Organized Retail Theft

Booster stores are where you can buy goods “boosted” (stolen) from retail stores and then resold at huge discounts. I have heard rumors of booster stores operating in Coatesville.

Some people said that a person once known as a major drug seller in Chester County “moved on”. I think he moved on to something bigger than a local booster store. I think he became a player in a nationwide retail theft ring.

Organized Retail Theft 

A $30 Billion-a-Year Industry 

"It’s a telling case: a few years ago, members of two criminal organizations in California were charged for their role in a large-scale fencing operation to buy and sell over-the-counter health and beauty products—as well as other items like camera film, batteries, and infant formula—that had been stolen from major retail chain stores. The merchandise was then passed off to crooked out-of-state wholesale distributors, who just sold it back to unsuspecting retailers."

SEE:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/january/retail_010311

Weymouth Securities Limited SureInvestment investment scheme shut down (Crosby Wood)

I'm following the SureInvestment "unauthorized collective investment scheme". It is in now in the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, UK awaiting adjudication. I update when more information is available. 

It is of interest to Chester County residents because Crosby Wood, who has an office in Coatesville, PA,  is a "principal of Sure" (SureInvestment, LLC See, "Before the National Futures Association, in the Matter of SureInvestment and Crosby Wood" below. 

Crosby Wood was at one time the developer for the National Velodrome in Coatesville. 

I don't believe the investigation of the "unauthorized collective investment scheme" has any effect on the National Velodrome other than the National Velodrome's need to find new developers. The developers the National Velodrome Center, LP and Velodrome Management Group, LLC  now have look very good. And I think finding new developers of such high caliber on short notice shows the high level of professionalism of the National Velodrome.  SEE:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

The National Velodrome’s new developers look very good

SureInvestment shut down

BY ANDREW PENMAN ON NOVEMBER 23, 2011 1:00 PM IN INVESTMENTS

Weymouth Securities Limited was shut down in the High Court today for running an unauthorised collective investment scheme.

The firm, run by 32-year-old Benjamin Wilson of Poole of Dorset and trading as SureInvestment, had been ordered to pay the Financial Services Authority £11million in three installments, but the first installment of £3.9 million was paid the late and others not at all.

More At Mirror.com UK  Opinion:

SureInvestment shut down

High Court of Justice Chancery Division UK 

http://www.nfa.futures.org/basicnet/CaseDocument.aspx?seqnum=2989

Commodities Futures Trading is a high risk endeavor. SEE:

We got Gary Rawlings as the Coatesville City Manager.

A 3 person team interviewed potential city manager candidates. They allegedly thought that Gary Rawlings was the kind of nuts and bolts experienced man they wanted.  I think we got a bureaucrat.   

It's my understanding that Barry Cassidy was willing to take a pay cut and work as Coatesville City Manager because he sees the potential of Coatesville and he likes the City.

The three person City Council interviewing team turned down Barry Cassidy for City Manager as not experienced? As I understand it without even giving Barry a chance to talk. Where were their heads living at the time?

Well maybe it worked out better this way. Barry may be able to do more for our entire area as a PA State Legislator.

But I think the Coatesville City Council should dump Rawlings before he lays off 10 Coatesville PD officers and brings a new crime wave to our city. And remember, the last time it was not just a crime wave it was an arson wave too. 

SEE:
http://www.barrycassidy.com/

City of Coatesville Authorities, Board, Commissions, and Committees

 It’s that time again when people for Authorities, Board, Commissions, and Committees in the City of Coatesville’s government are being considered. 


In the past with the fights over "Saving our Farm" and some politically inclined people that I think represented the drug dealer community made it physically dangerous for some people to be part of a City of Coatesville, Authority, Board, Commission or Committee. See:

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010

We have been living four year long nightmare in the City of Coatesville

AND:

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

About Dogs, threats and Chester County Politics.

I think, I hope, that the influence of the drug business among Chester County public officials as it pertains to Coatesville is waning. And when the economic development of our long put off revitalization of Coatesville finally begins it will be much harder for street dealers to operate in Coatesville. I think that the "drug community" will do it's damnedest to put people on Coatesville Authorities, Boards, Commissions and Committees in an effort to stop economic development but I think the "drug community" does not have the clout it once had in Chester County politics. And most importantly I think that ordinary non-drug dealer connected people can serve their community without much worry about threats. 


If any person serving Coatesville on an Authority, Board, Commission, or Committee feels threatened call Tom Hogan at the Chester County District Attorney's office right away. Let him decide what to do about it. 


In 2010 former Coatesville City Councilman Karl Marking (wish he was still there) put a thorough accounting of the Authorities, Boards, Commissions, and Committees detailing total number of seats/alternates, term lengths, residency requirements. Most but not all positions require residency within the City of Coatesville. This document is useful for term limits and requirements but it is not up to date.

As to who is currently serving and what positions are open refer to the City of Coatesville website and look through the individual Authorities, Boards, Commissions and Committees. There are a considerable number of vacancies.

The National Velodrome’s new developers look very good

Considering the many obstacles beyond their control that National Velodrome Center, LP and Velodrome Management Group, LLC has faced and the promise the National Velodrome brings to the City of Coatesville and surrounding areas, I believe that the City of Coatesville RDA and the Coatesville City Council should show them a little extra consideration.  

I believe the project now has 1st class developers.

Read below to see what I mean:

The National Velodrome’s new developers: 

Michael Bailkin 

 “Michael Bailkin has experience in the area of public sector incentives for private projects, primarily representing developers, companies, and institutions. Michael has worked with clients on projects that utilized over $3 billion in incentives, in a number of jurisdictions. He also has significant experience in land use enhancements, including major rezonings for a number of large scale urban projects.

Michael has served as Chairman of the Corporate Outreach Program at the Wharton School's Real Estate Center. He was also a member of the Legislative Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and the National Policy Committee of the Urban Land Institute. Michael has written and lectured extensively on real estate and economic development, and was a contributing editor to the Journal of Real Estate Finance. As a Peace Corps volunteer in India, Michael started the first Urban Community Development Program in Asia.” 

Michael has served as Chairman of the Corporate Outreach Program at the Wharton School's Real Estate Center. He was also a member of the Legislative Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and the National Policy Committee of the Urban Land Institute. Michael has written and lectured extensively on real estate and economic development, and was a contributing editor to the Journal of Real Estate Finance. As a Peace Corps volunteer in India, Michael started the first Urban Community Development Program in Asia.”  

http://www.akerman.com/bios/bio.asp?id=1092  

“Keith D. Coe, Chief Executive Officer VF Hotels

Mr. Coe guides the oversight and direction of VF Hotels. He is responsible for all aspects of hotel property and project development and acquisition— including site selection, feasibility studies, development incentives, municipal approvals, branding, equity placement and debt financing. Prior to joining Valley Forge Investment Corporation in 1999, Mr. Coe was Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Omni Hotels. Prior to that position, Mr. Coe served as the General Counsel for Red Lion Hotels and Inns.
  

In addition to his legal and developmental experience, Mr. Coe has an extensive background in hotel operational divisions, including risk management, human resources and asset management. Mr. Coe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Utah and a law degree from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.” 

From: 

VF Hotels 

SEE:

National Velodrome Center Names New Developers

·         Written By: PCT Admin

11-23-2011

National Velodrome Center Names New Developers

Seasoned Executives Brought on to Drive Coatesville Project

On the other side I believe that the National Velodrome may have asked Crosby Wood to step aside because of this:

http://www.nfa.futures.org/basicnet/CaseDocument.aspx?seqnum=2989 

I think the National Velodrome got jammed up, but they came out swinging. They deserve another chance. 



I'm just trying to figure out what is going on. For what it's worth some stuff from the United Kingdom:

"Who does the FSA’s intervention affect? 

Investors who have paid money to SureInvestment. 

Can I get my money back? 

The court order that freezes the assets of Mr Wilson and Weymouth Securities remains in place until trial or further order. This order prevents Mr Wilson and Weymouth Securities from paying funds out to investors. 

If Mr Wilson and Weymouth Securities have operated without FSA authorisation, investors will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they wish to make a complaint. Furthermore, they will not be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. 

We are seeking to ensure that the interests of investors and consumers generally are protected throughout the Court process and ongoing investigation. However, it is for the Court to determine whether Mr Wilson and/or Weymouth Securities have broken the law and, if so, the appropriate response. This means that the matter is subject to the Court timetable, which is outside of our control. So we are unable to estimate when those proceedings will end and whether funds might be returned to investors. 

At the current time, the law limits the amount of information we can make available on the case. However, we can say that since the Court granted the injunction, we have been liaising with the solicitors to Mr Wilson and Weymouth Securities in an attempt to progress things as quickly as possible. We will give further updates as and when we can.

Last updated: 3 February 2011"\ 

FROM: 

Freezing order against unauthorised individual suspected of operating collective investment scheme

Mr Benjamin Edward Weymouth Wilson 
Address
Russell House Oxford Road
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH8 8EX
Company Summary
Company Name Company Status
THE SUREINVESTMENT FOUNDATION
Active
WEYMOUTH SECURITIES LIMITED
In Liquidation
WEYMOUTH SECURITIES LIMITED

My personal take on the Chester County Housing Authority is that it’s a cesspool of public corruption that is beginning to smell better.

The CCHA has been sticking Coatesville and other low income areas of Chester County with Section 8 Housing for decades. In the video below Barry Cassidy as the Main Street Manager of Phoenixville in 2008 is telling his opinion of the CCHA’s efforts to increase the density of Section 8 housing in a particular spot in Phoenixville. 

The section about the Housing Authority begins at 4:33 in the video below:

The Chester County Housing Authority has been segregating low income people and creating what might be called ghettos for decades doing the exact opposite of the intent of Section 8 housing.  That may be changing. I believe the Obama Administration has begun a clean up of  HUD and the CCHA is basically the administrator of the HUD program in Chester County. 

”The rationale behind Section 8 Vouchers is to give low income people a chance to move to middle income areas where hopefully their family will have a better chance for a good education, access to jobs and maybe most importantly a chance to socialize with higher income people. President Reagan put the kibosh on that when he cut the Section 8 Voucher funds in half. From then on Section 8 Vouchers were basically only usable in areas with low real estate values. Another important fact is that the Section 8 Voucher amount is the same all across Pennsylvania and can be used anywhere in Pennsylvania.Right now just about the only place in Chester County that Section 8 Vouchers can be used is Coatesville. Most of the rest of Chester County has property values too high for Section 8 Vouchers to be usable.”

SEE:

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011

Section 8 Housing Turning NIMBY on its head and Coatesville is exquisitely positioned to be the epicenter of the next real estate boom of Chester County

Coatesville is poised to rise from the ashes in 2012

The new 45^th District will finally give us a state representative who does more than sit on his ass.  If Barry Cassidy does one half of what he did for Phoenixville our Route 30 Corridor will be a booming economic center. And maybe, just maybe he will do a lot more than Hennessey did to get the drug dealers out of Coatesville. (See Lisa Johnson)

The new SEPTA and Amtrak train station will be here sometime in 2015. The Hotel will open in 2012. And I haven't given up on the Velodrome.

The only fly in the ointment is Coatesville City Manager Gary Rawlings plan to lay off Coatesville Police. That would make the drug business good again in Coatesville, with people digging bullets out of their kitchen walls and the SUR 13 gangs coming up from southern Chester County recruiting Coatesville's youth again.

This is not the time to give Coatesville back to the drug dealers

Our national economy is finally moving out of the ditch the GOP bankers put us in. The Republican plan to kill our economy by putting police, firefighters and teachers out of work is not stopping our economy from coming back.

Coatesville will get a new train station and a Marriott Courtyard Hotel.

The fires are over and crime is down in Coatesville because our Police Department was rebuilt.  Coatesville is the best real estate value in Chester County and we are attracting new middle class residents.

The Republican Congress has cut off Federal support for local police. All over the country police are being laid off. In Coatesville and Mr. Rawlings is poised to balance the budget on the backs of the City of Coatesville Police.

But just when Coatesville is finally coming back is not the time to give our city back to the drug dealers and national gangs.

In 2008 a bunch of Coatesville retail businesses had enough of the armed robberies and closed but some long time businesses waited for the "Bloc of Four's" inferno of terror to end. But if a store owner has a gun pointed to his head while his cash register is emptied one more time he might decide that it's time to close up.

Armed robberies, muggings and traffic stopped waiting for drug sales doesn't fit with attracting legitimate businesses to Coatesville  Putting drug dealers back in control of Coatesville's streets might send businesses looking to invest in Coatesville running away.

Hopefully the Coatesville City Council will have the good sense to ignore Rawlings and take money out of the water authority sale fund to keep police working. And maybe the city council will admit that hiring Rawlings was a big mistake, buy out his contract and send him off to play golf. Who knows, maybe that’s what he had in mind when he came here.