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COVERING DEKALB, FULTON, GWINNETT, HENRY AND ROCKDALE COUNTIES
VOLUME 17 NUMBER 20
WWW.OCGNEWS.COM
Ponzi scheme mastermind sentenced to 12 Years DECATUR—A man who bilked over a dozen victims, including his own parents, out of nearly $660,000 in a real estate Ponzi scheme was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison and 8 years on probation. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams sentenced Anthony Ray after he entered a Anthony Ray guilty plea for racketeering charges and defrauding the victims. Ray, 50, had residences in DeKalb and Atlanta, said Erik Burton, a spokesperson for the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office. Ray’s twin brother, Antonio, has said Anthony Ray took more than $160,000 from their parents in the Ponzi scheme. Anthony Ray swindled his parents after they allowed him to move in with them after he served five years in prison for stealing his twin’s identity. Between August 2006 and July 2008, Ray solicited investors for real estate transactions. He created a company called the Key Funding Group and he told the investors he was going to buy distressed real estate to renovate and sell at a profit. “This was an elaborate Ponzi scheme that caused over a dozen victims to lose a substantial amount of money. He had a total disregard for others to the degree he even stole from his own father,” said District Attorney Robert James. I hope this case serves as a warning for residents to do a thorough background check on any investments that may sound too good to be true. They often are just that. I commend the work of our White Collar Crime/ Elder Exploitation Unit for their work with putting this defendant behind bars.” Ray met several of the victims at Pine Grove Baptist Church in Milner. Other investors met the defendant through victims who believed the defendant was going to come through as he had promised. Ray encouraged some of the victims to open credit card accounts to improve their credit. Many of the victims took out loans and refinanced their homes so they could invest more in the company. A number of the victims were left with loans that they were unable to repay and many of them ended up in bankruptcy. Ray had six prior felony convictions and was sentenced as a recidivist. He will be required to serve every day of his 12-year sentence.
Phone: (678) 526-1910 Fax: (678) 526-1909 E-mail: editor@ocgnews.com
JANUARY 15, 2012
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Run With the Dogs
Decatur’s annual 5K Run With the Dogs drew about 300 people and 60 dogs to the city recently. The run served as a fundraiser for the Decatur Bulldog Booster Club and kicked off the Team Decatur Grand Slam Run/Walk series, which will last until November. Participants in the Jan 7 event started and finished at Decatur High School. Dogs of all breeds—from small shih tzus to English setters and even labradoodles—were there to participate and get in a good morning run. The first person to cross the finish line was Ian McCann, who finished the 3-mile run with a time of 17:11. As for Man’s best friend, first place went to “Charlie,” an English setter that led his owner across the finish line at a time of 20:41. The first woman to finish the race was Kelly Walsh, who was clocked in at 21:04. Photos by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Private sector, government to provide summer jobs, training for youths
H
elp is on the way for disadvantaged youths looking to land jobs this summer. The White House has announced its Summer Jobs+ initiative, with 36 employers so far that have pledged to provide employment opportunities to nearly 180,000 young people from low-income households. “America’s young people face record unemployment, and we need to do everything we can to make sure they’ve got the opportunity to earn the skills and a work ethic that come with a job. It’s important for their future, and for America,” President Barack Obama said in a White House press release. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. That’s why we’re launching Summer Jobs+, a joint initiative that challenges business leaders and communities to join my Administration in providing hundreds of thousands of summer jobs for America’s youth.” Some of the positions will be unpaid training opportunities, created to build skill set and knowledge, while others will provide both, training and paychecks. The effort will involve private sector businesses, non-profits, and government, working together to create viable employment for disadvantaged youths ages 16-24. Congressmen Hank Johnson, who
Barack Obama
Hank Johnson
represents the 4th District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties, praised President Obama for the initiative. “I am ecstatic that President Obama proposed $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youths ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act as part of the Pathways Back to Work Fund,” Johnson said. “For years, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have strongly supported summer youth jobs programs. Johnson said the jobs initiatives is especially needed for African American youths. “As African Americans continue to face significantly high unemployment and African-American youth unemployment remains over 40 percent, the need for jobs
is critical,” Johnson said. “That’s why I’ll continue to promote my bill, The Fair Employment Act, and strongly support my CBC colleagues jobs’ legislation and President Obama’s efforts as well.” The Department of Labor and the Corporation for National and Community Service said they plan to honor companies that hire youths this summer. The White House also announced that by March it plans to launch the Summer Jobs+ Bank, a one-stop online search tool for youths to look for job postings for participating employers. “While young people who are currently disconnected from school or work are not contributing to our economy, we see these young people as ‘Opportunity Youth’ because of the untapped potential they bring to the Nation,” said Patty Stonesifer, chair of the White House Council for Community Solutions (WHCCS). “…Summer jobs are an important step – and to stay on the path to success, Opportunity Youth need social supports and access to relevant education, mentoring and training.” Interested teens can receive more information on the program and sign up at http://www.dol.gov/summerjobs/ and click the youth tab or visit www. whitehouse.gov and click the Statements and Releases link.
The following companies from around the nation have agreed to participate in the summer program:
American Association of People with Disabilities
Gap Inc.
Bender Consulting Services, Inc.
General Dynamics C4 Systems Goodwill Industries International H-E-B
The Camber Corporation CenturyLink
J.B. Hunt Transport Jamba Juice
The Corporation for National and Community Service CVS Caremark Deloitte
JPMorgan Chase LinkedIn
U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of the Interior
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
AT&T, Bank of America Baxter International Inc.
The Direct Employers Association Discovery Communications Easter Seals Expeditors
ManpowerGroup Operation HOPE The SI Organization Starbucks Coffee Company State Street Corporation Syracuse University The McGraw-Hill Companies UPS (Sandy Springs) Viacom We Are Golf Wells Fargo