[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Of course, the loan was never repaid by Kinlin. Thut found out
about it after Kinlin had gone to prison and the TD bank sent Thut a
letter demanding its money. Thut objected and sent off a letter to TD
Bank President Charles Baillie.
77
Getting What You Deserve
Thut got back a letter from Colin C. Taylor, Director, Litigation,
for TD Bank Financial Group. Lawyers might have called the letter
fittingly aggressive. Mere mortals would have called it snotty. It said,
in part:
In the circumstances, you have had the full benefit of
these funds and the Bank is entitled to look to you for
the repayment of these funds under principles of resti-
tution and unjust enrichment.
In my view, the forgery, if any, by Mr. Kinlin of
your signature is wholly irrelevant to your obligation
to repay the funds received by you. I suggest you are
also liable to pay reasonable interest from the dates of
the withdrawals.
We argued with lesser officials who would listen to us that Thut
was the innocent victim of crime and should not be further victimized.
And how had the bank managed to approve a fraudulent loan applica-
tion in the first place?
The TD Bank forgave the loan and said, in a terse, five-line letter
to Thut, “The Bank will forgive your loan. We will ensure that our col-
lections department is made aware of our decision and that your cred-
it rating has not been affected by this incident. We trust you will find
this satisfactory.” David Thut did.
But just as that Kinlin mess was being cleaned up, Kinlin himself
was busy with a new enterprise from inside prison. Corrections officials
alleged that Kinlin and two fellow inmates were applying for old-age
pensions on the Internet, using phony ID. The government cheques
were sent to Kingston mailboxes and the inmates picked them up and
deposited them in their own bank accounts while they were out of the
prison on day passes.
The investigation into that scam was abruptly halted when Kinlin
became ill with a heart ailment. He died in Kingston Penitentiary
Hospital on March 4, 2001. He was fifty-five. Kinlin died poor, sharing
that status with his ruined clients.
78
Bad Guys Dancing
Promising big profits is a time-honoured way to get OPM — Other
People’s Money. But some bad guys sweeten the pot by adding a little
glamour, some showbiz, and a touch of sex. Such was the combination
of delights awaiting rapturous stars of tomorrow at the ritzy offices of
Canadian Media Group International. The hot pink brochure said it all:
When the time comes to embark on a career in the
entertainment industry, there is always a need for
guidance and refinement... Models are one of the most
important parts of the fashion industry. Without mod-
els, the fashion industry would not survive... The
Talent Division of Canadian Media Group brings
together a number of gifted individuals who represent
the widest possible range of acting styles... We believe
in the three-dimensional actor, one who brings char-
acter and emotion to their (sic) craft.
Clearly, CMG did not represent writers. But then again, it really did-
n’t represent anybody. We could not find a single client who got a job or
a gig as a result of going to CMG and plunking down anywhere from
$600 to $6,000 for publicity photos, videos, and agent representation.
Said the brochure, “Our support staff is knowledgeable, not to
mention tenacious, capable of casting, booking, and meeting the
demands of our clients.” But when clients demanded their money back,
support staff members were hard to find, not to mention unavailable.
The Toronto Better Business Bureau, the Ontario Consumer
Ministry, the Toronto Police, and Goldhawk Fights Back got hundreds
of complaints about CMG. We decided to pay a visit to their offices.
We formed a delegation — a disgruntled mother and her hoped-for
child star; Peter Lalonde, the President of the Toronto Better
Business Bureau; and us. The mother wanted her money back.
Lalonde wanted his little BBB sign back — he was revoking CMG’s
membership. We wanted to find somebody, anybody, who got their
money’s worth from CMG.
79
Getting What You Deserve
At the reception desk, with camera rolling, the staff went into a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
Of course, the loan was never repaid by Kinlin. Thut found out
about it after Kinlin had gone to prison and the TD bank sent Thut a
letter demanding its money. Thut objected and sent off a letter to TD
Bank President Charles Baillie.
77
Getting What You Deserve
Thut got back a letter from Colin C. Taylor, Director, Litigation,
for TD Bank Financial Group. Lawyers might have called the letter
fittingly aggressive. Mere mortals would have called it snotty. It said,
in part:
In the circumstances, you have had the full benefit of
these funds and the Bank is entitled to look to you for
the repayment of these funds under principles of resti-
tution and unjust enrichment.
In my view, the forgery, if any, by Mr. Kinlin of
your signature is wholly irrelevant to your obligation
to repay the funds received by you. I suggest you are
also liable to pay reasonable interest from the dates of
the withdrawals.
We argued with lesser officials who would listen to us that Thut
was the innocent victim of crime and should not be further victimized.
And how had the bank managed to approve a fraudulent loan applica-
tion in the first place?
The TD Bank forgave the loan and said, in a terse, five-line letter
to Thut, “The Bank will forgive your loan. We will ensure that our col-
lections department is made aware of our decision and that your cred-
it rating has not been affected by this incident. We trust you will find
this satisfactory.” David Thut did.
But just as that Kinlin mess was being cleaned up, Kinlin himself
was busy with a new enterprise from inside prison. Corrections officials
alleged that Kinlin and two fellow inmates were applying for old-age
pensions on the Internet, using phony ID. The government cheques
were sent to Kingston mailboxes and the inmates picked them up and
deposited them in their own bank accounts while they were out of the
prison on day passes.
The investigation into that scam was abruptly halted when Kinlin
became ill with a heart ailment. He died in Kingston Penitentiary
Hospital on March 4, 2001. He was fifty-five. Kinlin died poor, sharing
that status with his ruined clients.
78
Bad Guys Dancing
Promising big profits is a time-honoured way to get OPM — Other
People’s Money. But some bad guys sweeten the pot by adding a little
glamour, some showbiz, and a touch of sex. Such was the combination
of delights awaiting rapturous stars of tomorrow at the ritzy offices of
Canadian Media Group International. The hot pink brochure said it all:
When the time comes to embark on a career in the
entertainment industry, there is always a need for
guidance and refinement... Models are one of the most
important parts of the fashion industry. Without mod-
els, the fashion industry would not survive... The
Talent Division of Canadian Media Group brings
together a number of gifted individuals who represent
the widest possible range of acting styles... We believe
in the three-dimensional actor, one who brings char-
acter and emotion to their (sic) craft.
Clearly, CMG did not represent writers. But then again, it really did-
n’t represent anybody. We could not find a single client who got a job or
a gig as a result of going to CMG and plunking down anywhere from
$600 to $6,000 for publicity photos, videos, and agent representation.
Said the brochure, “Our support staff is knowledgeable, not to
mention tenacious, capable of casting, booking, and meeting the
demands of our clients.” But when clients demanded their money back,
support staff members were hard to find, not to mention unavailable.
The Toronto Better Business Bureau, the Ontario Consumer
Ministry, the Toronto Police, and Goldhawk Fights Back got hundreds
of complaints about CMG. We decided to pay a visit to their offices.
We formed a delegation — a disgruntled mother and her hoped-for
child star; Peter Lalonde, the President of the Toronto Better
Business Bureau; and us. The mother wanted her money back.
Lalonde wanted his little BBB sign back — he was revoking CMG’s
membership. We wanted to find somebody, anybody, who got their
money’s worth from CMG.
79
Getting What You Deserve
At the reception desk, with camera rolling, the staff went into a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]