The Sun Village case is now getting television exposure as an 'affinity fraud'. The article and video clarify that many sales agents and their victims were members of the Latter Day Saints Church. 'For a year and a half, Coons received his promised interest payments. The steady money convinced him to invest that second and third time, but then the checks stopped. Reber, on the other hand, says he never saw a dime. Both men think their money may be gone for good. Looking back, both men blame themselves.  "They work off personal relationships where there's a trust. And I called it, you know, 'Mormons stealing from Mormons,'" Reber says. He and Coons both belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When they learned the project salesmen they were dealing with, and many others in the sales company were also LDS, the men dropped their guard. "We had more trust in what was gonna happen, and that it was gonna work out for us, because there was a lot of LDS people involved," Coons explains. In fact, so many LDS members were involved that when Coons visited the Dominican Republic, he was treated to some unusual and specific accommodations. "They provided buses for us to go to church services," he says. "And all those that were LDS would get on the buses, and we'd head over to the local church and we'd go to church services." Mixing business and beliefs is a scenario the director of the Utah Division of Securities, Keith Woodwell, sees all the time. "It's insidious and unfortunate," Woodwell says, "but that's what works." ' Article and video continue at the first link. Meanwhile, Sun Village staff are still awaiting liquidation pay. One ex-employee said they were uncertain whom would pay them, the previous owner or the new buyer. She phoned in to the Así Son Las Cosas programme to say that the assistant manager of the new owners had told her that they hadn't bought the staff!

But the biggest news of the week has to be the production of the forensic financial analysis by the US District Court, Southern District of Florida. Not for them the delicate language of an 'affinity fraud'. Instead this report describes the machinations as a Ponzi scheme!  It identifies a woeful unfolding tale of intentional mismanagement, unprofessional conduct, lax accounting practices and potential criminal activity such as theft, money laundering and securities violations much of which is denied by the protagonists. The Court however has remained sceptical and unconvinced and has recommended actions which should be taken. The report provides a preliminary list of who should be referred to criminal authorities for potential criminal prosecution, the reasons why and indicates that this is a work in progress. This list includes the Elliotts, their lawyers, accountants and sales companies and agents across a range of jurisdictions and countries. The report also indicates which further documentation should be required and recommends refreezing of accounts. Essential reading and available at the last link!

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=309&sid=8608529

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8608529&pid=2

http://dominicanwatchdog.org/dominican_news/page-KSL_5_News_investigates_affinity_fraud_connected_to_Sun_Village_Juan_Dolio_in_the_Dominican_Republic 

http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/11/puertoplatenos-se-solidarizan-con.html

http://www.ratupdate.com/Important%20Docs/832%20Preliminary%20Forensic%20Report.pdf