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No Justice - Stealing From the Vets, the Elderly, the Disabled, and Everyone Else

A true devil in disguise...

Millions of dollars gone, and never to be recovered. Taken by a man currently serving a ten year sentence for fraud; with his wife serving only a few months.

The big question is…

How come the victims never had a chance to share their side?

The truth is that we’ll never know the complete story because a lot of the victims were elderly and did not want to share with their kids that they were taken advantage of by a con-man. Since that time some of the victims have passed away. Some don’t want to talk. Some do, but don’t know who to turn to.

I’m going to share a little piece of the story, and also a small part of “how” it happened. The parts that they didn’t want you to know (for some reason).

I hope that there is justice!

Here are some articles to get you up to speed:

• http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/women_sentenced_to_four_months.html
• https://www.fbi.gov/portland/press-releases/2011/vacuum-cleaner-distributor-sentenced-to-130-months-in-ponzi-scheme
• http://www.oregonlive.com/tigard/index.ssf/2011/05/portland_jury_finds_tigard_man_guilty_of_all_charges_in_vacuum_fraud_case.html
• http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/05/portland_man_persuaded_140_peo.html
• https://www.fbi.gov/portland/press-releases/2009/pd090109.htm

There was one common question/comment that kept coming up, and that was, how could someone be dumb enough to fall for this obvious scam?”

THAT NEEDS TO STOP…RIGHT NOW…

If one or two people fell for the scam…sure…maybe…

But we are talking about hundreds of people.

Like…

Individuals (young and old), businesses, churches, organizations, banks, non-profits. If there was money, or the possibility of money, then you were a target.

• There were people who lost their savings to this man.
• There were people who lost their homes to this man.
• There were people who lost their cars to this man.
• There were people who lost their businesses to this man.

Nobody was safe…

Banks lost money. There was one bank in particular that lost millions to this man.

Let’s learn a bit about the man who was caught…

Johnny “Mickey” Brown (aka “the scammer”) was a nice guy; a gentle giant. He was charismatic, charming, polite, and everyone who met him instantaneously liked him.

He was a salesman by trade and by heart. His sales weapon…Kirby vacuum cleaners.

Yes…he was a door-to-door Kirby vacuum salesman…I didn’t even realize that they still had door-to-door salespeople as a profession.

Nevertheless he was, and he was a great one.

Mr. Brown set up a local store, was a pillar of the community, and was a faithful church goer.  

(Every one of Johnny Brown’s victims had known him for over a year (some a lot longer than that))

He seemed, by all measures, honest and trustworthy.

In fact, all members of the church that Johnny belonged to fell for his scam.

How could 200+ people all from the same church fall victim to Johnny Brown?

He was a man of faith.

Not only that…

In 2001, Johnny Brown went beyond the call of duty during a time of need, and helped organize a fundraiser by bringing in rapper MC Hammer (who is a religious man, but also an unwilling victim to Brown’s scam).

Who wouldn’t believe this guy?

And when he came to his “friends” in a time of need to help him grow his business…

They helped him.

Sure the idea sounded crazy and way out there, but they trusted the man.

The scam…

“Borrow” people’s credit cards to use to pay for business expenses; expand his business as a Kirby franchise owner. Everyone knows that Kirby vacuums are ridiculously expensive.

Why give him your credit cards to use?

Because he would pay the minimum due every month, and then also pay you a small amount every month on top of that for using the cards. It was like renting a person’s credit card.

It was legit…he did as promised. People were getting the cards paid on time, and earning a little money on the side.

He did this for a year.

 The other side of Johnny “Mickey” Brown…

He was mean, violent, and had a temper.

He carried a gun…always.

He did not like to be told no, and if you didn’t let him into your house he would come in anyways. People were afraid of him, but never reported him because they feared for their lives. People were afraid that he would kill them.

He tried, but Johnny could not always keep up the illusion of “Mr. Nice Guy”.

Brown’s downfall…

He crossed the wrong woman…

Becky Jarvis is a strong person who works hard for everything that she has. As a mother, a wife, and business owner; Becky is a light that others look up to. She is a hero to so many.

Becky and her husband have a computer business, and Johnny used their company a lot. Johnny always paid his bills, and they developed a good relationship.

Over the first year of doing business together, there were some red flags that Becky and her husband noticed. Nothing bad, it was just some of things that Mr. Brown did were outside of the box, but he had a good reputation and always paid his bills.

Then one day everything changed…

Johnny Brown put in an order for thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and services.

Again a red flag popped up, but Johnny had all of the answers on the huge change to his buying pattern. He had a solid business plan for growth, was an established business in the community, and had a great reputation.

So they granted his request.

Then things turned for the worst…

The computer company never got paid. They went the collection route.

Then the rumors of Johnny Brown started to circulate, and people were concerned.

Becky confronted him. She wasn’t scared of him; she just wanted the money that he owed. She actually ran into him a couple of times, and the funny thing is that if Johnny would have paid her, she would have dropped it.

He never would have gotten caught and sent to prison.

But he didn’t pay her…

In fact…

He pulled a gun on her, followed her, and had a car parked outside of her home.

Johnny’s plan failed because Becky didn’t run…she fought back.

Becky involved the police. Becky started talking to the other victims of Johnny “Mickey” Brown. Becky rallied people together to stop this monster.

And stop him they did.

Did Becky and her husband ever get all of the money owed to them? No.

Did the victims that trusted him ever get their money back? No.

Justice was partially served.

What Becky helped do was that she brought Johnny’s operation to light and helped stop him from scamming anyone else.

Did it work?

Somewhat…

People still follow this guy and think that he is innocent. People send him money. People support his wife’s business (that is still in operation and doing well).

Brown stated in court that “you’ll never find the money”, and he’s right. There are millions of dollars waiting for him when he gets out.

Johnny “Mickey” Brown is a smart person, and all this did was slow him down for a bit.

There is so much more to this story. This was just a small piece. If you want to share your story with us, we are willing to listen and get it into the hands of the public. If you just want to talk, we can do that too.

You are not alone!!!!

Insurance Fraud or Government Scapegoat?

Dan LeSieur did what most any other person would do, but he got caught in the government’s crosshairs.

Why?

Because he was already on their radar for standing up for himself and his community, and they (aka the government) didn’t like it.

So what did he do, and was it really fraud?

I’ll let you decide for yourself in a moment; giving you a chance to read about it and letting it soak all in.

It all started with damage to the LeSieur’s home, which was covered by insurance.

There is no reason to go off on insurance companies, but we all know for a fact that we pay in to insurance, but they don’t like to pay out.

Enough on that…

The insurance paid out and the work was completed.

That should have been the end of the story.

But it wasn’t…

Prior to this…

Dan stood up and took the lead position for local small businesses. LeSieur was the voice against new regulations that would ultimately hurt small business in the community and in the state. However, when he voiced his concerns; LeSieur humiliated the government.

He didn’t lie or mock them; he did it with the truth…unsugar-coated and raw.

They didn’t like it.

Soon after that meeting…

“Coincidentally” Dan’s business got audited, which they passed.

Dan LeSieur was on the government’s radar.

Which takes us to LeSieur’s insurance claim on his home…

The one that everything was ok on.

Somehow the claim gets re-examined and the term “insurance fraud” gets tossed around.

Not for the work on the home, or the family’s temporary living arrangements, but on the dogs. The insurance company paid for the dogs to stay in a kennel while the house was being repaired.

HOLD ON…we’re going to side step this for a moment and work our way back to it (there’s another piece to this story).

The dog kennel themselves…

NOTE: The name of the facility will not be named. They are a good business with real nice people. Their reputation shouldn’t have to suffer.

When a lot of small businesses start out, they start as something that the owners love to do, but doing something that you love and running a business are two different things.

This kennel for example…

Great with dogs, not so great with paperwork (in the beginning at least).

All businesses have growing pains…lots and lots of growing pains.

Like not having an accurate record of when Dan’s dogs were there.

Example…

Bookkeeper: Were the LeSieur dogs here every day last week?

Employee: I don’t remember…I think so.

Bookkeeper: It doesn’t matter, it’s an insurance claim. I’m sure that they were here all week.

HOLD UP…STOP…

Is this wrong?

Yes it is, but isn’t that exactly what we are taught to do?

Let’s say that you have to go to the doctor for whatever reason, and you have insurance.

You call to make an appointment, but they have to schedule you for a pre-exam first. On your second visit, you get to see the doctor that should have been on your first visit. Your insurance company has now been billed twice.

The doctor schedules you for lab works and an x-ray. At this point, your insurance company has been billed four times.

Then you have to come back to get you lab results, and then a follow up appointment for your x-ray results. Then you have to schedule another follow up appointment in a week or two. Your insurance company has been invoiced for seven different visits, when it could have been only one or two.

Let me back that up…

I met with a Homeopathic doctor the other day, and they like you to pay with cash because they don’t except most insurances.

I asked why?

The answer was the most honest answer that I have ever received…

We feel that $45 is what the office visit is worth, and so that is what we charge if you pay cash. If we were to bill your insurance company, we’d have to bill them $65 in hopes of getting the $45 we charge.

Most honest answer ever…

So…

Did the kennel do anything wrong? Doctors do it, why can’t they?

Let’s start bringing things together…

The insurance company was re-examining the claim, the dog kennel didn’t keep accurate records, and we’re taught to screw the insurance agencies because they screw us.

Ok…are we all up to date?

When insurance pays something (usually) you get a copy of what was being paid and how much you would have paid…”Not An Invoice” written across it.

Dan LeSieur was receiving these copies in the mail, but noticed that the kennel portion seemed to be off. The insurance was paying for days that the dogs were and weren’t physically there.

Did Dan worry about it?

No he didn’t, because we’re taught this stuff by our doctors. Plus the kennel was doing such a great job that they deserved a little bonus for it. In all actuality…Dan didn’t care.

However…

During the investigation, it was found that Dan had placed quite a few calls to the kennel. When asked about the calls (and not thinking anything of it) Dan told the claims person that those were the times that he called to say that his dogs wouldn’t be there that day.

So now there are bills to the insurance company stating that the dogs were there every day, a statement from the owner stating that they weren’t, and a dog kennel that can’t remember.

So who committed fraud?

Who do they go after?

The small business that can’t remember, and so they have to go off of their past invoices as to what the truth may be?

Or…

The person who has been fighting the government and winning?

Dan LeSieur was the scapegoat.

The only thing that Dan did that was wrong…

Was not telling when he noticed the discrepancies.

He did not tell, and for that they tried, and tried, and tried to pin something on him.

There were other articles written about this, but they don’t tell you the complete story because the media is one-sided. Nobody wants the truth.

They say they want the truth, but they don’t.

The media doesn’t want the truth…they want to sell stories.

The judicial system doesn’t want the truth…they want a conviction.

Dan LeSieur did what was right in standing up for his freedoms, and they went after him for it.

It’s not right, but what can we do about it?

The VA Denies Local Veteran Needed Help for Home Repairs

Born in the 1950’s, Chris B. (name written this way to protect from any backlash from the government) was raised in a different time. A time that did not turn away help to the men and women who served in our Armed Forces; the people who protected and fought for America with every breath they had.

Chris B. proudly served his country…our country. In doing so, he was able to take his military pension, which he does because he needs to. The VA was also there to help with payments and services when Chris B. developed cancer.

And this is where our piece of the story starts…

Dan LeSieur met Chris B. a few years ago, after receiving a call for a remodeling job. Dan LeSieur did not think anything was strange because as a construction company they took jobs like these every day; and being the face of the company, LeSieur went to meet Chris personally.

The drastic downfall…

The VA had declined Chris B. for any needed home modifications. There are minimum property requirements that are needed to be approved by the VA before they would approve any funds for future work.

Meaning that Chris had to get his home repaired to a state that met the VA’s requirements BEFORE they would do anything.

Chris is an older adult, living on a pension, and who just went toe-to-toe with cancer; and who was now being told by the VA to repair his home on his own before they could help.

So Chris called Dan to get a price quote for something that he could never afford.

Dan LeSieur met Chris, and stood there looking at an American hero who had undeniable physical proof of someone fighting cancer.

Daniel LeSieur sat and talked with Chris B., he listened to his story, he went over the communications back and forth between Chris and the VA, and then he looked at Chris’ house.

Chris B. called the right company.

Dan LeSieur took the job.

Chris B. beat cancer (unrelated to meeting Dan of course...the man is not a god).

Dan LeSieur wants to be remembered for how he lived his life, and how he was able to afford to give back and help people in need.

LeSieur’s construction company did what the VA refused to do; they gave Chris B. his home back.

Not only did LeSieur do the needed and necessary repairs that the VA required, but he went even further. He gave Chris B. a new master bedroom, bathroom, and closet; which went beyond Chris’ thoughts, and anything that the VA would pay for (if and when they approved Chris’ claim).

Daniel LeSieur didn’t look at Chris B. as a charity case, nor did he think about how much money this job would lose him.

LeSieur saw a man who gave everything for this world, for his country, and how that world turned their backs on him when he was at his lowest. Chris B. is a Veteran who protected us, and who in turn needed protection.

This wasn’t a battle of wills on who would break first. Dan didn’t take his fight to the VA and try to bill them for his work. LeSieur did what was right; he met a man that he could respect, and wanted Chris to have the respect that he deserved.

Daniel LeSieur took the job because he wanted to, not because he had to. LeSieur wasn’t looking for money or fame; he did what was right in his mind because he was able to.

LeSieur didn’t change the world for everyone, but he did change the world of one person, and sometimes that is enough. Chris B. thinks that it is enough.

Dan and Chris became friends during the construction, and they are still friends today.

When talking with Dan LeSieur about his proudest moments in life; one of his stories is how Chris B. changed his life (of course you have to get through story upon story of his family first).

Dan LeSieur is a good man, and no matter what is said about him, you can never take away the fact that he tries. He tries to make our little piece of the world a better place for everybody. 

Girl Next Door Steals Man’s Life

“She wouldn’t lie to me because we’re friends.”

If a politician did it…people would react.

If a police officer did it…people would react.

If a pretty young woman did it…people think that there’s a mistake.

What is it?

Lie, cheat, steal, manipulate…

Why?

For what?

For attention…

(Already there are some of you that don’t believe it…even though you haven’t heard the story yet)

NOTE:

This story will have a lot of “generals” rather than “specifics” because it is ongoing, and people are still affected by this.

But…

Similar stories have been happening for so many years that it makes it relevant.

So relevant…that you probably know somebody who went through something similar.

Back to the story…

There is a young female employee who doesn’t like to work. She does it because she has to, as in she has to pay rent.

There is absolutely no secret that she hates her job, because she complains about it every day. She is on disciplinary action for missing too many days, for showing up late, for not accomplishing her tasks, and for having a bad attitude.

She also finds it unfair that she has never received “Employee of the Month” and the prize that goes with it.

She gets caught stealing…

Her job is terminated.

She calls 911 and claims rape by her boss (who is male and the owner of the company).

As the story goes …

She has been sexually abused by her boss for a couple of years, but never reported it or quit because she needed the money.

After the police report is filed...

She tells her friend, who seems concerned. The friend takes the young woman out to lunch, which she enjoys very much.

Positive attention…

So the young woman tells everyone who would listen about what her boss did to her. Some people listen, some people do not want any part of it, and some people give her the reaction that she was looking for.

All and all…she tells a large amount of people “what happened”.

On his side…

He is hated!

People convict him before the law does.

Facebook friends and followers drop off.

His business suffers and eventually closes…laying off the few employees that there were (small business).

His wife leaves him.

Charges are filled against him, and he goes to prison.

However…

A few months into his sentence, he is released.

Why?

They found out that she had been lying.

How?

She got caught forging some legal documents (criminal charges of fraud are being brought up against her).

Even more impressive was the person who turned on her.

The man’s former business partner.

The former partner had been paying the young lady to lie about being sexually abused; a lie that she kept up during the three month investigation, through court, and after sentencing. Telling her story to anyone who would listen.

The former partner wanted to discredit the man who he claimed stole his company for a few thousand dollars.

The partner admitted that he had given the woman money, bought her gifts, paid for trips, bought her a car, and was paying her rent.

As far as he knew…his old business partner never touched the woman. She made the whole thing up to get paid.

So why stop?

When she was busted for criminal activity, there were things that led back to the partner. He admitted to bribing her, but had no idea about these new charges.

Both the business partner and the woman are facing criminal charges for lying about the rape and sexual abuse.

STILL…

People don’t believe that she did anything wrong.

Why?

Because she said that she didn’t lie.

She still claims to be the victim.

People actually believe her because she wouldn’t lie. Sure she has lied in the past, but she wouldn’t lie about this.

What about the guy?

His life ended (not actual death) the day that she made up the rape story.

He’s free, but people still “know” that he did it and “got away with it”.

He has no family, no friends, and no job.

His life is ruined over a lie.

Does the young lady care?

NO!

She ruined a man, a family, co-workers, their families, and a business over a lie.

She’s never told the truth in her life, but people still believe her.

Why?

Because even the “little boy who cried wolf” told the truth once…

And what would have happened if she gave up this lie?

She would have lost all of the perks that she was being given, and possible charges brought up against her for filing a false police report.

If it was anyone other than a pretty young woman, nobody would have believed them. 

And even now…

The beautiful young woman is prison bound, and people still can’t believe it…

“Somehow the law is wrong” (the law isn’t wrong…this woman is a criminal and deserves whatever the courts throw at her).

Why is our society like this?

Embezzler Frames Business Owner to Escape Punishment

Daniel LeSieur is a self-made man, but that doesn’t mean that success came easy; in fact, true success never comes easy.

And as you’ll see…

Mr. LeSieur never gave up despite the fact that he was blocked in every aspect of his life, and for a short time it looked as though failure got the better of him.

But it didn’t…

In all honesty, the story that I am about to share with you is private and embarrassing, and Dan probably doesn’t want the world to know, but it’s important to understand Dan as a person and as a businessman.

Let’s start from the beginning (at least the beginning to this story).

Years ago Dan LeSieur and his family were living their lives in Southern California. They were the typical American family. The kids were active in school and sports, while Dan held a position at a worldwide freight company.

They dreamed of moving.

During a vacation with friends and family, the LeSieur’s found themselves in the Pacific Northwest, and from that moment on they felt the need to move north.

Reality hit…

The kids had school, friends, sports, and their entire lives were in Southern California. Plus, the company that Dan worked for didn’t have any openings available for a transfer.

The LeSieur’s loved California, but desperately wanted to move. So mom, dad, and all of the kids sat down a discussed it; and guess what…

The kids wanted to move…to a smaller town with a smaller school.

So they looked…

• Northern California…no job openings.
• Southern Oregon…no job openings.
• The center of Oregon…no job openings.
• Northern Oregon…no job openings.
• Southwest Washington…position available sometime soon.

So they searched, and the LeSieur’s fell in love with the outskirts of Vancouver, Washington.

Then the first brick started to crumble…

Daniel LeSieur lost his job.

The family was already committed to move, and they did…

On a dream.

Dan LeSieur had a business idea and a marketing plan, and he brought it to life in Washougal, Washington.

Fast forward…

The company was a success and that was a problem because it was growing too fast. Dan was working a lot of hours, which caused problems at home.

Dan brought in partners and investors, but the company still took most of his time.

Bricks two and three started to crumble…

The LeSieur’s marriage was failing.

There house was unsafe to live in.

During all of this time, Dan’s wife wanted her husband. Their marriage wasn’t a marriage, and so something had to give.

On top of that, the LeSieur’s found that the inside of their home’s walls contained heavy amounts of toxic mold that was missed on the report from when they moved in.

Dan broke down, but refused to give up.

He hired help…

A person that could come in and manage the day-to-day operations when he needed the help, but their biggest contribution came from doing the books.

See where we are going with this (referring to the title)?

• Dan started to get his life back in control.
• He and his wife were working things out.
• Insurance was paying for the house to be fixed.
• Business was booming.

The fourth brick brought the house down (nearly)…

Their son was suicidal.

How could they come back from this?

Everything that they had been dealing with, hit them tenfold.

• The husband and wife talks were put on hold.
• The house was taking longer than it should.
• Dan started questioning financial transactions within his company.
• Their son’s life became their everything.

This is when Dan found out…

He got audited…twice…

Insurance fraud and L&I.

You see…

When Dan started to question financial records, everything pointed to the person he hired to help him out. Before LeSieur could take it any further, his son tried to commit suicide, and so Dan dropped everything to focus on his family.

But before he left…Dan fired the employee and started to file charges.

During the time of Dan’s absence; however, the former employee fed the investors lies about the missing funds. She gambled that Dan’s family matters were too important for him to have informed the partners about her crimes since she hadn’t been arrested.

She was right…

The former employee claimed that she and another employee were fired because they knew of Dan’s stealing of funds to rebuild his house.

The house that insurance was paying for, and was no one’s business. These were Dan’s partners and investors…not friends. They didn’t need to know who was paying for his house to be fixed. Dan didn’t talk about his personal life with them. They didn’t even know that his house was under repair and that the family was living somewhere else.

Maybe he should have told them?

LeSieur’s partners had him investigated, which in turn made the insurance company also look at him.

They investigation found nothing…he was cleared.

Daniel LeSieur filed charges against the former employee, but stopped before they were finalized because of advice he received from his friend and lawyer.

The issue was that Dan wanted to do something, but it would have made it worse because he would have come off as petty and retaliating; making a bad situation worse.

You see…

During Dan’s investigation, the former employee took her story to anyone who would listen.

And people listened…

• And convicted him in their own minds.
• Stories were published that were untrue, and one-sided.
• Dan lost his business.

She took advantage of a situation for her own gain.

Worse…

She took advantage of a family going through the lowest point in their lives.

Was all hope lost?

NO!!!!

Things got better…

• Dan’s son was okay.
• Dan’s wife supported him through the entire ordeal, and their marriage became stronger than ever.
• Their home was finished.
• The Attorney General had most of the slandering articles about Dan pulled down.
• Dan made amends with his investors, partners, and employees.
• Dan started to dream again, and rebuilt something from the ashes.

Now…

Fast Forward to today…

Dan has a thriving business, a successful marriage, and successful children. He supports his community by giving back where they need it.

For example…

He volunteers his time at the local community center, and pays his employees so that they can volunteer too. His company has built the snack bar at their local little league field, and they are doing so many other things because they can.

Why is Dan doing this?

Because his life has had its ups and downs, and the downs were drastic. Dan knows what it is like to have his life crumbling down around him, where he can’t breathe and there seems to be no way out.

Dan wants to live in the light…the positive light, and he wants to share his gifts of success with the world around him.

Dan isn’t a hero…

He just understands that the world isn’t always fair. That sometimes the bad guy wins, and no matter how much you fight, the truth never gets heard.

Dan wants to help the people who are overlooked and buried, because he was and no one was there.