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Topic: You are who you walk with-usewick v Suski
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The pleadings in the new case state that Suskis discovered contract violations on or about December 2012. I was surprised they did not end the relationship sooner.

Usewick is said to have his own political friends, namely Ridgeway White.
Post Thu May 01, 2014 10:43 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

This is another case allegedly in the hands of the FBI. Suski had to bear the responsibility of dealing with the 861 cars that had been in limbo.

Why didn't Leyton prosecute the original case?


Warrants issued for used car dealership owners in relation ...

www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/02/warrants_issued_for...

Feb 19, 2010 · Genesee County, Michigan — Arrest warrants were issued this morning for the four used car dealership owners who allegedly …
..
Post Wed Jul 08, 2015 1:40 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Warrants issued for used car dealership owners in relation ...

www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/02/warrants_issued_for...

Feb 19, 2010 · Edward Usewick III, ... 58, of Goodrich; James Lane III, 46, of Ortonville and ... 2200 Ortonville Road in Ortonville, and Szunko runs Executive Auto ...


James Lane of Ortonville, was indicted with Usewick. He now is the registered agent for 205 Flintstones, listed as the owner of the Dort Highway properties once owned by Cheyenne Usewick. The former Koert's Glass (205 S Dort0 is now a used car lot and I believe the bar Cruisin (201 s Dort) is now closed.
Post Wed Jul 08, 2015 1:54 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

http://patch.com/michigan/fenton/usedcar-lot-problems-reportedly-tied-to-title-sales-tax-issues

Used-Car Lot Problems Reportedly Tied to Title, Sales Tax Issues

Andy Suski voluntarily surrendered his dealership licences to the Michigan Secretary of State office, which is looking into the problems.



By Beth Dalbey (Patch Staff)
 January 15, 2014 


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Used-Car Lot Problems Reportedly Tied to Title, Sales Tax Issues


Customers with complaints about a used-car lot in Fenton that abruptly closed in December have gotten the ear of Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, whose office previously sent a formal warning to Suski Used Cars.


Andy Suski, the president of Suski Chevrolet-Buick in Birch Run, voluntarily surrendered licenses for the Fenton dealership – Suski Used Cars, 16555 Silver Parkway – and four others after learning “there were some deals that weren’t completed” with paperwork and sales tax forwarded to the state, MLive-The Flint Journal reports.

“s soon as we saw a deal was not processed … it wasn’t something I took lightly,” Suski told the newspaper. “I had to correct the problem by shutting those used car lots down.”

Also affected in the Dec. 30 closing were used-car lots in Flint, Mount Morris, Lapeer and Holly. Four of the five dealerships were the subject of consumer complaints, according to the report.

At the time of the complaints, the dealership in Flint had been operating since April 30, 2013, with an agreement called an “assurance of discontinuance” in place.

The agreement, which would expired in April 2015, is essentially a formal warning – a less severe reprimand than a probation – from the Secretary of State’s office in which the dealer is notified of violations, told not to commit them again and subjected to future inspections to ensure compliance, Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for Johnson’s office, explained in an email to the newspaper.

The agreement was put in place when the state received “a few complaints that dealt with title work,” Woodhams wrote in the email. “The violations included record keeping and the improper use of temporary registrations (paper plates) and dealer plates.”

Inventory from the five dealerships has been moved to Suski’s dealership in Birch Run and will either be sold at retail or wholesale. Suski is still licensed to sell new cars and no problems have been reported at the Birch Run dealership, the newspaper said.

In the meantime, five limited liability corporations are overseeing operations at the lots: Bentley's Best of Fenton, LLC; Bentley's Best of Lapeer, LLC; Bentley's Best of Mt. Morris, LLC; Bentley's Best of Oakland, LLC; and Bentley's Best, LLC.

Cheyenne Usewick, who worked for Suski until recently as comptroller of his companies, is listed as the resident agent of each of the LLCs.

"We would like her services to help us with the cleanup," Suski said.
Post Sat Jul 11, 2015 10:37 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Used car salesman pleads guilty to bank fraud conspiracy

Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com
r
on March 30, 2016 at 1:15 PM


FLINT, MI -- A Flint-area man has pleaded guilty after federal authorities claimed he used local car dealerships to organize a bank fraud scheme.

Edward Frank Usewick III pleaded guilty Tuesday, March 29, in Flint U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud after he began using used car lots around the Flint-area to operate the scheme.

Usewick's attorney, Steven Fishman, could not be reached for comment on the plea.

The scheme began after December 2011 when Usewick entered into an agreement with the owners of Suski Chevrolet-Buick in Birch Run to operate a string of used car dealerships around the Flint area using the Suski name, according to court records.


Andy Suski, president of Suski Chevrolet-Buick, could not be reached for comment on the case.

Usewick admitted he used the Suski Used Car dealerships to secure a revolving line of credit, which was to be used for obtaining money to purchase vehicles for later re-sale. Court records show the financing typically involved lenders releasing additional funding to the dealerships once it received a title showing the dealership had purchased a vehicle.

However, Usewick conspired to create fraudulent titles for vehicles the dealership did not purchase. The fraudulent vehicles caused the financial institution offering the line of credit to release money to a bank account operated by Usewick, according to his plea agreement.

To date, Edward Usewick is the only person who has been charged in the conspiracy.

Sentencing guidelines compiled by federal authorities call for Edward Usewick to serve upward of four years in federal prison. Guidelines compiled by Usewick's attorney only call for a 4-10 month prison sentence.

Court records do not show how money prosecutors believe Edward Usewick was able to bilk through the scam, but the plea agreement calls for him to pay any restitution ordered by the court.

Suski announced in January 2014 that he was shutting down his five used car dealerships in the Flint area, citing management problems. Suski told The Flint Journal previously the Suski Used Car dealerships were being operated by five limited liability companies registered to Usewick's wife, Cheyenne Usewick.

"As soon as we saw a deal was not processed ... it wasn't something I took lightly," Suski told The Flint Journal in 2014. "I had to correct the problem by shutting those used car lots down."

Cheyenne Usewick's attorney, Frank J. Manley, said he has remained in contact with federal authorities throughout the investigation.

Suski was the dealership license holder for the Suski Used Car lots, state officials previously told The Flint Journal. He and his business partner received a payment for each car sold at Suski Used Cars, according to the indictment.

A Secretary of State spokesman previously told The Flint Journal that Suski voluntarily surrendered the dealerships' licenses and that an investigation was launched into the dealerships after multiple consumer complaints.

The spokesman said in January 2014 the state decided to take action after receiving "a few complaints that dealt with title work."

The Suski used car lots were located at 205 S. Dort Highway, Flint; 16555 Silver Parkway, Fenton; 7401 Clio Road, Mt. Morris; 1640 Lapeer Road, Lapeer; and 15133 North Holly Road, Holly.

Complaints were not filed against Suski's dealership in Birch Run.

The indictment was not the first time Usewick was accused of being involved in a used car scam.

Usewick and three other people were charged with racketeering and various other crimes in 2010 after he allegedly acquired vehicles from a Massachusetts-based leasing company and sold them through a Flint car auction using duplicate titles.

Authorities alleged the leasing company that provided the vehicles to Usewick was never paid for the cars.

Usewick pleaded guilty in February 2011 to six misdemeanor counts of producing fraudulent titles for the commission of a crime. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay restitution.

Court records show the case was eventually closed in September 2013 — just weeks prior to when the most-recent fraud accusations allegedly began — after Usewick satisfied the terms of his restitution order.

He was also sentenced earlier this month to 93 days in the county jail after pleading guilty to domestic violence and breaking and entering charges.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged Usewick on Dec. 18, 2015, with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and domestic violence, a misdemeanor, after he was allegedly involved in an altercation at the Flint Township home of a former girlfriend.

Leyton said previously that Usewick allegedly went to the victim's home to retrieve belongings that she was storing but an altercation ended up occurring that led to the charges.

Usewick is scheduled to be sentenced July 12 on the federal case.
Post Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:18 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

sentencing is Tuesday the 12th.

Last edited by untanglingwebs on Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:56 am; edited 1 time in total
Post Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:18 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

I asked both Phil Goldman and Andi Susski why they would enter into business arrangements with Usewick after his previous issues. I got vague answers and then comments they were anxious about Usewick's relationship with the White family of the Mott Foundation.

One of my friends (who seems to know everything) told me William White called Susski and asked him to help Usewick because he was Ridgeway's best friend. If true, they were not good judges of character. They caused a great deal of harm to Susski.
Post Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:56 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Usewick faces multiple court appearances
Former Fenton Township man accused of federal bank fraud, conspiracy, and bond

Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 9:56 am
Tri-County Times | Fenton, MI Vera Hogan Staff Reporter | 0 comments
VeraHogan
Posted on Feb 17, 2016
by Vera Hogan
While Edward Frank Usewick, 36, remains lodged in the Midland County Jail, Flint’s U.S. District Court has scheduled several hearings and a jury trial.
 Usewick, formerly of Fenton Township, was free on $50,000 bond after being charged in Flint’s U.S. District Court on Nov. 19, 2015, with 20 counts of federal bank fraud and conspiracy charges.
 Count 1 is for attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud, and counts 2-20 are for bank fraud.
 Usewick was remanded to the custody of U.S. Federal Marshals on Jan. 13, however, after violating his bond, twice in December 2015. A condition of his release was that he was not to commit any criminal acts.
 On Dec. 18, 2015, however, he was charged with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and misdemeanor domestic violence that allegedly took place at the Flint Township home of a former girlfriend. He was released on $30,000 bond.
 On Dec. 23, 2015, Usewick was charged with a misdemeanor count of failing to stop after a property damage accident in Grand Blanc.
 Usewick has a pretrial conference on March 1, and a jury trial on March 7.
 On the federal charges of fraud and conspiracy, attorneys have until Feb. 26 to file any and all motions with the court in this case.
 A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for March 29 at 11:30 a.m. On April 12, the pretrial conference is set to take place at 11:30 a.m. Usewick’s jury trial has been set to begin at 9 a.m. on April 25.
 Usewick’s federal troubles began a few years ago, when he and an unidentified co-conspirator entered into an agreement with the owners of Suski Chevrolet-Buick in Birch Run to operate several used car dealerships around the Flint area using the Suski name.
 Federal prosecutors allege Usewick used the Suski Used Car dealerships to secure a revolving line of credit from Ally Financial. That line of credit was supposed to be used to purchase vehicles for later re-sale.
 According to the federal indictment, Usewick allegedly began submitting vehicle titles to Ally Financial in September 2013 for cars he claimed to have purchased in exchange for money that was deposited into a bank account operated by Usewick.
 Prosecutors say Usewick never actually purchased the vehicles, however, and the titles contained fraudulent title numbers.
 Usewick is accused of submitting 19 fraudulent titles for vehicles from September to December 2013.
 The Secretary of State decided to take action after receiving some consumer complaints regarding title work.
Post Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:56 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Genesee County Prosecutor Leyton only brought misdemeanor charges for a similar series of charge. Now it seems like a sweetheart deal for second series of complaints with 19 counts. Four years is too little for the number of people and companies he hurt.
Post Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:01 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Used car salesman gets prison for using financing 'like a Ponzi scheme'

Print Email Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on August 09, 2016 at 3:52 PM



FLINT, MI – A Flint-area used car dealer is headed to federal prison after prosecutors claimed he used financing to purchase inventory "like a Ponzi scheme."

Edward Frank Usewick III was sentenced Tuesday, Aug. 9, by U.S. District Judge Linda V. Parker to 28 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release after he began using used car lots around the Flint-area to operate the scheme.

Usewick's attorney, Steven Fishman, could not be reached for comment on the sentence.

The scheme began after December 2011 when Usewick entered into an agreement with the owners of Suski Chevrolet-Buick in Birch Run to operate a string of used car dealerships around the Flint area using the Suski name, according to court records.

The agreement required Usewick to pay a fee to Suski for each vehicle sold. In return, Usewick could use the Suski name and have access to Suski's revolving line of credit to purchase vehicles for re-sale.



Court records show the financing typically involved lenders releasing additional funding to the dealerships once it received a title showing the dealership had purchased a vehicle.

At first, the partnership appeared to be a success. But, prosecutors claimed Usewick eventually turned to fraud.

It worked. Suski received sizable monthly checks—which the agreement entitled him to—and the car dealerships did a large amount of business," the U.S. Attorney's Office claimed in a sentencing memorandum filed in the case. "As time wore on, though, it appears that the business became less viable. Perhaps it was over-expansion through carrying five different locations, that costs became too high to run the dealership, or simply poor management."

Usewick conspired to create fraudulent titles for vehicles the dealership did not purchase, court records showed. The fraudulent vehicles caused the financial institution offering the line of credit to release money to a bank account operated by Usewick, according to his plea agreement.



"It is difficult to ascertain whether Usewick kept some of this money as the business faltered or whether he committed the fraud in order to bail out the business from an increasingly larger hole," according to prosecutors. "Usewick appears to have treated the floor plan like a Ponzi scheme, providing increasingly more fraudulent titles, paying back earlier obligations, and then falling further and further behind."

The Suski used car lots were located at 205 S. Dort Highway, Flint; 16555 Silver Parkway, Fenton; 7401 Clio Road, Mt. Morris; 1640 Lapeer Road, Lapeer; and 15133 North Holly Road, Holly. It was announced in January 2014 that the lots would be closed by Suski.

Prosecutors placed a conservative estimate of the fraud at $510,000.

Fishman, in his own sentencing memorandum, said Usewick turned to fraud in an attempt to keep the business from failing rather than a desire to steal from the financial institution.

"There is no doubt in defense counsel's mind that he has learned a life lesson while incarcerated and will not put himself in the same situation in the future," Fishman wrote.

However, prosecutors argued Usewick has a long history of criminal behavior, especially involving automobiles.

Court records show Usewick was charged in 2004 with his first felony for selling used General Motors parts on Ebay. He was ultimately convicted of a misdemeanor.

He was again charged with a felony in 2008 when prosecutors accused him of racketeering for the fraudulent sale of automobiles that he did not own. Again, he was convicted of misdemeanors and sentenced to probation and restitution.

He was arraigned on the current federal charges in November 2015.

However, in December 2015, federal prosecutors asked a federal judge to revoke Usewick's bond after he allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's Flint Township.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged Usewick on Dec. 18 with first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony, and domestic violence, a misdemeanor, after he was allegedly involved in an altercation at the Flint Township home of a former girlfriend.

Leyton said Usewick allegedly went to the victim's home to retrieve belongings that she was storing but an altercation ended up occurring that led to the charges.

He ultimately pleaded to misdemeanor charges.

A day after Leyton filed the charges, Usewick was also allegedly involved in a property damage crash in Grand Blanc, according to federal authorities. He was charged Wednesday, Dec. 23, with a misdemeanor count of failing to stop after a property damage accident.

"Usewick did not resort to fraud because he was desperate or hopeless—he resorted to fraud and overreach because it is how he has conducted business," prosecutors argued in their sentencing memorandum. "The same behavior that has put him in the position of a criminal defendant on numerous occasions previously and that has placed him three million dollars in debt causing him to declare bankruptcy, causes him to come before this Court today."
Post Tue Aug 09, 2016 4:55 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

2016-08-25 / Front Page (good explanation)




Fenton man sentenced for fraud charges
GENESEE COUNTY – A Fenton man was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison after having pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, announced United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade.

McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.

Edward Frank Usewick, III, 36, was sentenced by United States District Judge Linda V. Parker in Flint.

Usewick and an unidentified co-conspirator entered into an agreement with Suski Chevrolet- Buick in Birch Run to operate a string of used car dealerships around Flint and Lapeer under the Suski name.

Andy Suski, owner of Suski Chevrolet- Buick, said in January 2014 he was closing the five area dealerships in the Flint area, citing “management problems.”

According to state officials, Suski was the dealership license holder for the Suski Used Car lots. Suski and his business partner received a payment for each car sold at the five Suski Used Cars locations.

Usewick, as part of a business arrangement, had access to a “floor plan” backed by another individual. A “floor plan” is a revolving line of credit used by car dealerships to obtain money to purchase vehicles for later re-sale. A lender will release additional funding to the car dealership upon receiving a title indicating that the dealership has purchased a vehicle.

As a part of the conspiracy, Usewick ordered others to create and submit fraudulent titles to submit to Ally Bank, from Sept. 26, 2013 until Dec. 3, 2013. The titles fraudulently indicated the company operated by Usewick had purchased the cars when they had not done so. This caused Ally Bank to provide money to a Fifth Third bank account for a business operated by Usewick.

The parties agreed that the fraudulent activity included intended loss or loss of $250,000-$550,000 based on Usewick’s submission of fraudulent titles to Ally Bank.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Michigan. – By Gary Gould
Post Fri Sep 02, 2016 3:30 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The odd thing about the whole story involving Suski is every time I spoke to Andy or Phil about Usewick, they bought up the Mott Foundation and the relationship of Usewick to to Ridgeway White and his father. Another media person tells me he was told that William White called Suski and asked them to help his son's best friend. But that doesn't explain how they ended up with FIVE car lots. and how Cheyenne Usewick could invest that much money in real estate.
Post Fri Sep 02, 2016 3:36 am 
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