Perhaps it will be the US Government itself that settles this in the end in the form of the IRS.
The 3ABN supporters on BlackSDA feel quite sure that the IRS investigation is just a routine response to some reports from misguided people and will go nowhere.
Well, let us pray they are correct. However, to move from review of complaints taken by field offices to authorization to do a field investigation and actually go out and take statements and then to walk off with several boxes of documentation would suggest they determined that where their was smoke they had fire.
Now, the real question is, what is the investigation target? Is it 3ABN, the corporation? Or is it the officers and directors and possibly Shelton family members that have been subject to many allegatiions of private inurement?
I have stated several times that the corporation may be able to simply negotiate a consent decree and a lofty fine for GAAP and other errors.
On the other hand, if the various allegations regarding private inurement from so many past employees is actually justified by tracking financial data, the perpatrators may not be so lucky and may have difficulty raising the dollars neccasary to even offer a deal. If they are the actual targets, they just may not fair so well and have to face the music.
Unfortunately, these perpetrators must sit and wait patiently for the investigative team to finish building the case. Be assured, this was not just an audit and anyone who is deluded to believe this does not understand the federal prosecution process. It can take months and years to move. When and if they move, they will normally have a pretty good case and intend to win. For the perpatrators, the bad news is that I am told this team has a 90% conviction rate. The good news is they do not always win.
The other bad news is that they share their information with state revenue departments and that could be yet another issue that must be addressed. The good news is the state revenue departments have traditionally worked very hard at collecting money and rarely prosecute. So, money makes em happy.
The point is, I do believe that 3ABN can and will survive any charge from the IRS with the appropriate changes in GAAP that the "auditors" frequently referenced. With the current board, I would suspect these are being addressed.
One issue that certainly comes out of this is, who will be the 3ABN scapegoat??? If you were the chief financial officer, would you be concerned?
I most certainly would be and would be actively cutting my own deal with the IRS. After all, if you are the Feds, with the book-keeper in your pocket, the case against the the perpetrators becomes enormously closer to airtight...so, if you are the book-keeper, distance yourself from 3ABN and become states evidence is the best deal for the book-keeper. And what happened to every major case from Capone to Enron? And so many, many in between? The book-keeper cut a deal!!!
Anyone want to give the book-keeper the lead investigators number??? Or does he already have it???
That's my perspective!!!
Gailon Arthur Joy