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To: Sir Auric Goldfinger who wrote (651)	4/22/1999 1:39:00 PM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10354

Orton seemed like he was real good at over stating assets

To: Sir Auric Goldfinger who wrote (651)	4/22/1999 1:45:00 PM
From: jjs64	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10354

Let's read about that other fine Jones Jensen audited firm...Golf Ventures... SEC Charges 58 Defendants With Penny-Stock Fraud (Update4) 12/18/97 19:31 New York, Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged 58 defendants with penny-stock manipulation in one of the largest stock-fraud cases ever. The SEC filed four civil fraud suits today in New York and one in Salt Lake City, Utah. The suits allege that penny-stock promoters and officials of small, publicly traded companies bribed brokers to get them to sell the companies' stocks to brokerage customers. The five separate schemes caused unsuspecting investors to overpay for stocks whose prices were being secretly controlled by the defendants, the agency alleged. The defendants were caught in an undercover government sting and include 55 people across the U.S., two brokerage firms and one stock issuer, the SEC said. 'These schemes are designed to defraud people,'' said Henry Klehm III, senior associate director of the SEC regional office in New York. ''Investors are way overpaying for stock that has inflated value.'' The seven stocks the defendants allegedly manipulated are Securitek International Corp.; Golf Ventures Inc.; Stocknet Inc.; International Investment Group Inc.; Interactive Information Solutions; Spaceplex Amusement Centers International Ltd.; and America's Coffee Cup Inc., the SEC said. Golf Ventures is the only stock issuer that was sued by the agency today. The defendants include the brokerage firms J.S. Securities Inc., La Jolla Capital and brokers at other securities firms. In July, J.S. Securities changed its name to First National Equity Corp. Government Probe The SEC said the 58 defendants made more than $3.3 million illegally. The regulator is seeking millions of dollars from the defendants and a court order to prevent them from continuing their allegedly fraudulent practices. The charges are part of a government probe of penny-stock price manipulation that led to the arrests of 45 people last year in a joint FBI and SEC sting. Several of the defendants in last year's criminal prosecution are defendants in today's SEC suits. Fourteen of today's defendants have previously been criminally charged with fraud, the SEC said. SEC suits are civil actions and don't carry penalties or prison time. The SEC said it expects to charge more people, but declined to comment further. Stocks that trade at less than $1 are widely referred to as penny stocks, though the National Association of Securities Dealers rules designate all stocks that trade under $5 as penny stocks. Penny stocks tend to be thinly traded, making it relatively easy for their prices to be artificially inflated or depressed. The suits allege that brokers recommended stocks to investors in exchange for bribes from officials at the companies that issued stock and from stock promoters, people who act as middlemen between publicly held companies and brokers.''Investors have a right to believe that brokers are making investments that are in their best interest,'' the SEC's Klehm said. ''That's not what is going on here.'' Brokerages Charged Officials at First National Equity, formerly called J.S. Securities, in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, weren't available for comment. Officials at San Diego-based La Jolla Capital were also unavailable. Many of the seven small companies whose stocks were promoted by the defendants had disconnected phone numbers, were unlisted or were otherwise unreachable for comment. Golf Ventures was formerly of Salt Lake City. It is in the process of combining with and changing its name to Golf Communities of America in Orlando, Florida. Warren Stanchina, who became chairman, president and chief executive of Golf Ventures in November, said Golf Ventures is now a legitimate company free of people who are connected with the fraud charges.''We had absolutely no prior dealings with them,'' Stanchina said. ''We're the good guys. We're hoping to be the white knight.'' He said Golf Venture's golf courses throughout the country are valuable assets, in spite of its past ties to people accused of fraud. Companies Renamed America's Coffee Cup was renamed in February to Midland Inc (Hey, anybody remember MIDL...Zebras CANNOT change their stripes). of Dallas. The defendants include Robert Marsik, Midland executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, and also Mark Pierce, the secretary of Midland. Wayne Duke, said he has been the president of Midland since just October and didn't know Marsik and Pierce before that.''I've had no reason to not trust them,'' Duke said. ''I was as in the dark as anyone else. I certainly was surprised at what took place today.'' He said Midland denied wrongdoing and the company will seek the resignation of Marsik and Pierce, who weren't available for comment. Securitek in Woodbridge, New Jersey, didn't have a phone listing. A man who answered the phone at an old number the company used said Securitek no longer used the number. Stocknet in New Paltz, New York, didn't have a telephone listing. A phone number listed on an old press release has been disconnected. Interactive Information Solutions in New York didn't have a listing. International Investment Group Inc. in New York wasn't listed under that name or the company's new name, InterMedia Net Inc. Spaceplex didn't have a business listing in Westbury, New York. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area phone number on a May company press release led to an answering machine. The company said in an April 1996 press release that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Buyer Beware!

To: Sir Auric Goldfinger who wrote (651)	4/22/1999 1:51:00 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 10354

Betterstuff Signs Letter Of Intent To Receive Funding While we perform some server maintenance, please enjoy this Special Collection article for free, with our compliments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Richard C. Vigos, executive vice president of Fountain Fresh International (OTC Bulletin Board: FTFR) ("the Company"), doing business as BetterStuff, Inc., today announced that the Company has entered into a letter of intent with BetterStuff AG, Zurich Switzerland (the proposed Swiss licensee of the Company). Under the letter of intent, which has received the approval of the Company's board of directors, BetterStuff, Inc. will receive financing in the amount of $1.4 million in exchange for 14,000,000 shares of restricted stock of the Company. Funding will be used for the continued operations of the Company and engineering design work. Execution of the letter of intent comes after intense follow-up by the Company concerning potential funding scenarios, including discussions with various domestic and international companies with ties to the beverage industry. Vigos indicated that, following thorough consideration of these scenarios, the transaction with the Swiss group represented the best and most obvious decision for the Company and its shareholders. Pursuant to the letter of intent, the Swiss group has also agreed to provide additional funding to complete a four-phase design project of the beverage center product of the Company, which will be conducted by IDEO Product Development (Chicago). IDEO was instrumental in creating the new exterior design of the BetterStuff beverage center and has substantial experience in systems design and engineering. The Swiss group has also committed in the letter of intent to provide additional funding for the manufacture of redesigned beverage center prototypes and for the ramp-up of production and distribution of these centers. The additional funding is contingent upon achieving predetermined performance requirements within budgets to be mutually agreed upon between the parties to the letter of intent. Vigos noted that one of the most positive aspects of the alliance with the Swiss group is that the principals and engineers of BetterStuff AG are very familiar with the BetterStuff technology and possess engineering resources to facilitate upcoming phases of technical improvements to the new beverage center. Another advantage is that BetterStuff AG has worked with the new generation beverage-center machine at a beta-test site in Switzerland for the past several months. Its knowledge of the BetterStuff product is superior to all other groups who have examined providing funding to the Company. The transaction outlined in the letter of intent will enable the Company to move forward and to undertake the development of a new generation beverage center, which could significantly impact the future of the beverage industry. No assurance can be given that the transaction represented by the letter of intent will be successfully completed. The performance of the agreement is contingent upon various factors beyond the control of the Company. Though certain aspects of the Company's business will be pursued immediately, the closing of the transaction may not take place until May 31, 1998. Fountain Fresh International, under the trade name BetterStuff(TM), is a manufacturer and worldwide marketer of in-store beverage machines, offering value-oriented, self-serve soft drinks and purified drinking water. SOURCE BetterStuff, Inc. 02/25/98 /CONTACT: Richard C. Vigos, Executive Vice President of BetterStuff, Inc., 801-538-0060; or Jordan Richard Assoc., 801-595-8611/ /Web site: jordanrichard.com (FTFR) CO: BetterStuff, Inc. ST: Utah IN: FOD SU: Copyright © 1998, PR Newswire, all rights reserved.