Stephen L. Meininger 8/14/2014
707 North Franklin Street
Suite 850
Tampa, FL 33602
E-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mr. Meininger,
I am extremely disappointed with your recent handling of the issues in the Casey Anthony case which were brought to your attention at the recent meeting between you, myself, your attorney Alan Watkins and my attorney, Donald Schutz.
We provided your office, through Mr. Watkins, with a free copy of my book, Caseys Ghost, which outlines my opinions regarding irregularities in Ms. Anthonys petition which I believe could lead to charges of bankruptcy fraud. As I said at the meeting, you have subpoena power and I dont. I find it hard to believe that you could not find merit in pursuing any of the many irregularities in that petition, particularly as those irregularities relate to Ms. Anthonys intellectual property rights. I can promise you that if, as I believe will happen, Ms. Anthony is able to launch a multi-million dollar exploitation of those property rights, obtained under what I have opined may be fraudulent circumstances, without any kind of thorough investigation, I will not be the only one disappointed. I predict that there will be a hue and cry of outrage heard from one end of this country to the other, and beyond.
In my opinion, I find it incredible that it would not be considered fraud for a person who claims indigence living on the kindness of others, to suddenly produce a tax free payment of $25,000 without any explanation regarding from where it came, with no record of tax owed on it, and no detail as to what property rights are comprised. Further, it has not escaped notice that the $25,000 tax free payment made to the court in the indigent debtor Ms. Anthonys name, with no disclosure nor question as to is real source, miraculously turns out to be almost the exact amount that you and Mr. Watkins are billing for your services and upon which you plan to close out the case. Thats quite a coincidence. Were we dealing with average citizens, rather than privileged elite officers of the court, in my opinion, such a coincidence might appear to show collusion, particularly in light of an exhibited reluctance by the known parties to investigate and to disclose the identities and circumstances of the unknown parties who put up the money and their plans, if any, to profit from it, absent of any assurance that they will not.
To refresh your memory, the book, Caseys Ghost, raises a number of questions that do deserve answers. These are:
1. You will note that the bankruptcy petition, filed 1/25/13 as stated on Page 11, under Schedule of Personal Property Continuation Sheet Type of Property Item 22 - Patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property.- Give particulars. she has checked the
box marked none. However, on the previous page, under 2011 2012 Tax Refunds, she has listed the value as unknown, which is the appropriate response where an item is believed to have a value and the value is not yet known. If, in fact, Caseys
story has no value, why would she pay the trustee $25,000 in settlement for it? Further, if her total assets, as declared, on the bottom of page 11, were only $1084 of which, according to Page 9, item 1 was $474 in cash then who paid the $25,000 and why has
that not been disclosed?
2. Casey Anthony represented to the bankruptcy court, in her filing, and to the public, through her attorney, and in the interview with CBS-5 in Phoenix, that she had no prospects of a book or movie deal. The preexisting contract with TitleTown publishing, reprinted in Caseys Ghost, shows otherwise. While this contract was probably no longer valid on the date of the petition, due to my departure, it nonetheless shows that a value is attached to her story rights. In my opinion, the fact that the petition lists numerous other items of unknown value, makes this omission particularly ominous.
3. The TitleTown contract itself specifies that the first look will only be after civil litigation cases are concluded. In my opinion, when combined with Masons recorded statements, there is a clear, apparent intention to commit bankruptcy fraud:
Cheney:
she'll bankrupt these ****ers. She delays getting her money, she finishes her probation, she immediately files a *advertiser censored* bankruptcy and discharges whatever judgment the court does here.
4. Further proof that her advisor, Cheney Mason, believed that Caseys story not only had value, but major value, came right out of his mouth in this exchange, quoted in the book, Caseys Ghost.
Notice the words Multi-million dollar.
Cheney: And I don't know what José is doing or not doing, whether he's... I know that Casey is not, Casey is not going to do anything until her probation is over or release on it and then she will probably start with a multi-million dollar interview.
In my opinion, the failure to disclose to the court that there had been discussions with various members of the media involving multi-million dollar story rights is sufficiently deceptive to constitute fraud. Certainly, it would appear to justify investigation.
5. In my opinion, the following is a major issue of the bankruptcy:
On Page 22 of Casey Anthonys Bankruptcy Petition, there is an item that references an IRS debt incurred 11/01/2010 for 2008 Taxes, Interest and Penalties of $68,540. The
debt was incurred on 11/01/2010 for 2008 taxes? How did Casey make enough to owe $68,540 in taxes? The job at Universal, if shed had one, paid just over minimum wage. There is no explanation elsewhere in the document as to how this debt was incurred, or why the date on the debt was 2010, even though the tax liability is for 2008. In Caseys Ghost I explain that Cheney told me that José had arranged the sale of the photographic
rights to the ABC Networks for $200,000, which had caused the tax liability of $68,540. That would explain why it was for 2008 taxes. Interest and penalties. According to ABC News, as quoted by Chris Ariens of TVNewser, In August 2008 we licensed
exclusive rights to an extensive library of photos and home video for use by our broadcasts, platforms, affiliates and international partners. No use of the material was tied to any interview. The article is dated March 18, 2010. Yet, the bankruptcy petition
claims the debt was not incurred until November 1 of that same year. The obvious question is why is there such a delay? One guess would be that 11/01/2010 is the date of an amended filing of Caseys tax return for 2008. Another obvious question would be
that if ABC News had licensed the library of images from The Anthony Family, why are the taxes Caseys sole liability? Where is there any reference to the $200,000 paid to license the images? Isnt that a sale of intellectual property rights that should have been reflected accordingly in the petition? Isnt the existence of such a rights payment proof that there is a value to intellectual property rights? Notice the acquisition by ABC is referred to as a license, rather than a purchase. This indicates that the images are still owned by the individual(s) granting the license, which is, according to ABC, The Anthony Family. Since Casey is paying all of the tax, doesnt that imply that Casey is the owner? When I searched Getty Images, the huge image clearance house for Casey Anthony, it showed 1561 images available for editorial use. This means that they are only released for use by media outlets, such as newspapers, other publications, TV and online media. Such release specifically excludes commercial uses such as T-Shirts, merchandise, posters, films and anything else. The potential uses are endless. Getty says that such commercial uses require additional releases, which implies additional payments. Intellectual property experts tell me that such rights and payments include the subject, regardless of the creator or source of the image. In other words: ABCs payment of $200,000 for some the rights to some of Caseys (and Caylees) pictures and videos proves that there is a value to them. Why is that value not disclosed? Why are those rights not the property of the Bankruptcy?
6. Cheney Mason indicated numerous times on the recordings that he is owed $600,000. His intention has always been to recoup from the intellectual property rights. I believe he has now raised that claim to one million dollars.
Cheney:
all this concern about taxpayers spending this and spending that. I didnt hear anybody talking about the fact that non lawyers are getting paid. I didnt hear anything about the fact that the actual number of hours Ive spent on this case value exceeds $600,000. No *advertiser censored* sympathy for me. And approximately the same amount for Dorothy Clay Simms. And Jose. Although he got paid, you know, some total of about $60,000, three plus years ago. By the time he spent on it, even on his hourly rate as a younger lawyer, is easily over a million.
Isnt there an obligation to disclose what Cheney Mason is owed? Isnt there also an obligation to disclose that he plans to recoup this debt from the worthless intellectual property rights? Isnt it difficult to extract $600,000 from a property thats worth less than $25,000. Isnt there an obligation by a conscientious trustee to investigate and determine the real value of these rights?
7. In a widely quoted story by Fox News, there were several comments by Eric Kampmann, famous as the publisher of O.J. Simpsons book, If I did it.
Fox: One New York publisher said Monday that Anthony's story has the potential to be worth seven figures. "If she had the goods, and she was really going to spill the beans of what happened, particularly if she's not guilty, that's pretty big," said Eric Kampmann, the owner of Beaufort Books. Kampmann went on to admit that he had been in touch.
Fox: Kampmann, who said he has been in contact with a member of Anthony's legal team but has no deal in place
As he said, Kampmann had been in touch with a member of Anthonys legal team. That attorney was Cheney Mason. I was there and very much a part of at least some of those discussions, because Eric Kampmann was the primary advisor to TitleTown Publishing. Kampmann was represented to us, by Tracy Ertl of TitleTown, as part of her team in charge of media and public relations for the book and would be handling world rights and other media, such as motion picture rights. It appears that he is an expert, and a party to publishing agreements, representing that the asset that the trustee had sold for $25,000 is actually worth millions.
8. Finally, nowhere in the petition does it explain how Casey Anthony is being supported. If, as Cheney Mason has said in numerous interviews but not in the petition she is bartering her keep for work services, is that arrangement and its estimated value not required to be disclosed?
Author:
the whole country wants to know how Casey is supporting, or planning to support herself. Do you have any ideas?
Cheney: Well, Casey is not supporting herself. Casey is being sheltered and fed by charity, our friends.
Author: By friends of her cause.
Cheney: Yeah, in an extremely limited basis. Shes not shopping, shes got no money. Shes being fed and has a place to sleep. And volunteer protection.
By separate cover, I am going to provide you with a 90 page packet that I received from a concerned party that outlines a number of additional circumstances including six figure payments from other media sources that, although unsubstantiated, are worthy of investigation, along with names of sources who could be subpoenaed. You should have them soon, if not, please allow me to be sure you get them.
Because I firmly believe in full public disclosure, I am copying this letter Assistant U.S. Trustee Cynthia A. Burnette, the U.S. Attorneys office in Miami, and to a large number of media people and interest groups concerned with this case. I look forward to your reply in a prompt, timely and responsive manner. I am sending this first by email, with a hard copy to follow.
Sincerely,
Rick Namey
