;
  • Report:  #1173371

Complaint Review: Tower Bank & Trust Company - Fort Wayne Indiana

Reported By:
Costa Rica Whistleblower - Heredia, Indiana,
Submitted:
Updated:

Tower Bank & Trust Company
116 East Berry Street Fort Wayne, 46802 Indiana, USA
Phone:
260-427-7000
Web:
http://www.snl.com/irweblinkx/corporateprofile.aspx?iid=4043586
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
Report Attachments

 

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Indianapolis Field Office
8925 Nelson B. Klein Pkwy
Indianapolis, IN  46250
 
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Office of the Inspector General
550 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20429
 
Tower Financial Corporation
116 East Berry Street
Fort Wayne, IN  46802
 
February 8, 2014
 
 
 
In Re.: Whistleblower Report of Ongoing Fraud against the United States; Possible Role of Tower Bank & Trust Company and its President Michael D. Cahill in Money Laundering Criminally Obtained Funds and Aiding and Abetting
 
Possible Violations of United States Code to Include:  18 U.S.C. § 1956. Laundering of monetary instruments, 18 U.S.C. § 3. Accessory after the fact, 18 U.S.C. § 2. Principals, and 18 U.S.C. § 4. Misprision of felony
 
We respectfully invite your attention to the enclosed Whistleblower Report recently submitted to USDOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, USFBOP Director Charles E. Samuels, Jr. and Warden William A. Sherrod.  After your review you will have the background information to understand this report on the role of the bank and its president in the fraud against the United States.
 
DISCLAIMER TO INVOLVEMENT OF TOWER BANK IN THE FRAUD
 
This report assumes that Advanced Tactical Ordnance Systems LLC (ATO) continues to maintain Account Number 20082046 at Tower Bank with a “DBA/PEPPERBALL TECHNOLOGIES”.  If, as of this writing, the account has been closed; then this report is modified to describe prior activity that has now ceased.  We are unaware of the extent of the knowledge of the fraud possessed by the bank prior to November 29, 2013.  Please see the wire transfer instructions we received via email in Costa Rica as Exhibit A.
 
KNOWLEDGE OF TOWER BANK OF THE ONGOING FRAUD
 
This is a situation where only an investigation by law enforcement can determine what the bank knew and when it knew it.  For our company the discoveries of the extent of the conspiracy are a moving target.  On November 27, 2013 we were aware that the defunct PTI business was being impersonated to the extent of the fraudulent renewal of the GSA Contract and the notice of a large order on the BizOps website by the Department of Homeland Security.  Therefore, we sent a Whistleblower Report to the General Services Administration, The Department of Homeland Security, and Tower Bank.  The report was delivered to Tower Bank on November 29, 2013.  Please see the first page of the report as Exhibit B and the Delivery Confirmation as Exhibit C.
 
Then, around December 15, 2013 we discovered on a Google search that the Tulsa, Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office had purchased PTI items on a “no bid sole source” basis with a fraudulent letter from Karen Buchholz in San Diego.  In the just the last few days we found the website www.USASpending.gov and learned that the fraud has been an ongoing business operation for over 2 years.  Finally, we just received an email that revealed to us that ATO’s California Resident Agent is the contact person in the US Government SAM system.  We have attached the SAM Registration and California Secretary of State information as Exhibits D and E.  We have also enclosed a DVD with PDF files of our efforts to stop the fraud and prevent it from returning to Costa Rica.
 
QUESTIONS OF TOWER BANK CULPABILITY
 
We believe that the known 1.45 million dollars in fraudulent sales shown on the www.USASpending.gov website were deposited into the Tower Bank account made payable to “PEPPERBALL TECHNOLOGIES INC” just like the name is shown in the government system.  We do not know the extent of sales like the Tulsa, OK Sheriff but we believe they were also made payable to at least “PEPPERBALL TECHNOLOGIES”.  Then there is the issue of international sales paid by wire transfer.  Over the course of our Costa Rica sales efforts we were made aware that Eric Bratten and Marty Parsons traveled extensively. Sales were likely made in The United Arab Emirates (aka Dubai), Egypt, Israel, Panama, Columbia, Chile and Peru.  Do those government agencies and resellers believe they are doing business with Pepperball Technologies, Inc.?  Can the Tower Bank account receive payments in that name?
 
After law enforcement investigates, it will be known if Tower Bank honestly believed and / or now believe the operation was / is legal; or some other sinister level of involvement took place and continues.  The question of immediate concern is what is the bank’s response to our Whistleblower Report?  We have received no communications.  Since receipt of the information there are $ 4,215.71 in sales in the www.USASpending.gov website.  They are shown on the attached Exhibit F.  Perhaps there are other sales and deposits.  Is the bank ignoring the evidence of their customer’s criminal enterprise and depositing funds made payable to Pepperball Technologies, Inc.?  In violation of multiple federal statutes?
 
The ongoing fraud against the United States and law enforcement nationwide and internationally cannot continue in its present form if Tower Bank ceases accepting funds in the name of the defunct PTI.
 
 
Federal Bureau of Investigation                                      
 
Indianapolis Field Office
 
8925 Nelson B. Klein Pkwy
 
Indianapolis, IN  46250
 
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Office of the Inspector General
550 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20429
 
 
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Office of the Inspector General

100 F Street, NE

Washington, DC 20549-2977
 
 
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
 
U.S. Department of the Treasury
 
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20220
 
 
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

20th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20551
February 22, 2014
 
IN RE.:  UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING TOWER BANK AND ZIONS BANK
 
 
On February 8, 2014 we sent a report to the FBI, the FDIC, and the Tower Bank officer responsible for filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  It was captioned as listed below:

 

“In Re.: Whistleblower Report of Ongoing Fraud against the United States; Possible Role of Tower Bank & Trust Company and its President Michael D. Cahill in Money Laundering Criminally Obtained Funds and Aiding and Abetting

 

Possible Violations of United States Code to Include:  18 U.S.C. § 1956. Laundering of monetary instruments, 18 U.S.C. § 3. Accessory after the fact, 18 U.S.C. § 2. Principals, and 18 U.S.C. § 4. Misprision of felony”

 

We have now thoroughly researched the banking transactions and relationships and have found new information.  In addition, it is now known that the Securities and Exchange Commission has an interest because of the false SEC Form 8-k filed by Ms. Christin Lewis on January 17, 2012 and the public trading of Tower Financial Corporation and Zions First National Bank with their reporting requirements to the SEC.  In addition, because the processing of financial transactions by a criminal enterprise constitutes money laundering, the Comptroller of the Currency has a need to know regarding Zions Bank and the Federal Reserve Board regarding Tower Bank.

 

We have enclosed a DVD of all Whistleblower Reports, Criminal Complaints and Notices sent to date.  For the SEC, Zions Bank, the Comptroller’s Office, and the Federal Reserve Board to learn the background needed to understand this update; we respectfully request that the two enclosed documents first be reviewed.  They are enclosed as printed materials for convenience of those parties and were previously submitted to the FBI, FDIC and Tower Bank.

 

We hereby enclose a printed spreadsheet with Exhibits A through U with explanations of each Exhibit.  Based on this information we have reached the following conclusions and opinions:

 

  1.  In the ongoing fraud against the United States the businesses known as Tactical Air Games, Inc. dba Tiberius Arms, Tiberius Arms LLC, and Advanced Tactical Ordnance Systems LLC are under joint ownership and control, at the same physical location, and act as a single criminal enterprise.
  2. Tower Bank & Trust Company has over 7 ½ years of financial involvement with the businesses and their owners.  It is highly likely that someone at Tower Bank has full knowledge of the conspiracy.  If that is not the case after investigation, the pre-loan investigation conducted by the bank is woefully inadequate.
  3. Based upon information that Benjamin Tyler Tiberius won an entrepreneur of the year award from Brigham Young University in 2006, we believe that Zions Bank has a business relationship with one of the 2 entities with “dba Tiberius Arms” for at least 7 years.  We previously on several occasions ordered pepper ball launchers from Tiberius Arms and wire transferred funds from Costa Rica to “Zions Bank, 1145 South 800 East, Orem, Utah 84097, Routing / ABA 124000054, Account # 032168353.”
  4. As shown by the exhibits paintball equipment is included in the fake Pepperball Technologies, Inc. catalog.  In Costa Rica we had planned to order pepper ball launchers from Tiberius Arms with payment to Zions Bank in the public tender of the Ministerio de Justicia y Paz.  Therefore, with prior knowledge or not, Zions Bank has processed funds based on fraudulently obtained sales, which constitutes money laundering.
  5. We believe that if financial transaction processing continues in the future for the criminal enterprises described herein, that Tower Bank and Zions Bank will be willing co-conspirators with full criminal culpability of the members of the criminal cabal.

 

 

 

 
 
Report Attachments


1 Updates & Rebuttals

Costa Rica Whistleblower

Heredia,
Alabama,
Tower Bank Finances Counterfeiting Equipment

#2Author of original report

Sun, August 31, 2014

Here is the financing statement.  Tower Bank is financing the equipment to make counterfeit pepper balls.

Report Attachments
Reports & Rebuttal
Respond to this report!
Also a victim?
Repair Your Reputation!
//