Nancy Amons  namons@wsmv.com

May 30, 2003

Carl Tilley claimed to have a revolutionary "energy machine." Tonight many of the inventor's assets are in the hands of the government.

The I-Team told you in February 2003 that Carl Tilley had convinced people to invest a total of half a million dollars in a device he says can power things like an electric car, without having to recharge the batteries.

Two former business associates questioned whether the device worked as Tilley said, and told the I-Team and state regulators that Tilley made misrepresentations to his stockholders.

On May 29th, investigators from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance raided the Tilley complex.  Tennessee's securities division regulates how stocks are sold and handles complaints from consumers.

 (Daphne Smith, Assistant Commissioner of Securities)  "A search warrant was executed yesterday, as an assist to the securities division, and our investigation of the Tilley Foundation and Carl Tilley. The search warrant was executed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation."

Neighbors tell the I-Team they saw the TBI move in with two flatbed trucks and haul off Tilley's electric DeLorean, his electric boat and an electric ATV, along with box after box.

Tilley wouldn't talk on camera on the advice of his attorney, Hank Fenture. Fenture told Channel 4 they had offered to co-operate with the Department of Commerce and Insurance months ago, and they felt the warrant was totally unnecessary.

Tilley hired a second lawyer, Jack Lowery, after the raid. Lowery tells the I-Team, "Tilley is a hardworking man who has made no misrepresentations."

Lowery tells the I-Team the state told Tilley they plan run tests on his inventions. Tilley has never let outsiders run independent tests, or even see the inner workings of what he calls the magic box.

(Carl Tilley, February) "We can show you how the device works, but we can't show you the actual device because of trade secrets that we are trying to maintain."