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Report: #26278

Complaint Review: Tom Williams CPA and Hocus Pocus Engineering - Middleburg Florida

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  • Reported By: Orange Park Florida
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  • Tom Williams CPA and Hocus Pocus Engineering 2667 Poinsettia Ave Middleburg Florida 32068 Middleburg, Florida U.S.A.

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In the 6 week period leading up to June of 1998, I had talked to the three owners of a dubious company called Hocus Pocus Engineering Inc., they enticed me into a business venture with them, saying the business was turning about 350,000 dollars a year in labor volume alone, and in fact it did no where NEAR that number.

I found this out later on, after I had payed in some 40,000 dollars to the company account. I had talked to a Tom Williams CPA about the company before turning over the money for a 25% stock ownership interest in the operation. Tom Williams said words to the effect of 'You won't have any troubles with them, they are all retired Navy with good service records' 'they are good honest men'...etc.

Tom Williams CPA for the firm Hocus Pocus Engineering Inc. did not disclose the fact he was owed some ten thousand dollars by the company. And in fact the company had a long history of bounced checks leading up to my investment, and started bouncing paychecks, among others just ten days after my investment.

the partners, Steve Szals, Kevin Hester, and maybe even the younger partner Tony Gonyon just took the corporation's money that I provided for company purposes of growth, inventory, expansion, building purchase, and diverted the funds to their own personal purposes, I am aware that Tom Williams CPA was paid back his ten thousand dollars of that 'loosing' venture from my investment.

When I had reviewed the books prior to my investment, everything was on computer, sure was, but the books appearing on the computer were a patently flase lie, they had nothing to do with the reality of the business.

It is my information that the three men involved were diverting corporate money to their personal gain, pocketing company income and consequently failing to pay taxes to the State of Florida or the US Government, IRS....

In fact they stole my money and then under threats and demeanor to include puncturing the tires on my car for three times, they pretty well tried to scare me off from actually doing anything about this.

I filed a lawsuit and got an attorney, but have been hobbled by lack of income due to severe arthritic pains, so had my attorney withdraw from the case due to lack of payment.

BUT in the meantime I had with his assistance managed to get a review of the company records, there discovering some two yars later, around May of 2000, that note dated November 14, 1997 between lender Tom Williams CPA and the then two partners, Steve Szala and Kevin Hester, the note was for the amount of ten thousand dollars.

It is my position that the accountant wanted his money back on a loosing venture, and so failed to disclose the sloppy and inadequate business practices of the operation.
So I was about the perfect victim for this operation, I had huge respect for the US Navy, having lived just down the road from Annapolis Maryland, and having many CPA's in the family, as friends, and as friend's daughters, as well as having open and honest relations with my own CPA's over the years in business up north my self.

My lawsuit was dismissed basically for lack of money to pay to pursue it in court system.

Many attempts were made to collect the money damages, they essentially made silly offers of basically nothing down and nothing a month type things, and refused to even sign that into a note of any type, essentially just talk and no action, further lies.

Eugene
Orange Park, Florida

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 08/07/2002 02:28 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/tom-williams-cpa-and-hocus-pocus-engineering/middleburg-florida-32068/tom-williams-cpa-and-hocus-pocus-engineering-ripoff-con-artist-middleburg-florida-26278. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
2Consumer
1Employee/Owner

#3 Author of original report

New Information

AUTHOR: Eugene - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, March 26, 2007

Well, apparently I was wrong again. I have been provided with proof that the CPA loaned Hocus Pocus $10,000. on 11/14/97, and that it paid the CPA back $10,500 on 2/18/98. As I have stated before, I began discussions with Szala and Hester in June 1998, so I guess that Tom Williams CPA never recieved any of my money. I owe him an apology. Sorry bud !

Eugene

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#2 Author of original report

the only one who I owe an appology to is Tony Gonyon, he never wronged me

AUTHOR: Eugene - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

I happened to meet Tony Gonyon today and he and I had a discussion over what happened, and so I had forgotten all about posting here on this web site, but so it seem HE had not...anyway...

in the ensuing legal battle I got a court order to reveal just exactly what check and the amount and with photo copies of front and back of the checks written...

Kevin Hester stole 15 thousand right off the top, and Steve Szala wrote another 25 thousand of checks, thereby depleating entirely my 40 thousand dollar investment...turns out the CPA in question, Tom Williams was paid back the ten thousand he had advanced the company, I based my post on incomplete information in his case...
Tony Gonyon got nothing of my 40 thousand investment, and so is apparently innocent of any wrongdoing in that financial fiasco...

the Chief crook has been proven beyond doubt to be Kevin Hester, and with very significant backup by Steve Szala......Steve has died of throat cancer for all the outright lies he told, and I understand his wife has cancer at this point also...
Kevin Hester hit the wall in a race car, and was fairly badly hurt....

out of this entire affair the only one who I owe an appology to is Tony Gonyon, he never wronged me, wish I could say the same for the rest of the bunch....

Eugene Slater

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#1 REBUTTAL Owner of company

Part Owner, The allegation that I had anything to do with his case is misleading.

AUTHOR: Tony - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Fact: I was a buy in partner of this company 4 months before Mr Slater.

Fact: I paid $50,000 for a 1/3rd share of the company.

Fact: When Mr Slater bought in to the company for a 1/4 share he paid $40,000 and was to pay another $10,000.

Fact: When Mr Slater came to me about leaving I spent an entire evening discussing why he should not leave.

Fact: He signed a contract and paid $40,000 which was put into the company acct and bills were paid and one of the partners received part of it.

Fact: I did not receive $1.00 of any of the $40,000 that was paid and when the company dissolved I did not receive MY $50,000 back from the company either.

Fact: I was not named in the lawsuit/follow on lawsuits.

If anyone would like to discuss this with me feel free to call.. 904-276-7223

The allegation that I had anything to do with his case is misleading.

Mr Slater has since removed my name from the fliers that he was ditributing and I would like a retraction posted here.

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