Opinion ID: 180347
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Global Dominion Financial Services

Text: In August 1999, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began probing Wilcoxson and Mintus, executing search warrants to gather evidence about their offerings of mid-term notes. One month later, Bush informed his investors that Hulaman had moved its operations to the Caribbean island-nation of Nevis and was now operating under the moniker Global Dominion Financial Services (Global Dominion). Under Global Dominion, Bush promoted high-yield investments in international financial institutions. Again promising an eight-percent annual return, with sporadic twenty-five-percent interest payments, Bush asked investors to wire transfer him money at the Bank Crozier in Grenada or to send money to his associate Nigel Grant, an attorney in Coronado, California. Bush told investors that a $1350 payment to Grant was necessary to establish the Nevis L.L.C., which would hold their money. Bush transferred all Hulaman files to Grant's law office in Coronado. After Bush's personal secretary traveled to Coronado to organize the files, Grant began sending account statements from his law office to Global Dominion investors. Grant began posting investor account statements on Global Dominion's new website. For the first eight-week trading period under Global Dominion's watch, client statements showed a twenty-five percent return on investment. As was the case with Hulaman, neither Bush nor his associates at Global Dominion were reaping substantial returns from their investments in Mintus and Wilcoxson. Indeed, of the $12.3 million Bush claims to have invested with Wilcoxson and Mintus from both Hulaman and Global Dominion, Bush received back a pittance of $53,000. Nevertheless, Global Dominion continued to post new earnings to client account statements. On October 28, 1999, Bush received a letter from the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) which questioned the legality of his operations. Bush sought counsel from Stoll, his unlicensed attorney. Stoll sent a letter on Bush's behalf to the DFI denying that Bush was connected to any improper activity. Beginning in December 1999 and continuing through May 2000, Bush and his associates directed their office manager in Nevis to transfer money from the Bank Crozier to various accounts in the United States. These included Mintus's account in New York, Grant's account in the Bahamas, and various Bush accounts in Seattle. Fifteen of these transactions to Bush's accounts, each in excess of $10,000, formed the basis for the unlawful monetary transaction charges in this case (Counts 18-32). According to Bush's office manager, money was never paid out to Global Dominion investors. In May 2000, Bush began winding down Global Dominion. When investors called to inquire about the absence of dividends, Bush told an employee in Nevis to placate them by claiming there were delays at the Federal Reserve in New York that prevented wire transfers. When investors called back to see if the money had been freed up, employees repeated the lies.