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To: EL KABONG!!! who wrote (154)	2/25/2000 1:06:00 PM
From: TideGlider	Respond to of 228

The Arts/Books: Follow The Paper A swashbuckling P.I. takes on stock fraud Fiction's private investigators now come in so many colors and flavors that it's easy to overlook their fundamental similarities. Regardless of gender, race or sexual tilt, the best of them still fit Raymond Chandler's classic definition: "He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without a due and dispassionate revenge." Those stern principles are upheld with conspicuous dignity by Benjamin Weaver, the swashbuckling shamus in David Liss's genre-stretching first novel, A Conspiracy of Paper (Random House; 442 pages; $25). That's right, swashbuckling. Armed with snubby flintlock and limber blade, Weaver does his crime busting in London during the second decade of the 18th century. He is a Sephardic Jew and a former British boxing champion ("the Lion of Judah") who hires out his manly skills to those in need of protection or discreet services--like recovering stolen valuables from brothels. It's a living, but not a consuming vocation until coincidence pulls Weaver into a vortex of stock fraud and murder. The victims include his father, a broker silenced before he could expose a plot to skin shareholders of the South Sea Co. Liss, a Columbia University graduate student specializing in the relationship between capitalism and the early English novel, has put his researches to imaginative and profitable use. One of his thoughtful innovations is to modify the period's lapidary dialogue for contemporary ears. The effect is to sharpen the thrust and parry of the action and accentuate the pervading atmosphere of class conflict. Appreciators of authenticity should be pleased with Liss's graphic venues. Weaver's investigations are conducted broadly, from the scuzziest ale houses to the toniest clubs, where the drink is better and the Jew baiting more refined. True to the P.I. breed, the Lion of Judah is never intimidated. He handles his liquor and licks his adversaries with equal confidence. --By R.Z. Sheppard Copyright 2000 Time Inc. R.Z. Sheppard, The Arts/Books: Follow The Paper A swashbuckling P.I. takes on stock fraud. , Time, 02-28-2000, pp 98.

To: EL KABONG!!! who wrote (154)	2/29/2000 6:56:00 AM
From: Q.	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 228

Arizona man pleads guilty in Ponzi scheme By Nicholas Charalambous Independent-Mail 2/9/00 An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his part in a Seneca-based Ponzi scheme that prosecutors now say bilked investors out of $57 million - $11 million more than originally thought. Meanwhile, an Amarillo, Texas, insurance agent and his wife who sold investments in the scheme were found dead in their home Jan. 31 in an apparent murder-suicide, said Lt. E.W. Smith of the Amarillo-area Special Crimes Unit. No suicide note was found, but Mayo McGee's financial dealings recently came under scrutiny by several federal agencies, he said. Alvin A. Tang, 40, of Scottsdale, Ariz., pleaded guilty in federal court in Anderson. He was president of United States Guarantee Corp., a "shell" company prosecutors said was used to give an air of legitimacy to the scheme. Federal Judge G. Ross Anderson delayed sentencing until a pre-sentencing report can be completed. Tang faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Tang became the second to plead guilty in connection with the scheme, which authorities said ensnared more than 1,200 people across the United States. Investigators have accused Virgil Womack, 59, of Seneca of masterminding the scheme to sell high-yield guaranteed contracts in U.S. Government securities and property under the names Alliance Trust, Chemical Trust and Merritt-Pierce Trust. Prosecutors have said money from new investors was used to pay a small "return" to old investors without any investment being made. Mr. Womack, along with his wife, Charlotte, 51, also of Seneca, and her brother Clifton Wilkinson, 43, of Toccoa, Ga., are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Mr. Wilkinson was administrator of Stephens County, Ga., for three years before leaving in November to pursue private consulting. Mr. Wilkinson's wife, Crystal Wilkinson, 36, also of Toccoa, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in January. She is awaiting sentencing. Part of the scheme's allure was that United States Guarantee issued bogus bonds purporting to ensure investors' money, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stephens told the court. Tang received a 7 percent cut of the proceeds. Beattie Ashmore, appointed by the court to seize assets from the scheme, said Tuesday that $25 million had been recovered so far from domestic and offshore bank accounts. andersonsc.com