Judge Mills to Moultrie “Where’s the Beef”? Denies Moultrie’s Polygraph Motion

You heard the other side of the story on why this motion would be turned down here on slabbed. We’ll be watching to see if the Oxford Eagle covers this setback for team Moultrie. We have Judge Mill’s order on our growing USA V Moultrie page here. These excerpts pretty much tells the tale:

The court finds that the defendant has not established that the science behind polygraph examinations is sufficiently reliable to be deemed admissible. Accordingly, Moultrie’s motion to admit the results of his polygraph examinations must be DENIED.

The judge goes on to wonder why this ever ended up before him to begin with given that Robert Moultrie was never willing to take an honest polygraph administered by the FBI:

Further, this court has grave concerns about admitting the results of Moultrie’s polygraph examinations,even had the court found polygraph science sufficiently reliable…….In this instance, in both cases, Moultrie failed to notify the government about the polygraph examinations until after the tests were administered. The government was not allowed to participate in forming the questions and could not observe the examination environments. The record reflects that the government was only offered the opportunity to review the results after the fact. Finally, the defendant placed conditions on viewing the first set of results.

Given weakness of Moultrie’s legal arguments submitted thus far one has to wonder if a plea deal might be in order. I’m also wondering how close will the beef plant scandal will come to senatorial hopeful Ronnie Musgrove?

Oooops, forget to give Bellesouth credit for the PACER doc. Thanks!

sop

127 Responses

  1. I am surprised the judge even allowed a hearing on the case. I guess he is just being careful about appelate issues. This motion seemed a far cry from being granted.

  2. You got that right Belle. It looked good for Moultrie in the Oxford paper for 3 minutes at most last week. If this is the best Moultrie and his legal team have to offer in the form of a coherent defense they better cut a deal quick.

  3. The weather knocked me off-line as I was loading two documents on USA v Moultrie under legal – one was the Motion granting the Daubert Hearing and the other the list of Exhibits for the Hearing. I’ll check later and see if they made it up and if not, I’ll add weather permitting!

    First, I want to comment – or rather compliment – the research and writing in today’s Order. I found it a really easy and interesting read that explains both the scope of the issue and the basis for the decision in a most understandable way.

    Makes me wonder if the difference in this and some of what I’ve read lately on other cases is not just the skill of the writer (although Judge Mills is known to write well) but the merits of the argument.

    In that regard, I agree with the two of you – the defense was working from a weak position with the BYOP strategy and obviously at the client’s request.

  4. Yeah, I got that too, Nowdy. I can’t imagine Freeland had much hope on this, either and he was doing this as a last ditch (?) effort at the client’s request.

  5. Sop, great reporting on Robert Moultrie. Him and the company have done several wrongdoings in Georgia too

  6. How come ex-governor Ronnie Musgrove has not been charged with Robert moultrie and Facility Group?

  7. Concerned, I am not sure, but I think it is because he was supposedly the recipient of monies that were meant to influence him but there must not be any evidence of his being influenced. If I give you money and hope you will do something for me doesn’t mean that I know that you are giving me money to do something for you — kind of thing. He wasn’t even mentioned in the indictment, so they must not have anything on him per se, although everyone believes it was him, it doesn’t make him guilty of knowing why he was given the money, unless something else comes out. I don’t know. What do you think?

  8. Good morning guys and thank you for the kind words concerned. The rumors I hear is Musgrove may not be out of the woods. Of course those are just rumors and the target changes depending on who is repeating the rumor (IE Musgrove’s former campaign manager is also sometimes mentioned as a target).

    The feds have been very deliberate in this investigation. It could very well be they want to secure more guilty pleas plus cooperation before they roll up more people.

    Ronnie Musgrove “selling” Board of Health seats while he was Governor tells me what I need to know about the man’s lack of integrity. With all the baggage he carries I’m frankly surprised the Democrats did not rally behind Ronnie Shows.

  9. Sop, you are reporting more about Moultrie than where I am – Georgia. Please keep up the good works.

    You can visit: http://www.coastalviewpoint.com

    The firm has really mad the people in this south Georgia City mad as heck

    thanks

  10. Interesting site. We have some very close friends of the family that live on St Simon. When I see “people are mad as heck” and “the construction company did not have a performance bond” in the same sentence it generally does not imply anything good.

    Can you give us some background on that particular project?

    sop

  11. I think it was 2002, the County selected carter goble lee to manage the SPLOST projects and the Jail.

    Then amazing emails started back and forth from Bud Mattingly, FG Vice President, and Mr. Mike Stewart, County Manager.

    Then lo and behold, CGL was dismissed and came along Facility Group.

    Also, http://www.savannahnow.news

    Back in November 2007, ChathamCounty selected a firm out of PA to design the $111 millilon Expansion to the Jail.

    Then low and behold again, the Sheriff called for a 2nd interview and the County dropped the 1st ranked firm and selected Facility Group.

    But after the indictment information hit Savannah news people, the Chatham County BOC dismissed FG.

  12. This article is very telling: (sorry if it has already been linked)
    http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll…INEL01/80409033

    A Tennessee sheriff whose county hired The Facility Group to design and build its jail in the 1990s says representatives of the Georgia company “came in and dazzled” members of the jail commission tasked with overseeing the process.
    But once picked to build the 302-bed capacity jail in Maryville, the Facility Group made cuts in areas Sheriff James Lee Berrong thought critical, he said.
    In fact, Berrong said his department is now facing a civil lawsuit directly related to cuts pushed through during construction by the Facility Group.
    That company, based in Smyrna, Ga., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Mississippi, accused of bribing the governor to get a $55 million contract to build a lucrative state-funded project.
    News of the indictments shocked members of the Madison County Board of Commissioners, who had wanted The Facility Group to design and most likely build the new county detention center.
    “It leaves all of us with a sick feeling,” said Commissioner Dyatt Smathers, who had seconded the motion to hire the company in November.
    Efforts to bring the company to talk with Madison leaders and the fornal motion to negotiate with the company were made by Commissioner Elsberry Wyatt. The board approved his motion unanimously.

    ‘A switch to be made’

    The Facility Group was not the county’s first choice for designing or building the new $9 million Madison County detention center. In fact, the commissioners had first hired the Charlotte-based HSMM firm to design the facility, which is to be built near the county health department off of N.C. 213.
    But Larry Leake, whose firm holds the contract as county attorney, said “the county had become displeased with HSMM” and that “there was a switch to be made.”
    He said he contacted Cope Associates of Knoxville, Tenn., the number-two choice in the original search for an architect, and invited vice president Grant Tharp to return and make another presentation, with the idea that he might take over the job.
    “We wanted number two to keep the project on track, with as much speed as possible,” Leake said. “I called (Tharp). I said, ‘Are you still interested?”
    Tharp was, Leake said, and the commissioners scheduled a time to meet with him.
    Leake said he then got a message from Wyatt, and when he returned the call, “the commissioner advised that he thought there was another group that we should speak with, and hear from, and see what, if anything, they could do for us. That group was The Facility Group.”
    Leake said he made the call. “The representative of The Facility Group was not surprised to hear me call,” he recalled.
    The Smyrna company was added to the commission meeting agenda in November and the company came, represented by executive vice president Bud Mattingly, another company representative, and Gordon Myers, a former Ingles grocery executive who had recently joined The Facility Group and was trying to help the company develop jobs in North Carolina.
    Myers is a former member of the state board of transportation who, commissioners say, was a reliable, trusted individual to be in Marshall representing The Facility Group.
    “I think he’s very, very honest,” Commissioner Wyatt said Monday night.
    Commission Chairman Vernon Ponder said he knew of Myers, but, “The first time I knew Gordon Myers was affiliated with them was the night he walked in with them” that night at the meeting.
    After hearing presentations from both Tharp and The Facility Group, the commission voted unanimously to ask The Facility Group “to develop detail plans and specifications for a new detention center.”
    Last Monday, each commissioner agreed to individually answer questions about The Facility Group and the circumstances leading up to its hiring.
    Wyatt said he asked for The Facility Group to be included in interviews because “I wanted some other architects. I knew that Gordon was starting to get involved” with The Facility Group. “I know he is a very honest person. I do know this group was wanting to come to this area and open an office,” he said, but he said everything he did was an effort to get the best jail built for Madison.
    “What I was looking for, and this is a major thing, is I have wanted (a new jail built) since six years ago when I was running (for office) for the first time,” Wyatt said.
    “I just wanted other options than just one group,” he said. “It wasn’t anything about any one group.” Wyatt said he felt The Facility Group had excellent experience building jails. “They’d done this before, a lot, and it looked real good on paper.”
    Ponder said the presentation by The Facility Group was tremendous. “Mr. Wyatt had asked Larry (Leake) if he would be willing to let The Facility Group give a presentation, and evidently, Larry said yes and they came and blew us out of the water.”
    Asked if he had any qualms that night about The Facility Group, Smathers said, “I had none whatsoever. We wanted to interview more than just one entity, knowing it pays to shop around.” But the result was far from enjoyable. “It leaves all of us with a sick feeling, because our project is not moving the way we had envisioned it.”
    Commissioner Hall Moore said he “had never heard of The Facility Group” prior to the meeting. “Somebody brought up the fact that Gordon Myers wanted to bring his group and make a presentation,” he said. Later he said that person was Wyatt.
    Commissioner Eddie Fox said much the same: “I don’t know how (Commissioner Wyatt) found out about them and their work product,” but since that first meeting, “everything looked real good. There were just no red flags” until news reports broke about the firm being indicted in Mississippi.
    The FBI says company executives were indicted after a three-year investigation into their actions leading up to the construction of a beef processing plant in Mississippi.
    The state of Mississippi invested $55 million in that plant, and the indictments argue that The Facility Group made illegal donations to the re-election campaign of then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove’s 2003 campaign. In return, the indictments claim, The Facility Group was rewarded with a contract to design and build the beef plant.
    The former owner of the plant has already been convicted and sentenced to prison, as well as the contractor who built the plant. Musgrove is now a Senate candidate in Mississippi.
    Shortly after opening, the plant closed its doors.
    Robert L. Moultrie, the CEO of The Facility Group, and two top executives have pleaded not guilty to the 15 counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to corruptly influence a public official.

    ‘Substandard’ work

  13. thought you would like to see the SavannahNow.com web site.

    Chatham commissioners drop jail-design contractor
    by Eric Curl

    Chatham County commissioners voted unanimously Friday morning to end negotiations with a firm picked earlier to design a multimillion-dollar jail addition.

    Click here to read more on our site
    Chatham commissioners drop jail-design contractor
    by Eric Curl

    Chatham County commissioners voted unanimously Friday morning to end negotiations with a firm picked earlier to design a multimillion-dollar jail addition.

    Click here to read more on our site

  14. School board keeping eye on contractor
    ——————————————————— By HANK ROWLAND
    The Brunswick News
    The Facility Group will have someone looking over its shoulder during construction of the Golden Isles Career Center. … —
    Read this article on the web at: http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/open_access/news/377554462286430.php

  15. A very brief glance at Facility Group’s campaign contributions shows generous donations from executives of the company, as well as employees. Two recipients jumped right out at me, Jim Hunt for $4,000, and Dennis Wicker for $2,000. It is my opinion, now that Larry Leake, Chair of the State Board of Elections, is involved, further gifts of this sort will not show up on the books.

    Leake is also Boss of Madison County. He selects who has county/state jobs, who gets the desired zoning/building permits, what firms are awarded county projects…he decides everything that goes on in the county. I’m thinking that the feds are getting closer now, considering all the drugs and gambling stuff, the mental health fiasco, contract irregularities, voting fraud, etc., etc., etc. Who is the ultimate target(s)…hmm?

    Is it any wonder that the ACT jerked this from their website? The Facility Group has done work for both Gannett and Ingle’s (BIG advertiser and don’t forget that Gordon Myers is best buds with Bob Ingle). Thank goodness The News Record and Sentinel had already printed and distributed its newspaper, or we’d never have heard of this mess.

    ,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

    A little addendum to the last entry re The Facility Group (Georgia-based company with principal executives under federal indictment for bribery and mail fraud in Mississippi -the company that has Gordon Myers (lottery) has a director – the company that Larry Leake selected to build the jail complex in Madison County).

    Further research shows that Myers is registered as Lobbyist for The Facility Group. He is also lobbyist for Bromont Group, Inc., the Arizona firm that’s developing the Village at Lake Norman, a huge project in Cornelius. It calls for a new interchange on I-77. Myers, a former DOT board member, no doubt knows how to get ‘er done.

  16. what is the mail fraud?

  17. sop,

    what are the mail fraud charges?

  18. oops, citizen, we all missed your question. I’ll try and catch up with Sop or check and find out – one of us will get back to you.

  19. do yall know anything about the Madison County,NC Jail – considering FGroup?

  20. I’ll admit to being confused switiching gears between the wind-water litigation and beef plant Mr. Citizen and thank you for the links. Concerned some of your links do not work.

    In reference to mail fraud check out the indictment beginning with count 4 on page 21.

    I have contacts in NC and I’ll see what I can find out. It may be a few days.

    As the documents hit PACER we will make sure our Moultrie page stays up to date. These filings have proven very popular with our Georgia based readers.

    sop

  21. Please do, and thanks Sop

    keep me informed on the Madison County Jail, NC project

    have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend

    Georgia citizen

  22. hi sop, any news from your friends in NC?

  23. With regards to news yes and no Concerned. So far I’ve been able to ascertain that I have traveled the area in the not so distant past. I googled and found a good bit which I’ll put up in a new post.

    sop

  24. thank you sop, we need to keep our politicans honest and above board for us tax payers

  25. any news on the Madison County, NC Jail?

  26. None new that I can find Citizen. You can find the last post we did on the topic here. TFG is no longer involved with the design build according to the news reports I linked.

  27. just keep me posted on your sightings.

    have a great weekend

  28. sop, the indictment and Exhibits are real?

  29. Unfortunately for Mr Moultrie they are as real as they get Mr Concerned. Is there something in the docs that troubles you?

    sop

  30. oh no, there is so much on the internet, just making sure.

    looks real to me.

    I know some of the employees with the firm, good people. Several have left or been laid off.

    Greed is a bad thing

  31. I’m sorry to hear that Mr Concerned though it does not surprise me.

    Construction companies are not “durable” like businesses in other industries as their main asset never shows on a balance sheet, namely the leadership that keeps the gang together and building. One reason the NC jail went a different direction was concerns over whether TFG could finish the project given Mr Moultrie’s troubles and the length of the project.

    Unfortunately for both the employees of TFG and the slabbed, the innocent generally are the ones that get sh!t on.

    sop

  32. yes you are so right.

    thank you for keeping this hot story posted

  33. anything new?
    have great weekend

  34. Judge Mills granted the subpoena of Community Bank that TFG requested as reported yesterday on slabbed. Otherwise all is quiet. I suspect we are in a lull of activity in the case that should break sometime in July. Regardless we are keeping an eye on PACER should anything break.

    sop

  35. I read the subpoena. Robert Moultrie seems to think this evidence will prove his innocence.

    what are your thoughts? Also, how is Carouthers Construction involved with Moultrie? I read where the Carouther Brothers are in jail.

  36. Here is an article on Carothers and the others.

    Hall and Mississippi Beef Processors Inc. did not show up in the database as campaign contributors.
    But the most interesting campaign contributions connected to the failed beef plant went to Musgrove’s 2003 gubernatorial campaign — which got a total of $59,000 in campaign contributions related to the beef plant project in addition to the $1,000 from Carothers.

    The Clarion-Ledger has previously reported that the Facility Group of Smyrna, Ga., acted as project manager for the beef plant after the Mississippi Development Authority hired it in June 2003 for $3.2 million. The Facility Group Political Action Committee then donated $45,000 to Musgrove’s re-election bid in August and September 2003.

    Those donations came after Facility Group chairman and CEO Robert Moultrie made an individual donation of $2,000 on July 24, 2003, to Musgrove’s campaign.

    But this column has learned that Facility Management Group Inc. also gave Musgrove $1,000 on July 24, 2003, while a total of 11 other Facility Group senior executives individually gave Musgrove $1,000 contributions each on that same July 24, 2003, date, bringing Musgrove’s total beef plant related campaign contributions to $60,000.

    State officials had previously said Facility Group was paid $3.2 million, but under a contract involving the Facility Management Group, the state and Hall, the company would ultimately receive $6.5 million.The state promised to pay $3.54 million in a “lump sum fee” for project management services, according to the contract. The document sets out that Hall was to pay an additional $3 million “services compensation” fee. The state ended up paying Hall’s share, too, when the plant went under.

    Supposedly Community Bank experienced some heartburn with Carothers which is why TFG was brought in. The docs from the bank may explain why and provide some exculpatory evidence.

  37. One more article from from April.

    In 2003, The Facility Group was selected to perform a study to evaluate the construction at a cost of about $450,000. Later, the company made an additional proposal to become project manager of the plant, receiving more than $6.5 million, according to the indictment against three executives. In August 2004, The Facility Group walked away from the project with all its profits, leaving behind $2 million in bills owed vendors and contractors, the indictment says.

    Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed a lawsuit last year in Hinds County Circuit Court against Facility Group. The lawsuit seeks more than $9 million for Mississippi taxpayers and subcontractors of the Facility Group. No trial date has been set.

    The lawsuit is being amended to include claims of fraud against the Facility Group, Hood said.

    “The efforts of our office and the federal government seek to ensure that all those involved in the failed beef plant are not only held criminally accountable, but are also made to repay the misspent dollars owed to the hardworking taxpayers of this state,” Hood said in a statement.

    Williamson said although the subcontractors he represents have, or will be, paid, not all subcontractors have reached such a settlement.

  38. cant find the thread about the Carouther Construction boys. can you put it here?
    thanks

    Also, will the documents from t he Communituy Bank help or hurt Mr. Moultrie’s case?

  39. This is the thread Mr Concerned – check the two news stories I found. Their main problem stems from paying kickbacks to Dick Hall. I suspect as the builder Carouthers would be the prime candidate to whisper sweet nothings to the Feds about TFG and Moultrie.

    I suspect the Community bank docs would be exculpatory toward Mr. Moultrie or they would not have asked for them. I can’t imagine his defenses would be radically different than his company’s but stanger things have happened.

  40. That’s right Sop and one of the stranger things happening is not a peep about his Mississippi family connections.

  41. Yes, Moultrie has lots of family in Mississippi.

    do yall think the Feds have a sealed tight case?

  42. sop, where are the 2 news stories?
    thanks

  43. Not sure if Sop will catch this question right away so I’ll give it a stab.

    I believe the news stories are in this thread so read up. As to a sealed tight case – well, some of those involved are already in jail; so, I’d say it was tight, just not sealed. We’re interested in knowing more about the Mississippi connection, you might want to email Sop.

    Hope this holds you until he can respond – thanks for visiting here on slabbed.

  44. do you or sop think the bank information and documents will exanerate Moultrie?

  45. Not on it’s own Citizen. He did buy himself a good lawyer with excellent connections in the federal courthouse.

    No promises but I’ll see if I can dig anything up to add some color to the lack of case activity right now.

    sop

  46. dont tell me his Lawyer has bought the Judge?

  47. No nothing like that LOL. He has competent counsel that knows his way around the federal court system Citizen. Mr Moultrie will receive a fair trial and will be adequately represented.

    sop

  48. people here in Georgia hope he goes down. Is there enough evidence of fraud and illegal contributions?

    Is the Carouther Brothers talking?

  49. Sean Carothers has a very strong incentive to talk given his criminal conviction. He would also be in a position as the GC to have inside knowledge of TFG and Mr Moultrie’s alleged misdeeds.

    Typically the owner would provide oversight. As you can see here Mr Carothers is qualified in several specialties as well as a commercial general contractor. I noted the expiration dates of his licenses as somewhat odd given the circumstances.

    So why would the project need another project manager or a construction manager for that matter since Carothers was qualified there too. I also note the MDA had concerns about the project early on. Beef Plant was a legislative child. Our agricultural commissioner Lester Spell, Rep Steve Holland, House Speaker McCoy, Rep Reynolds and Rep Eaton all had varying levels of involvement.

    Working the legislature fits Mr Moultrie’s Georga business model from what I could find in the press and blogesphere.

    I have never been in trouble but have some first hand experience with the Federal prison system and wish that experience on no person. That said $55MM of taxpayer dollars were flushed down the toilet and we have two criminal convictions, trials pending and at least one rat in the legislative group IMHO. Justice must be served here.

    If he is guilty Mr Moultrie has something the Feds want from a public integrity standpoint. As a student of game theory the concept is called prisoner’s dilemna. It is to his advantage to sing.

    OTOH this may be sheer incompetence on part of Commissioner Spell and the legislature that was taken advantage of by Hall, Carothers and possibly others.

    sop

  50. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/03/26/head_of_facility_group_indicte.html

    (the latest blogs)

    It is truly sad for some good employees. However, the architectural firms in the Atlanta area have been upset about how the Management procured and won contracts.

    Thanks SOP for your great reporting.

    sincerely,

  51. sop, have a great weekend.

    Facility Group just got released from a state project, the construction of a new $13 million Science Building for Columbus Technical College

    any breaking news?

  52. I couldn’t find a $13MM facility Concerned. I did find this which is a much bigger project.

    I don’t doubt the AJC board per se that employees are leaving in increased numbers but I found this link very telling – Flip Spiceland came saw and got the heck out quick.

    A GC like TFG is all about it’s Human capital especially the architects/project managers. You can get big quickly as a GC. The reverse is also true.

    sop

  53. oops, $25 million is larger than $13M

    how can our great state of Georgia award a contact of this magnitute to a firm who is incapable of bonding Also, the State awarded the firm CM services of the new Athens Technical College building.

    wow, guess Flip was smarter than we gave him credit for

  54. The local citizens of Glynn County (Brunswick) Georgia are unhappy!

    Local construction firms can build with bonding
    I am appalled to find out that we are contracting with a company out of Smyrna that cannot get bonded to design and construct the new vo-tech school for Glynn County.
    Upon further investigation the company (The Facilities Group) cannot be bonded because three of the top executives running the company are under an indictment in Mississippi for illegal activities in regard to construction of a facility.
    Why should we have to go to a firm out of town which has been involved in illegal activities and because of this cannot be bonded when we have competent local contractors who can construct the facility with a bond?

    How do we know that the money paid to this company will in fact be used on this local project and not on paying the lawyers handling the Mississippi case?

    How can we be assured that our local subcontractors will be paid

  55. Here in Mississippi a surety bond is required on most governmental construction projects.

    I’m surprised to learn a company as large as TFG still has their bonding tied to individual executives. Surety credit has tightened up a good bit from the late 90’s though.

    Has TFG bonded the project through non traditional means such as a letter of credit? If the owner is letting the GC run naked for bonding they are taking a big chance, especially given the circumstances.

    sop

  56. yes, just a letter of credit.

    The firm is in the middle of construction of a $65 million Paulding County Courthouse, $19.5 million Academy School in Brunswick and a $73 million Cherokee County Conference Center

  57. If the letter of credit is irrevocable and TFG goes belly up then the bank will have the problem. Provided all the legalities are followed it is just as good as a bond. Given the circumstances it is a reasonable assumption Mr Moultrie has tatooed the credit facility. Banks are good at following the money that way.

    Out of curosity were all of those contracts negotiated?

    sop

  58. What about Gordon Myers and Bob Kopriva who joined the Facility Groups board of directors last August, 2007. What is their role? Are they connected with any of this mess?

  59. The company itself is under indictment and thus on the surface that does not look good for anyone on the BOD. That said from your post it appears the two gentlemen you mentioned started with TFG well after the alleged crimes were committed. Did they have a previous relationship with TFG while the beef plant taxpayer fleecing scheme was executed back in 2003?

    sop

  60. To sop81 1,

    Yes, if you go to http://www.facilitygroup.com/news/bod_appointments, you will see that Bob Kopriva, former CEO of Sara Lee first worked with Facility Group back in 2003. Gordon Myers also worked with facility group (previously) but no date was given.

    What is interesting is Gordon Myers was appointed by the Gov of NC to serve as chairman of NC’s Economic Development Board. Also interesting is Bob Kopriva’s Sara Lee is located in NC. Also Bob Kopriva served on the Board of Premium Standard Farms which has hog processing plants/farms in Mississippi.

    Trying to figure out what is going on with these two gentlemen. Maybe somebody can shed some light?

  61. this was the latest blog…..

    Yes HE is the one, Gordon Myers from NC, previously appointed by the Gov of NC to serve as Chairman of NC’s Economic Development Board and former VP of real estate for Ingles Markets.

    Why were Gordon Myers and Bob Kopriva selected for the the board of directors of the Facility Group? What is the connection? Are they actively involved with the current management of the Facility Group?

  62. Curious the link does not work. Evidently Mr Moultrie likes to hire politically connected folks.

  63. sop81 1,

    Try http://www.facilitygroup.com, then look for news or press releases. The announcement is on their website.

  64. I found the press release from August 2007 (not linkable) and a reprint in January 2008.

    Also I found a site that is reporting Gorden Myers has left TFG. (Scroll down about half way down the page)

    sop

  65. Sop, great investigative work, people in GA were wondering if Gordon was still with the firm.

    This Facility Group saga gets deeper and deeper, with some very heavy hitting politicians and lobbyist.

    thanks

  66. You’re welcome Mr Concerned. If that blog link is accurate it fits a pattern of ppl bailing out on TFG. As leaving an employer is an economic decision the turnover indicates the money thinks there be a conviction and subsequent implosion.

    If I worked there I think I’d have my resume dusted off just in case.

    sop

  67. do you know what Gordon Myers is doing now?

    why isnt the people of Tupelo, MS hollering? Is Gordon connected to the failed plant?

    Also, what is PACER?

  68. I don’t but I’ll try to find out about Myers. I wonder why every taxpayer in this state isn’t hollering Citizen. PACER is the federal court filing database. It stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records.

    sop

  69. hanks again for reporting. Look at the latest entries.

    Looks like they want to get rid of the public sector division and keep commercial

    http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/03/26/head_of_facility_group_indicte.html

  70. I just saw this. There is a superseding indictment of TFG. We’ll get the doc up as soon as we can get it.

    sop

  71. Thanks sop81 1, there is much info in that link stating that Gordon Myers left the Facility Group. I really appreciate your efforts. Still I would like to find out if Bob Kopriva is still on the Board at the Facility Group. Or what his connection is to all of this. It seems odd that he would align himself with this group of people if he were not involved in some way. He has definitely been “under the radar”. Why?

  72. sop, have you seen that FG has been indicted again…

    Atlanta architect, yes I did read about the most recent indictment against Moultrie and the Facility Group.

    I also read somewhere the FBI is still investigating. The corruption seems to cross state lines with Economic Development Boards, public officials, and the Facility Group (i.e. Mississipp, Georgia, North Carolina).

    It would be interesting to access The Facility Group’s list of clients and projects over the past 6-8 years in order to look for patterns.

    I would still like to know if Bob Kopriva is part of TFG’s BOD. And if so, in what capacity.

  73. Yes I linked it in my last comment on this thread. Thanks for your link Mr Concerned. We’ll update the case with a new post.

  74. thanks sop!

  75. do you have the lastest unsealed indictment?

  76. is this Dickie Scruggs involved with the MS meat plant or Moultire?

  77. Not yet Concerned. Belle will be checking PACER again tomorrow so check back as we may have something then.

    Dickie Scruggs was not involved with the beef plant or Robert Moultrie to my knowledge. Besides Commissioner Spell, the players mentioned mostly include legislative politicians such as Steve Holland, Current Mississippi House Speaker McCoy, Tommy Reynolds and Bo Eaton along with the recepiant of Mr Moultrie’s giving largesse former governor and current senatorial candidate Ronnie Musgrove.

    I’ll be honest with you I think at least one of the legislative group is in further with the fiasco than has been made public. I also think Ronnie Musgrove’s involvement goes beyond being an innocent recepiant of campaign ca$h. I have nothing to base that on beyond a multitude of people I respect telling me Mr Musgrove’s defacto middle name when he was Gov was “quid pro quo”. Simply stated the project, despite it’s legislative appeal, could not have happened without him IMHO.

    Bob Kopriva’s continued involvement with TGF is hard to determine since they are not publically traded. Besides TFG he is also a board member at Imperial Sugar. You can trace his involvement in the Public company universe here. I have googled a good bit and found nothing else concerning his involvement with TFG beyond what I already posted.

    sop

  78. Thanks sop, for trying to find out about Bob Kopriva. Something I found which may be unrelated but interesting nonetheless is Facility Group may have done some work for a company called Xethanol. The interesting part is this company is being sued (class action) for security fraud. Some websites I came accross stated the company is basically a shell. Funny how the Facility Group ends up doing business with less than stellar clients.

  79. Here’s just a small amount of info from sharesleuth.com. There is so much more. Has anyone heard about this company Xethanol?

    from sharesleuth.com:
    “Sharesleuth also learned that one of Xethanol’s two conventional ethanol plants, a facility it once called its Biomass Technology Center, has been idle for more than a year and no longer has water or sewer service – two prerequisites for testing or production.

    Other things that caught our attention include:

    The company’s minimal spending on research and development.
    An absence of scientists on its staff.
    The relatively low price it paid for the outside technology upon which its waste-to-ethanol dreams are based.
    Key alliances with two companies founded by the same person — a former stock broker who now functions as a financial consultant and promotor.”

    And this is interesting info considering Bob Kopriva is a BOD member for Imperial Sugar:

    Again from sharesleuth.com:

    “Xethanol entered the ethanol business in 2003, buying a small plant in Hopkinton, Iowa, that was using waste water from candy companies as the source of sugars it fermented into ethanol. It bought a second plant, in Blairstown, Iowa, out of bankruptcy in October 2004. The two operations have a combined capacity of 7.1 million gallons a year and are designed to make fuel from corn and other high-starch or high-sugar feedstocks.”

  80. Interesting….

    from sharesleuth.com

    “Xethanol is counting on its joint venture partners to raise the money needed for its new plants. Here’s how d’Arnaud-Taylor described Xethanol’s approach to local alliances in his interview with the Wall Street Transcript:

    “Especially down in southeast Georgia, Florida and in the Carolinas we are developing a regional alliance platform with people who have local political access, local real estate knowledge and expertise, and who basically can access the local capital market. We see this business as a very local business. It’s not a national business, it is local; for example, is it only people who live in Savannah who understand how to get things done in Savannah.’’

    Xethanol announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement for the plant in Georgia. Whether that deal works out for the company and its shareholders, we won’t presume to say.

    These are simply the facts as we know them.

    D’Na Hankins did field research for this report; Julie Armstrong Editing LLC provided fact-checking services

    Copyright Sharesleuth.com 2006″

  81. They are based in Atlanta. I found some basic stock information on Xethanol here. It trades on the AMEX.

  82. The Court has granted the defendants’ motion to waive their arraignment, therefore the arraignment set for July 1, is cancelled. I suspect these new charges will come under the original indictment, but I haven’t seen the indictment yet.

  83. Gorden Myers and Bob Kopriva worked for Ingles and Sara Lee respectively, cooincidentally both their companies are former clients of Facility Group and both these guys were the decision makers when these companies started doing business with Facility Group. While they are Private Sector clients with private equity not public moneys it still looks like the same pattern of behaviour, steer work our way, we offer lots of expensive dinners, gold outings, vacations etc and then when you retire come be on the Board of Directors. Not unusual but part of the Facility Group approach to buying business rather than earning it.

    Interestingly neither company does not appear to ahve done work with them sicne they became BOD members, I am sure once the issues arouse they bailed, doesn’t look good on the resume.

    This is a company that for years could not and would not bond its work and only started to when public projects demanded it. They used the “we just bond the subs to avoid cost of double bonding” dodge but bottom line was they couldn’t bond. Moultrie never wanted his assets on teh line.

    As for the BOD, its always just been Moultrie, he owns it, runs it, manages it, always has/always will regardless of the window dressing.

  84. First off we have the superseding indictment.

    Excellent points Mr Smyrna Guy. Bonded subs can reduce an owner’s exposure but not eliminate it because a portion of the value a construction manager brings (and thus part of the contract amount) is his costs and profit exclusive of the bonded subcontracts. If TFG were to vaporize the project’s owner will not be able to find another construction manager and/or GC to step in TFG’s shoes without incurring additional costs.

    If you are working costs plus as many construction managers do, the costs associated with the wining and dining etc can be buried and billed back to the owner which is exactly the allegations made regarding the campaign contributions to Ronnie Musgrove.

    After Katrina there were several big ticket rush jobs that were costs plus. The rumors of some of the things that were billed back to the owner would make a contract cost audit firm drool.

    sop

  85. i did some reading that FG is designing Xanthol in Augusta, GA, checking it out

    will share info

  86. Curious,

    Facility Group has listed this firm on their website, and worked on one in Augusta, GA

  87. sop,

    is this good or bad news that the Judge is cancelling the July 1 hearing?

  88. Thanks Concerned. We look forward to hearing what you find out.

    If I was Xanthol I’d be requiring a bond or irrevocable letter of credit.

    sop

  89. The defendants waived it as I understand it Concerned. Sounds like they are wanting to get this case on to trial.

    sop

  90. Thanks Smyrna guy, sop1, and concerned for your comments and info.

    Smyrna guy, do you or did you work for The Facility Group?

  91. The reason I am curious about Ingles and Kopriva is why would Moultrie invite somebody from the outside onto its BOD?

    Is it possible that Moultrie did this one deal that included fraud and bribery back in 2003-2004 with the beef processing plant than decided to take the high road on all subsequent deals. IMO highly doubtful. If the perception back in 2003 was that he could get away with these fraudulent deals, then were there more shady deals subsequent to 2003?

    The connection I was trying to make with Xethanol is this compnay contracted with TFG and broke ground for a plant expansion then at a later date decided to change its strategic plans and the expansion was placed on hold. This is after this company was sued for securities fraud. Were there any kickbacks etc. in this deal? I am not sure how much money was spent prior to this company placing the project “on hold”. This company misled investors so where is all the money at?

    If TFG was involved with other plant expansions where bonds, incentives, were to be had from the State, were there side agreements with other companies where TFG would prepare fake invoices, the client OK’s the invoices, then TFG offers a kickback. The cost of the plant expansion is overinflated and nobody knows the difference. Except in the Mississippi beef plant case, the plant failed and that of course raised eyebrows. What about the plants that did not fail? If there were any?

    Which is why I am so curious about Ingles and Kopriva? Why bring outsiders to the BOD if they could potentially blow the lid off of TFG’s profitable schemes?

  92. You’re going to get my interest peaked on Xethanol. I checked them out at Yahoo finance but it was only a cursory look. When was the securiteis fraud suit filed? That would help me drill down into their SEC filings.

    In the aftermath of ENRON, Worldcom and other very high profile business scandals having independant directors was emphasized and I believe required in public companies so therein my lie the reason TFG brought in folks like Ingles and Kopriva.

    After ENRON in the publcally traded universe of companies Board seats ceased to be see as a big perk, especially in smaller concerns. Rather serving came to be seen as a risk. I am familar with several small and microcap companies that have a very hard time attracting talent to their BODs in fact.

    Of course TFG is not publically traded so there is less risk. The big question is were the guys on the gravy train, appointed to satisfy a lender or truly appointed because they were independant. Some of the new post ENRON corporate governance principles are filtering down even to small private companies.

    sop

  93. sop8 1,

    It looks like the lawsuit was filed on October 24, 2006.

  94. to sop,

    Xethanol announces plans to construct a new 50 million gallon ethanol facility in Augusta, GA on July 20, 2006. Guess who was retained by Xethanol to build the plant? The Facility Group.

    Security fraud lawsuit is filed against Xethanol on October 24, 2006.

  95. from greenjobs.com

    Xethanol Breaks Ground for Iowa Expansion
    New York, New York, United States September 7, 2006

    Mayor of Blairstown joins representatives of Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Praj Technologies and The Facility Group in Celebration

    Xethanol Corporation (AMEX: XNL) , a biotechnology driven ethanol producer, today announced that it has broken ground for its new state-of-the-art ethanol production facility, which will be located adjacent to its existing plant in Blairstown, Iowa.

    Mayor Rodney C. Kubichek of Blairstown joined Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Larry Beyer, Director of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, representatives from Xethanol, Praj Technologies and The Facility Group in officially turning over the first shovels of dirt for the new facility

    With its anticipated ethanol production capacity of 35 million gallons annually, Xethanol expects that this facility will manufacture corn-based ethanol. It will share the 25-acre site that houses Xethanol’s existing plant that has been producing at a rate of 6 million gallons of corn-based ethanol annually.

    The company said that it plans to start laying the foundation for the new plant within the next several weeks when all final permitting is completed. The plant should begin production of ethanol by early in the fourth quarter of 2007. “By siting the new plant adjacent to our existing plant, we are able to take advantage of infrastructure that is already in place,” said Lucas Rice, Vice President of Operations at Xethanol. “This enables us to get on line far faster than might ordinarily be the case.”

    Xethanol previously announced that the new facility will use ethanol production technology developed by PRAJ Industries Ltd. In addition, PRAJ will provide detailed engineering services, process design and licensing, as well as supply vital sections of the process plant. The Facility Group, of Atlanta, will provide general contracting expertise for the construction of the facility.

  96. from redorbit.com

    Blairstown Ethanol Plant Postponed
    Posted on: Saturday, 12 April 2008, 12:00 CDT

    By David DeWitte, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

    Apr. 12–BLAIRSTOWN — Development of a new ethanol plant in Blairstown has been halted as the owner struggles with high commodity prices and financial difficulties.

    Xethanol LLC broke ground in 2006 for a 35 million gallonper-year plant adjacent to its existing small ethanol plant. It planned to begin operation in the second half of 2007.

    But the company last month acknowledged in a regulatory filing that it has postponed the new plant indefinitely. It took a $2.6 million impairment charge against earnings to re flect its diminished expectations for the project.

    The statement cited “the changing ethanol market and our inability to arrange debt or equity financing for our project.” The ethanol project is one of several postponed in Iowa, but others are going ahead, said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

    “We’ve seen a few other projects that have said, ‘We’re pushing “pause” right now,’” Shaw said, though most were not as far advanced as the Blairstown project.

    Shaw said banks have tightened the availability of debt financing to ethanol and other commercial projects because of turmoil in the financial markets.

    Shaw said some of the issues stalling the Blairstown project might be specific to its owner, Xethanol, and the company’s changing priorities. It broadened its strategy last year from a focus on ethanol to other clean energy technologies.

    Xethanol also disclosed that it was considering production cutbacks at the existing Blairstown plant because of the high cost of corn and natural gas. The plant was producing 5.6 million gallons per year, making it much smaller than most ethanol plants in Iowa.

    The Atlanta-based company bought a 55-acre property adjacent to its current plant and completed site preparation. Design and engineering work had been completed, including the design for on-site cogeneration facilities that would have allowed the facility to generate its own energy from the plant’s waste byproducts.

    Xethanol recently sold its only other Iowa plant, which has been closed for several years. The company acquired the Hopkinton-based Permeate Refining in August 2003. The plant used waste sugars from Chicago-area candy manufacturers and waste starches from wet milling operations in the region as feedstock.

    The owner planned to upgrade the facility after ending operations in April 2005, but it dropped the upgrade plans in view of the plant’s small size and location in a residential community.

    Xethanol in November 2007 agreed to sell the Hopkinton plant for $500,000 in cash after recording a $522,000 impairment charge on the investment in September.

    Calls to the company’s Atlanta headquarters were not returned.

    Xethanol reported a loss of $31.27 million, or $1.09 per share, in the year ended Dec. 31 on sales of $11.03 million. The company’s stock traded at 37 cents per share Friday.

    Contact the writer: (319) 398-8317 or david.dewitte@gazcomm.com

  97. from reuters.com

    more state money…………….

    Xethanol to build Florida plant, close two others
    Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:26pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page| Recommend (0) [-] Text [+]
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    powered by Sphere
    Featured Broker sponsored link
    #1 FX Broker – Shares Mag 2007 NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ethanol company Xethanol Corp said on Friday it has received a grant to make cellulosic ethanol from orange waste in Florida, after indicating earlier in the week it would scrap two other U.S. cellulosic plants.

    New York-based Xethanol said in financial statements earlier this week it plans to sell its Augusta, Georgia, and Spring Hope, North Carolina, facilities, where the company had planned to make next-generation cellulosic ethanol.

    These are the latest project cancellations in an ethanol industry facing rising construction costs and gyrating profit margins that hit lows in October. At least five companies have canceled or delayed plans for ethanol plants since late last year.

    But many are plowing ahead as governments provide grants to make the domestic fuel. On Friday, Xethanol said it had received a $500,000 grant from Florida’s government to build a demonstration plant to make cellulosic fuel from orange waste.

  98. A copy of the Xethanol security fraud case can be found at:

    http://securities.stanford.edu/1036/XNL_01/20061031_o01c_Difruscio.pdf

  99. Talk abuot making life easy for me Mr Curious. Thanks!

    sop

  100. Holy pump and dump Batman! Beef Plant except the parties fleeced were shareholders.

    They never operated the Iowa Plant. Jeezus H Christ!

    sop

  101. Facility Group was suppose to design a Xethanol plant in Augusta 2006 (old Pfizer facility), but it DID NOT HAPPEN.

    will go get the link

  102. New 50 Million Gallon Cellulosic Ethanol Facility at Augusta, Georgia Site to Begin Production by Mid 2007; PRAJ Technology and The Facility Group Selected to Assist in Engineering and Construction
    Le 20/07/2006

    Xethanol Corporation (AMEX:XNL), a biotechnology driven ethanol company, announced today that it has completed its due diligence process on its previously announced acquisition of a Pfizer pharmaceutical manufacturing complex in Augusta, Georgia and will be closing on the complex within 30 days. The company also announced plans to construct a 50 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant on the site which would begin producing ethanol by mid-2007.

    PRAJ Technology, an India based world leader in bio-ethanol technology will provide detailed engineering services, process design and licensing as well as the supply of vital sections of the process
    plant. PRAJ was also selected to provide the same services for Xethanol’s recently announced new 35 million gallon per year facility at its Blairstown, Iowa site.

    The Facility Group of Atlanta, Georgia (www.facilitygroup.com) has been retained by the company to act as EPC (Engineering, Procurement
    and Construction) contractor for the new plant.

    IT NEVER HAPPENDED!

  103. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/011008/bus_179822.shtml

    A New York-based alternative fuel company that pledged 18 months ago to convert Augusta’s former Pfizer pharmaceutical plant into an ethanol refinery confirmed Wednesday that it might sell the property.

    Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
    The Xethanol facility in Augusta had construction delays before officials announced there was no timeline to start up the plant.
    Click photo for optionsXethanol Corp.’s much-hyped acquisition of the facility through a joint venture partner in August 2006 generated citywide excitement but has yet to produce a drop of ethanol.

    The skeleton crew of employees at the plant, which was supposed to employ up to 150, said Wednesday that company officials informed them the facility is for sale.

    Official comment was referred to Xethanol Executive Vice President Richard Wilson, who refused to answer questions but issued a prepared, one-sentence statement: “Xethanol is considering all alternatives for our facility in Augusta, including a possible sale

  104. Xethanol to leave after doing lots of nothing
    Posted by Damon Cline on January 13, 2008 – 8:06 PM
    boon·dog·gle (bün’-däg-el) n. work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value

    No one in our area, particularly readers of this column, should have been surprised at the revelation last week that alternative energy company Xethanol Corp. might sell its Augusta plant.
    You know, the plant it said would be employing more than 100 people and producing 50 million gallons of ethanol by now.
    I had expressed concern about this project since early last year (see Scuttlebiz, March 26). Although I wasn’t the only one to call it bull, I was the only one to do it publicly.
    Hold on, let me bask in that for a moment …
    OK, it’s out of my system now.
    Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the company follow through on its plan to turn the former Pfizer plant into a refinery capable of converting paper mill waste into auto fuel.
    The east Augusta facility would have put our region at the forefront of the biofuel movement. Now, it will likely be remembered as one of the biggest economic development swindles to hit the two-state area.
    The warning signs were abundant:
    – The company’s track record: By the time Xethanol came to town, investigative reporters (namely billionaire Mark Cuban’s Sharesleuth.com) had reported that many of the company’s founders and financial backers have a history of federal disciplinary actions.
    – The revolving door of executives: Since the Augusta announcement, Xethanol has gone through three CEOs (one of whom was a Pfizer corporate attorney for 30 years. Hmmmm).
    – No cash flow: The company’s sole production facility, a corn-based ethanol plant in Iowa, loses money on every gallon it produces.
    – Lack of communication: The Augusta Chronicle business staffers called the company’s public relations officials an average of once a week. The number of phone messages returned can be counted on one hand. An official from the Augusta mayor’s office said last week that the company “cut off” communications more than a year ago.
    As far as I could tell, what excited company officials most about the Augusta facility was that they were able to recoup nearly 40 percent of their investment in the plant ($8.2 million according to its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission) by selling Pfizer’s manufacturing equipment.
    When I asked about the possible sale of the property last week, a senior vice president provided a only a prepared one-sentence statement and refused to answer further questions.
    – Liability issues: Did I mention Xethanol in November settled seven shareholder lawsuits that alleged the company deliberately misstated its ethanol production capabilities to boost its stock price?
    On top of that was a steady stream of meaningless news releases and SEC filings that announced everything but the production of waste-based ethanol. I can’t remember the last time I saw a company generate so much noise by doing so little.
    None of that bothers me, though.
    What bothers me is the suspicion that Xethanol’s leaders acquired the site with no intention of developing a refinery; that they bought it for the sole purpose of selling off its expensive pharmaceutical equipment; that they bought it to generate a buzz to boost the company’s stock.*

  105. Interesting article…………..

    Xethanol Praises Georgia Proposal for Sales Tax Exemption for Construction of BioFuels Facilities
    Business Wire, Sept 29, 2006
    E-mail Print Link NEW YORK — Xethanol Corporation (AMEX:XNL) today said it applauded Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia for proposing a sales tax exemption for construction of biofuel facilities in Georgia.

    “This tax incentive would be of great benefit to us as we continue our expansion in Georgia through our Coastal Xethanol partner,” said Louis Bernstein, interim Chief Executive Officer of Xethanol.

    Governor Perdue today proposed a four percent sales tax exemption for materials and equipment used in the construction of biofuel facilities in Georgia. This incentive would be available to facilities producing and processing certain biofuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and butanol that are derived from Georgia-grown agriculture products and biomass.

    More
    Articles of Interest
    Xethanol to Acquire Plant in Georgia; Proposed Purchase of Pfizer…
    Xethanol Set to Expand in Southeast; Company Forms CoastalXethanol LLC….
    Xethanol Set for Southeastern U.S. Growth; Company Solidifies CoastalXethanol…
    Bunge Limited to Address Prudential Back-to-School Conference and Xethanol’s…
    StockGuru Movers for Friday June 02, 2006 – PlanetLink Signs Contracts with… Related Results
    Xethanol’s CoastalXethanol Venture Dedicates New Plant in Augusta with Mayor…
    Xethanol to Acquire Plant in Georgia; Proposed Purchase of Pfizer…
    Xethanol Set to Expand in Southeast; Company Forms CoastalXethanol LLC….
    Xethanol Set for Southeastern U.S. Growth; Company Solidifies CoastalXethanol…
    Bunge Limited to Address Prudential Back-to-School Conference and Xethanol’s…

    Xethanol, through its Coastal Xethanol LLC affiliate, has purchased a facility that was previously owned by Pfizer and is converting that facility to one that will produce ethanol. The company expects that production will commence some time in 2007 and that the facility will be fully operational either in late 2007 or early 2008.

    Thomas Endres, Senior Vice President of Operations of Xethanol, said, “This facility will be completely Georgia-based. We plan to use locally-grown corn for the initial ethanol production and when our technology is ready we will transition from corn to biomass-based feedstocks that we expect to have supplied from local paper mills.”

    Xethanol currently produces ethanol from corn in Iowa. The company is expanding in both Georgia and North Carolina with the acquisition of existing facilities which it will retrofit for ethanol production, creating new jobs and opportunities in the areas.

  106. to Curious,

    That is our Great Governor :( I’m glad he is out in 2010

    Wonder how much the State paid for a failed attempt of Xethanol to operate the facility in Augusta?

    Also, how much did Moultrie & Facility Group get paid for nothing?

    What happened to the 150 people it was going to employe?

  107. to Citizen,

    I am not sure about the State but TFG probably made out alright.

    I wonder who Xethanol will award the construction bid for the Florida plant. There is a half million dollars on the table.

    What is Florida thinking? $500,000 to Xethanol in the form of a grant???? After all the negative press????

  108. Chances are the ppl in Florida don’t know that Xethanol is really a group of traveling grifters but an email to the right journalist can cure that.

    I found the plant will be located near Tampa Florida here.

    Any takers? It may be until tomorrow until I can bird dog it.

    sop

  109. I can do that, will keep you posted

  110. I emailed the 2 newspapers in tampa, no word.

    What is the exact City where the Xenthol plant is scheduled for in Florida?

  111. Auburndale Florida Mr Concerned. Between Tampa and Orlando, closer to Tampa.

    sop

  112. thanks sop

    hope you are having a good 4th. will keep youposted

  113. cant believe it! I emailed all the newspapers in the Florida area, and no comments

    guess they dont care how much money they throw away during this time of recession

  114. when is Robert Moultrie court date?

  115. I don’t know for certain – did you see Sop’s new post?

  116. what does this mean? Rule 17(c)
    ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR ISSUANCE OF A RULE 17(C)
    SUBPOENA AND FOR EARLY RETURN ON SUBPOENA

    thanks

    Citizen, have not seen new post? where is it?

  117. Guys this is a thread from May. The main page is http://slabbed.wordpress.com/

    Moultrie asked for another Daubert hearing to argue the meaning of certain words in a TFG cost plus service contract. They are trying to take out Sean Carothers who is testifying for the feds.

    That post is here.

  118. was he granted the 2nd Daubert Hearing?

  119. Not as of yesterday, concerned. Did you see the post on the new motion that I put up last night? Go over to the list of post topics on the upper right side (above comments) and click on the second one.

  120. now, thanks I read it

    I am an architect in Atlanta, and really dont understand Moultrie’s Program Management Contract.

    Please give me your thoughts

  121. This is a little off topic but I found while browsing on the internet. Looks like The Facility Group has another project under way with Oklahoma City. The memorandum was written by James D. Couch who I thought I read somewhere was good friends with Gordon Myers who was for a short time on the Board of the Facility Group.

    Small world huh?

    Oh yeah, your’s truly (Gordon Myers) looks like he just got back from a nice trip to Europe (took the wife as well) on the taxpayers dime. You know, he had to drum up a little business.

    MEMORANDUM

    Item No. VII.F.The City of7/29/2008OKLAHOMA CITY

    TO:Mayor and City Council

    FROM:James D. Couch, City Manager

    Concurrence with the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Public Schools Trust in adoptingresolution approving Preliminary Design Report, Project ES-0018, Cesar Chavez ElementarySchool, SE Grand Boulevard between South Byers Avenue and Lindsay Avenue. Ward 7.LocationSE Grand Boulevard between South Byers Avenue and Lindsay AvenueBackgroundThis project is a new Pre-K through 6th grade facility that will accommodate500 students. The proposed design is 59,863 square feet with future expansion capabilities for an additional 500 students (1,000 total). The school will bebuilt in the vicinity of SE Grand Boulevard and South Lindsay Avenue on asix acre site. The Preliminary Design Report process began following approval of theSchematic Design Report. The architect met with School District, OCMAPSand The Facility Group staff to discuss findings and prioritize needs. Thearchitect also met with and received comments from the Cesar Chavezcommunity and school staff to finalize the report. The project meets all design requirements; however, the estimated costexceeds the construction budget by $821,022. A detailed review of the design was completed and all cost-savings opportunities have been investigated. Theprimary factor contributing to the additional cost is escalating constructioncosts for new construction. Contingency funds are available to cover theadditional cost, and staff recommends proceeding with the project. Upon approval, the architect will be authorized to develop the final plans and specifications, which will be completed in December 2008. ArchitectFrankfurt Short Bruza AssociatesEstimated Construction Cost$10,036,354 ReviewOCMAPS Trust OfficeRecommendation: Concur with the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Public Schools Trust inadopting the resolution.
    ——————————————————————————–
    Page 2
    Attachment

  122. Thanks Curious. Out latest thread with new filing is here.

  123. Is Facility Group the architect for this school or Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates?

    intereresting, wonder if Oklahoma knows what is going on wiht Robert Moultrie and Facility Group

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