats probably won't work as well as DPAC with 2,700 seats


City Council voted to for this project knowing this information
or should have, and/or willfully ignored data,
violating their fiduciary duties to Greensboro's taxpayers,
and should be removed from office


"§ 14-230. Willfully failing to discharge duties.

(a) If any clerk of any court of record, sheriff, magistrate, school board member, county commissioner, county surveyor, coroner, treasurer, or official of any of the State institutions, or of any county, city or town, shall willfully omit, neglect or refuse to discharge any of the duties of his office, for default whereof it is not elsewhere provided that he shall be indicted, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If it shall be proved that such officer, after his qualification, willfully and corruptly omitted, neglected or refused to discharge any of the duties of his office, or willfully and corruptly violated his oath of office according to the true intent and meaning thereof, such officer shall be guilty of misbehavior in office, and shall be punished by removal therefrom under the sentence of the court as a part of the punishment for the offense."
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"§ 14-209. Punishment for perjury.

If any person shall willfully and corruptly commit perjury, on his oath or affirmation, in any suit, controversy, matter or cause, depending in any of the courts of the State, or in any deposition or affidavit taken pursuant to law, or in any oath or affirmation duly administered of or concerning any matter or thing whereof such person is lawfully required to be sworn or affirmed, every person so offending shall be punished as a Class F felon."
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"§ 14-210. Subornation of perjury.

If any person shall, by any means, procure another person to commit such willful and corrupt perjury as is mentioned in G.S. 14-209, the person so offending shall be punished as a Class I felon."
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2005 North Carolina Code - General Statutes § 97-88.2. Penalty for fraud.
§ 97‑88.2. Penalty for fraud.

(a) Any person who willfully makes a false statement or representation of a material fact for the purpose of obtaining or denying any benefit or payment, or assisting another to obtain or deny any benefit or payment under this Article, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if the amount at issue is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000). Violation of this section is a Class H felony if the amount at issue is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more. The court may order restitution.

(a1) When a person is convicted under subsection (a) of this section, the Commission may enter such orders as necessary to ensure that the person convicted does not benefit from the unlawful conduct.

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N.C. GEN. STAT. § 75-1.1. Methods of competition, acts and practices regulated; legislative policy

(a) Unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are declared unlawful.

...North Carolina enacted the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“UDTPA”) to benefit consumers, but “its protections extend to businesses in appropriate situations.”[3] Creating a private cause of action for consumers was the Act’s primary purpose.[4] Also, the statute was enacted “to provide a civil means to maintain ethical standards of dealings between persons engaged in business and the consuming public” within North Carolina because “other legal remedies were inadequate or ineffective.”[5] It applies to dealings between buyers and sellers at all levels of commerce.[6]

Under the North Carolina statute, both individuals, through a private cause of action, and the State, through the Attorney General, can raise a claim for unfair and deceptive trade practices.[11] The Attorney General is responsible for investigating all corporations or persons in North Carolina doing business in violation of the law.[12] Persons or corporations that violate any of the provisions of Chapter 75 may be subject to criminal sanctions in prosecutions brought by the state Attorney General, remedies through civil actions brought and prosecuted by the Attorney General, damages in private causes of action by injured persons, or any permissible combination.[13]

Prima Facie Case

Three-Part Test

A claim under this statute requires proof of three elements: (1) an unfair or deceptive act or practice; (2) in or affecting commerce; (3) which proximately caused the injury to the claimant.[15] [16] A court will first determine if the act or practice was “in or affecting commerce” before determining if the act or practice was unfair or deceptive.[17]

Unfair and Deceptive Definition
A practice is unfair when it offends established public policy or when the act or practice is “immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous, or substantially injurious to consumers.”[18] A party is guilty of an unfair act or practice when it engages in conduct which amounts to an inequitable assertion of its power or position.[19] [20] For an act or practice to be deceptive it must have “the capacity or tendency to deceive” but proof of actual deception is not required.[21] [22]

Deliberate acts of deceit or bad faith do not have to be shown, rather, the claimant must demonstrate that the act or practice possessed the tendency and capacity to mislead or created the likelihood of deception.[23] Additionally, it is not required that the claimant actually relies on the deception in order to prevail; actual reliance is not a factor to be considered.[24] 

Unfairness is a broader concept than, and includes the concept of, deceptiveness.[28] However, only one—either unfairness or deceptiveness—is required to bring the act or practice within the statute.[29] There is no requirement that the act or practice be both unfair and deceptive.[30]

A plaintiff can prove that an act was “in or affecting commerce” by demonstrating that the parties were “engaged in an activity involving an exchange of some type in which a participant could be characterized as a seller.”[38] However, the activity need only to “surround or affect a sale,” it does not need to meet a stricter standard of “inducing a sale.”[39]

In its broadest sense, commerce includes “intercourse for the purposes of trade in any form.”[40]

Causal Requirement

A claimant must prove that a defendant’s unfair or deceptive acts were the cause of the injuries the claimant incurred. Proof of actual injuries can include: loss of the use of specific and unique property, the loss of any appreciated value of property, and other elements of damage shown by plaintiff’s evidence.[44] Reliance on the defendant’s unfair or deceptive act is not necessary to show that the defendant was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. 

The Burden Shifting Scheme

North Carolina’s UDTPA created a statutory burden-shifting scheme. At the outset, the Plaintiff bears the burden of proof,[47] and must provide sufficient evidence to support his claim that he has suffered actual injury as a result of the defendant’s actions.[48] Then the plaintiff must prove that the defendant’s actions “were in or affecting commerce,” and that they constituted an unfair or deceptive practice. Once a plaintiff has established his prima facie case, the burden shifts to the defendant to prove that he is exempt from the UDTPA.[49]

Fraud is sufficient evidence of an unfair or deceptive act, including fraud in the inducement;[81] [82] the use of coercive tactics is also covered by the statute;[83] negligent misrepresentation, including failure to disclose that amounts to misrepresentation;[84] and, a broken promise can also qualify if the promisor had no intent to perform when he made the promise, which amounts to promissory fraud.[85] 

Intentionally and Knowingly Making False Statements: Torrance v. AS&L Motors, Ltd., 119 N.C. App. 552, 459 S.E.2d 67 (1995).

A used car salesman told potential buyers a specific car had not been involved in an accident when asked by the buyers, even though the seller knew that statement was false. The buyer then relied on the statement that the car had never been in an accident and purchased the car. Because the car salesman knowingly lied to the buyers about the car’s accident history, the act was unfair or deceptive under the statute.

Failure to Inspect: Huff v. Autos Unlimited, Inc., 124 N.C. App. 410, 477 S.E.2d 86 (1996).

A used car salesman failed to conduct a simple visual inspection of a car that he knew had been in an accident. Even without the visual inspection, and with the knowledge that the car had been wrecked, the salesman sold the car with assurances of its reliability, subjecting him to liability for an unfair or deceptive trade practice.

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FRAUD: The Supreme Court has concluded that there are two types of fraud in a civil context: Actual and Constructive.  The Court has determined that Active Fraud is the false representation of a material fact or, in the alternative, the concealment of a material fact.  Moreover, the misrepresented material fact must be known to be false or made recklessly, without any knowledge of its truth or falsity.  A fact is considered “material” if, had it been known to the party, it would have influenced that party’s decision in making the contract at all.  Constructive Fraud, on the other hand, is based on the relationship between the parties.  It requires the existence of a relation of trust and confidence, in which the bad actor is alleged to have taken advantage of his position of trust, resulting in injury to the harmed party.  










Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Oh Yvonne

On Saturday, while speaking at the Democracy Greensboro Candidate Platform Conference, Greensboro City Councilwoman, Mayor Pro Tem, Yvonne Johnson answered a question from the audience saying the non profit she founded and runs "does not receive city funding."

Yes, she said it very loudly empathizing her answer.


Now for the rest of the story as was previously sent to me by the City of Greensboro as part of my quest for transparency:


A little white lie? Perhaps? But why was it even necessary in the first place? Now if Yvonne would lie about this, what else would she lie about?

Update: There was also this $10,000 Grant Yvonne "forgot" to mention as found on City of Greensboro servers.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

What Greensboro's City Council and Staff didn't/don't/won't watch out for, for their own employees' retirement plan

"...Paying too much: You have to care about expenses. They are the most predictable characteristic of explaining future returns of funds, experts say. And expenses are a more reliable signal than past performance.

They don't care about their own employees

Choosing the right mutual fund is different from choosing stocks, because you're effectively choosing a money manager rather than a management team. Controlling costs is key to successful fund investing.

They had the chance to do the right thing, 
and they didn't do it

It can’t be said enough: with funds, costs matter. Annual expenses eat into total return, year after year. With high-cost funds, you pay more and pocket less. Moreover, studies show that low-expense funds are more likely to outperform their costlier counterparts over time..."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-buy-mutual-funds-2016-07-24

If you are a City of Greensboro employee,
Nancy Vaughan, Nancy Hofmann, Tony Wilkins, Justin Outling, Jamal Fox, 
Mike Barber, Yvonne Johnson, Sharon Hightower, Marikay Abuzuaiter, 
Connie Hammond, Rick Lusk, Jim Westmoreland 
Mary Vigue and Donnie Turlington are directly responsible for your not making more
in your ICMA-RC 457 retirement plan

They chose Wall Street over those they have a responsibility to represent

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

"What John Oliver learned [which Greensboro's City Council and City Staff Didn't] while setting up a 401(k) plan for his employees"

"John Oliver, who has famously exposed the questionable practices of various industries on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” ...recently took a look at the onerous fees that some retirement plans charge.

When presented with the opportunity to do right by City of Greensboro's employees, 
Tony Wilkins, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Nancy Vaughan, Mike Barber, Yvonne Johnson, 
Jamal Fox, Sharon Hightower, Rick Lusk, Mary Vigue, Connie Hammond, Jim Westmoreland 
and Zack Matheny, who was a stockbroker and knew better, 
supported cronies connected to the financial industry
instead of more than 2,800 employees who are still getting skimmed off of by ICMA-RC, 
the administrator for the City's 457 retirement plan.

“As a favor to your future self, it is worth watching this for 20 minutes because you could easily make small mistakes that could seriously cost you down the line,” he says toward the beginning of the June 12 episode.

Those current and former City employees mentioned above are thieves

They stole from those who they are supposed to look out for

He goes on to say that most actively managed funds don’t beat the market, and that anyone can call himself an investment adviser whether he has official credentials or not. And he explains what it means when an adivser is bound by a fiduciary standard: “It’s currently legal for advisers to put their own interests ahead of yours unless they’re a fiduciary.”...

The News and Record refused to look into Greensboro's retirement plan
and North Carolina State's retirement plans
for the benefit of Warren Buffett, who owns the paper and Wells Fargo
of which Berkshire Hathaway owns more than 10%

...he dedicates much of the show to what he learned after asking his production company to set up a 401(k) plan for his employees. Namely, that there are a lot of fees.

Susan Ladd betrayed City of Greensboro employees 
and our community by inaction, while she tries over and over to save some trees
instead of thousands of residents millions over time

“Compound interest works both ways,” he says. The company managing the show’s 401(k), John Hancock, gave him and his staff a presentation. After looking at the plan’s paperwork, “Last Week Tonight” realized there were the following fees: A combined 1.69% fee, plus a $24 per person per year fee, plus a fee for a broker who was acting as an intermediary. The broker received 1% of assets the first year and 0.5% every year after that. Oliver points out that if his 35 employees saved $6,000 a year for 30 years, it would cost them $1 million in fees overall. In addition, the broker said he was not a fiduciary, and when he sent the show a table showing how much the plan could grow, he was off by more than $10 million because of bad arithmetic, according to Oliver.

ICMA-RC is not considered a fiduciary for Greensboro's employees,
letting City Management including Jim Westmoreland, Mary Vigue, members of ICMA,
mislead and overcharge City participants with the active help of ICMA member Jamal Fox
and the rest of City Council.

...A spokeswoman for John Hancock told MarketWatch via email that the show’s 401(k) plan was placed with it after “an open and rigorous competitive review,” and it was competing against other prominent companies for the account. She said John Hancock disagrees with the way its business practices were characterized.

ICMA-RC doesn't act in the best interests of the City of Greensboro's employees,
but the best interests of ICMA-RC with the help of Council and Staff

“We feel that the analysis and presentation of fees and services by the show is flawed and misleading,” she said, adding, “We believe in the value of the services we provide and feel they add to the success of the plan in helping participants for retirement.”

By not making an endorsement for the NC Treasurer Democratic primary,
Greensboro's News and Record, along with most of the other state papers
fucked hundreds of thousands of municipal employees out of more than $500,000,000 per year
and most don't know.

In the end, Oliver offered five tips for people saving for retirement. You can see these starting around the 18-minute mark of the video, where they are much more humorously presented than they are here:

1. Start saving now
2. Invest in low-cost index funds

The City of Greensboro lied in response to a public records request,
has been caught red handed, and our local press won't report it
for the benefit of local City executives and entrenched City Council incumbents
to the detriment of City employees and they are going to get away with it
because it may harm the financial industry's profit margins.

3. Ask if your adviser is a fiduciary
4. Gradually shift investments from stocks to bonds as you get older
5. Keep your fees under 1%

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-john-oliver-learned-while-setting-up-a-401k-plan-for-his-employees-2016-06-13
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The News and Record didn't report how Clayton Homes rips off poor people.

Jeff Gauger didn't report how Wells Fargo makes money from North Carolina's retirement plans.

The News and Record didn't report how mimicking the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan
 could save Greensboro's employees more than $500,000 per year, 
to preserve Warren Buffett's profitability at the expense of their readers.

Jeff Gauger and friends steal hundreds of millions from their readers 
via lies of omission so Warren Buffett can make more money.

Joe Killian and Jeff Gauger betrayed North Carolina's employees
for Warren Buffett

Allen Johnson and Doug Clark betrayed North Carolina's employees
for Warren Buffett
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How to save $20,967,663 for the City of Durham's employees invested in ICMA-RC's 457 retirement plan

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-save-20967663-for-city-of.html

Greensboro's News and Record is directly responsible 
for North Carolina and the City of Greensboro's employees 
paying more for pension and retirement investments than necessary,
as they have known for years and did nothing

Now Mary Vigue is in charge of a legal Ponzi scheme called Say Yes to Education and Say Yes Guilford whose business model skims profits for administrators and vendors meant for college scholarships for Guilford County students with monies donated by local foundations, managed for a profit by the Community Foundation of High Point, and the Community Foundation of Greensboro, who's Walker Sanders lied to get additional taxpayer funding for Greensboro's STPAC with the help of Matt Brown, City Council and City staff, including Rick Lusk.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Dear Tony Wilkins, Nancy Vaughan and Hoffmann, Jamal Fox, Mike Barber, Sharon Hightower, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Connie Hammond, Yvonne Johnson and Jim Westmoreland; You stole from your employees by keeping fees high

“In U.S. equity funds, the cheapest quintile had a total-return success rate of 62% compared with 48% for the second-cheapest quintile, then 39% for the middle quintile, 30% for the second-priciest quintile, and 20% for the priciest quintile. So, the cheaper the quintile, the better your chances [of outperformance]. All told, cheapest-quintile funds were 3 times as likely to succeed as the priciest quintile.”

...Morningstar research breaks out active vs. passive funds in its research, and shows that the average expense ratio for passive investments was 0.18% vs. 0.78% for active funds.

...while many have touted index funds for only their lower costs and the simplicity of buy-and-hold, the fact remains that you also make more money."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-revolution-investors-have-been-fighting-for-is-here-2016-05-17
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When presented with the opportunity to do right by City of Greensboro's employees, Tony Wilkins, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Nancy Vaughan, Mike Barber, Yvonne Johnson, Jamal Fox and Sharon Hightower supported cronies connected to the financial industry, Jim Westmoreland, Mary Vigue, Rick Lusk and Connie Hammond rather than more than 2,800 employees who are still getting skimmed off of by ICMA-RC, the administrator for the City's 457 retirement plan.

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-north-carolina-treasurer-janet.html

The City of Greensboro shafted their own employees; "401(k) Fees, Already Low, Are Heading Lower"

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-city-of-greensboro-shafted-their.html

This is what winning reads like for those who oppose the status quo; City of Greensboro ICMA-RC 457 retirement plan edition

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/10/this-is-what-winning-reads-like-for.html

Say Yes to Education Red Flag; Mary Vigue; She is about to be in charge of more than $25 million for a 'non-profit' after shafting City of Greensboro employees out of investment fee cuts

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/10/say-yes-to-education-red-flag-mary.html

Associated Press misleads for Wall Street; "Correction: Primary-Council Of State story"; Don't expect the News and Record to tell anyone in print

The News and Record and other Warren Buffett owned news outlets
are going to try to take down Ron Elmers for Wall Street profit
instead of more money in North Carolina employee pockets

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/03/associated-press-misleads-for-wall.html

"Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway boosts Wells Fargo stake to 504.3 million shares, or 10%"

Warren Buffett owns Greensboro's News and Record.

The News and Record didn't report how Clayton Homes rips off poor people.

Jeff Gauger didn't report how Wells Fargo makes money from North Carolina's retirement plans.

The News and Record didn't report how mimicking the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan could save Greensboro's employees more than $500,000 per year, to preserve Warren Buffett's profitability at the expense of their readers.

Greensboro's City Council is in on it, including Tony Wilkins, whose cowardice from the right is a complete disgrace.  They fucked their own employees with the help of Jim Westmoreland, Mary Vigue, Connie Hammond and Donnie Turlington.

Nancy Vaughan led the Council into shafting their own employees by letting the financial industry continue to grossly overcharge fees in the City's 457 ICMA-RC retirement plan.

It's inexcusable.

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/03/buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-boosts.html

The News and Record didn't report how mimicking the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan could save Greensboro's employees more than $500,000 per year, to preserve Warren Buffett's profitability at the expense of their readers.

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/recent-jeff-gauger-and-news-and-record.html

Monday, May 16, 2016

The City of Greensboro shafted their own employees; "401(k) Fees, Already Low, Are Heading Lower"

"Employers, advisers shave retirement-plan costs as they face pressure to monitor expenses

Companies are stepping up efforts to offer lower-cost 401(k) retirement plans, a trend that has already sharply driven down average fees and is likely to continue.

But the City of Greensboro didn't lower costs
with the help of Tony Wilkins, Nancy Vaughan and Hoffmann, Jamal Fox, 
Mike Barber, Sharon Hightower, Marikay Abuzuaiter, and Yvonne Johnson
for the benefit of Jim Westmoreland's plan management providor

An explosion of information about plan fees has helped increase bargaining power for companies in negotiations with fund providers. And a wave of successful lawsuits against companies alleging their plans had high charges has also led many to seek out lower-priced options for employees.

Yet the City of Greensboro chose to betray their own
for Wall Street

...Plan administrative costs fell to their lowest level in a decade last year..

Except the City of Greensboro's fees went up

While the changes are adding up a few hundredths of a percentage point at a time, the reduction can make a big difference. According to Vanguard Group, investors in a plan that charged 0.25% a year could in theory amass 20% more money over a four-decade career than they could in one that charged 1.25%, all else being equal...

On average, the fees 401(k) participants pay for funds that invest in stocks fell from 0.77% of assets in 2000 to 0.74% in 2009, before dropping sharply to 0.54% in 2014...

But not th City of Greensboro with the help of Tony Wilkins, 
Nancy Vaughan and Hoffmann, Jamal Fox, Mike Barber, Sharon Hightower,
Marikay Abuzuaiter, Connie Hammond, Yvonne Johnson and Jim Westmoreland

Chobani LLC, a Norwich, N.Y. yogurt manufacturer, reduced its annual plan expenses from about 1.5% of assets in 2013 to about 0.50% in 2014 as it switched mainly to index funds...

Which was suggested and ignored by the City of Greensboro

More than 60% of 144 large employers said they were very or somewhat likely to move money this year into less-expensive share classes of the mutual funds on their plan menus

Not Greensboro

14% said they would switch some or all of their investment options from actively managed funds to index funds, which generally cost less.

Not Greensboro

...an Edwardsville, Kan., food distributor, reduce administrative fees from about 1% of plan assets a year to 0.41%. In all, the plan will save more than $17,000 a year in fees on the $2.9 million employees have invested...

Not Greensboro

http://www.wsj.com/articles/401-k-fees-already-low-are-heading-lower-1463304601

Tony Wilkins, Nancy Vaughan and Hoffmann, Jamal Fox, Mike Barber, Sharon Hightower,
Marikay Abuzuaiter, Connie Hammond, Yvonne Johnson and Jim Westmoreland
betrayed their employees by keeping fees high

These folks are thieves

They stole from those who they are supposed to look out for


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Let's play "how sold out Greensboro's local press and so called fiscally 'conservative' City Council members are"

http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentID=30824

About $449 million in 2014-2015 divided by about $520 million proposed for the next fiscal year 
= about 13.7% more than two years ago

Next time you hear Tony Wilkins talk about saving money after he oversaw another $55 million in new debt without calling for a referendum or some kind of sanity, tell him he is a fucking misleading asshole for selling out to his campaign contributors.

Tony is no different than Mike Barber and friends.

Leaches

Water and Sewer for Randolph County based on hidden tax increases served up as increased fees by Tony Wilkins
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Greensboro City Manager Jim Westmoreland recommends regressive tax increases on Greensboro's poorest citizens


http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/05/greensboro-city-manager-jim.html
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Tony is for fucking poor people more than they already are to pay for handouts to his financial backers.  Touting "no property tax increase" as he shafts Greensboro's poorest along with Justin Outling, Yvonne Johnson, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Jamal Fox and Sharon Hightower among the others.

Nancy Vaughan, Hoffmann, Tony and Barber don't mind kicking 'East Greensboro' in the nuts a little bit more, but that City Council's African American league is in on it is disgusting.

They are shitting where they eat.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Yvonne Johnson Profits By Sending Your Children To Jail

A little information gathered from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety JCPC Program-- Program Agreement. Click on the red words to read the official government document.

96.03% of referrals to Teen Court in 2014/2015 were made by law enforcement including school resource officers.

In order to be considered for Teen Court a child must plead guilty even if he or she is not guilty.

Children as young as 9 years old are forced into this program.

Our local Teen Court is managed by the non profit, One Step Further.

One Step Further is funded by the City of Greensboro, Guilford County and the State of North Carolina as a non profit arm of our growing private prison industry.

Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson is the founder and long time director of One Step Further.

Yvonne Johnson profits from sending your children to jail.

And if that's not enough I encourage you to read The Yvonne and Walter Johnson Saga filled with documents about the many people the Johnsons knowingly robbed and never repaid.



Monday, February 15, 2016

Thomas Carruthers Attacked By Rabid Dogs, Part 5

In Thomas Carruthers Attacked By Rabid Dogs, Part 4 I invited Mr Carruthers to e-mail me as to the concerns I've pointed out thus far in my series Thomas Carruthers Attacked By Rabid Dogs. After all, I do make mistakes.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Mr Carruthers.

There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for how he was able to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in March of 2005, $677,222.oo in debt, file his Intent to Abandon Property on August 1, 2005 and close on a new house on December 14, 2005 despite the fact that most people need 2 years or more, often as many as 10 years to buy a home after a bankruptcy. But Mr Carruthers, the City Attorney for the City of Greensboro-- a direct employee of Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan and the Greensboro City Council-- never explained what that reason was.

Tom Carruthers walked out on $677,222.oo in debt, Much of it to people like my aunt Dorothy who hired Mr Carruthers to represent her in a civil matter then failed to do so just as he failed to do  all the others listed as discharged and prohibited from collecting the debts owed by Mr Carruthers.

Interestingly enough, our Mayor's husband, Donald Vaughan, was sued for failing to represent a client after taking his money.

And former Greensboro Mayor, City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson's husband Walter Johnson lost his license to practice law after repeatedly taking clients' money and not representing them in court.

But you know what just doesn't make sense to me? After Thomas Carruthers walked out on all that debt to all those innocent people like my Aunt Dorothy who hired him as an attorney to represent them on civil matters Tom Carruthers filed for bankruptcy in March of 2005, bought a new home on December 14,2005 and officially filed the Trustee's Final Account And Request For Final Decree on April 16, 2008.



 How do you buy a new home while still in a bankruptcy proceeding and still owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to innocent victims of your fraud? And how do you live with running out on all those people who counted on you?

My e-mail hasn't changed, Mr Carruthers, RecycleBill@gmail.com there's still time to e-mail me before Thomas Carruthers Attacked By Rabid Dogs, Part 6. But not much time as I'll already be typing it and setting it to autopost before you read this. You know, in case something happens to me.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Why North Carolina Treasurer Janet Cowell isn't running for reelection, and how the City of Greensboro's retirement plan committee betrayed their co-workers

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/12/pensions-investment-editorial-savages-trustees-for-failing-to-perform-fiduciary-duty-over-private-equity-fees.html
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When presented with the opportunity to do right by City of Greensboro's employees, Tony Wilkins, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Nancy Vaughan, Mike Barber, Yvonne Johnson, Jamal Fox and Sharon Hightower supported cronies connected to the financial industry, Jim Westmoreland, Mary Vigue, Rick Lusk and Connie Hammond rather than more than 2,800 employees who are still getting skimmed off of by ICMA-RC, the administrator for the City's 457 retirement plan.

Same thing only different.

When presented with the opportunity to report to the public how the financial industry rips off local investors and retirement plan participants, the News and Record's Joe Killian, Susan Ladd, Stephen Doyle, Jeff Gauger, Margaret Moffet among others including the Rhino Times John Hammer and the Triad Business Journal's Mark Sutter didn't lift a finger for their readers against the parasitic interests who prey upon their readers.

These folks let the banking and investment system steal from you.

And they know it.

And they didn't bother to tell you, as it would upset their benefactors.

Now Mary Vigue is in charge of a legal Ponzi scheme called Say Yes to Education and Say Yes Guilford whose business model skims profits for administrators and vendors meant for college scholarships for Guilford County students with monies donated by local foundations, managed for a profit by the Community Foundation of High Point, and the Community Foundation of Greensboro, who's Walker Sanders lied to get additional taxpayer funding for Greensboro's STPAC with the help of Matt Brown, City Council and City staff, including Rick Lusk.

Rick knew better and went along to keep his job as far as I can tell.

He must throw up a little every time he has to go along with the facade.


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

We Rent Houses II Will Soon Be Changing Their Name

Jennifer Thompson wanted to build a cold frame in the back yard of her rented home to grow vegetables.

Soon after completion of her cold frame Jennifer started getting threats from the City of Greensboro saying her cold frame wasn't up to code. She tried to fight, lost and was told she had until the end of October to remove the cold frames.

Ms Thompson didn't make the October deadline but was granted a 30 day extension until November 30 by the City of Greensboro.

Well today, November 25, Jennifer found out the real reason she is being harassed. Her rented home has been sold out from under her and the new landlord, We Rent Homes II (link to their Facebook page) wants to throw her out so they can raise the rent.



Like I said, soon We Rent Houses II located at 608 Summit Avenue which is in fact Ernest Knight Reality, which was suspended from doing business by the State of North Carolina in 2009, is no longer legally in business, and is owned in part by Walter Johnson, husband of Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson, who lost his liscense to practice law in 2005 for swindling his clients and their families out of their money, and whose daughter Lisa Johnson-Tonkins happens to be Guilford County Clerk of Court and a partner in the Johnson's family businesses, will soon be changing its name yet again even before it has bothered to register the name We Rent Houses II with the NC Secretary of State.

As if Walter and Ernest ever planned to register the new name in the first place.

That, my friends, is how Walter and Yvonne ended up owing the IRS half a $Million Dollars in back taxes.

And to think, Greensboro voters just elected Yvonne to another term while her husband preys on working class renters.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

A&T Homecoming Mired In Cover-Up

 The following story was first posted on October 22, 2015 after a week of being lied to by the Greensboro Police Department, NC A&T University and rejected by Greensboro's media outlets in the lead-up to the NC A&T Homecoming Game. I'm re posting it today because of important updates. Begin original post:



While North Carolina A&T University plays their Homecoming game this weekend there will be several players on the field who should not have been there. As a matter of fact: they should have been in jail but because of the privilege of being on the Aggie Football Team they are allowed to walk the campus of NC A&T endangering students every day.


Last weekend the Greensboro News & Record reported on the beating of a 21 year old A&T student that was found unconscious on the ground at an off campus party on Booker Street.

What they didn't tell you is how he got there and what has happened since.

The affray, as Greensboro Police called it, began with this student accidentally bumped into a member of the A&T football team. Not wanting any trouble this 150 pound student apologized but that wasn't good enough. Nope, the football player decided to make an example of him, pushing and shoving him across the room.

The student, who isn't an athlete, fought back the best he could but several members of the A&T football team attacked him. He ended up thrown across the room and landed on the couch. Then he was dragged down several flights of stairs where at least 10 or more men resumed beating him on the ground until he was beat unconscious.

The only 911 call came from a neighbor.

The student's family has spent the week trying to press charges but Greensboro Police and the Guilford County Magistrates Office are telling them they cannot do so.

In the latest development today the Guilford County Magistrates , who are appointed by Guilford County Clerk of Court Lisa Johnson-Tonkins, whose mother is Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson, is today telling the victim's family police cannot serve warrants on the NC A&T Campus and must have the home addresses of these students who live on campus and are from outside of Greensboro-- an obvious stalling effort.

Play your homecoming game A&T, but let it forever be recorded there is no honor among your current football team, your coaches, the leadership of NC A&T, the Greensboro Police Department, Guilford County Magistrates and the current Greensboro City Council who all know of this travesty while a 21 year old A&T honors student lays in a hospital bed recovering from a beating he will carry with him the rest of his life.

Cowards, the lot of them.

And the way a life of privilege and living above the law begins.

Do I have to tell you to share this story with everyone you know?

Update: Friday 3:00 PM Photographs of  Thomas Bynum in his hospital room.


Update 2: 3:30 My e-mail to the A&T Provost Office:

"The post has been updated with photos: http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-homecoming-mired-in-cover-up.html
Now just in case the dean, president, provost and others are unaware, this is the same website that broke the story of the UNCG3 which resulted in a lot of very high level firings over at UNCG. I do expect results, I do expect explanations, I do expect communication, and I do expect your people at your highest levels to respond to me so that my over 30,000 regular readers (a number soon to rise greatly thanks to new interest from A&T students and alumni) can get a proper explanation.
And I will warn you. You can ask anyone on the Greensboro City Council or the Greensboro Police Department whose e-mails are above, I can see straight through bullshit. #Everyfreakingtime. Don't you dare let a PR spokesperson handle this for you, I will chew them up and spit them out. I want the President, Dean and Provost to respond to me personally.
And I will take no response as an admission of guilt.

This is exactly why people like Zack Methany grow up to think they are above the law.

-Billy Jones, Your friendly, freelance neighborhood Tyrannicide"

Now lets see if the folks at A&T have balls.

Update 3: November 12, 2015. High Point's Fox 8 confirms my story. None of the Greensboro media outlets have written the truth about this story to date. And obviously the management of NC A&T University has no balls and should be forced to resign for willingly participating in this cover-up. As a lifelong resident of East Greensboro who along with the rest of East Greensboro, depends on NC A&T to give us honest leadership both now and decades into the future I demand said resignations. Teaching entitlement should not be a part of our university curriculum.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Where Were You, Eric?

Today Eric Ginsburg of Triad City Beat writes, Wide gap in campaign finance favors incumbents:

“Vaughan disagreed with Leone’s characterization, saying she has pushed for more transparent economic disclosures for council, while adding that people can make their own conclusions about her broad cross-section of contributors.”

My reply:

"Seriously?

Jamal Fox failed to disclose he owns a house.

Nancy Hoffmann fails to disclose she still works for Reffett Associates and has various partnerships with downtown developers.

Yvonne Johnson fails to disclose her non profit One Step Further is funded by the City of Greensboro.

Mike Barber fails to disclose in kind contributions by the City to his non profit, First Tee of the Triad and has refused to release his Federal Form 990s for 2 years.

Mayor Vaughan failed to disclose her and Donald Vaughan’s vast holdings in Carolina Bank which holds over $700,000 in debt for the ICRCM and also failed to disclose it to the board of the ICRCM.

And Triad City Beat reported none of it despite the fact that I documented all of this over a year ago. Where were you, Eric?"

Like the rest of our main stream media, Triad City Beat has spent the last 2 or so years ignoring the real issues only to cry wolf at the last minute.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 15

As we continue The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga I'd like to point out that the people the Johnsons were ripping off weren't just criminals who were behind bars and their families but the taxpayers of the City of Greensboro as well.

In The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 14 I couldn't help but wonder why the Federal Government had named the City of Greensboro as a defendant in their case against the Johnsons. Turns out it was as simple as determining whose claims to the Johnson's properties were most valid.

Well as it turns out the answer can be found in the excerpts below taken from this linked court document:





That's right, the Johnsons weren't paying their water bills and taxes. By the way, didn't Yvonne Johnson vote just last year to take the homes of 177 homeowners at a place called Heritage House putting people on the street because they fell behind on their water bill?

But Yvonne Johnson never spent a night on the street. She transferred her home into the name of a corporation owned by her daughter Lisa Johnson-Tomkins who is now Guilford County Clerk of Court and remained under her own roof.

 Now I guess some people would say well that's all water under the bridge, the Johnsons settled their case, paid what they owed and everything was settled. Except that it wasn't the case.










That's right, Yvonne and Walter stuck it to the taxpayers yet again and were hauled back to Federal Court.

Stay tuned for The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 16 as was never reported by our local media outlets.

And while you're here don't forget to read the latest on Councilwoman Sharon Hightower
and Councilman Jamal Fox.



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 14

The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga continues this morning with more documents from Walter Johnnson's trial.

In The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 13 I made known the never before made public fact that the City of Greensboro and State of North Carolina were named as co-defendants along with Walter Johnson, Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson and others.

In this Consent Order charges were dismissed against the City of Greensboro, Yvonne Johnson, WGJ Properties and Patricia Johnson Trice with the following stipulations:

 Click on any photo to view full size.

Of course the question then becomes: Was the consent order complied with, was the City of Greensboro dragged back into the fray and who paid the $584,789.46 plus interest now that Walter Johnson was no longer allowed to practice law, lost his businesses and had no apparent means?

Anyone?

And why were charges against the State of North Carolina not also dismissed?

And what about the dozens of clients Walter Johnson ripped off? How did he come to get those clients in the first place? Were they referred to him by the City of Greensboro funded non profit One Step Further founded by and run by Yvonne Johnson? Is that why the Federal Government considered the City of Greensboro a defendant in their suit against Walter Johnson?

This next document is a returned summons. Apparently The Johnson's co-plaintiffs in the counter suit didn't exist or at least were very hard for the US Department of Justice to locate.

Walter Johnson hires a new attorney and asks the court for more time. Apparently Walter Johnson knew he wasn't a very good lawyer otherwise he wouldn't see the need to hire other lawyers, right? 

Or maybe Walter Johnson was afraid Walter Johnson would run off with his client's money as he had done so many times before. If you've read the entire series, The Yvonne and Walter Johnson Saga you'll understand what I meant.

And for those of you who might like to do some investigating of your own Yvonne's criminal record 
includes 3 cases in criminal court in recent years.




Monday, September 14, 2015

The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 13

When we began The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga in May of 2014 with the original 12 part series we told the story of how Greensboro Attorney Walter Johnson ripped off dozens of clients and ruined the lives of entire families with the help of local judges, the NC Bar, his wife Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson and daughter, Attorney Lisa Johnson-Tomkins who is now Guilford County Clerk of Court. Today we bring the series back with dozens of pages of court records.

Abstract Of Judgement Not much to see there except proof that the court did rule.

Properties Ordered Sold 500 Logan St and 1904 Ryan St

Motion For Withdrawal As Council For some reason Walter Johnson's attorney wants out. And note that Yvonne J Johnson, WGJ Properties Inc. and Patricia Johnson Trice are also noted as being plaintiffs.

And on the 3rd page of that same document attorney W B Trevorrow notes that he has notified the City of Greensboro and all other parties involved as required by law. Why would the City of Greensboro be involved in Walter Johnson's business affairs?

Could it be because Walter's clients were referred to him by a non profit founded by Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson and funded by the City of Greensboro?

Well the answer to that question might be indicated in the fact that this next document is titled:

United States of America v. Walter t Johnson, Yvonne J Johnson, WGJ Properties Inc., Patricia Johnson Trice, .... City Of Greensboro... State of North Carolina... Defendants. 

Again, how did the City of Greensboro and the State of North Carolina get wrapped up in Walter T Johnson's personal affairs?

And why was none of this ever reported by Greensboro's main stream media?

Look for this series to continue in The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 14 as we've got dozens more pages of court documents to present to our readers.

And the next time you hear Yvonne Johnson say, "You can't help others if you can't take care of yourself." remind her that George Washington Carver gave away everything he owned and Nicola Tesla the man who made it possible for us to have electricity in our homes, died penniless.