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Lynn's Reply to Kansas v.
Ridenhour
Victim of consumer fraud by now-imprisoned Missouri
attorney general is assured by judge that bogus indictment could be expunged.
Ridenhour's $3,000 cash receipt is what brought down
the attorney general; but nearly a decade later, Ridenhour is yet to be
cleared of bogus charges brought against him by felonious attorney general.
Lynn's Statement | Feedback Correspondence | See also
 Lynn's Statement
From: "L.M. Enterprises" <htrails@solve.net>
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 7:49 PM
Subject: Re: lawsuit & follies
Sterling, Lynn here.
All I can do is share with you our intentions.
Doc Mullenex came to me, saying that he had 200 acres of land down at the
Lake of the Ozarks that he wanted to turn into a retreat for believers to come
and relax. The land was all paid for and in a family trust. He wanted to not
have to raise the capital by borrowing and going into debt, but he wanted to
pay and develop the project as we brought in the funds. I said I would help.
We set up a 20/20 program. Twenty weeks at the retreat and 20 hours of
motivational materials. The package was marketed for, I believe, $1,500. We
checked out the fair market value in the area and discovered that 20 weeks for
the price was a fair market value.
Mr. Phillip Gibson, assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri,
indicted us for selling securities without a license. Our attorney, who was on
the board, said that the definition of a security was "a return on
investment," and that we were marketing memberships, not an investment.
There was no promise of a return on investment. You and your family simply
purchased for $1500 20 weeks of vacation time at our resort, plus 20 hours of
positive mental attitude motivational materials. That was not, according to
our attorney, selling securities. And it was fair market value. Bottom line?
The state of Missouri froze our assets, our bank accounts, and I was penniless
for 18 months. I had no financial means to hire an attorney. Our attorney was
also indicted, so I could not use him. And no other attorney would "take
on the big boys" down at the state capital without a retainer's fee.
Finally, I appeared before the judge without a lawyer, and he crucified me. I
had no defense. The story's not over, however.
Another nine months go by. One evening the FBI knocks on my door and asks
me if I knew a Phillip Gibson. I told them, I sure do. Mr. Gibson, assistant
attorney general, froze our bank accounts. We had $465,000 in three different
accounts. He took every penny. The FBI asked me that evening if Mr. Gibson
asked us for any cash the evening he was in our home while serving me with the
indictment. He, in fact, did ask us if we had any cash. We had $3,000 stuffed
away in a dresser drawers. My wife, Linda, went in the back room and got it,
then handed him the money. She asked for a receipt. He gave her one.
The two FBI men asked my wife if she still had the receipt. Linda went in
the back room and returned with it. She gave the receipt to the two men. They
left. About a month later we read in the Kansas City Star where Mr. Phillip
Gibson, assistant attorney general, had been arrested and charged with
consumer fraud. It was all a scam and we were the victims. The FBI had been
investigating the attorney general's office for three years. Bill Webster,
attorney general of the state of Missouri, Phillip Gibson, assistant attorney
general, and I can't remember the names of the other assistants, all went to
prison, convicted on consumer fraud. They would slap a phony charge on a
new business in the startup phase, indict them, scare them to death, threaten
them with prison, and doctor the confiscated funds. For instance, the
attorney general's office took $465,000 of our money, but only reported
$150,000. Bill Webster, attorney general, and his cronies, were on the take.
They pocketed the rest. Believe it or not, it was my wife's receipt of the
$3,000 cash that did them in. They had left no paper trail for the past
few years.
I went back before the judge who tried my case, once the attorney
general and his assistants were in prison, and asked him for an expungement.
He said he would grant it. That's like a marriage annulment--the crime
never happened. I have never hired a lawyer (it takes some pretty good funds)
to go back before the judge to file the expungement papers. I probably should
do that.
Anyway, that's what happened. Lynn
Feedback Correspondence
From: "Sterling D. Allan"
<sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
To: "L.M. Enterprises" <htrails@solve.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 1:26 PM
Subject: Re: lawsuit & follies
Lynn,
In posting this story, I became fascinated at what happened. This is quite a
scoop! Have any of the newspapers covered it yet?
I don't see why you are worrying about funds to take care of this. It seems to
me that if you were of the disposition (which I doubt you are) you could take
the state to the cleaners for what they did to you through their felonious
attorney general et. al.
At a minimum, though, I would think that you could sue for damages and not
only recover the expungement cost, but the 18 months of pennilessness.
Am I missing something?
Sterling
From: "L.M. Enterprises" <htrails@solve.net>
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 2:05 PM
Subject: Re: lawsuit & follies
Sterling,
You're right, I sought legal advice about filing a claim against the state of
Missouri. And the attorney gave me the "cold, hard facts."
1) the case would in all likelihood drag on (if
necessary in the appellate courts) for years. Did I want to put my
family through the emotional strain? And 2) the state of Missouri, said
more than one attorney, would more than likely take the position that it was
not at fault, but individual employees were the ones who committed the crime.
Since they were convicted anyway, what could I get from them?
Weighing the very likely possibilities of especially number one [above], I decided not to pursue a claim. I do
think, however, I should perhaps go through the proper channels and get an
expungement. Every once in awhile this case raises its ugly head.
No one, or very few, know all the story. As for newspaper coverage,
unfairness abounds in the media. While I was under indictment, for about
a week I was the lead in on the six o'clock news on all three local TV
channels. A couple years later, when the FBI caught up with the attorney
general's office, their story ran on the seventeenth page of the KC Star, one
paragraph. I called the newspaper and asked them to print my story.
They refused.
O, well...
Life goes on. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.
Our life is content. Lynn
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 4:13 PM
Subject: URGENT
Lynn, I am compiling a letter to send to the various papers/televisions in
Missouri -- unless you implore me not to.
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: URGENT
Sterling, I don't mind that you compile a letter. Keep in mind though--the
events happened some time ago back in the late 80s. Lynn
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 4:03 PM
Subject: Justice at last!
All the more reason to pursue this and finally clear your good name.
Sterling
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