#some of them will soon file for bankruptcy

[peaceeandcoolestvibes]

I got some friends that are foodies like me but its like we always go to real restaurants right and I feel this is a wake up call for some

corporate greed = your demise :)

Esque aunque sea un capricho que te des de vez en cuando, pasas del tema cuando algo que costaba .50 hace unos años a 1.50€

Pasas de beber una Fanta a la semana a beberte un té de pomelo en casita con hielo y limón 😍 y al final es una cada 6 meses y así con todo :) o te vas a opciones más rentables o que cundan más. Muchas cosas que nos venden NO VALEN y más siendo sitios que te venden calorías vacías. Al menos, ir a un restaurante que os llene 😂

[deceitfuldevout]

Highest Bidder

Dark!Robert Fishcher x Sugarbaby!Reader

Word Count: +3,066

Warning(s): +18, Non con, Loss of virginity, Human auction, Housewife kink, Breeding kink, Misogynistic remarks, Insults, Just plain abuse, Robert is a warning himself.

Author's Note(s): I have been thinking about this for a hot minute. Inspired by @mypoisonedvine Robert Fischer fic go check it out!!

You couldn't stop checking your phone for an update. He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Did he bail? Part of you had hoped so. It would make things a lot easier. Years ago, if someone had told you that you'd be auctioning off your virginity, well, the first thing you'd do is laugh in their face.

That was before everything went to shit. Your parents ended up in neck-deep debt trying to pay off your college, borrowing money from some sleazy loaner company. Soon having no choice but to debate on filing for bankruptcy. Everything they've worked hard for, gone. You didn't want them to worry about that anymore.

This wasn't a huge deal for you. Personally, you've never had any luck with guys and would rather get this over with. Growing up you were always the awkward, ugly duckling of the friend group, so a boyfriend was out of the picture. Only sharing an innocent kiss with a childhood friend, but that was a long time ago. It was only after you reached your 20's where you began to bloom.

He'd bought your outfit and covered the cost of everything. He wants you ready and waiting for him, all wrapped up like a pretty present. He's very particular about these things, even making a list of errands to run before the big day. He requested for photos of the hair and makeup you'd be wearing for the evening. Scolding you every time you did something he disliked. He wouldn't even try hiding it. You reread his previous text message: Change the makeup. It makes you look like a cheap whore. You scoff at the response...how rude.

Even before all of this he would try to test your patience. Sending messages like, 'Do you know who I am? You should be more grateful that I'm giving you this much attention," or "Anyone would be lucky to be in your position,' which made you physically roll your eyes. This morning, he had given you a call as a reminder of where you would meet. He send you the hotel address with money for a cab.

He made sure to give you call in the afternoon as a reminder of what to do after arriving, ending it with, "I don't want to hear any complaining when I get there." before hanging up. You grumble a stray of curse words, this had better been worth it...

You couldn't believe your eyes on how luxurious the hotel was. It's entrance had been decorated with marble and brass statues. There wasn't a drop of it that didn't scream 'money'. You sheepishly sign in, allowing a worker to carry your bag to the room. It had taken a while before you could reach the top. Part of you was impressed, he had really gone all out.

As soon as you enter the room there was this sort of romantic ambiance to it. From the lighting, to the breathtaking scenery of the city. It was all so...dreamy. But this was no dream. You were going to have sex for the first time with some old, rich geezer, gross. You take note of a shopping bag left on the bed, opening it to find a lingerie set.

You held the fabric, inspecting the material. White lace, with hints of glitter that shine in the light. At least the old man has good taste. You take a look at yourself in the mirror, humming at the sight of it. Not bad...hell, you looked fantastic.

Suddenly the door knob jingles, then a heavy knock follows. You leapt from the bed, approaching to open the door for him. But before you could reach the knob it slams open. A man enters, sporting a well-tailored suit, dressed to the nines from head-to-toe. His hair is combed back, a few strands dangle against his forehead. As you scan the man's face, you couldn't help but notice how handsome he was.

There's a light rosy hue to his cheeks. You first notice the striking blues of his eyes and how long his lashes are. He looks like he'd have no problem at all searching for someone. So what is he doing paying for someone like you? For a moment, you were in awe of his presence. Staring back at the man like a deer caught in headlights.

The meeting today had taken its toll on Robert. He was supposed to meet with you hours ago, but there had been an emergency with the company's shareholders. He could practically feel his blood boiling, to the point where it felt almost difficult to breathe. He tugs his tie off and yanks for his shirt to open, a few buttons go flying. He lets out a huff, scanning the room with his blue orbs for something, more specifically, someone.

"So you're the one I've been talking to eh?" a hint of humor in his voice, "Let me guess, you're a good girl caught up in the wrong crowd? Is that it?" he taunts, "I'm sure you've 'never' done this before," the corners of his mouth turn upward into a sinister grin. His eyes are emotionless. Cold as ice. Yet why did they seem so comforting? As if you've seen them before.

He drops his suitcase at the end of the bed, turning towards you. He eyes you up and down, as if he were deep in thought, "Give me a spin," and of course you follow his orders. He raises a brow, "Come here," he commands. You stare back at him, unsure of what he'd just said. Robert sighs, he doesn't have time for this. He's slightly drunk and exhausted from work. Right now he just wants some hard, animalistic fucking.

He tugs your underwear to the side, examining his prize. He bunches up the waistband of your panties before yanking the fabric down. You held your breath, now riddled with anxiety. This was a bit too...casual for comfort. He fists the fabric, holding it to the side while the other hand held your hip.

His voice is deep, much deeper in person, "Hold it for me," he wants to get a good look at his purchase. His thick fingers slide down your pubic area, grazing against the bare skin, he hums, "Even waxed yourself like I told you to, good girl." he slaps the side of your hip, as if he were examining livestock. Your stomach coils at the realization. Never in your life have you felt so...objectified. Still, now wasn't the time to back down. He pushes you against a desk. Until you were now leaning on the table.

He spreads your folds with his thick digits, examining them closely. He held your clit between his fingers, pinching it lightly. You let out a whine from the sensation, bucking your hips from the sudden discomfort. He retreats his hand before flipping you over. His chest now against your back. He pushes you against the table, bending you over for a better view. He was in no rush.

He rubs his fingers over your bare slit. His thumb caresses your bundle of nerves. As soon as he retreats you finally snap the fabric back in place. Now lowering your head with embarrassment. He grips your chin, lifting it until you're face-to-face, "No don't hide from me now..." he plops himself on a chair, tilting his chin up, "Why don't you make yourself useful and help me get this off?"

If you weren't getting paid you would've scoffed at his rudeness. It was obvious he was into power play. Being in total control of everything. Now wasn't the time for letting your emotions emotions get involved. You help him remove his coat and tie, even unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. He's still wearing his pants, now unclasped. He stares you down, a smirk now lingering on his cold features, "Take off your clothes,"

When you start to quickly unclasp the garter belt, Robert's voice booms, "Stop." he orders, "Do it slower," he leans back in the recliner, already palming his erection. You shyly unclasp your belt, letting the straps fall off each shoulder. His hand grazes on an exposed breast, sending shivers down your spine.

He chuckles, "Oh...don't tell me you're that sensitive?" a crude remark. Your brows furrow, why did he have to tease you so? He notices your obvious discomfort, "Don't worry darling, your only job is to fuck," as if that would make things better, "Do you know how to suck cock?" he questions. You give him a hesitant nod, "No...I've never done it before this is my first time--"

"I didn't ask for a whole life story,"

"...No," your lips press in a thin line. He was really pushing it, "So you've never had sex or sucked cock before, tell me, what have you done?" he pulls out his member, already hard and leaking. It's tip was flush pink, the same as his lips. He spits into his palm before working himself up, he knows you're nervous. He wants you to be intimidated by him. He pumps his shafts with slow strokes, "Tell me, what gets you off..." he sighs.

You look down to your feet, suddenly his voice booms, "No, do not look away," to which you began to tear up. His voice is soft now, "Sweetheart, look at me," he huffs. You look up at him now with tearful eyes, he groans, "Oh...that's it..." stroking his cock faster. A finger points directly at you in a 'come hither' motion. You walk towards him, still eyeing his shaft. How was that going to fit?

You felt warm despite the lack of clothing, there's a pooling sensation between your legs. He wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you into his lap. His tongue darts against a breast. He teases the bud with his teeth. He made sure it was swollen and sensitive before giving attention to the other breast.

You never knew it could feel this...good. As soon as your hands reach for his hair he instantly stops, Robert remembers the reason why you're here. It wasn't to see him. You only wanted one thing, and he doesn't have time to play pretend. He just came here to collect what he's owed. At the end of the day, you were just a hired whore. He swats both hands away, giving you the cold shoulder. He lifts himself from the seat, throwing you against the carpet. You're confused at the sudden mood swing. It frightens you. Where the hell did that come from?

"It's a shame, you were doing so well," Robert sits up, his leaking cock now presses against his abdomen. He's pissed. He paid you for your time, you were suppose to focus only on his needs. Every word that came from his mouth dripped with anger, "It seems like you need a reminder on whore etiquette," he knows you've probably fucked a few before him, this was all part of your little roleplay act.

"I'm not a whore!" you detest lying, what made him not believe you? Forget it...this wasn't worth an argument, "You know what? You can take your money back asshole! Fuck this and fuck you--" a hand grips around your neck. He'll have to show you a thing or two of what comes with selling yourself out, especially to a complete stranger. You've always knew deep down that you'd regret your first, but this was downright terrifying.

This man, he didn't even see you as a person. As a human being. To him, this was all a transaction that was paid for, "What did you think that website was for? It's a human auction. Not just your cunt. Meaning I own your ass for the next few hours," he leans in, pressing his nose against yours, he growls, "Remember your place..."

Robert pulls you up by the hair, throwing you onto the bed. You scramble to get away but he's much stronger. He began to wrestle you. To which you land a slap on his cheek, hard enough to leave a mark. You pause, now too scared to move. He touches the tender skin, it would surely leave a bruise tomorrow. Which just so happens to be an important meeting, "You little bitch..." he grips your jaw until it aches, forcing your mouth to open.

He takes the opportunity to spit inside, covering your mouth and pinching your nose. You felt like you wanted to gag. Finally, after fighting to hold your breath, you swallow. He grins, "See? even if you try to fight me, I always get what I want..."

You, of all people, should know this about him. Instead you try putting up a fight, "I hate you! I hate you! Let me go!" thrashing around. Both of his hands now pressed against your throat. He scolds, "If you want it to hurt I'll make it hurt like nothing else..." he flips you over, pressing his body against your own, making it harder to breathe.

He lets his pants slide down. Tugging off his boxers. He spits a wad into his hand, that should be enough to get comfortable, for him. But for you? Well, he wants it to hurt you. Otherwise, how will you learn? Whores like you deserve to feel pain. That's what you get for teasing him in your photos. He growls into your ear, "Time to try my pussy..."

He yanks down your panties before pressing his leaking tip against your opening. He muffles your cries in his palm. You couldn't hold back the tears. This man is going to break you! As retaliation you tilt your head to the side and bit into his forearm. He grunts from the pain, it only encourages him to carry out your punishment. He thrusts harder, grinding down his hips to reach as deep as he could go.

You sob from the pain, going limp from shock. All you could do was cry into his hand, bracing yourself against the cushioning below. You turned your head to face the mirror, taking a good look at your own sad, pathetic reflection. You were being dominated by a complete stranger. How did it get to this point? When did you become so pathetic? So desperate to the point where you became a whore for hire?

He held you close to his chest. He knows now you're too tired to fight him off. He kept jutting his hips back and fourth, moaning in your ear with a deep grumble. You could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. It repulses you. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were of skin-to-skin slapping, Robert's insults, and your muffled cries.

"Fuck....fuck m'gonna cum..." he grunts. He rubs his nose against the crook of your neck, inhaling the sweet scented perfume. He drags his face across the soft, supple skin. He can tell by the shimmer that you applied an expensive lotion earlier. Of course you wanted him, what woman wouldn't? He's handsome, rich, successful, he's the entire package.

So why were you begging for him not to finish inside? You were just being stubborn, that's all. He'll have to remind you of who's in charge, "I bought this pussy fair and square. If I want to put a baby in it, then bitch, I will," he sinks his teeth into your shoulder, biting until the skin breaks. He doesn't stop thrusting his hips. Plunging his cock deep inside to coat your womb. He moans, furrowing his brows from the feeling of your velvety walls.

"You think you're better than me huh? Old enough to fuck but not old enough to get knocked up, yeah fucking right" he huffs, "You just wanted an excuse to be whore..." His voice becomes hoarse, as the pleasure began to increase, "Fuck...fuck I'll buy you a big house just so I can fuck you in it...hm...yeah you'd like that wouldn't you?" he doesn't stop his vigorous thrusts, "I’ll fuck some babies into you hm? You'd like that? I’ll give you a baby with blue eyes…something to remind you of me…" he flips you over, locking an arm around your neck.

All you could do was whine as you wait for the inevitable. Robert licks a stripe against your ear. He grunts with satisfaction, "Want you to remember this for the rest of your life....every time you think about your first time, you'll be thinking of me...." he fastens his pace. All you could do was stare back at your reflection. A tear trickles down your cheek. You couldn't help but agree. It was true, this moment would haunt you for the rest of your life.

Robert knows it. That's what gives him such an ego boost. He felt like he was on top of the fucking world. He growls in your ear, "Remember this, I.Fucking.Own.You." before unloading his spunk deep inside. He muffles a moan in the crook of your neck, bowing his head down to feel the bliss of it all. Fuck, he never came so much in his life. Was it the adrenaline or the pussy? He doesn't care. All he knows is that it's money well spent.

He slowly begins to pull out, hissing from the pleasure your pussy gave. He moans at the sight of his shaft dipped in a crimson tint, "Fuck me...if that isn't a sight for sore eyes..." he's made sure to mark his territory. He flips you over, you're too scared to even look at him.

He slides his hand from your stomach to your pelvis, "Hold on...I want to see it.." giving your lower abdomen a light push, forcing the rest of his seed out. It's mixed with a string of red. His lids are hooded, there's a twitch to his features. He grins, "Fuck...guess you weren't lying about me being your first..." he chuckles, "And here I thought you were just another lying whore..." playing with your emotions.

Robert lifts himself from the bed. He retrieves his belt on the floor, tying your wrists to the bed post. He doesn't want to risk you running away from him. Not while he still had a few hours left. He fixes himself in the mirror, coming his hair back to how it was before. Making sure that there wasn't a single strand out of place. He admires himself in the mirror. He felt like a fucking champ. Like nothing in the world could stop him, and so far there hasn't been.

Robert knew this was a good idea the moment he saw your profile online. He'd been tracking you down for quite some time, it's been a while. His obsession growing with each message sent. He had to own you. Mind, body, and soul. It was a good idea to install the hidden camera in the hotel. He could only stare at you from his office, viewing you changing into the set he'd purchased, admiring yourself in the mirror. He had to wait another agonizing hour before work was finished.

He notices the way you'd tried being presentable, all for him. How you would constantly check your phone just to see what his orders were. Submissive, compliant, needy. So fucking needy. That little pussy of yours needed his cock to break it in. He doesn't want it to end, he tosses a few bills onto the mattress, you don't even flinch. Your mind had already escaped.

Robert leans in, caging your body with his arms, "Why don't I keep you as my little plaything, hm?" he knows you've recently graduated. But what use was a degree compared to what he could give? What greater reward than being his pretty little housewife? You might as well put those looks to use. He plants a kiss against your lips, humming in satisfaction, "Need a good girl to balance me out..." he begins to rant, "And if you ever think of leaving me, I'll send a video of us fucking to your parents,"

But the thing is, you never told him who your parents were. It was then when the pieces began to fall into place. How could you be so stupid? His username was R-Morrow.

This was no other than the owner of Fischer Morrow, the man responsible for your landing parents in deep debt. Of course they trusted him, because he's your childhood friend. You lift yourself up and face him. Your voice in disbelief when you question the identity of the strange man, now with a tearful look, "R-Robbie?" you whisper. He pauses for a moment, head turning to the side as he looks your way, "Did you miss me?"

"...Why? I-I don't understand..." you began hyperventilating. This wasn't happening. Your childhood friend had taken your virginity. At one point, he was your entire world. He approaches you, no longer a lanky young boy but a man. He cups your face, pressing his forehead against yours. He sighs, "Don't you remember the promise we made? To find each other?" his eyes bore into yours, "I could only dream of it, but now?" he wraps his arms around you, holding you close to him, "Now you're finally mine..."

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Meghan filed for bankruptcy??

I thought it was Doria or Thomas

well, it may not be bankruptcy. Something had happened with Meghan's financials pre-Harry and it involved her taxes...I want to say it was in her Trevor years but I'm having a hard time tracking it down again. (On that note, I did find a bunch of great resources about Diana's will that I hadn't seen before -- Google takes me in mysterious directions -- so the anon who asked me to a deep dive on William's 30th birthday, your question has moved to the queue and will be getting answered soon (hopefully).)

It was definitely something to do with her taxes, though. Maybe some of the legacy folks here can remind me. I'm not sure if the articles are around anymore since I remember them from blogs that have been shut down.

Anyway, it was a big thing when Meghan's own tax issues were found because it was another nail in the "Markles be markling" coffin. I'm not saying that financial mismanagement is genetic or generational, but when everyone in the family has history...you may be more predisposed to it as well.

Doria filed for bankruptcy in 2002 when a boutique she owned/ran went out of business. She owed something like $40,000. Her bankruptcy happened at the same time she was in an eviction lawsuit.

Samantha filed for bankruptcy in 2003.

Tom Junior filed for bankruptcy in 2012. He had something like $10 to his name and he owed $18,000.

Tom Senior has declared bankruptcy three times: 1991, 1993, and 2016. The 2016 bankruptcy was over a $30,000 debt. One of the '90s bankruptcies was dismissed.

So it doesn't look good for Meghan.

Now, she could have escaped "the curse" but when your charity gets dinged for being late on payments and you're sitting here blaming the Post Office or the Attorney General, that's not good. As I said before, that means you waited until the last minute to make a payment - especially if it's a physical check being mailed - and...what's the famous saying?

[dukeofdelirium]

I’ve seen a lot of your MJ stuff, and there’s a lot of things I have to say (Don’t worry, I’m not an anti lol)

Looking back on the Leaving Neverland BS, I realized that every time one of these guys open their mouths, it’s like we’re talking about different predators. From what I remember, none of them had a “relationship” sense until Safechuck (He said it if felt like they were dating, and saying they started having sex not soon after they met, if I’m not mistaken). With Wade, it was simple touching, before it escalated to actual penetration one time after a few years (Not completely, btw). Chandler and Arvizo never made claims of anything of that nature, if I’m not mistaken. Other smaller accusations also don’t make sense, like Terry George being the only kid Michael had phone sex with.

Speaking more on this, it should ring some alarm bells on the fact that Michael has no straight M.O or “A.O.A”, which is weird in my opinion. Like I said before, it seems like we’re talking about different predators, and how we have no clear age he would be attracted to if we should believe all the allegations. First, it was 13, then 7-14, then 7-18 (Thanks to Safechuck’s train station story), then for some reason, a girl (even though he’s supposed to be attracted to boys, but okay).

Real quick, what do you think about the rumors that Frank Cascio had sued the estate, and it apparently bringing up his own version of allegations, and apparently selling his own collection of Michael items a while back (just like Wade).

On a lighter note, every now and then, I remember this one post (although I’m not sure if it’s true) that when the authorities were going over Michael’s tapes, there was one named “baby chicks” (which is a name predators apparently like to name CSA content with little girls). When they thought they had something, they played it, and it turned out to be hours of baby chickens and ducks that Michael had recording.

oh thank god lmao I saw this message in my notifs and thought “here we go again” until I opened it 😭

You got a lot of things to say? Speak on it bestie, cuz I ALSO got lots to say so I’d be more than happy to talk

It’s true that each one of Michael Jackson’s accusers try to paint him as a very different type of serial pedophile with very different tactics of abuse and grooming. James Safechuck literally pulled out a ring on camera and said Michael gave it to him to represent their eternal love or some shit 😭😭😭 LMAOO I canttttt with these cunts

BITCH WHAT THE FUCK LMAOOOO he had a little box and everything on standby it fucking SENDSSSSS MEEEEEE

Who the actual fuck would ever keep a PROMISE RING that their rapist gave them 27 years ago ?!!?!!!? 😭😭😭😭😭 HELP

Wade also tries to make comments in Leaving Neverland alluding to this idea that he had some sort of romantic relationship with MJ. Both of them do in their wording. Wade and James are all like “yeah Michael Jackson anally raped us but we liked it. We wanted him to keep doing it. We were jealous of Macaulay and Brett bc he was replacing us with them”

and Michael was friends w Brett and Macaulay first 😂 so how did he manage to “replace” them w Mac and Brett ???

Anyway, the whole reason Wade and James sound like they’re alleging they had intimate romantic relationships w MJ is because they both steal their stories from that book “Michael Jackson was my lover” written by Victor Gutierrez who was literally a pedophile and NAMBLA member. MJ sued him over this disgusting kiddie porn book he published in 1997 and he WON and was awarded 2.7 million in damages. Gutierrez fucked off back to Chile and filed bankruptcy and then got caught coaching little boys to lie and say politicians had sexually abused them.

Literally, Wade and Jame’s claims come directly from this sickening book. Idk if you know about this book, but Gutierrez alleged it was Jordan Chandler’s secret diary he wrote about his relationship w MJ. In the book it talks about their relationship as being intimate and romantic, the wording says shit like how MJ being a pedo will hopefully make pedophilia acceptable in society, and Gutierrez also directly thanks NAMBLA in said book in the acknowledgements.

The claims that MJ gifted boys jewelry after sex, the claim of wedding vows/marriage, the claim of jealousy over Mac and Brett, and the claim of anal rape are all in this book. This is the only place these claims were ever made until Wade and James came out after MJ died. Jordan Chandler himself signed legal declarations in the mid 90’s stating this “diary” and these claims were untrue. So did the other members of the Chandler family.

Anyway…. If I continue I will literally not shut up so let’s move forward w another section of your ask lololol.

“Then for some reason a girl” LMAOOOO YES I KNOW 😭😭😭😭 I remember when that random person came forward trying to say MJ abused her but she wouldn’t reveal her face/name and then after a little while the claims just disappeared entirely lol. You know what I think it is? I think Wade or James filed that themselves pretending to be a woman in the suit and they did it to try and make their shit more believable somehow cuz idiots think “more accusers = more truthful claims” but it actually did the opposite lol bc for 30 years, Michael Jackson has been lynch mobbed as a pedophile attracted and preying on YOUNG BOYS and Only young boys. Never EVER girls. Ever! The media has run with this lie that MJ is obsessed with little boys for so long that Wade and co trying to disrupt that narrative w their bullshit made even some guilters pause and be like “hm that was a little sus”

Like which is it? Is MJ obsessed with little boys or did he rape little girls too? Lmao make up yalls minds !!!

“What do you think about the rumors of Frank Cascio”

I think they’re just that: rumors. I’ve never seen any proof to substantiate that claim. The only thing I know for sure about the Cascio’ is that they sold fake music recordings w an imposter after MJ died to his Estate for a quick buck. Bc like pretty much everybody else who was surrounding Michael save for a very small few, they too didn’t even wait till the man’s body was cold before they began sniffing around for ways to make money off him.

And lastly, as for that last story, I’ve never heard of that. I don’t think that’s true, bc I’ve never seen any evidence for it, but on the off chance that it is: that’s really funny and it is something I could picture 😂 sometimes I just imagine the sheriffs raiding Neverland Ranch and they’re ripping up the mattresses and tearing up the floor and going through everything comically pulling out dozens of heterosexual hustler and playboy mags 😭😭😭 like that episode of SpongeBob where he starts ripping off wallpaper and shit and it’s full of diapers lmao but instead of it being that it’s just tons of porn mags and they’re all like “why are there so many”

[annaphoenix1994]

Ch.123 - Calling Your Bluff

Previous Chapter - Masterlist 1; Masterlist 2 - Next Chapter

Kiera succeeds in making another jab at Jenkins; Jenkins then tries to compose a plan of his own.

“I only see one legitimate bank on this proposal sheet.” Kiera said, looking at the PDF files she had downloaded onto her laptop while bouncing Evie on her right knee as Natalie sat the glass of iced coffee she had made for them next to her before taking the seat close by.”

“Chase and Mountain Trust won’t go near him,” Natalie snickered, removing her jacket and splaying it across the back of her chair. “He had a bankruptcy in ’05.”

“What a fuckin’ hack,” She scoffed lowly, mentally scolding herself for breaking her own ‘no cursing’ rule. “Who’s Truist Capital?”

“AC firm out of Las Vegas.”

“Ah huh, so that’s how he does it. Dumb money out in Las Vegas, which is an endless supply.”

“Evidently not,” Natalie shook her head. “Look at his credit on the next file.”

“He has two mortagesag on his house?” Kiera arched her brow. “Natalie, this guy has leveraged everything. Every penny is tied up into this development. Moving the river really hurt him.”

“Look at file four.”

“He’s trading on the OTCC? I am not that lucky,” She hummed mischievously. “It’s at three dollars a share. I’m going to be on his board by Friday.”

“Aren’t you glad I brought the work to you?” Natalie chuckled.

“Ecstatic,” Kiera scoffed. “Now I just need to worry about this,” She continued, passing the file she had received from the courthouse towards Natalie. “He’s trying to file a lawsuit against me for moving my own river.”

“I’ll see what I can do about this.” She nodded, glancing over the papers.

“In the meantime, we should get down to the office. I have some things I need to pick up in town anyway,” Kiera explained, standing to her feet. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go change her diaper.”

“I’ll be right here,” She smiled, nearly jumping out of her skin when she felt her phone vibrating against her thigh. “I’m going to step outside real fast. I’m getting a call.”

“Alright.”

“Mountain man,” She giggled, answering the phone once she stepped outside onto the porch. “Missing the desert yet?”

“I need your help.”

“Must’ve stirred up quite the fight.”

“When can you be here?”

“I’m working right now—”

“About what we discussed yesterday?”

“Yes. We’ll be in the office later.”

“Find a way to get out of her reach for a while. I have a meeting at four o’clock and need you sitting in on it.”

“Send Harmon to fill in—”

“No, I’ll send Harmon to take over your spot with her. I need you here. Big things need to be discussed and I’m not going to have that man filling in for you. I’m paying for the best of the best and he’s nowhere near on my radar.”

“I understand, so this is a “holy shit, drop everything” request?” She giggled.

“I’m talking the Armageddon rate.”

“Okay, well we’re going to run into town. Have Harmon waiting on me at the office. She’ll believe it.”

“She will, because I’ve been paying him to tend to her hand and foot when she’s there,” He replied sternly. “This is all going to plan. When you can, get me copies of the papers that were served on her. I need every ounce of information I can get.”

“I’ll gladly help you with that. I’m at her house now – need anything while I’m here?”

“Everything I can find.”

“Well, what I can tell you is that her husband served in the British S.A.S, two kids of their own, one adopted—”

“S.A.S? Military?”

“Certified badass if you need it simplified,” She breathed. “I can make him a target of my own if you know what I mean?”

“I can see a cheating scandal in his future,” He chuckled. “It’ll weaken her. That’s what I want. The ranch is in both their names. Weaken them and it’ll make this easier—”

“I have to go. I’ll fill you in later, okay?”

“See you soon.”

“Likewise, Phil.”

What Natalie didn’t know, Kiera had heard the entire conversation from the other side of the door, taking this as not only the perfect opportunity to derail the thundering train, but turn the tables on Jenkins himself by ruining his plan to weaken her family to its roots. With quiet steps, she made her way back towards the nursery to make it look like she had just finished up changing the infant who was growing closer to the toddler stage every day. “We ready to hit the road?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Natalie nodded, her poker face beaming boldly, completely unaware that Kiera saw through her as if she were glass. “We’ll take my car.”

“Aren't company cars just great?” Kiera smiled. I fucking can’t wait to take you and your boss down.

After the quick errand was over, Kiera and Natalie made it to the office in town where she could continue composing a plan with additional resources she would need. Knowing the information she overheard, she had another idea up her sleeve to hit to grab the bull by the horns. “Kiera?” Natalie chimed from Kiera’s office door.

“Come in,” She nodded. “Any luck?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” Natalie replied with yet another fake smile that Kiera could see through. “My chief executive is hosting a meeting at four o’clock.”

“I didn’t have a meeting scheduled for today at four?” She scoffed, purposely sounding unaware of the situation.

“Not your chief executive, Mrs. Riley,” She giggled. “Mine.”

“Hm, didn’t think assistants had a chief executive…” Kiera replied with an arch of her brow. I’m so good at calling your bluff, please keep feeding me bullshit.

She watched as Natalie gulped out of nervousness, “I-I lied, I’m sorry. My dad is in town and wanted to have dinner—”

“You know how important honesty is to me, Natalie,” She arched her brow. “But I understand. You can go ahead and go.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll have Simon come and pick me up after I’m done working—”

“I have Harmon on standby just in case you need to get somewhere during your shift.”

“Actually, that’ll be perfect,” She smiled. “I might need him. Keep him closeby.”

“Will do,” Natalie nodded. “Thank you. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Kiera watched with a grin before leaning back in her chair to look over at Evie who was in the highchair Kiera had delivered to the office, smiling at her daughter before saying, “Today is going to be so much fun, sweetheart.”

The baby looked at her with her mouth agape, a steady strand of drool leaving the crook of her bottom lip before babbling.

“Ma-Ma,” Kiera encouraged, seeing that Evie was trying to enhance her communication with her mother. “There you go. Say Ma-Ma!”

“Mmm-uh—”

Kiera gasped with excitement before removing her phone from her purse, aiming the camera towards Evie before repeating the same encouragement, “Evie, say Ma-Ma again! Your daddy is going to hear your first word with me!” She encouraged, seeing a black screen on the top right corner of hers, seeing that Simon was still showing his hate for FaceTime. “Simon, look at me.” She giggled.

“You know I hate FaceTime,” He breathed a chuckle. “I can still see you, though.”

“Fine, I guess I’ll just send you a video of your daughter saying her first word instead of hearing it as it happens—”

“No fucking way!” He replied, instantly adjusting the camera on his desk so that Kiera could see him. “She didn’t just say her first word, did she?”

“See for yourself,” She replied, aiming the camera to where Simon could only see Evie’s adorable and chubby face. “Sweetheart, say exactly what you just said to mommy. Ma-Ma.”

Evie’s eyes widened at the sound of her father’s voice, “Mm-dhgth—”

“There you go, sweetheart!” Kiera encouraged. “Say Ma-Ma!”

“Egth…Mmah—”

“She’s just babbling, love.” Simon teased, delusional at the fact that he knew Evie was about to say Ma-Ma instead of Da-Da like he wished.

“Did you not clean out your ears?” She teased. “Delusional, babe.”

“Maeh-Da.”

Kiera looked at the screen after hearing Simon’s chair squeak from readjusting himself, propping his forearm on his desk as he peered closer, carefully watching his daughter’s lips form into shapes as she was trying to speak, his gaze sharp as he was determined to hear her first words being Da-Da. Go on, say it, little lass! He encouraged mentally.

“What was that?” Kiera continued to encourage to her daughter.

“Ddth-da—”

Kiera nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Simon’s laugh from the other side of the phone. “I wish I would’ve put money on what word she’d say first!”

“She didn’t say it.” Kiera shook her head.

“I heard it as clear as day, love. Now who’s being delusional?” He poked.

Evie smiled when she continuously heard Simon’s voice, “Da…d-da.”

Simon was so excited, having quickly figuring out how to screen record before Evie said it again, ensuring he backed up his phone to reassure himself that the video would stay in his storage forever. “That made my day!”

He smirked when he saw the look of disappointment on his wife’s face, “I swear she almost said Ma-Ma first.”

“Uh huh, don’t be jealous that our daughter’s first word was addressing me.”

“I’m not.”

“You must think I don’t know my own wife, love. You’re pouting. Need me to come and get her so you can pout in peace?” He teased.

“No, mom is going to come and have lunch with me and she’s been begging me to let her take Evie to her weekly brunch with Suzanne.”

“You mean weekly gossip session?” Simon arched his brow.

“Pretty much. How’s Jacob?”

“The lad is scaring me. He’s been quiet all morning then suddenly had a temper tantrum before I went to lunch. I get him calmed down and offered him a bottle and he took to it like he hadn’t had one since the day he was born.” He chuckled.

“He’ll grow out of that.”

“I hope so. I think he had a bad dream or something. It was just that sudden – he woke up out of a dead sleep and started crying.”

“Sounds like it.”

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the sound of Simon’s radio going off, “Lieutenant Riley?” His Chief announced.

“I need you in the briefing room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s just a meeting, don’t worry.” His Chief snickered, sensing the tone of dread in Simon’s voice.

“Love, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?”

“Okay, babe.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

*

“Harmon? Bring the car around, please.” Kiera hummed with a warm smile from the table she and her mother shared at the café.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You have a driver now?” Eva arched her brow, resting her cheek lovingly against the top of Evie’s head.

“It’s quite nice. Not having to use my behemoth of a vehicle to get around is easy to get used to. Not using my own money for gas and just snapping my fingers and telling them a location to take me to.”

“Ultimate princess treatment, sweetheart.” She giggled.

“Far from that, momma. I’ve got some big plans and this is just helping me along with the process.”

“I know that look. I’d prefer to not know.”

“That’s a good choice, momma.”

Eva smiled as she shook her head, “Your father definitely raised you to get your hands dirty.”

“That he did. It’s how I’m going to protect our ranch.”

“I don’t doubt it, sweetheart. Although we don’t have a worry about anything, right?”

Kiera forced an assuring smile, “Right. My job is to make sure.”

“I trust you’ll make the right decision. You always do.”

“I will. Well, I better get back to work. I’m aiming to be home before dusk.”

“Please do. I’m making dinner tonight and I’d love for you and Simon to join me. The house is getting to be too big for just little old me.” She encouraged, pulling Kiera in for a warm hug before kissing her cheek.

“I’ll see you at dinner, momma.”

“I love you, sweetheart. I’ll be sure to spoil the heck out of her for you.” She giggled, referring to her granddaughter.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”

When Kiera watched her mother leave with Evie, she stood on the sidewalk for a few moments before seeing a familiar face: Phillip Jenkins’ wife. “Mrs. Riley, I’m ready.” Harmon announced, twining his fingers nervously in front of him.

“Just a second,” She replied, holding up her index finger. “Hey, stranger!”

The woman gasped, “Kiera! So nice to see you!”

“Nice to see you, too! I love your outfit!”

“Oh, thanks! You were the inspiration!”

Kiera scoffed, “That’s a first.”

“Who’s this striping young man?” She grinned at Harmon, sensing his nervousness to the new conversation.

“My secondary assistant, but I’m willing to rent him out.” She answered, knowing damn well Harmon didn’t sign up for this. Instead, he worked for Jenkins directly as his own personal spy in hopes to tear Kiera and her family down in order for him to take her ranch.

“Well, if that’s the case, let me buy you a drink?”

“I’m not drinking unless I’m looking for trouble, but Harmon here is,” She snickered, playfully – and roughly – grasping his elbow and shaking. “Twenty-nine and has never drank in public. Pretty sure he’s still a virgin.”

“I can definitely solve that problem,” She smiled. “I gotta have a few drinks first.”

“You’ll get plenty of ‘em! I’ll be your designated driver.”

“Great! Let’s get this party started.” She smiled, willingly reaching towards Harmon’s arm and forcing him to walk alongside her, leaving Kiera to walk behind them. Too fucking easy.

Later that evening, the clock was pushing five o’clock by the time she checked her watch, hearing the jazz music’s tone intensify, she knew her plan was working by her terms.

And she couldn’t wait for Phillip to take the bait. Actually worked out better than I expected, she mused.

She originally was planning to get Phillip’s wife drunk enough to tell her what all she knew about Phillip’s plans, but Kiera ended up driving his wife and Harmon to Phillip’s house, continuing the drunken private party within his living room. Refusing to have a drop of alcohol herself, Kiera knew she had to do something to help ease her raging nerves of adrenaline while she waited for Phillip to fall into her trap when he finally decided to come home for the evening.

Instead, she resorted to a pack of herbal cigarettes to help her adrenaline.

Toying on her phone while the cigarette was pressed between her lips, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway caught her attention. About time.

“Why are you at my house?” He snarled. “Why are you here?”

“Some way to thank me for getting your wife home from her drunken stupor,” She replied. “Besides, I wasn’t going to smoke in your living room. As much as you won’t believe it, I do have boundaries.”

“I’m not listening to this nonsense.” He grumbled, storming through the front door and immediately getting a headache at the loud music and prude smell of lingering alcohol. How long has she been drinking?!

He nearly stumbled on his own two feet when he saw his wife straddling a younger man on their couch, a whiskey bottle in her hand while it looked like she was giving him a dance to the beat of the music. Once he got closer, he then saw that it was Harmon himself, instantly realizing that Kiera had gotten wind of his internal spy’s plan, knowing she had figured out a way to turn it on himself.

Instead of reacting, he simply turned around to face the doorway, seeing a smug smirk on Kiera’s face from the outside chair, tapping the air with her foot as that same leg was crossed over the other. He was numb once he realized that going after his own plans were not going to be an easy task.

But he wasn’t about to give up, either.

He was damned if he would surrender to a woman.

“I took you for a cuckold. Guess I was wrong,” She snickered. “Remember what I said, Phil.”

“I’m going to ruin you. I hope you know that. You, and your entire fucked-up family.”

“Awe, is Phillip mad?” She mocked. “Besides, this isn’t hurting you, this is just… fun,” She shrugged, taking another drag from the cigarette. “What will hurt you is when I purchase every share you’ve put up for trade tomorrow morning. I’m only telling you this now because I know there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I recommend begging your friends in Las Vegas for more money. They’d be stupid enough to do so because let’s face it, this has been way too fucking easy.”

“Fuck you.”

“How many times did you practice that?”

“Plenty.”

“You should practice some more because that didn’t intimidate me one bit,” She breathed a laugh. “Can you tell me the definition of power, Phil?”

“Something I’ve mastered, sweetheart.”

“It’s the ability to direct or influence another’s behavior or course of events,” She explained, boldly tapping on his chest with the backs of her fingers. “That’s what I have. I’ll buy up all of your shares and be on your board by Friday, or I can have Truist Capital suspend their agreement with you to be on the list with Chase and Mountain Trust in not doing business with you – both of these things can and will alter the effect on your life. That’s power and my friend,” She scoffed. “And you don’t have any.”

“You think that’s going to stop me from ruining you?” He huffed, avoiding eye contact with her.

“You’re exactly where I wanted you. It only gets worse from here,” She smirked, tucking the cigarette between her lips and removing the keys for the car Harmon had been driving and twirled them around her finger. “Tell Harmon and Natalie they’re fired.”

“They never worked for you.”

“Yes, they did,” She arched her brow. “This whole fucking time. Every bit of information Natalie has given me has been nothing but a wedge for my mallet. I know they’ve been passing information back and forth to you. Why do you think I told them exactly what they’d want to hear? Because otherwise, it wouldn’t have gotten me right here on your doorstep. Maybe you should try hiring an actual spy and then you’ll realize who you’re up against.”

She smirked as she watched him gulp at second thoughts. Who really is this woman?

“I’ll see you around. Unless you want to wave your white flag now?” She taunted.

“You’ll definitely be seeing me around. You’ll regret you ever met me.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, knowing just how humiliated she made Jenkins feel, “You should keep practicing that line."

"Maybe I will." 

"Keep remembering what I said, Phil. Generations."

[nickgerlich]

What’s In A Name

Changing your company name is always risky business, yet we have seen it done by two major players in the last couple of years. Google became Alphabet, and Facebook became Meta. Of course, some of us will probably continue using Google and Facebook the rest of our lives, if only because that’s what we were accustomed to using, but at least in the stock market, they are now Alphabet and Meta.

But what about when you ditch your established name for that of a business that just filed bankruptcy? That’s what Overstock dot com is doing. They paid $21.5 million for the intellectual property rights of Bed Bath & Beyond, which includes the name. As for Bed Bath & Beyond, they are liquidating anything and everything that might have residual value, because there are still creditors to be paid.

And in one of the biggest head-scratching moments I’ve had in a long time, they are taking on the name of that chain. No brick and mortar stores, just the IP. The updated website launches in Canada soon, followed by the US.

Basically, Overstock, which has endured its own woes and sales declines, thinks the BBB name is worth more than its own, that by taking on this new moniker they will be able to turn the ship around. They are betting there is more brand equity in the BBB name than in Overstock. Furthermore, they believe there is more equity in the name alone than all of BBB’s stores and inventory depth could leverage in the first place.

Let’s see. Buy the name of a failed retail concept, and then give it another whirl. It’s actually not a new idea, because Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) has been scooping up retail brands for several years now, and relaunching them as Dotcom enterprises. Their holdings include Tuesday Morning (which recently shuttered), Pier 1, Dress Barn, Stein Mart, Linens-N-Things, and more. So Overstock is not alone in having faith in brand names, even if we the consumers did not have faith in the company in its entirety.

Bed Bath & Beyond died a very painful death, drowning in debt, and weighted down in both inventory and real estate. Worse yet, as it became painfully apparent the company was swirling down the drain, its vendors started cutting them off. I recall going into the Amarillo BBB while it was still open, and noticed large gaps along the shelves. They could not get replacement inventory once they did sell something. It looked painful, and I bet it was tough having to report to work there every day. It was depressing.

I am still unsure why Overstock thinks its own name is dead. Is Wayfair giving them that much of a run for their money? I recall many of us giving Prince a hard time in 1993 when he changed his name to a symbol. An unpronounceable symbol, mind you. He became “The artist formerly known as Prince.” What was he thinking? He already had the perfect brand.

I am not ready to make predictions on Overstock…I mean the new BBB—just yet. I was never really a regular of either, and probably won’t be in the future, unless they start charting some new territory. Overstock will have to re-educate its customers about the name change (simple enough with a redirect in the HTML code if you type the old name), as well as training people to know that this isn’t their grandma’s Bed Bath & Beyond anymore. It’s Overstock, meaning otherwise unsellable merchandise on its first trip through the agora, now at bargain basement prices.

I’ll be watching, because this is an unusual move regarding names, but not unusual in the relaunch. As for Alphabet and Meta, they are both tearing it up in the stock market right now. Maybe it really isn’t all in the name.

Dr “Good Luck With This” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[cpeinc]

Ethics and Accountancy: Cases that Rocked the Industry and the World

A once famous actor said that there were only two people he had on instant dial: his lawyer and his accountant. Now that story may ring false, but it is true that in the world, our lives and fiances depend a lot on these professionals.

And when one of them fails to follow the Code of Conduct and Ethics that is part of their profession, it’s not just the client that suffers. Basically, everyone involved is affected when there are ethics and conduct violations in accounting and finance.

It’s no surprise that this makes Ethics CPE for accountants a valuable and required component of their professional careers. Continuing professional education credits are part of a CPA’s ongoing continuing education requirement, with Ethics as a state requirement they cannot skip.

When accountants violate their Code of Conduct, the ramifications affect the finances of companies and private individuals. Moreover, it erodes the public trust in professionals and the institutions they work for.

Here are some of the biggest cases of fraud in accountancy that shook the economies of the world.

The Lehman Brothers

The repurchase agreement that almost destroyed the country, the global financial services firm hid $50 billion loans as sales for the firm. The frim used a loophole in the system, allowing the sale of toxic assets to offshore banks in the Cayman Islands.

These unethical practices were revealed in 2008, when Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Their clients were soon transferred to other broker-dealers, while thousands of people lost their jobs, further putting the economy in a dangerous tailspin.

The Madoff Ponzi Scheme

The Bernie Madoff Investment Securities tricked investors of more than $64.8 billion in a Ponzi scheme that used investors’ money to pay returns to themselves or other investors. Madoff was sentenced to 160 years, while many of his investors were left penniless and robbed of their life savings.

Enron

In 2001 Enron was an energy and utility company that soon joined in energy trading, which allowed them to bet on the future prices of energy sources. However, it was soon revealed by a whistleblower that the company hid huge debts in their books, and that it had been losing money to almost $74 billion.

This resulted in the closure of the energy giant, and thousands of investors and employees lost retirement accounts and employment. Many of their overseas partners also closed too, resulting in many more workers losing jobs.

WorldCom

This was an accounting scandal that began when the company fraudulently inflated their assets to billions of dollars. The CEO committed a failure in accurate financial reporting, resulting in using costs as capital and adding fraudulent entries that inflated their revenues.

The company’s internal auditing discovered the fraud, with accounts that reached $3.8 billion in value. This resulted in a WorldCom filing for bankruptcy, with more than 30,000 people losing their jobs and investors losing more than $180 billion.

Ethics in Accounting Matters

Continuous learning is imperative for finance professionals, especially when it comes to Ethics. These cases are often studied and assessed to complete CPA Ethics and CPE credits requirements, but also give accountants and professionals a deeper understanding why following a strict Code of Conduct matters. For financial professionals interested in taking online CPE courses for ethics, CPE Inc. is the best place to go. They offer a wide range of Ethics course options, so visit cpeonline.com to earn your CPE credits with ethics as a focus.

For more in formation about Continuing Professional Education Cpa and CPE Course please visit:- CPE Inc.

[gruesometruecrimestories]

Wayne Williams-The Atlanta Child Murders

Other Names: 

Atlanta Monster, Atlanta Boogeyman, Atlanta Child Killer 

Childhood, Adolescence, and Adult Life 

Wayne Williams, son of Homer and Faye Williams, was born on May 27, 1958.  He was raised in the Dixie Hills neighborhood of Southwest Atlanta, Georgia.  He was the only child of the two teachers and it was claimed from fellow families in the neighborhood that he had supportive and caring parents.  Williams excelled in school and was described by teachers and classmates as a “virtual genius”.  At a young age Williams attempted to start a radio station in his parents basement.  Williams graduated from Douglass High School and developed a continued interest in radio and journalism. He went on to attend Georgia State University, where Williams only stayed a year before quitting.  From this time on he began to lose direction and would jump from one thing to another.  At 23 years old he went form radio work to record production to talent scouting.   Williams had constructed his own carrier current radio station and began frequenting stations WIGO and WAOK.  He befriended a number of the announcing crew members.  When that didn’t take off he started dabbling in freelance photography. After that didn’t seem to work either , he became interested in becoming a pop music producer and manager.  None of these career ambitions took off, instead his dreams cost his parents a significant amount of money where they ended up filing for bankruptcy.   

Crimes

It is strongly believed by the FBI and many in the Atlanta, Georgia area that Wayne Williams was responsible for the murder 28 people.  Between 1979 and 1981, at least 28 children and young adults were murdered across Atlanta.  Most of the victims were boys, and all of them were black.  The majority of the victims were young, some even children.  While his eventual arrest, conviction, and soon to be DNA evidence for two murders, speculation persists that he was responsible for the other murders that were linked.  

Alleged Victims and Timeline 

1979

Edward Hope Smith - 14 and Alfred Evans - 13

In mid 1979 the two  disappeared four days apart. Their bodies were found on July 28 in a wooded area, Smith with a .22 caliber gunshot wound in his upper back. They were believed to be the first victims of the putative "Atlanta Child Killer."

Milton Harvey - 14 

On September 4, he disappeared while on an errand to the bank for his mother.  He was riding a bike which was found a week later in a remote area of Atlanta. His body was not recovered until November of that year.

Yusuf Bel-9 

On October 21, he went to a store to buy Bruton snuff for a neighbor, Eula Birdsong, Reese Grocery on McDaniel Street.  A witness said she saw Yusuf near the intersection of McDaniel and Fulton getting into a blue car before he disappeared.  His body was found on November 8 in the abandoned E. P. Johnson Elementary School by a school janitor who was looking for a place to urinate. Bell's body was found clothed in the brown cut-off shorts he was last seen wearing.  The shorts had a piece of masking tape stuck to them.  He had been hit over the head twice, and the cause of death was strangulation. 

1980

Angel Lenair- 12

March 4, 1980, the first female victim had disappeared. She left her house around 4:00 p.m. wearing a denim outfit, and was last seen at a friend's house watching the television program Sanford and Son. Lenair's body was found six days later, in a wooded vacant lot along Campbellton Road, wearing the same clothes in which she had left home. A pair of white panties that did not belong to Lenair were stuffed in her mouth, and her hands were bound with an electrical cord. The cause of death was strangulation.

Jeffery Mathis- 11 

It was March 11 the next victim  disappeared while on an errand for his mother. He was wearing gray jogging pants, brown shoes, and a white and green shirt. Months later a girl said she saw him get into a blue car with a light-skinned man and a dark-skinned man. The body of Jeffrey Mathis was found in a "briar-covered patch of woodlands," 11 months after he disappeared, by which time it was not possible to identify a cause of death.

Eric Middlebrooks - 15 

It wasn’t until May 18 the next victim disappeared. He was last seen answering the telephone at home and then leaving in a hurry on his bicycle, taking with him a hammer to repair the bicycle. His body was found the following day next to his bicycle in the rear garage of an Atlanta bar. The bar was located next door to what was then the Georgia Department of Offender Rehabilitation. His pockets were turned inside out, his chest and arms had slight stab wounds, and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. A few weeks before he disappeared, Middlebrooks had testified against three juveniles in a robbery case.

Christopher Richardson - 12 

 June 9 was when Richardsom went missing on his way to a local pool. He was last seen walking towards the DeKalb County's Midway Recreation Center in Midway Park. He was wearing blue shorts, a light blue shirt and blue tennis shoes. His body was not found until the following January, clothed in unfamiliar swim trunks, along with the body of a later victim, Earl Terrell. The cause of Richardson's death was not determined.

LaTonya Wilson - 7 

June 22, Wilson disappeared from her parents' apartment. According to a witness, she appeared to have been abducted by two men, one of whom was seen climbing into the apartment window and then holding Wilson in his arms as he spoke to the other man in the parking lot. On October 18, Wilson's body was found in a fenced-in area at the end of Verbena Street in Atlanta. By then, the body had skeletonized, and no cause of death could be established.

Aaron Wyche - 10 

It was June 23 when Aaron disappeared after having been seen near a local grocery store, getting into a blue Chevrolet with either one or two black men. A female witness says she saw Wyche being led from Tanner's Corner Grocery by a 6-foot-tall 180-pound black male, approximately 30 years old, with a mustache and goatee. The witness's description of the car matched a description of a similar car implicated in the earlier Jeffrey Mathis disappearance. At 6:00 p.m. Wyche was seen at a shopping center. The following day, Wyche's body was found under a bridge; the official cause of death was asphyxiation from a broken neck suffered in a fall.

Anthony Carter - 9  and Earl Terrell-10 

It was July, 1980 when these two victims were found murdered.  

Clifford Jones - 13

Jones disappeared on August 20. He was found dead from strangulation. His body was found on August 21 behind a dumpster in the rear of the former Hollywood Plaza shopping center.

Darron Glass- 10

Glass was reported missing on September 14. His body has not been recovered.

Charles Stephens - 12

Charles was reported missing on October 9. His body was found the next day on Norman Berry Drive near the entrance to a trailer park. Stephens's body was missing his t-shirt and one of his shoes, but he was still wearing his dark blue pants. Police determined that his cause of death was asphyxiation. Rub marks were also identified on his nose and mouth. Dog hairs and two Caucasian head hairs were found on the body along with two pubic hairs, which did not belong to Stephens or Williams and which were found on his boxers 950 feet away. The state considered this a 'pattern case' in Williams's trial.

Aaron Jackson - 9

He went missing on November 1. His body was discovered the next day strangled, lying face-up on a river bank.

Patrick Rogers- 16

Rogers knew several of the previous victims. He went missing on November 30. His body was found on December 7 in the Chattahoochee river. Police speculated that he was dropped from the bridge above.

1981

Lubie Geter-14 

Geter, who disappeared on January 3, body was found on February 5.  

Terry Pue-15 

Geter's friend, Terry Pue went missing in January. An anonymous caller told the police where to find Pue's body. Terry lived in the same apartment as Edward "Teddy" Smith, who was killed in 1979.

In February and March 1981, six more bodies were discovered, believed to be linked to the previous homicides. 

Eddie Duncan - 21

Among the deceased was the body of  Eddie Duncan, the first adult victim.

Larry Rogers - 20, John Porter - 28 , and Jimmy Ray Payne - 21 

In April the three were murdered. Porter and Payne were ex-convicts and had just recently been released from Arrendale State Prison after serving time for burglary.

William “Billy Star” Barrett- 17 

On May 12, 1981, FBI agents found the body of Barrett on a curb in a wooded area near his home. A witness, 32-year-old Harold Wood, a custodian from Southwest High School, had run out of gas about a mile from the scene. Wood described a black man standing over and observing the location where the body was found before driving away in a white-over-blue Cadillac.

Nathaniel Carter- 27 

During the end of May 1981, the last reported victim was added to the list, Nathaniel Cater. He was last seen by gardener Robert I. Henry at the entrance of the Rialto Theatre in Atlanta, reportedly holding hands with Wayne Williams. His body was discovered two days later.

Arrest and Capture 

Williams first became a suspect in the Atlanta murders on the morning of May 22, 1981, when a police surveillance team, watching the James Jackson Parkway Bridge spanning the Chattahoochee River (a spot where multiple bodies had been discovered previously), heard a "big loud splash", suggesting that something had been thrown from the bridge into the river below.  The first automobile to exit the bridge after the splash, at roughly 2:50 a.m., belonged to Williams.  When stopped and questioned, he told police that he was on his way to check on an address in a neighboring town ahead of an audition the following morning with a young singer named Cheryl Johnson. However, both the phone number he gave police and Cheryl Johnson turned out to be fictitious.

Two days later, on May 24, the nude body of 27-year-old Nathaniel Cater, who had been missing for four days and was last seen with Williams, was discovered in the river. The medical examiner ruled he had died of probable asphyxia but never specifically said he had been strangled. Police thought that Williams had killed Cater and that his body was the source of the sound they heard as his car crossed the bridge.  

Williams failed three polygraph tests. Hairs and fibers retrieved from the body of another victim, Jimmy Ray Payne, were found to be consistent with those from his home, car, and dog. Co-workers told police they had seen Williams with scratches on his face and arms around the time of the murders which, investigators surmised, could have been inflicted by victims during struggles.  Williams held a press conference outside his home to proclaim his innocence, volunteering that he had failed the polygraph tests, which would have been inadmissible in court.  Williams was questioned again by police for 12 hours on June 3 and 4 at FBI headquarters and released without arrest or charge, but remained under surveillance.

Trial, Conviction, and Where Is He Now? 

Williams was arrested on June 21, 1981, for the murders of Carter and Payne.  His trial began on January 6, 1982, in Fulton County. It was a two-month trial!  Prosecutors matched Williams to a number of victims from 19 sources of fibers from Williams's home and car.  These fibers came from his bedspread, bathroom, gloves, clothes, carpets, dog, and an unusual trilobal carpet fiber. Other evidence included witness testimony that placed Williams with several victims while they were alive, and inconsistencies in his accounts of his whereabouts.  

Williams took the stand in his own defense but alienated the jury by becoming angry and combative.  After 12 hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on February 27 of the murders of Carter and Payne. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.   After Williams became a suspect, the killings came to a stop.

In the late 1990s, Williams filed a habeas corpus petition and requested a retrial. The County Superior Court judge Hal Craig denied his appeal. Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker said that "although this does not end the appeal process, I am pleased with the results in the habeas case" and that his office will "continue to do everything possible to uphold the conviction."  In early 2004, Williams sought a retrial again, with his attorneys arguing that law enforcement officials covered up evidence of involvement by the Ku Klux Klan, and that carpet fibers purportedly linking him to the crimes would not stand up to scientific scrutiny.  A federal judge rejected the request for retrial on October 17, 2006.  Williams was never tried for any of the Atlanta Child Murders. However, police attributed 22 other deaths, including those of 18 minors, to Williams.  Williams is serving his sentence at Telfair State Prison.  On November 20, 2019, Williams was again denied parole. He will next be eligible for parole in November 2027.

Interviews and Additional Resources 

[frankhightower]

Am I a failure?

Since my computer died , I've been thinking a lot (not that I normally don't).

Let's get one thing out of the way: the answer is no. Getting 5 artfight attacks in the first 3 days, and the fact that I can now feed my family even when I don't sell commissions, are clear indications otherwise, but I still want to get these thoughts out there.

My computer died because I left the laptop lid open under a leak in the ceiling. Granted, that leak wasn't there the day before, but I know from experience that, if it had been closed, it would've survived. This happened because I was way too tired, which in turn happened because I never really met my contractual obligations at my old job and was forced to spend a month without sleep to make it up to my new boss (it's the same job at a new company). Am I a failure, or is it the old job's fault for not providing me with the resources I asked when they were literally teetering on the verge of bankruptcy?

I might've been able to afford those resources myself if only I was a bigger artist. If I'd started posting when I started doodling in earnest in 9th grade (right when I found out the furry community existed) instead of in my senior year of college, I'd surely have sold a lot more commissions over the course of my life before the "Twitterpocalypse" (maybe we wouldn't've gone hungry when we did). Am I a failure for that, or did "society" fail me in some way?

The loss of my computer is a big deal because the files aren't backed up (here's to hoping I can get them extracted soon!) I never backed them up because I do that using OneDrive and Google Drive and Dropbox, which would download all my old files on that computer and that would kill my internet for a month since the connection is metered and capped (and yes it's the best plan my ISP offers and no there isn't a better ISP). This would prevent the rest of my family from getting any work done for a month. Am I a failure for not doing it anyway or not finding an alternative way of doing it?

And lastly, the reason the computer was in that exact spot is because it's the only place in my room I can phyiscally place it. Am I a failure for not "cleaning up" my room, which requires rearranging / buying new furniture? Or is it the fault of "capitalism" that requires me to use my every waking moment in it in a monetizable way?

In short: is it my fault I'm poor?

[influencermagazineuk]

Cineworld’s Big Screen Shake-Up: Possible Cinema Closures Ahead

Cineworld is thinking about shutting down 25 out of its 100 cinemas within the UK to assist clear up its money problems. The enterprise, which had to leave the London Stock Exchange due to falling share charges, is likewise planning to barter new lease deals for 50 other cinemas. They are being helped by way of consultants and will quickly proportion their plans with creditors. The employer struggled in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic or even filed for financial disaster inside the US. Despite efforts to sell elements of its enterprise, Cineworld did not obtain excellent gives. Founded in 1995, Cineworld grew to grow to be one in all the most important cinema chains however now needs to restructure to get over pandemic losses and different enterprise challenges. Cineworld may near 1 / 4 of its cinemas within the UK as a part of a big reorganization plan. They would possibly shut down 25 cinemas and renegotiate rent at 50 greater. Cineworld left the London Stock Exchange closing year because its proportion rate dropped loads. Now, they are operating with specialists Alix Partners to determine out the subsequent steps.The organization owns many cinemas, consisting of the Picturehouse chain, and employs lots of humans. They plan to tell their creditors, including landlords, about their plans soon. Instead of using a organization voluntary arrangement, they're considering a restructuring plan.Cineworld stated they may be looking at different options however did not want to touch upon rumours. The organization had a difficult time in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic when their cinemas had to close for a long time. In 2022, Cineworld filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection within the US and made a reorganization plan. They attempted to sell their companies within the US, UK, and Ireland final year, however they did not get any good gives.Cineworld started in 1995 and grew loads beneath the Greidinger own family's leadership. They bought Regal Entertainment, making them the second one biggest cinema business inside the world by means of the number of screens. They have cinemas in central and eastern Europe, consisting of Poland and Hungary, as well as in Israel and America. The cinema enterprise continues to be trying to recover from the pandemic lockdowns. Tim Richards, the founder and CEO of Vue International, stated the industry became getting higher however become hit again by using Hollywood writers’ and actors’ moves final year. These moves bogged down film productions.Richards said the industry continues to be feeling the consequences of these stoppages. He thinks it will take approximately 12 extra months for things to get back to every day after the pandemic. Cineworld's restructuring plans display how a great deal the cinema industry is struggling to get returned on its feet. Closing some cinemas and renegotiating hire are tough alternatives, however they might be necessary for Cineworld to live to tell the tale and thrive once more. The company's next steps may be intently watched with the aid of m Read the full article

[wedesignyouny]

How a Chapter 7 Attorney Can Help You Solve Your Financial Problems

How a Chapter 7 Attorney Can Help You Solve Your Financial Problems

Overview

Although Chapter 7 bankruptcy may be the answer for those on Long Island looking for a fresh financial start, dealing with unmanageable debt may be a daunting and frustrating affair. You can get help from a Long Island Chapter 7 lawyer to help you get out of debt and take back control of your finances by guiding you through the process. This post will discuss the functions of a Long Island Chapter 7 lawyer and how they may help you through the bankruptcy process.

Fundamentals of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy under Chapter 7, sometimes known as "liquidation bankruptcy," is intended for people who are unable to pay back their obligations. It gives the debtor a clean slate free from financial commitments by enabling them to dismiss the majority of their unsecured debts. But not everyone should use Chapter 7, and some requirements must be satisfied.

The Role of a Chapter 7 Lawyer on Long Island

1.Eligibility Assessment: Establishing your eligibility is the first stage in filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Your financial position will be evaluated by a Long Island Chapter 7 attorney to ascertain whether this is the best course of action for you. They'll make sure you satisfy the requirements by looking at your income, expenses, and debts.

2.Protecting Your Assets: The fear of losing one's assets is a typical worry among those contemplating Chapter 7 bankruptcy. A knowledgeable Chapter 7 lawyer will guide you through the available exemptions to safeguard specific assets, letting you maintain the things that are necessary for day-to-day living.

3.Creditor Harassment: Your creditors will cease to harass you via phone calls, letters, and other collection tactics as soon as you hire a Chapter 7 attorney to handle your case. This eases your worry a little while while the bankruptcy procedure is in progress.

4.Legal Representation: Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy needs a number of formalities and documentation. Throughout the procedure, your Long Island Chapter 7 lawyer will assist you, making sure that all necessary paperwork is submitted on time and that you have strong legal representation in court.

5.Discharge of Debts: Getting your eligible debts discharged is the main objective of Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Your lawyer will put in a lot of effort on your behalf to get this discharge, which will release you from most unsecured debt repayment obligations.

6.Post-Bankruptcy Advice: Following the successful filing of your Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your lawyer can offer guidance on how to reestablish your credit and improve your money management.

In summary

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy can provide those on Long Island with excessive debt with a fresh start financially and release from the weight of unmanageable debt. Hiring a Long Island Chapter 7 lawyer is a smart move if you want to effectively navigate this difficult legal process. In order to ultimately pay off your debts, they will determine your eligibility, safeguard your assets, offer legal counsel, and more. To help steer you toward a better financial future, think about getting in touch with experts like Pryor & Mandelup, LLP if you want a Long Island Chapter 7 attorney.

[josenoelrobles]

Navigating the Storm: Surviving a Second Bankruptcy

Introduction "Bankruptcy is not the end; for many, it's a challenging beginning. Facing it twice? That's a testament to resilience and the start of a profound transformation." This bold statement invites us to rethink our perception of financial setbacks, especially when they strike more than once. Personal Experience: A Journey Through Double Bankruptcy How does the saying go? Full me once shame on you, full me twice shame on me. You would think that going through bankruptcy would be a hard enough experience that I won't do it again. You would also think that I should have learned my lesson and avoided what led me to that first bankruptcy in the first place. Not me; I am a slow learner because, within 5 years of filing my first bankruptcy, I am filing for my second one. And let me tell you is not fun at all. Putting aside the humiliation factor, the process of a second bankruptcy is awful. Especially when is so soon and so close to the first one. The skepticism and the judgment from the court and your creditors are on a completely different level. The scrutiny and the invasion of personal life are on a whole different spectrum. And to be fair, I don't blame them. I am a repeat offender so I deserve it. But still is not a good position to be in. Not to mention and perhaps the important thing, you fail your loved ones one more time. In my case, I have a wonderful wife whom I call my Super Womam. And I also have 6 amazing children. And when you set seal in the journey of entrepreneurship, even though you are the captain and perhaps you are doing all the work sometimes we forget that there are a lot of other people in the boat with us. And that is that ship sinks, they will drown with you. And that is what happened to me way too many times. Even though I have 2 bankruptcies, I have had a lot of businesses in the past that failed too. Every time that I failed and lost a business, not only me but my entire family had to pay the price and the consequences of my failures. Some of those consequences have been so damaging that I still trying to repair them. It is easy to justify our behavior and our actions by saying that everything that we are doing is for our families and to better them and their future. When in reality we are doing it for us. Because we are prideful and because we want to prove something and in many cases to people that can care less about us. But that is a topic for another blog. The great thing about it is that our governmental laws created these bankruptcy laws so we have an option in case we fail. Trust me, if you can avoid going into bankruptcy please do so. But the fear of failing shouldn't t be a reason why you don't try to pursue your business dreams. Having these laws in place should be an indicator that there is a chance that you will fail. That is why they exist. A lot of other people have failed in the past. But this should not discourage you. Use this as a motivation to pursue your dreams. In the same way that so many fail, so many others succeed. It is up to us which statistics are we going to be part of. The only way that you can actually fail is when you stop trying. To me, my past failures I don't see them as failures. I see them as lessons that need to be learned in order to move to the next level. Painful, and humiliating, of course, but those lessons have made me stronger and wiser, or at least I like to believe that 😅. I am already on the books of those who failed too many times. Now I am the books of those who never give up. And soon, God willing, I will be in the books of those who succeeded. Data: Insights Into Bankruptcy Trends and Impacts Statistics show that a significant percentage of businesses that file for bankruptcy once are likely to do so again. Research from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts indicates that about 16% of businesses that file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy are repeat filers. This suggests that the challenges leading to the first bankruptcy may not have been fully addressed or new challenges have arisen that were not anticipated (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 2020). The Problem: Recurring Financial Crisis The core issue in recurring bankruptcies often lies in inadequate risk management, insufficient financial buffers, and an underestimation of market volatility. For many, the root causes of the first bankruptcy, such as high operational costs or poor strategic planning, remain unaddressed, leading to subsequent financial failures. The Solution: Building a Stronger Financial Foundation To avoid the cycle of financial distress, consider these practical steps: - Thorough Post-Bankruptcy Analysis: Conduct a comprehensive review of what led to each bankruptcy to identify and address underlying issues. - Enhanced Financial Education: Regularly update your financial knowledge and skills, focusing on cash flow management, budgeting, and forecasting. - Strategic Planning and Diversification: Diversify income streams and continuously update business plans to adapt to market changes. Implementing these strategies can help individuals and businesses not only recover from bankruptcy but also build a resilient financial future. Conclusion: Turning Adversity Into Opportunity In conclusion, experiencing bankruptcy twice can be both daunting and enlightening. It presents an opportunity to reassess, learn, and rebuild with a stronger, more informed approach. The key to turning these difficult experiences into success stories lies in proactive management and continuous learning. Read the full article

[shiftysarah]

April 25, 2024:

We had an argument that broached the topic of me not getting enough sleep, and how badly he treats everyone in the middle of the night. I reminded him that he is not the only one who is affected by not getting enough sleep, and that just because I’m not lashing out at anyone does not mean I’m not suffering. He was so pushy, that I ended up bawling and reminding him that he PROMISED to stop talking so badly about the kids and that it had been an ultimatum, and he still didn’t stop. In saying this, I was not trying to say “I’m going to hold you to this ultimatum.” I only said it because he would stop pushing me to say what I was upset about. But after I said it, he started talking about a possible divorce. He kept asking if that was what I wanted. It IS what I want, but I’m not ready yet and I’m scared. So I kept trying to avoid answering that question, or saying “I’m still trying”

That night he made sure to put the kids to bed so that I could get enough sleep. I still got up with them in the night, but it was fine because I had gone to bed early and had plenty of sleep.

April 26, 2024:

I got up with the kids in the morning, got them ready for school, and took them to school. By the time I got home, he was still in bed so I went to wake him up so that he could try to shower and start his work day. He was very cold and passive aggressive and didn’t want to speak to me at all. I tried to give him some space, but a friend of mine asked me to come over for a bit, so I had to speak to him to let him know that I was going somewhere. He eventually got up and showered, and we were even both in the office working for about 1 hour before I left. The whole time I kept trying to to talk and be normal, but he was giving me the cold shoulder. I did go to my friends house for a bit. As soon as I left he texted me and told me that he had gone back to bed because he was too depressed to work. When it was time, I went and picked up both kids from school and brought them home. Here was another chance for us to talk. He told me he was upset that I would “just leave” to go to a friends house. (This friend has been trying to get me to come over for weeks and he knows this. It had nothing to do with him. Which he KNOWS) He said he was hurt because we had just had a fight the day before and we obviously needed to talk. But I had TRIED talking to him and he wouldn’t speak to me.

Again he kept bringing up divorce. I was trying to not say anything that would indicate that I want that. But THEN he kind of hit me up it’s his own ultimatum, saying that I need to decide because either I get a job, and get out, or we stay together and file for bankruptcy. And he even said “if we file for bankruptcy, and you want to leave, that would really screw you over”

I was honestly so confused trying to decipher if this was a threat or not. Of course I don’t want to be involved in his bankruptcy! My car is paid off and in my name. This made me feel nervous like I’m going to have to get out sooner than I wanted.

Later that night we talking again and he apologized a lot and made promises about changing his behavior and going back on his medication. (We’ll see)

April 27, 2024:

Today we are just acting normal for the most part. It’s a little awkward, but he’s not drilling me with questions, so that’s good. I know I probably can’t wait until December like I had originally hoped, but I would love to wait until after Girl’s birthday party, and after I get an new job?

[kamana-mishra]

Financial Crisis 2008: Causes, Cost and the After Effect

The gold prices are falling, and the markets are crashing! While the statement is absolutely unreal, just the thought of it would have been enough to give you a heart attack, wouldn’t it? We would prefer to be destroyed by the snap of Thanos than get stuck in such a situation, right?

Would you believe if someone were to say that a similar situation challenged some of the top global economies in 2008? Yes, we are talking about the financial crisis of 2008, an event which took the financial system of America and other major economies by storm, sparing none.

The recent economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, brought the topic back to discussions, with major economists and professionals comparing the current scene with the financial crisis 2008. Hence, navigating through the various reasons and aftermath effects triggered by the financial crisis becomes crucial and demanding.

The Start of the Grave Fall

Loans are a crucial part of any financial system. However, you need a specific credit rating to acquire them. As far as India is concerned, you need a CIBIL score of 700 or more to get your loan sanctioned without any hassle. Similarly, in the USA, you need a FICO rating of more than 640 to acquire a loan. So, what was the problem here?

The problem started with the action of subprime loans. The US banks came up with the idea of lending housing loans to those individuals whose ratings were below the benchmark rating of 640. However, to compensate for the risk taken, they charged a higher rate of interest. These loans were then bundled with good ones and were issued as mortgage-backed securities (MBS). To be precise, it’s like mixing good vegetables with rotten ones.

Rating agencies like MOODY’S rated them with a AAA, which ultimately made them an attractive investment for investors who assumed it to be free from the risk of default. Further, the housing sector was at its peak during early 2005, making investors move huge amounts of money into these derivatives. This included a large number of banks, private lending institutions and other worldwide financial institutions investing in them.

Hedge funds institutions, mutual fund companies and various other pension fund institutions also invested in these swaps. And the ownership of houses rose to more than 69%. However, no one could predict that great destruction was in process.

What was the cause of the 2008 financial crisis?

As banks could pass on the risk to the investors, they were happily sanctioning loans to people without proper documentation and adequate ratings. No one is worried about the consequences. While all seemed like rainbows and unicorns for a while, soon, reality demanded its way back.

The prices of the housing sector saw a fall at the beginning of 2005, and the banks witnessed a lot of their borrowers defaulting on their repayment.

Would you give poison to an already dying person? But what the banks did was something like that. Rather than coming up with some reliable solution, they decided to increase the interest rates further. They thought that they could offset the losses by charging higher rates on the ones that make regular payments or at least make a conscious effort to pay. The rates were increased from 2.25% to 5.25%. Burdened by massive interest rates, the defaults only increased.

While the banks promised safety and security with a higher return, their action did not project the same. And by the end of 2007, the American economy officially entered the recession.

The Domino Effect

The books of the banks showed huge lending and falling repayment. Following this, the banks witnessed a severe liquidity crunch, and a lot of them filed for bankruptcy. As the fear brewed up, the banks stopped lending to one another, thus affecting the interbank money market.

They all searched for funds outside, and the Northern Bank of London came to their rescue. But it did not last long as the bank was nationalized by the British government, chopping off the help offered.

This caused the collapse of some of the major financial institutions on Wall Street. The Swiss bank UBS was one of the first to declare bankruptcy and showed a loss of more than 3 billion dollars. The lack of liquidity and huge losses pushed Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the edge of the cliff. However, the government of America was swift and rescued them from the brink of death.

Following this, the Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, leaving the stock markets to fall drastically. For investors who believed that the US government would rescue them, it was nothing more than a false belief.

The crisis kick-started with investors selling their stakes in huge amounts. And by the end of 2008, the entire financial system of America was in utter chaos.

Cost of the 2008 Financial Crisis

The financial crisis of 2008, as expected, affected everything that was even remotely dependent upon the US economy. The financial crisis of 2008, caused the US economy roughly around $22.8 trillion. In other words, it was approximately $72000 per American citizen. It’s impacted the output of the country by $13 trillion. The country lost about $5 trillion in terms of GDP over the next few years.

About 20 million people were affected directly or indirectly by the crisis. British banks lost approximately £90 billion in just a single day. And the ill effects can be added to this list. Hence, the government was forced to interfere in the matter and to sort the situation out. Want to know how the American government reacted? Read further to find out.

The Troubled Asset Relief Program

The American treasury came forward to address the crisis. They did this by purchasing mortgage-backed security (MBS) from the companies, in a view to reduce their losses. Drafted by Henry Paulson and brought into effect by George W. Bush, the plan aimed to stabilize the money market and secondary market by injecting liquidity into the system.

The program spent more than $247 billion to stabilize the banking systems. They bought shares of JP Morgan, Citi Group, and Wells Fargo at an interest of 5%. Also, $79.2 billion was spent on bailing out the auto sector, whose stock went on a free fall, and $67.8 billion was spent on nationalizing the AIG sector.

The policy did a huge deal in reducing the burden that was placed on the economy. However critics still argue about its efficiency and claim that it failed to shed light upon the housing sector.

Continue reading…

[thesecrettimes]

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried to Face Campaign Finance Charge, Prosecutors Say

Sam Bankman-Fried to Be Charged With Campaign Finance Violations Next Week A campaign finance charge will be incorporated into a superseding indictment against founder and former CEO of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), next week, prosecutors made clear in a letter to a Manhattan federal judge on Aug. 8. Following his extradition from the Bahamian capital Nassau last year, soon after FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. in November, the crypto entrepreneur was hit with over a dozen charges, including fraud and bribery, to which he pleaded not guilty. Among them were the allegations of campaign finance violations — Bankman-Fried was accused of using some of the billions of U.S. dollars of customer funds that he allegedly misappropriated to make political donations in the United States. The U.S. prosecution had to drop this charge in July because of the terms of the extradition treaty with the government of the Bahamas, where SBF resided and FTX was headquartered. Bahamian authorities had not agreed to extradite SBF based on that count. However, federal prosecutors in New York said on Tuesday that the forthcoming indictment they now plan to file will incorporate the campaign finance allegations into other existing charges, CNBC and ABC News reported. In their letter to the judge, they stated: The superseding indictment will make clear that Mr. Bankman-Fried remains charged with conducting an illegal campaign finance scheme as part of the fraud and money laundering schemes originally charged. In early May, Bankman-Fried asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss several charges against him filed after his extradition from the Bahamas. His lawyers insisted that the U.S. government had not obtained consent from Bahamian authorities for the additional counts, which included the campaign finance law violation. SBF, who has been living under house arrest at his parent’s home in California on a $250 million bond, also sought to avoid jailing ahead of his trial set to begin in October. Prosecutors asked Kaplan to jail him for witness tampering after he provided to the New York Times excerpts from a diary written by his former girlfriend and former CEO of his hedge fund Alameda Research, Caroline Ellison. Do you think Sam Bankman-Fried will face campaign finance charges? Share your expectations in the comments section below. Read the full article

[kingstonbankruptcyattorney]

Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Bankruptcy Lawyer

You might be looking for an emergency bankruptcy attorney if you're having financial problems and want to file for bankruptcy. When time is not in your favor and you need to stop creditors from bothering you or pursuing legal action against you, filing for emergency bankruptcy can be helpful. 

This blog will examine the advantages of working with an instant bankruptcy attorney and how to choose the best one for your requirements.

What is an Emergency Bankruptcy Filing?

When facing immediate financial loss, an emergency bankruptcy petition is a fast way to start the bankruptcy procedure. With this filing, you can stop lawsuits, wage garnishments, and other forms of retaliation from creditors. Additionally, filing for emergency bankruptcy can stop the foreclosure of your home, the repossession of your car, or the cessation of your utilities.

The filing process for emergency bankruptcy is quicker, and the court just needs to be informed of the bare minimum. You need to pay the filing fee and give the court information about your debts, assets, and income. An automatic stay will be imposed after receiving your filing, blocking all attempts to collect from you.

Benefits of Hiring an Emergency Bankruptcy Lawyer

Independently filing for emergency bankruptcy is conceivable, although it is not advised. You can manage the complexities of the procedure with the assistance of an experienced bankruptcy attorney. They can also ensure that your file is completed correctly and offer you helpful legal counseling during the bankruptcy process. The following are some advantages of engaging an emergency bankruptcy attorney:

1. Quick resolution

A swift emergency bankruptcy petition can cease creditor harassment and legal actions against you in a matter of days, perhaps even sooner. So that you can receive the relief you require as soon as possible, an experienced emergency bankruptcy lawyer can assist you in filing quickly and ensure that your case is completed correctly.

2. Legal expertise

A knowledgeable bankruptcy attorney can assist you in comprehending the procedure and your rights because bankruptcy law can be complicated. Throughout the bankruptcy procedure, an emergency bankruptcy attorney can offer helpful legal counsel, assisting you in making wise financial decisions.

3. Protection from creditors

An emergency bankruptcy filing imposes an automatic stay, preventing all collection efforts against you. While the bankruptcy procedure is ongoing, creditors cannot annoy you, garnish your pay, or file a lawsuit against you.

4. Peace of mind

Financial troubles can be overwhelming and unpleasant. Hiring an emergency bankruptcy attorney can help reduce some of this stress by giving you the legal knowledge and assistance you need to navigate the bankruptcy process.

5. Asset protection

You can protect your assets through bankruptcy with the aid of an emergency bankruptcy attorney. You can learn from them which assets are shielded from liquidation and how to safeguard them.

6. Choosing the right bankruptcy type to file

One advantage of engaging an emergency bankruptcy attorney is their ability to swiftly examine your circumstance and make recommendations regarding the bankruptcy type to file in light of your particular financial predicament, whether Chapter 7, 13, or 11.

How to Find an Emergency Bankruptcy lawyer 

You might be wondering how to get an urgent bankruptcy lawyer if you have financial problems and need to file for bankruptcy. Here are some pointers to assist you in choosing the best attorney for your requirements:

1. Check online reviews

Examining online reviews is another technique to identify a reliable emergency bankruptcy attorney. Customers can submit reviews of the attorneys they have hired on websites. You can learn much from these reviews about a lawyer's experience, communication abilities, and success record.

2. Ask for referrals

Asking friends, relatives, or other trusted professionals for recommendations is one of the most significant ways to discover a qualified bankruptcy attorney. Someone you know who has previously filed for bankruptcy can recommend a lawyer who can assist you.

3. Schedule consultations

Make appointments for consultations with each emergency bankruptcy lawyer on your list. Take advantage of the many attorneys offering no-cost initial consultations to select the best one for you. You can discuss your case with them in person by doing this.

4. Consider experience and fees

Be sure to consider their experience and fees when selecting an urgent bankruptcy attorney. Find a lawyer with bankruptcy law experience who has handled cases like yours. 

It is advisable to inquire about their rates, associated upfront expenses, and the billing process. Be cautious of attorneys offering low rates because they might lack the expertise or resources to handle your case successfully.

Conclusion

An emergency bankruptcy filing can be beneficial to cease creditor harassment and legal actions against you if you are in immediate financial danger. A skilled emergency bankruptcy attorney can help you preserve your assets, guarantee that your file is done correctly, and offer you legal counseling throughout the bankruptcy process. 

You can locate the best attorney for your circumstances and promptly obtain the relief you require by using these suggestions for hiring an emergency bankruptcy lawyer and using these questions when you meet with potential candidates. When confronting financial challenges, please take immediate action to get the best outcome. Visit the Law Office of Brian Juran if you need an emergency bankruptcy lawyer.