I didn't follow the financials but I have long wondered about that supposed $120K. Did MT ever collect it? Or was FD scamming HF out of even more money? Did HF believe it was a legitimate, necessary operational budget item? FD, skimming.... MT and FD, scheming? Imagine that.
JMO
Sadly the issue of MT being paid by FORE wasn't fully resolved in the Civil Trial but it was discussed extensively. Because Bowman got MT excused from the Civil Trial, her tax returns weren't part of the proceedings and she answered all deposition questions via taking the 5th. The Civil Trial imo did make quite clear that the FD and FORE tax returns had less value than well used toilet paper. The other thing that the Civil Trial did make quite clear imo was that MT knew EVERYTHING that was going on with FORE and FD even to the point of knowing the FD land and property option deals.
FORE was a grift imo and while he was alive HF kept FD on a short leash and under direct supervision, but all that changed after the death of HF. JF and GF weren't able to exert the same control over FD that HF was and FD took full advantage of this fact. Also, HF maintained discipline with the FORE operation and FD in the past typically bought a property, developed it and sold it. Once the HF oversight was diminished or gone, FD went to town and bought more properties, leveraged them to the max via imo imprudent/stupid local banks and then got jammed from a cash flow perspective when the properties weren't selling - this process of building up FORE using bank funding was part of the FD grift and I think the other part of the grift was a tax con and cutting corners wherever possible (Who can forget the PG statement about not wanting FD involved in building his house! PG knew the FD games and I'm sure that FD sucked alot of money out of FORE and instead of paying child support spent it on himself, MT and his sister).
I don't think FD cared much about the FORE properties not selling as he had extracted as much as he could from the properties and then when the entire house of cards collapsed then it would be the job of the bankruptcy court to sort it all out with no real impact on FD and it would mean zero $0 for GF to collect following her 'victory' in the Civil Case.
FD built up FORE and then lit a match and set it all on fire. What is unfortunate is that FD owned FORE with his sister and so without truthworthy books, records and tax documents it becomes impossible to know how much he siphoned off to his sister or other parties. FD loved to work the angles and played games with his subcontractors and I'm sure PG knew all about it and I also believe Atty Weinstein learned all about it too, especially after FD had some of his subcontractor buddies file false mechanics leins on the Sturbridge property in New Canaan to preclude GF from gaining anything from its sale to pay off the judgement in the Civil Case. The FD delay tactics in Family Court and his ongoing lying there about his finances must have enraged JF and GF as they saw him buying more houses, getting sizable mortgages and the houses never were sold all while FD was claiming poverty in Family Court and never paid a dime of child support.
In her single deposition in the Civil Trial MT took the 5th for every question asked of her.
In the Civil Trial GF and Atty Weinstein attempted to follow the FD/FORE/MT money trail. FD lied on the stand in that trial and also lied in his depositions and in the documents submitted to the Court. The trial was an eye opener because FD and his knuckle dragger attorney Bill Murray had no fear of consequences for lying either on the stand or in documents. None. It was imo a stunning and cynical display of the results of giving the middle finger to the CT Courts. Other than losing the Civil Case, there were no Court imposed penalties or contempt charges against FD or his attorney in the Civil Case. It was stunning to watch play out as it was as if the Judge turned a blind eye to the blatant lies, misdirection, half truths etc. It was a farce imo.
FD lost the civil case but 'won' in that he shared little to no information that could help JF in in the divorce/custody case, cost GF another small fortune to take the case to trial with no information gained for JF in the divorce/custody matter where FD had also spent 2 years not paying child support and also lying about his finances on the record and also shielded MT from the wrath of GF as she was excused from the trial.
I'm sure Atty Weinstein gathered extensive information on FD/FORE/MT finances as part of the Civil Trial and they eventually would have proven helpful to JF had FD and MT not decided to murder her imo.
FD spent 2 years in Family Court refusing to share financial information and we know that he paid no child support and yet the Civil Case stated that he was paying MT $100,000 or so a year for 'marketing services' [wink, wink]. But the 2 years of games in Family Court gave FD time to use whatever money he owed to HF and not repay GF. Whether MT got any money from FORE is imo unknown as her tax returns were never part of the Civil Case unfortunately. But, the mention of MT being paid by FORE was made a number of times in the trial. I don't think FD and MT blew through all the FORE money and so I do wonder if FD simply gave it to Rena or possibly MT?
I do hope the State looks hard at the MT tax returns, assets and bank accounts before granting her a Public Defender or waiving any copying fees. Its interesting that Nicole Begue at 18 years old might have more in the way of assets vs her nearly 50 year old mother....
Didn't she say something about this in her LE interviews? Something about what she paid for and what he paid for? IIRC she didn't pay for much, maybe groceries and of course her daughter/school/sports. MOO
Yes, that entire discussion by MT and Det Kimball was quite interesting imo. I think it was the MT holding on to all her receipts and going into excruciating depth about what she pays for and doesnt pay for that had Det Kimball make his imo famous quote about seeing the MT White Jeep Cherokee and said, "You're not that organized".
MT lived on her daughters custody money and then admitted to asking Mama Troconis (aka MONEYBAGS) for cash when she was short! FD didn't pay anything related to Nicole Begue, seemed to give MT use of the White Jeep Cherokee and paid for their travel and some of the food, but per the MT testimony in the LE interviews FD didn't directly give her much (I don't believe this as the Civil Case told another story and so I think MT told a whopper on this topic in her trial). But, it was the discussion of MT talking about the food bills for herself and her daughter when I really scratched my head as here were FD, MT and her daughter living in this huge mausoleum of a house that was owned by the Farbers, not paying the rent as agreed, not paying the heating as FD didn't have the cash, behind on the taxes for the house and cars and not doing much traveling because FD couldn't afford it any more, and FD wasn't even paying to feed MT and her daughter? The way MT described it all was that FD just paid for his own expenses and that was it.
MT gravy train on the custody front would end with her daughter turning 18 and so imo this gave her huge incentive to be 'all in' on the JF murder as frankly she needed the money (where she thought the money was to come from is another story entirely but I'd love to hear her explanation!). I'm not sure why this MT money discussion didn't come up at trial in greater detail but sadly I think the Prosecutors thought the money discussion might put the jurors in the weeds which imo was unfortunate as the money angles I think explained so much of the motivation of both FD and MT. I would actually pay money to see her tax returns as her 'rug business' seemed to be some kind of unknown grift and god knows what she and Petu might have been importing from Argentina in those cowhide smelly rugs imo too!
MOO