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Kudos to Mike Laws Re: Frank Pate Federal Indictment on wire fraud charges

Emma

Con te partirò
Administrator
Speaking of Zinj....he was pretty wrong wasn't he.....about everything.

Just sayin.
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
Update:

The case is going ahead and the FBI is prosecuting him. He is legally and officially under indictment from the FBI. The trial is on and set for 18 May.

Frank is also running for president of the USA. Over in Collins County TX, he arrested in January 2015 for a failure to appear in court in what I believe is an old case from Arizona that has caught up with him. All discussed over here, link to mugshot included.

Frank Pate for President of the USA!
http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?38899-Frank-Pate-for-President-of-the-USA!
 

Smurf

Gold Meritorious SP
Frank has all kinds of websites attributed to him... here he claims to be honoring U.S. soldiers.

https://www.facebook.com/honorthesoldier.org (On July 9, 2014, he posted: "Had a project recently searched by FBI. They took records and documents related to our non profits. The plot thickens!"

http://www.whois.com/whois/honorthesoldier.org

http://www.whois.com/whois/frankpatelegaldefense.info

honorthefather.org & honorthewoman.org http://www.webboar.com/history-email/ZnJhbmtlZHdpbnBhdGVAZ21haWwuY29t
 

Mike Laws

Patron Meritorious
Frank has all kinds of websites attributed to him... here he claims to be honoring U.S. soldiers.

https://www.facebook.com/honorthesoldier.org (On July 9, 2014, he posted: "Had a project recently searched by FBI. They took records and documents related to our non profits. The plot thickens!"

http://www.whois.com/whois/honorthesoldier.org

http://www.whois.com/whois/frankpatelegaldefense.info

honorthefather.org & honorthewoman.org http://www.webboar.com/history-email/ZnJhbmtlZHdpbnBhdGVAZ21haWwuY29t

My understanding of honor the soldiers, it was a foundation, non profit, with the intent of raising money to build housing for returning soldiers, an unknown amount of money was raised and borrowed, nothing was purchased or built, none of the loans were repaid, it might even be part of the investigation.
 

TG1

Angelic Poster
Frank Pate was indicted by the feds, he was recently arrested in Texas for failing to appear on those charges, and now he's running for President of the United States?

Maybe he's trying to cop an insanity plea?

:roflmao:
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
Frank Pate CONVICTED by Feds on wire fraud and one count of mail fraud

My ears were burning, so I thought I would do some digging... and lookeehere at what I found in today's news:

North Texas man convicted in foreign currency trading scheme
By U.S. Department of Justice

May 27, 2015

SHERMAN, Texas – A 47-year-old former resident of Frisco, Texas, was found guilty of federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Frank Edwin Pate was found guilty by a jury of two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.

According to information presented in court, Pate perpetrated a fraud scheme on seven individuals who invested money with Pate for the purpose of trading foreign currency on their behalf. The evidence established that seven investors gave Pate a total of over $2.6 million over a several year period for the purpose of currency trading. Instead of using the money for foreign currency trading, Pate spent a large portion of the money for his own personal expenses. Pate was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 13, 2014.

Pate faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each conviction. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Andrew Williams and Christopher Eason.
http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_95669.shtml

Only case doc I could find, so far..
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. FRANK EDWIN PATE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, SHERMAN DIVISION

May 13, 2015

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
FRANK EDWIN PATE

[9]
ORDER
[10]
Pending before the Court is Defendant's pro se Motion for Recusal (Dkt. #47). Having considered the motion, the Court finds that the motion should be denied.
[11]
This case is set for trial on May 18, 2015. On May 13, 2015, Defendant filed a motion to recuse, asserting that the undersigned cannot be impartial because the undersigned was previously assigned to Defendant's civil case number 4:09cv643. Defendant also asserts that he made an earlier request for recusal against the undersigned in the civil case due to alleged ex parte communications.
[12]
Section 144 of 28 U.S.C. provides:

Whenever a party to any proceeding in a district court makes and files a timely and sufficient affidavit that the judge before whom the matter is pending has a personal bias or prejudice either against him or in favor of any adverse party, such judge shall proceed no further therein, but another judge shall be assigned to hear such proceeding.The affidavit shall state the facts and the reason for the belief that such bias or prejudice exists, and shall be filed not less than ten days before the beginning of the term at which the proceeding is to be heard, or good cause shall be shown for failure to file it within such time. A party shall file only one such affidavit in any case. It shall be accompanied by a certificate of counsel of record stating that it is made in good faith. [emphasis added]

28 U.S.C. § 144.
[13]
Some of the grounds for recusal of a judge are set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 455. This statute says, in pertinent part, as follows:

(a) Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.(b) He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances:

28 U.S.C. § 455.
[14]
The Fifth Circuit has held that a legally sufficient affidavit of personal bias and prejudice on the part of a judge must meet three requirements: it must (1) state material facts with particularity; (2) state facts that, if true, would convince a reasonable person that bias exists; and (3) show that the bias is personal rather than judicial in nature. Henderson v. Dep't of Public Safety and Corrections, 901 F.2d 1288, 1296 (5th Cir. 1990).
[15]
Analysis
[16]
The Court notes that mere disagreements as to rulings made are almost always insufficient to show bias or prejudice justifying removal. See Liteky v. United States, 510 U.S. 540, 555, 114 S. Ct. 1147, 127 L. Ed. 2d 474 (1994) (citing United States v. Grinnell Corp., 384 U.S. 563, 583, 86 S. Ct. 1698, 16 L. Ed. 2d 778 (1966)). Furthermore, affidavits that are based on mere conclusions, opinions, or rumors rather than personal knowledge are legally insufficient to require recusal. Henderson, 901 F.2d at 1296.
[17]
The mere fact that the undesigned was assigned his prior civil case while serving as the United States Magistrate Judge is not a ground for recusal. See Conkling v. Turner, 138 F.3d 577, 592-93 (5th Cir. 2003); Liteky, 510 U.S. at 555. Defendant also asserts that there were improper ex parte communications in his civil case. The record in the civil case demonstrates that Defendant first asserted this allegation in an amended motion for mistrial after the United States District Judge entered a Final Judgment in the case, and only after the District Judge denied motions to vacate the judgment and the original motion for mistrial. The District Judge then held a hearing on the motion, received testimony, and found that the allegation of improper communications was unfounded. The District Judge denied the amended motion. Defendant did not appeal any issue with his prior civil case.
[18]
Defendant did not file an affidavit in support of his request. If the Court considers the motion, Defendant has failed to allege any facts or circumstances that are legally sufficient to require or warrant recusal. His general allegations do not show bias or prejudice. Defendant presents nothing but his conclusory allegation that the undersigned is biased. In sum, sufficient information has not been presented that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that the undersigned is biased against Defendant, nor is there any evidence pointing to a personal, non-judicial bias. Henderson, 901 F.2d at 1296. Defendant has failed to show any valid basis for removal of the undersigned. 28 U.S.C. § 455. The Court finds that there is no basis for recusal.
[19]
It is therefore ORDERED that the Defendant's pro se Motion for Recusal (Dkt. #47) is hereby DENIED.
[20]
SIGNED this 13th day of May, 2015.
[21]
/s/ Amos L. Mazzant
[22]
AMOS L. MAZZANT
[23]
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE


KUDOS to Mike Laws, John H, and others who have been ripped off and who persisted in getting this scamming long time scientologist Frank Pate indicted!

I wonder what Dexter Gelfand has to say now about his friend who he defended for so long amid the protests of other trying to right this wrong?
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
My understanding of honor the soldiers, it was a foundation, non profit, with the intent of raising money to build housing for returning soldiers, an unknown amount of money was raised and borrowed, nothing was purchased or built, none of the loans were repaid, it might even be part of the investigation.

Mike, I saw a record today that in states that in 2012 he and his wife deeded their home to Honor the Soldiers. Of course the home was on land and water system that was contaminated by an area business lead leak, causing it to be worthless. So there is at least one property in the organization name. It does not state if monies changed hands on this transaction. I think this was after he sued his lenders and others related .
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
UPDATE:
I received word that Frank Pate was sentenced yesterday to 262 months for his crimes*. That's 21.8 years. More than the max. He'll probably do at least 20 years before he makes parole. I will have more details soon.

The Court Calendar for Amos L. Mazzant, District Judge
Thursday, October 29, 2015

2:30 pm
4:14cr125
USA v. Frank Edwin Pate
Sentencing

Justice has been served, in no small thanks to those who fought to right the wrongs. Including those he ripped off and never repaid. Shame shame on the people, some scientologists still in the church and some out and or in the free zone community, who defended Frank's actions, supported Frank by refusing to speak up and report to others what he was doing and let him continue to rip people off before others took matters into their own hands and informed the FBI, supporting victims in reporting what Pate did. Not everyone ripped off stepped up but the victory went to those who did the right thing. Mike Laws and Jonathan Horwich are among those deserve much credit for helping in this matter.



North Texas Man Convicted in Foreign Currency Trading Scheme
U.S. Attorney’s Office May 27, 2015
Eastern District of Texas (409) 839-2538

SHERMAN, TX—A 47-year-old former resident of Frisco, Texas, was found guilty of federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Frank Edwin Pate was found guilty by a jury of two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.

According to information presented in court, Pate perpetrated a fraud scheme on seven individuals who invested money with Pate for the purpose of trading foreign currency on their behalf. The evidence established that seven investors gave Pate a total of over $2.6 million over a several year period for the purpose of currency trading. Instead of using the money for foreign currency trading, Pate spent a large portion of the money for his own personal expenses. Pate was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 13, 2014.

*
Pate faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each conviction. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Andrew Williams and Christopher Eason.
https://www.fbi.gov/dallas/press-re...-convicted-in-foreign-currency-trading-scheme
 

scooter

Gold Meritorious Patron
Sometimes Democracy works - this is one of those times.:yes:

Take a bow, Mike Laws - for a person who's been as maligned as you have over the years, once again the result of your actions has shown what a damn good-hearted person you are.:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:
 

RogerB

Crusader
Sometimes Democracy works - this is one of those times.:yes:

Take a bow, Mike Laws - for a person who's been as maligned as you have over the years, once again the result of your actions has shown what a damn good-hearted person you are.:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

YES! Mike has shown he is one of those good souls who can take a stand on proper, decency and principles and take the brave actions needed to right wrongs that so many others wimp-out on.

Guys like Mike, you Scoots, Feral, Emma and Carmel, to name a few, all demonstrate what good can be done by having the balls to stand firm and do the right thing.

Too many (who will not be named by me here/now) who are either gutless, too dull, or too politically correct allow the cancer of the Frank Pates of the world to proliferate . . . and shame on them.

RogerB
 

Mike Laws

Patron Meritorious
This chapter closes with a sentence for Frank Pate of 262 months, well over 20 years. My respect towards those, under threat and intimidation that stood up to fight the abuser and make sure that he can't hurt others again, people I would like to name but won't without their consent. Some time I would love to tell the whole back story, which doesn't especially revolve around me, I was just a little grease in the machine powered by the efforts of some very good people.

I also especially want to thank the FBI, this is the first time I had ever really been significantly involved with them, I was treated with decency and respect, the agent, Christine Edson was honorable towards me in ways I won't mention, professional, and a credit to her Bureau. She should know I will be a little less upset every April 15 knowing her salary is paid.

Leila, Franks wife was left out of stuff, even though from what I understood, throughout the trial it seemed she was more than just complicit, but as the only free parent of children, I think decency dictated it better to leave her alone. It seems pretty evidence she could or would have done this without Franks lead and effort.

There were a few interesting twists along the way.

Dexter actually wrote me personally to apologize for his behavior. While my evil side wanted to get a lot more mileage out of rubbing his face in how wrong he was (using a boot on the back of his head if necessary), and yes I did continue longer than I probably should have, his civil responses, including that he deserved it, just took the sport out of it. Dexter, IMHO has graduated from "I can never be wrong Scilon" to "trying to be decent human being".

There were also some amusing email from his family. Bet you all didn't know I had a posse and Smurf, did you? Yeppers, I supposedly used my ESMB Posse and my SMURF to conduct terrorist data activities through ESMB against Franks innocent family (hello to all you Pate's out there) that were being reported to government officials ... a threat I very enthusiastically and vocally encouraged them to act on. SMURF with his amazing research apparently found some names that didn't want to be connected, LOL. Someday I need to meet Smurf, he has gotten me into more trouble than any other person I don't know, LOL. Apparently they had lots of trouble finding me so started emailing everyone they could find in the critic community asking if they knew me or how to contact me. I got at least a half dozen calls and email on this.

On a serious note, because some day his children will read this, my heart goes out to you for the damage in your lives from all of this. You didn't do any of this, didn't deserve the fallout from this, you are not responsible for this and must not let the actions of your father define any aspect of your future lives. For a while I could say that I loved your Dad, he was intelligent, exciting, lots of fun. He just used this for bad, I think because he over promised what he could do, and then delusionally believed he could do anything and then make it right. If I am still alive, smile, and you want to talk to me about any of this, please don't hesitate to contact me. If I can give you a hand in some way, some advice, or just comfort to put things into context, I will. Please, absolutely, do not let any of the negative aspects of your Dad define your lives, personalities and relationships. Your genetics give you a foot up in the world, the ability to do good, be kind to people, help make our world a little better. Embrace the past and use it to empower not weaken. May God Bless you all through this challenging time.
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
I received an update... that the judge took off some of the sentencing time. However, it is still much longer than anticipated and for a first time offender. Certainly longer than some criminals get for worse crimes. This sis a white collar crime victory :thumbsup:


NOTE-Some details are omitted to protect the victim:

November 13, 2015 U.S. Department of Justice
Eastern District of Texas in Plano
101 East Park Boulevard
Suite 500
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (972) 509-1201
Fax: (972) 509-1209



Re: Case Number ... and Court Docket Number 14-CR-00125
United States v. Defendant FRANK EDWIN PATE

Dear ......

The enclosed information is provided by the United States Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS). As a victim witness professional, my role is to assist you with information and services during the prosecution of this case. I am contacting you because you were identified by law enforcement as a victim during the investigation of the above criminal case.

Defendant FRANK EDWIN PATE was sentenced by the Court. The Court ordered the defendant to the following: Incarceration of 17 years, 6 months, followed by a term of Supervised Release of 3 years. Defendant was also ordered to pay a Special Assessment of $300.00.

The Court ordered restitution to be paid...

While the Court has ordered restitution in this case, it does not mean the defendant(s) will make restitution payments. In the event restitution payments are received from the defendant, the funds will be distributed by the Clerk of the United States District Court. It is your responsibility to keep our Office and the Clerk's Office advised of any address changes.

Through the Victim Notification System (VNS) we will continue to provide you with updated scheduling and event information as the case proceeds through the criminal justice system. You may obtain current information about this case on the VNS website at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov or from the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY: 1-866-228-4619) (International: 1-502-213-2767). In addition, you may use the Call Center or Internet to update your contact information and/or change your decision about participation in the notification program. [..]

[..]
Sincerely,

Judy Daigle
Victim Witness Coordinator
 

RogerB

Crusader
Dexter apologized?? Who'da knowed.

He actually owes one to many . . . the the "trying to be decent" will have progressed a little.

R
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
Some of the victims in this case were surprised that Pate got a near maximum sentence. The 20 years is beyond what anyone envisioned he's get. I was surprised as well. However, I suspect that the stiff sentence was handed out because he arrogantly represented himself in court ( see mugshot below for visual reference), spent most of the monies he stole from his victims and demonstrated a lack of responsibility for his crimes.

Frank-Edwin-Pate-mugshot-35407911.400x800.jpg


Anyway, I did an internet search today to see what was out there on the sentencing, and among other things, I found a bizarre comment left by "Frank and Leila Pate" back in May, in response to this article:

Texas Truancy Law Reform Receives Widespread Support

by Merrill Hope 1 May 2015
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/05/01/texas-truancy-law-reform-receives-widespread-support/

The comment and direct link:

Frank and Leila Pate • 7 months ago

This is Frank Pate and Leila Pate, as mentioned in the above article. Nice to see this issue is FINALLY getting some appropriate attention and review. Thanks to Breitbart for highlighting the issue.
There are additional facts about our case that were not mentioned in the article. Would the reporter please reach out to us on this for more details?
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015...ceives-widespread-support/#comment-2018542365

The sense of self importance is beyond comprehension, especially during an ongoing federal criminal court case against Frank! Like he was going to be able to make any interview on this when, in fact, he was residing in a federal prison, lol!!

Here are some recent press releases and news articles about his sentencing.
Please click and visit the original article links. Click love lets them know the story is important to readers. It lets the media know you are reading. Thanks :thumbsup:

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 06, 2015 Eastern District of Texas
North Texas Man Sentenced in Foreign Currency Trading Scheme
https://www.fbi.gov/dallas/press-re...-sentenced-in-foreign-currency-trading-scheme


Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Texas - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 4, 2015
North Texas Man Sentenced in Foreign Currency Trading Scheme
http://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/north-texas-man-sentenced-foreign-currency-trading-scheme

FBI, Misrepresentation, Theft
Bonham Texas Man Sentenced for Currency Trading Scheme
November 10, 2015 rexsecuritieslaw
http://blog.rexsecuritieslaw.com/2015/11/10/bonham-texas-man-sentenced-for-currency-trading-scheme/

Former Fannin County man sentenced to prison

By Daniel Starks on November 6, 2015
http://www.mythundercountry.com/former-fannin-county-man-sentenced-to-prison/


North Texan gets prison sentence in currency scam, must repay $2.8M
The Associated Press Published: November 5, 2015, 7:46 am
http://kxan.com/2015/11/05/north-texan-gets-prison-sentence-in-currency-scam-must-repay-2-8m/

North Texas man gets 17 years in currency scam, must repay $2.8M Posted: November 7, 2015 - 4:53pm
http://amarillo.com/news/2015-11-07/north-texas-man-gets-17-years-currency-scam-must-repay-28m

North Texan gets prison in currency scam, must repay $2.8M - SFGate
Thu Nov 05 04:02:33 EST 2015 | SFgate
http://www.ooyuz.com/geturl?aid=9035006

Posted November 5, 2015 - 5:39pm
Former Bonham man sentenced to federal prison for fraud
http://heralddemocrat.com/news/court-news/former-bonham-man-sentenced-federal-prison-fraud
 
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