Valley Business Development Sierra Investment Group Grant & Business promotion Las Vegas, Nevada

After several hours research, all companies and individuals named are easily linked to the same business model: promise of grant writing & business formation or growth for an upfront fee. They lead you along with a sizeable carrot of what every business needs now: "free money" for an upfront fee.

Our story: they contacted us to inform us our business qualified for grant funding (our business is non-profit, charitable for terminally ill children and for wounded soldiers--we are a military family.) The hype was that the "foundation" was incredibly interested in us because of our charitable concerns--we were qualified for sums in the range of 500k-750k, then followup calls for numbers which eventually reached 2.8mil. My husband sent the "fee" to work on our paperwork--funding was imminent! That was August, 2011. It's now March, 2012--no money, ever!

Info to know: numerous calls from nearly as numerous phone numbers--some now disconnected. Likely they are all pre-paid, disposable cells purchased for cash so authorities cannot trace to these predators. Voicemail mssgs never disclose company name or employee full name. Some mssgs are electronically modified voices only to change name, others are same person with slight change in voice but giving different name--all for appearance of a large group working for you--and only you! Some #'s: 702-442-5267, 702-675-4170, 702-762-1060, 888-994-2748.

Nutshell: Michael Jones and Charlene Scott can be linked to each company referenced above. Their operations date back for at least a decade. When their mask is pulled off and their face revealed, they change names like a chameleon changes color. Clearly their behavior is difficult for authorities to curb.

Consumer/business person must be self-protecting! Grants are NEVER handled according to this group's business model! NEVER give $$ up front. With this outfit, you will get nothing but a fax machine loaded with lists of someone else's copy-righted database material and an empty pocket for you.

Our loss? $3,900 (and more), months of hope. We'll march forward to do good for others, but we will not be scammed again!