Explanation of Previous Post…
Posted by LittlBUGer | Posted in Stuff | Posted on 03-03-2010
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Well, since this is now public news, I may as well make an update on my previous post and tell everyone the real truth (compared to what is or will be posted online or in the news). I’ll just start from the beginning…
Before I start, please realize that I am terribly sorry for everyone who got hurt in this situation, including Rosetta Stone. I never meant to hurt the company or anyone that we sold products to. I just hope that everyone understand this…
In October of 2008, a friend online said that he could get good deals on Rosetta Stone products and that he could supply them if I would be the storefront, so-to-speak, and get the items online on sites like eBay and such as well as use my online funds accounts like Paypal and Google Checkout. Once he proved to me that it was legit by actually sending me some of the products, fully retail and still factory sealed, I agreed and didn’t think much of it. We started off slow but soon started selling a lot of them very quickly, especially once other online sellers caught wind and wanted to deal with me directly. By April of 2009, when everything just kind of abruptly stopped (supplier couldn’t get his ‘deals’ anymore), we had sold around 900 items or so and made over $200,000, obviously over half of that going to my supplier.
It wasn’t until June 22, 2009 that everything went wrong. The US Secret Service showed up at my job questioning me about this business that I had done, thinking I did it all myself, and saying that everything sold was fraudulent. To make a long story short, I came to find out that not only was my supplier using a credit card generator program to create ‘real’ credit cards and purchase everything fraudulently, but there was nothing the government could really do with him because he was in Jordan. They had no official charges against me at this time, just a search warrant. I relentlessly explained that all my intentions were was to sell a great product at a cheaper price so good people could actually afford it, and to also make a little money on the side so my family of 5 wouldn’t have to struggle so much. That didn’t really matter, and it didn’t matter how much I cooperated. They eventually took all of my computers and other electronics from home and at the time, that was that. I got laid off from my job due to liability issues.
Of course this all came as a huge shock to my family and seemed like a terrible horror movie to me as I was freaked out of my mind. I’ve never done anything wrong in my life, I have no record of anything, not even a speeding ticket or anything, and all of my friends and family actually thought it was a joke at first because they couldn’t ever perceive me in such a situation. The whole thing is outrageous and has brought nothing but hell and pain to my family.
After I was fired from my job, I was on unemployment while I tried to find another job, as there was nothing really happening with the ‘case’ the government had on me. No contact or estimated time, nothing, so I had to continue my normal life like nothing happened. So after several months, I finally found a new permanent job, one much better than the previous that the Lord blessed me with, and all was fine. That was until about a month ago when the government/Secret Service finally got back to me (and my lawyer) about their investigation. Other than telling me the outcome of the evidence they said they had from my computers as well as the outcome of my supplier in Jordan, they said they have plenty of stuff to charge me with everything, which Rosetta estimated a loss of $480,000. Apparantly that was the total amount (retail + shipping + taxes) lost but I never ever received anything near that much. Through this whole thing, I’ve been as cooperative as possible, never hiding anything at all, as I had nothing to hide. I never set out to be purposely fraudulent or hurt anyone. I didn’t have any generated credit card numbers on my PC, I gave them passwords to everything, I did everything I could to help, willingly, without restraint. Because my supplier is overseas, the US was unable to extradite him to the US, the entire amount stolen falls upon me.
Unfortunately, due to such a high loss value, this automatically puts me on a guideline of mandatory prison time of at least 1.5 years. I just had my first court appearance today, hence why the story is in the news now, to officially plead guilty to a charge of Information of a Conspiracy to Commit Fraud. They make it all sound like I did everything from the start to hurt others and steal money, though that is so far from the truth. I never intended to hurt anybody or any company at all, I was just trying to help others by giving them a great product at a discounted price. Unfortunately, Rosetta and the government don’t see it that way, they need to make an example out of me.
I don’t know what everyone reading this will believe, but I know in my heart what is true and so do my family and friends and others who know me. It’s sad to hear such a thing happen to good people, but what is done is done I guess and I must pay the price regardless. All of this has brought nothing but extreme pain and sorrow. On top of losing my new job that I had for the past 5 months, due to the fact that I told them the truth this Monday, trying to do the right thing, we are ending up having to sell our dream home and most of our things just so we can make it by and so my wife and 3 kids will be able to make it once I’m gone for a couple years. We’ve spent the past 10 years struggling so much to get to the point where we are in a great neighborhood, with great people, a perfect home, a great school for the kids, the perfect job for me, and whatnot else and now it’s all gone, destroyed by what could be called a stupid decision on my part, but definitely not my intentions. We will also have to owe the IRS around $15,000 or so in taxes because I have to claim everything and since the government seized the reserve funds I had set aside for this, we are pretty much left broke with little clue of what the hell we are going to do. We are more than happy to make restitution to pay back Rosetta Stone for everything that was lost.
Again, I want everyone to understand that I am terribly sorry over what has happened and what I have unknowingly done. I never meant or wanted to hurt Rosetta Stone or all of the people who bought the product, or the people who my supplier got credit card numbers from. Even with how things are in dire straights, I will continue to pray for you and continue to ask for forgiveness for what has happened. Though I realize that may be of no consolation for what you may be going through, I don’t know what else to do. I feel so bad for what I could have done to your credit or your families and finances and whatnot. I’m just so sorry for everything.
So that is why I must be parted from my wife, my beautiful children, my family and friends, and everyone and everything else for a couple years, is because I’m being punished fully for something that was never my intention. Sure, one could argue that it was ‘too good to be true’ and I should have known the signs or something. But can’t once in my life, just once, something actually be good and actually be true? Can’t we ever get a break so we aren’t always struggling and depressed and ever-worried about finances and things? Why do such horrible things happen to people who have everything to lose? I don’t know, but I’m not a person to run or break the law. I have plead guilty to the case in order to fully cooperate and be away from my family for the least amount of time possible. I just hope that in 3 months, when I have my court hearing for the actual sentencing, that the judge can see my point of view and my heartache, and especially the truth, and make it so that I am not gone long and I can try to return to my life as soon as possible and try to rebuild everything with my family. I will always pray for forgiveness and kindness.
Again, I’m sorry to everyone else that I have let down due to the circumstances and I wish the best for all of you. Thank you for your kindness and help for those of you who know me. We will get through this, we will get to the light at the end of the tunnel.