Oraco Resources JYork Got manipulated into investing with these characters who never paid back the initial investment nor promessed returns Rochester, Murrieta California, New York

Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Assistant Director-In-Charge Announce Arrests Of Three Defendants In $2.5 Million Ponzi Scheme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 7, 2013

Alleged Scheme Involved Sham Investments in West African Gold and Diamond Mines

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced the filing of a three-count criminal Complaint charging CHARLES HUGGINS, CHRISTOPHER BUTCHKO, and ANNE THOMAS for allegedly perpetrating a $2.5 million Ponzi scheme involving investments in gold and diamonds purportedly mined in West Africa for sale in the United States. HUGGINS and THOMAS were arrested this morning in Edgewater, New Jersey, and Cliffside Park, New Jersey, respectively. BUTCHKO was arrested this morning in Murrieta, California. HUGGINS and THOMAS are expected to be presented in Manhattan federal court before Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman later today, and BUTCHKO is expected to be presented in federal court in the Central District of California later today.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: The promise of riches mined in Africa was fools gold that these defendants allegedly dangled in front of investors in what was nothing more than a scam. For those Ponzi schemers who have yet to get the message, be aware that you will be exposed by law enforcement and punished accordingly.

Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos said: As alleged, these defendants lied about their intentions regarding investors money, pocketing most of it for personal use. So long as there are people with money to invest, there will likely be investment swindlers eager to take their money under false pretenses. There will also be the FBI to arrest the swindlers.

According to the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:

From 2008 through September 2011, HUGGINS, BUTCHKO, and THOMAS solicited $2.5 million from various investors through companies known as JYork Industries Inc. (JYork) and Urogo Inc. (Urogo). HUGGINS andBUTCHKO and others repeatedly made false and misleading representations about how they would use the investors money to mine gold and diamonds from Sierra Leone and Liberia, and promised high rates of return, based on the profits they said would be generated by the sale of the gold and diamonds in the United States.

HUGGINS, BUTCHKO, and THOMAS misappropriated the majority of the money they raised and kept it for themselves or used it to repay other investors. For example, investor funds were diverted to Orpheus Inc., a record label owned by HUGGINS, and VASNC Pvt Ltd., a petroleum company owned by BUTCHKO, and used to pay monthly apartment rental payments, restaurant bills, personal credit card bills, and other expenses. THOMAS personally received more than $90,000 in cash and disbursed more than $830,000 in investor proceeds through wire transfers to the Bahamas and checks repeatedly issued in amounts less than $10,000 in an apparent attempt to avoid the reporting threshold. Contrary to the defendants representations, only a small portion of the money they raised was transferred to Africa.

When investors complained that they had not received the return on their investment that they were promised, HUGGINS, BUTCHKO, and THOMAS frequently converted or offered to convert their investment into restricted shares of Oraco Resources, a publicly traded company of which HUGGINS, BUTCHKO, and THOMAS were majority shareholders. The investigation has revealed that only one investor to date has been made whole. That investor received the principal of his investment only after he threatened to bring civil litigation.

HUGGINS, 66, of Edgewater, New Jersey, and BUTCHKO, 43, of Murrieta, California, are each charged in the Complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Those counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the offense. THOMAS, 68, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of money laundering. The money laundering count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering transactions.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI in this case. He added that the investigation is ongoing.

The case is being handled by the General Crimes Unit of the United States Attorney's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Edward A. Imperatore is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Compliant are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.13-041

Source: http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/February13/HugginsButchkoThomasArrests.php?print=1

I am Brad Rosen, one of the people maligned by this factually erroneous complaint.  Because of the innumerable false statements that the author made in this complaint, he asked Ripoff Report to remove it. Ripoff Report refused to honor the authors request.  Thus, I find myself forced to respond, since this is the only recourse I have other than suing, which would take too long before we are vindicated.   The most egregious error contained in the complaint is that the US company JYORK has anything to do with Oraco Resources, Inc.  Anyone who checks the SEC website will clearly see that the claim that JYORK changed its name to Oraco Resources is
absolutely false.  These are two completely separate companies that have absolutely nothing to do with each
other, and the statement to the contrary is false and libelous.    The statement that these two separate and
distinct companies have the same principals is also false.  I am not a principle of JYORK.  I wasnt even involved with the negotiations or the contract itself.  My only involvement with the matter was to negotiate a settlement on behalf of JYORK with the complainants attorney, nothing more.  If the complainant thinks I should be disbarred simply because I acted as an attorney, then he is thoroughly confused.  He merely screams that I should
be disbarred, but never states for what reason. 

I could sue him for libel on that statement alone, but do not feel like wasting my time on a ridiculous and unfounded statement made by someone who has such little significance to me.   I would also like to add that the author (who, out of courtesy, I will not name) was never told by anyone that if he sued he would not collect. Likewise, there is no order of any kind that has been issued by a judge that is being disobeyed.  The matter never even came before a judge, meaning this statement, like so many others, is completely false.  I would like to simply reiterate that JYORK Industries, Inc. US has absolutely nothing to do with Oraco Resources, Inc., and that this fact can be confirmed by going to the SEC web site and seeing this for yourself.  It is a shame that some
disgruntled and confused person can malign and libel so many people, and Ripoff Report will let this happen, even  when the author wishes to recant.  This is not an example of the kind of market place of ideas that the Founding Fathers sought to protect when they enacted the First Amendment.  This is simply rumormongering of the lowest and most irresponsible kind.  No one should try to pass judgment on anyone based on rumors alone.  And we are more than happy to provide anyone with the actual facts if the wish to hear them.