Date: Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Subject: here's the info I promised
I see no reason to be squeamish about sharing person information on Johnston, online, by email or otherwise. I feel sure the officer to whom I have made a report will find some outstanding warrants. I have also called the detective in Dallas, TX. I wish the RipOff.com web site had not been so heavily redacted or I would contact those posters. I feel sure Terry is probably in the region still, so I encourage anyone reading this to share as freely as possible. I do not think he will go directly to any agencies, food banks, shelters, etc., as that is not his game, and the professional social workers there will require documentation he cannot provide. I encourage you to share this with any ministers, deacons, or other religious leaders, GLBT contacts, and your own local law enforcement. Good luck and blessings to all, Holli
From: Holli Emore
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 1:24 PM
To:
Subject: more info on scam artist - much bigger situation than I thought
Dear Officer Stegall,
Thank you for being so kind as to sit down with me in the bookstore yesterday to begin taking my report on my recent experience with someone calling himself Terry Johnston, aka “Raven.” I’ve been contacted by still more people since yesterday, some of whom shared links to web sites, and who sent me two good recent photos of Johnston.
*I would be very surprised if there are not some kind of outstanding warrants on this person. It would be so great if we could make progress on bringing him to justice before he victimizes any more good people. I am now hearing of business swindles involving amounts like $15,000 and $300,000. I’ve written the person making the latter online claim to ask for more info. Someone else gives the phone and name of a detective in Texas. It’s so old that it may not be useful, but it shows that he has been at this a long, long time. There was even a write-up two months in a row in the national magazine of the United Church of Christ!
I realize that you may need to refer me to another department, but hope that your work will allow you to give a bit of attention to this. I will do all I can to assist.
Now I will compile information, letters, etc., that I have, and will send to you by separate email. Note that you will see emails to and from both Holli and “Sekhmet” . These are both me. Also, yesterday I gave you my consulting business card. I also serve as the PT executive director of a Pagan seminary (only one in the world!), so you will also see that some people have written me there. Again, that is me.
Meanwhile, bless you for your service to both our country and, now, to this community. I know your job is a discouraging and dangerous one. I pray that during this sacred season you will be touched by unexpected joys and deep peace.
Best regards,
Holli S. Emore, CFRE
Executive Director
Cherry Hill Seminary
P.O. Box 5405
Columbia, SC 29250-5405
1. Original message to friends from Holli Emore
From: Holli Emore
Sent:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 10:33 PM Subject:
urgent request from Holli Dear friends, Yesterday someone called me
to ask if there were any Pagan gatherings in the next couple of days (found my number
from a Free Times ad for the Pagan Round Table). After talking for a few
minutes I learned some alarming things: Raven is in the last stages
of death from AIDS. After leaving the East Coast
at age 18 and living in California all these years, and after the doctor
telling him that it was a matter of weeks or maybe a few months, he decided to
visit family back East to try to reconcile. They told him he was not
their son and they have nothing to discuss. Raven’s lungs are too
fragile right now to fly at all. He has been making this journey by
train, but has suffered several interruptions by expensive emergency hospital
visits. Amtrak got him as far as Columbia earlier this week. Someone took him to the Motel
6 and paid for his stay while he waited for friends to Fedex him a train
ticket. I figured out he had no money
and had not eaten for a while, so took him out yesterday, bought him a gift
card to the restaurant across the street from the hotel, and gave him some cash
and snacks to take on the train. Last night he had to go to
the hospital and missed the morning Fedex delivery. The doctor wants to
admit him for two weeks, is honestly worried about whether he will survive the
trip home (4 days by train), but is being extremely supportive and helpful. Raven has a nurse roommate
back in CA who is his caretaker. He has all his arrangements for burial
made. But, as he told the doctor, here he is just another unknown
stranded traveler. None of the AIDS or gay support services he called in
town could help him. **I’m writing to ask if
you will help by chipping in perhaps $5 or $10 to cover Raven’s hotel
room tomorrow night, and give him some cash for the 4-day trip back. I’m going over to the
hotel in the morning to have them run my own card, but I think most of you know
that Clyde and I are financially strained ourselves, but maybe if a number of
us pitch in just a few dollars, we could send this nice person home to die,
able to say that the folks in S.C. were kind to him. I’ve been hit by
innumerable street people, con artists and mixed up friends in my life.
Raven is none of these things. He has been very, very reluctant to even
let me know his needs. He is a very nice person, and just wants to get
home. Will you help me? I have a PayPal account
or you can just mail or give me a check if you
prefer. I think you, my friends, know
that I try to be very selective about when I ask for others to join me in
charitable giving. There are a lot of people in need out there, but right
now, Spirit seems to have placed this person in my path – our path
– and I’d like to get him home for Yule, home to his own bed, his
own doctor, his nurse-friend and his coven who have already pooled their
resources to help him thus far. If you feel moved by what
I’ve shared, please don’t wait. Thank you so much, Holli Holli S. Emore, CFRE Emore Development Resources "Nonprofit management
and fundraising consulting since 1998" P.O. Box 5501 Columbia, SC 29250-5501 2.
Roughly 40 or so people responded to Holli with gifts totaling about
$700. All contributions have been returned. Holli bought Johnston a meal
at the St. Andrews IHOP on Dec 15, bought him an IHOP gift card for $50, and
gave him $20 in cash. She came back on Dec 16 and paid for one night at
the hotel where he was staying, Motel 6 in St. Andrews, on Burning Tree Road. 3.
Holli began to look up online the personal information Johnston had given her
on Dec 16. That afternoon several
friends contacted her about their own experiences with Johnston in preceding
months or years. The stories included Asheville, Hickory, Charlotte and
Gastonia, NC (and later, the Raleigh-Durham area), and Charleston, SC. It
became clear very quickly that Johnston was lying. 4.
Holli called Johnston and told him that she had raised quite a lot of money for
him, but could not give it to him until he could provide some proof of his
story or identity. Johnston became belligerent,
refused, said he didn’t want money from people like that, etc.
Holli said goodbye and had no further contact with him. Holli circulated
the below message to all who had contributed: From: Holli Emore
Sent:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 9:28 PM Subject:
heartfelt apology from Holli Dear Friends, I can't thank you enough for
your kindness and generosity. So many people responded to my appeal,
really making me feel encouraged about our community. With such widespread
response, I wanted to dig a little deeper to verify Raven's story and identity,
so I began doing some research today – about the same time that I began
to get calls from people in North Carolina. Raven turns out to be a very,
very good con artist. He has been moving from town to town, looking us up
online and in local announcements, and preying on our good will. Having met people like this
before, I feel very embarrassed to have hurriedly put out a call for assistance
before more thoroughly investigating him. I have confronted him and
gotten a very unsatisfactory
response. I’m spending this evening returning everything that was
given to me for him, and apologizing from the bottom of my heart. It is very disturbing to have
such an encounter, but I must say that I have been very proud to be part of
such a caring group of friends and associates. You should feel good about
your willingness to help someone in need. Again, thank you for trusting
me, for reaching out, and now, I hope, accepting my apology. Sincerely, Holli S. Emore, CFRE Emore Development Resources 5.
Holli spoke with the hotel managers,
who were willing to give her the information taken from his driver’s
license given when he checked in. They did not have a photocopy of
it. Details revealing more lies by Johnston emerged from those
conversations. He checked out on Friday, December 18. 6.
Copied below is information sent by others, or posted online. From: Elizabeth
Sent:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 9:36 PM To:
Holli Emore Subject:
Re: heartfelt apology from Holli Attachments:
image001.jpg Hi, sweetie, when in my
original response to your request, I asked for a description of
"Raven," I meant a physical description, not his life story.
Only because you so clearly believed in him and were concentrating on his
story, did I decide to respond with a small gift. Now that I see your
email below, I am convinced "Raven" is the same person, whom I helped
several years ago. The con was almost identical except that at that point
he put himself forth as Christian. Feel free to share my
comments with others if you like. By the way, when I drove out
to his Red Rood Inn motel room without any money but with food, he almost
sneered. That's when I began to suspect him. This was when I was
still at the Christian Action Council, I believe so no later than early 2004. Well, in your usual and
exemplary manner, you are swiftly correcting the "challenge." Much love and hugs, dear one, e. From: MJ Dellucci
Sent: Thursday,
December 17, 2009 12:19 PM To:
Holli Emore Subject:
Re: heartfelt apology from Holli Holli, I know you are
horrified. Please, please, do not beat yourself up about this
asshole. After calling you I started to go back through
some of my old folders because something just didn't
sound kosher. If you hadn't sent out that email
about what you found I would have called you again. This guy has been doing this
for YEARS. I hope your local law enforcement can
slap him in leg irons and make him pick up highway trash for
his crimes. Now, I have some donations to
help you and Clyde recoup some of the funds you put
out. Call me please. Know that you are much loved. MJ From: Holli Emore
Sent: Thursday,
December 17, 2009 12:27 PM To:
'Phil' Subject:
RE: heartfelt apology from Holli Oh Phil – your kind
heart is only exceeded by your generosity. I wish I could give you a big warm hug
right now!! You know, the one thing that
I was keeping in the back of my mind that bothered me was his claim
that he had called several gay and AIDs related groups in town and no
one could help him. I found that hard to believe and had planned to
call Ryan Smith and Elizabeth before giving him anything, but then
other things began to turn up – like when I checked his address and it
didn’t exist! About your
“friend,” it amazes me, too. Raven also got huffy with me yesterday, at which point I
just listened for about 30 seconds and then said goodbye with no argument
at all. No doubt he was trying to make me feel guilty, and also afraid
I was about to call the police, but I think some people con themselves
until they don’t feel anything any more. I honestly don’t feel any
emotion about him at all more than some pity. Otoh, I am just overwhelmed
at the people who’ve responded from about 4 states!! Apparently
people started forwarding my original message around, posted it to lists (I
only sent it to local friends), and I’ve received the most touching
notes, both before and after exposing Raven. I think it will prove to have
been a wonderful bridge-building experience as my next step
– after the police – is to write up a detailed description to
circulate, which I will share with my colleagues and friends at places like
The Cooperative Ministry, and I’m going to encourage the Pagan lists to
do the same. Ironically, this
“getting home” scam is very common, but I just didn’t recognize it in
Pagan-gay-AIDS garb. The man is truly gaunt and did appear to have KS lesions on
his face; I’ve seen many friends dying of cancer or AIDS and the only
thing to rival it would be a serious drug addict. Again, thank you, and love to
you and Phil - Holli From:
Sekhmet-Osireion Sent:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 2:12 PM To:
Subject:
Con Artist Alert: This man has been circulating in several states for a
number of years This week I was contacted by
a man seeking help here in Columbia, SC. Before giving him money collected by
friends, I checked some background, and was also contacted by some out of town
and out of state friends who’d also encountered him. He has
probably left Columbia at this point, though I cannot be sure. He is
very, very convincing; people in several other places have given him money and
assistance. Please contact me if you need additional information, and I
recommend that you refuse assistance. Here is what description and
details I can provide: Claims to be Terry Johnston,
aka “Raven” Gives home address as 8733
Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046 Working cell phone (at least
when I called it on 12-16-09) is 323-772-6381 Email given is
terry.wj@hotmail.com Claims birthday is October
13, 1959 Claims to have roommate named
Sheila. Smokes cigarettes Raven checks into a hotel
paying cash, shows a driver’s license with the above info, though he
claimed a month ago in another state not to have a driver’s
license. Starts looking up contacts in local paper event listings, on web
sites, etc., and calls asking for help. His story is that he is dying
of AIDS, partner (“Len, from Scotland) died of AIDS two years ago, that
he left home in Baltimore at age 18 because family rejected him because he was
both gay and Wiccan, and came back to try to reconcile before dying, and now he
is trying desperately to get home. Claims to have worked for the
Los Angeles County Fire Department as an EMT, and to have had his insurance
dropped when he was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS. He says that a
class-action lawsuit has successfully reinstated insurance for him and others
as of Jan 1, 2010. He refers to Pagans/Wiccans
as “family” and claims that local GLBT and HIV/AIDS agencies could
not help him when he called because he is from out of state, or other vague
reasons. He made comments to one person in NC which indicated he thinks
of the South as a “backwater” in which he can move freely between
Pagan communities and congregations and take advantage of their having no
central organization. In about 2004, Raven, using
the same name and story, called Christian agencies here in Columbia, portraying
himself as a devoted Christian. He stayed in the Red Roof Inn in St. Andrews at
that time. He stayed at the Motel 6 in St. Andrews from Dec 14-17, 2009. Raven/Terry Johnston is a
white male, about 5’10” tall, very thin, no identifiable accent
except that he definitely does not sound southern. May have a moustache, wavy
black and gray hair below his ears on 12-16-09. He is traveling with a small
backpack, a duffle bag, a laptop computer showing a Johnston coat of arms, and
dresses in jeans and a black leather jacket. Voice is not deep. He
is very polite, until confronted when he becomes condescending and
critical. No reports of or indication of potential for violence
that I am aware of. If you are contacted by this
person, do not give him assistance. You may wish to alert others,
including local authorities. If you have questions, you may contact me at
the below phone or by reply to. From:
Carla Smith Sent:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 3:09 PM To:
Carla Smith Subject:
[CarolinaGrove] (OT) Con Artist Alert: This man has been circulating in
several states for a number of years This is more information
about the scam artist who came into our community seeking assistance. I wanted
to alert everyone about this and I apologize for the cross posts. I have heard from 6 groups in
NC and SC that he has contacted and several of those he did get money from.
Several turned him away due to lack of funds or because his story didn't feel
right. It appears that he has been going through the states and has
been around NC and SC for several months. I know posting of personnel
info is not recommended, but in this instance I think it is better to err on
the side of caution and get this info about to as many people as possible so
that you are not taken in by this scammer. There are many in our
community who do their best to help their fellow Pagans and the fact that we
have to deal with people like this who prey on our kind hearts is
despicable!!! So please share this with your
Pagan friends far and wide across the US and Canada. Hopefully we can
prevent others from being suckered out of money. Carla Smith From: Beth Sent:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 4:17 PM To:
Subject:
Raven Holli, I am sooo
sorry this has happened. It is sad when you reach out to help someone and they
bite you for it. If you haven't sent my refund, please keep it and
put it toward Cherry Hill. BTW I googled the address
this creep gave you and it is a Victor Hugo Hairstyling Victor Hugo Hair
<http://www.victorhugohair. 8733 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 659-0110 From:
Sekhmet-Osireion Sent:
Thursday, December 17, 2009 9:43 PM To:
'Temple Richmond' Subject:
RE: Con Artist Alert: This man has been circulating in several states for
a number of years Thanks, friend. I heard
just before supper that he has passed through the Pagan community in the RD
area not so long ago. [Raleigh-Durham, verbal communication] From: Holli Emore
Sent:
Saturday, December 19, 2009 10:35 AM To:
Subject:
posted on Jill Medicine Heart's FB page Beth: Mark
and I ran across him coming through Cleveland [OH] back in our first apartment.
I don't remember the exact year but is was some time between 2000-2003. Gave us
and a few of our PAC friends the same song and dance. I think he even stayed at
Metro Hospital w/pneumonia because I do remember visiting there and him being
in isolation. From:
Subject: Re:
[CarolinaPagans] (OT) Con Artist Alert: This man has been circulatingin several
states for a number of years To:
Date: Thursday,
December 17, 2009, 4:25 PM He contacted COTE in
September. Said he just needed someone to talk to and get ideas from, didn't
outright ask for money. At the time, he didn't
have a cell phone, I returned his call by calling his hotel. He did not claim
to be Pagan then, he said his partner was before he passed and that the
community always welcomed him. Something wasn't
adding up for me at the time either, but a lot of that is because I am a more
direct person and I didn't like how he wasn't getting to the point. He also didn't go by a
Pagan name at the time, but I no longer have the notes I made of our
conversation. Granted, they might be a notebook somewhere, but it was the week
before CNCPPD, so who knows where it might be. I hope no one is taken
by this man, and I think the idea of spreading it to others in the community is
a great idea. Obviously he is very good at what he does, and those who helped
him have very generous hearts. Michelle Basnett Local Coordinator Central NC Pagan Pride
Day Posted by:
"Just AWitch" Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:38
am (PST) I contacted a friend
and HPS in the mountains. Raven has been there, too. Someone there
was in a position to run a background check and in at least one area (doesn't
say if it was in NC or another state, I'm guessing it was farther away state)
that the police were involved and there was something about money collected
being returned. Someone has a photo of
him, which will not be posted. It will be saved if anyone needs to check
him out before helping him (just in case he changes his name before hitting up
someone else). If someone hits you up for cash, let us know. The people of our
great community have great hearts. I guess that makes us a target of any
con artist. bb Mature Witch From: Holli Emore
To:
Sent: Sat, December 19, 2009
6:36:03 PM Subject: from UCC web site in
Nov 2001 http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/ My friend from the Christian
Action Council took food to this guy back in 2004, and
stories have been coming to me from all over both Carolinas, Ohio and beyond.
It’s likely he’ll turn up again. http://carynml.livejournal. From this web site: http://www.ripoffreport.com/ Report: #460179 Report: Realtradelines.com Terry Jones, Terril Johnson,
Terry Johnson Reported By: (Los Angeles California) Realtradelines.com, Terry Jones, Terril Johnson, Terry
Johnson, Grindin Official, G Official, Credit Reverse, 4Hearts Holding took
hundreds of thousands of dollars for CPN - tradeline package, credit repair,
business trade lines, etc and DISAPPEARED Los Angeles ... Assistance with your report 1 Author 3 Consumer 0 Employee Respond to this report! Victim of this person/company? Realtradelines.com Terry Jones, Terril Johnson, Terry
Johnson Los Angeles California 90045 U.S.A. Phone: Web Address: Category: Credit Services Submitted: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 Last posting: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Terry Johnson is a scam artist - not a street hustler - but
a professional who orchestrated a very intricate plot to scam other
professionals out of theirs and their clients money. I am in the process of
locating this individual and could use all the help I could get. Please look at
his info below and if there's anything you could do to help please respond to
this report: Terry Johnson Terry Joneson Teray Jones Terril Johnson Cell Phones (yes, he has 3): (((REDACTED))) E-mail: info@realtradelines.com; orders@realtradelines.com Last Known Home Address: (((REDACTED))) Los Angeles, CA 90069 (he tells people he lives in Rancho Cucamonga, CA) _____________________________ *He has collaborated with another guy named Ramon, which is
an apparent alias. His real name is believed to be Lewis Lamont (or Lewis
Lamont is the alias). His phone number is (((REDACTED))). He previously had an
office with a number of (909) 527-3168. Ramon drives a white Chrysler 300
(approx. 2007, stock, no tint, no plates). Ramon's email address is:
(((REDACTED)))________________ Terry's Last known business address: 5230 Pacific Concourse, #320 Los Angeles, CA 90045 Office: (800) 901-2640 *Note: The management company claims he leased this office
and during the 3 months he occupied the space he didn't pay a dime and vanished
around mid May. They also claim there were others looking for him and they
accidentally gave away their only copy of the tenant car info collected for
parking garage purposes. Either they aren't very cooperative or they are
intentionally withholding info. He also goes to a Karate dojo around La Cienega and Slauson
in S. LA Cars: Maroon/Burgundy Maserati QUATTROPORTE (probably a 2005,
stock, no plates) Black Cadillac Escalade (2008 or 2009, aftermarket chrome
rims, no plates) Bank Accounts Numbers: (((REDACTED))) I am now in contact with many individuals who have been scammed
by this guy, all of whom share a collective $300,000 worth of losses spanning
from 2008 until last month. My company comprises half of that loss and Ripoff
Report shows another 15k in losses - one guy from Las Vegas and another from N.
Carolina. Needless to say, Terry Johnson, or whatever his name is, with the
help of others, like Lewis Lamont (aka "Ramon") has put me and my
previous company in a very bad position and in financial ruin. I will first
attempt to resolve this matter on a personal level with the aid of those who
have also been scammed, and after, regardless of the outcome, we will all
pursue legal action. I would appreciate your cooperation on all levels. For
those who would like to help, please make a rebuttal to this report or make another
report about realtradelines.com to let me know what info you wer able to
uncover. Anything will help as I will be working diligently to put the puzzle
pieces together. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS GUY. He knows what he's talking
about but it's a shame he uses his intellect and sales skills to harm others
lives and their famililes. Anthony Los Angeles, California U.S.A. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy,
deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report. Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on Realtradelines
com Search for additional reports If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this
company/individual, search here: Search Tips Respond to this report! Victim of this person/company? Repair Your Reputation REBUTTALS & REPLIES: 1 Author 3 Consumer 0 Employee #1 Consumer Comment Respond to this report! Information Anonymous - Los Angeles (U.S.A.) SUBMITTED: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 POSTED: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Anthony, I have information about this case. Please contact
me to discuss. #2 Consumer Comment Respond to this report! Information Anonymous - Los Angeles (U.S.A.) SUBMITTED: Thursday, June 18, 2009 POSTED: Thursday, June 18, 2009 Anthony, please contact me at (((ROR REDACTED))) I have
information regarding this case. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy,
deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report. #3 Consumer Suggestion Respond to this report! Assistance with your report anonymous 36 - los angeles (USA) SUBMITTED: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 POSTED: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Hi Anthony, I have some information that I feel will be very
beneficial to you. If you would like this information contact me
at:(((Redacted))). The information I have may end your search for this scam
artist who has scammed me as well. From:
On Behalf Of Just AWitch Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 8:45 PM Subject: Re: [CarolinaPagans] Re: (OT) Con Artist - and the
flip side He may or may not have been the same person from a few years
ago in SC. He has been helped with "train tickets" in CT, MD
and TX according to the post and links provided. Pleas have a look at the
links on my other post. That person went to a lot of trouble to provide
links to other peoples' stories, one provided a photo, several list the same
name. bb MW From: Carla Smith Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 7:26 PM To: 'Holli Emore' Subject: scam artist I did some more research online: From LA: Texas: http://sourceware.org/ml/ Snopes.com http://msgboard.snopes.com/ I did several searches for his phone number 323-772-6381. Several
searches showed that the number is an unlisted land line in Los Angeles CA. Not
an actual cell phone number. But if he has a land line in California then he
could have all his calls forwarded to his cell phone directly and never have to
give out his cell phone number (and then his GPS location isn’t traceable
since we don’t have his actual cell number). Actually found info that his
phone provider was Pacific Bell (ATT). But I also found that it was a cellular
number out of LA. I had am email earlier today from Florida, where he had been
hitting people there also. Also someone emailed me or one of the lists that
someone similar was in the mid-west hitting up the SCA/Ren Faire groups last
year. Carla Smith Vice President/Membership Director/Treasurer Southern US Regional Coordinator Pagan Pride Project, Inc. Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 4:00 PM Subject: [CarolinaPagans] It appears he has been doing this
for years I was sent a link from a friend and told "...got hit by
him and I posted the whole story along with the picture I took of him on my
live journal and made it public. Feel free to forward it if you
like...." This person has been using people since 2003 that we know
of. He has done this in Texas and Conneticutt, which alters the South
story, but oh, whatever. Because I have been given permission to forward, please look
at: http://www.facebook.com/l/ BB Y'all Mature Witch From:
Jill
sent you a message. -------------------- Subject:
About your scam alert I
posted about it on facebook-- a friend of mine just commented that she
remembers him from back in the early 2000's. Same crap, different
year. I say this guy is a CHRONIC scam artist. Jill
MH From:
Holli Emore Sent:
Sunday, December 20, 2009 1:24 PM To:
Subject:
more info on scam artist - much bigger situation than I thought From:
Holli Emore
Sent:
Saturday, December 19, 2009 11:28 PM To:
'info@realtradelines.com'; 'orders@realtradelines.com' [from RipOff.com site] Subject:
Terry Johnston aka Raven Was
in Columbia, SC, this week, left town on Friday morning, December 18. I have
made a police report, would love to have more information to give police.
He seems to have been in the Carolinas for the past few months. Thank
you, Holli
S. Emore, CFRE Emore
Development Resources From
LiveJournal page of “Caryn”:
http://carynml.livejournal.com Delivery-date:
Mon, 08 Sep 2003 22:16:15 +0100 Hi
my name is Martina and I belong to the North Texas Church of Freethought in
Irving Texas (<a
href="http://church. I
need your help in prosecuting a scam artist who goes by the name of Terry
Johnston. In short
Terry Johnston called our church line indicating that he had full blown AIDS
and needed help.
Here's what he told me when I called him back. He indicated that he had made a
trek from
Baltimore to Dallas in the hopes of reconciling with his Christian family. He
hoped that his
family seeing his horrific state would make amends with him. It took him 4
weeks to make it
to Dallas due to several hospital stays which had totally depleted his funds.
His family let
him stay one night and then kicked him out. A friend put him up in a hotel room
and someone
else has secured him a bus ticket back to Baltimore. All he needed from us was
3 days worth
of food money for his bus trip back home the next day. My boyfriend and I
agreed we would
give him $40.00. When Terry seemed very unhappy with such a small amount of
money, told us
he was to weak to meet us in the hotel lobby and other various oddities our
suspicions of a
scam were realized. My boyfriend and I starting surfing the net. We found
the 4 Web sites below
were Terry using the same name has pulled the same scam for the past 3 years.
His targets
are mainly UU, pagan, atheist and other organizations that are open to the gay
and lesbian
life styles. Feel
free to do your own search and let me know what you find. We only spent about
an hour searching.
I had hoped that this documentation would be enough to get him arrested. We contacted
the authorities and filed a police report. The police went to the hotel manager
and got
Terry's personal information, physical description and so on. Unfortunately,
because I know
its a scam my giving him money now would be considered entrapment. The swindle department
in Dallas and other various law enforcement agencies I called stated the best thing
we could do to put a stop to this scam was to contact as many organizations as
possible and
have them file similar reports giving authorities as much information as
possible If you have
heard of this guy or have donated any monies to him please file a police report
in your area.
We could then get enough evidence to have him arrested, fined or at least make
him come up
with a new scam. It is realized he moves from place to place but if he is using
the same name
and story it won't be long before he is caught. If you run into him don't let
him know we
are onto him. I have been working with Detective Grady at the Dallas
Swindle unit 214-671- 3511.
You can email your police report numbers to him at mrswindle@yahoo.com and he
can take it
from there. If you would let me know that would be great too, that way I can
pester Mr. Grady
a bit to insure he doesn't forget about us. There are only two guys in that department
so
if no one answers the phone just call back, should you wish to speak with Mr.
Grady yourself.
They are swamped though. Now for the final hitch, one of the 5 Web sites
makes a claim
that they knew about this scam but helped Terry anyway because he really had
AIDS. They say
they visited him in the hospital. If they are just saving face I don't know or
maybe he was
there for a drug overdose; who knows. Of the people who saw him they indicate
he looks very
thin and sickly. I
called a local AIDS organization and they stated for someone to have full blown
AIDS for 3 years
and be living in various hotel rooms all across the US would be an extremely
difficult and
very doubtful. I cannot thank you enough for your help. Any information
you could email me
would be most appreciated. If possible keep the subject line the same because I
am sending this
email to 1000's of organizations nation wide. Should you wish to send me
information confidentially
go to my web page and fill out my contact form. http://www.technetronic.net/ to
our communities it is hoped you agree that this swindler should not be allowed
to take
advantage of our philanthropy. Web sites mentioning Terry: http://www.geocities.com/ http://www.geocities.com/ http://www.betwixt.org/ http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/ (3
comments) - (Post a new comment)
carynml
2009-07-20
01:10 am UTC (link) We
only gave about $200 but my friend gave $500. I feel awful but at least I did
talk him out of the $1000 that he wanted to give. (Reply
to this)
greenfernway
2009-07-20
01:42 am UTC (link) There
is nothing on < ah ref="http://snopes.com/"snopes I
have only known one person who died from Aids and it was not pretty. They lose
lots of weight and develop bruises on their body. There is no possible way that
a person with full onset aids could live or even be traveling around the
country for 9 years. It
seems that you paid for a hotel room and brought him meal replacement drinks.
That is much better than just giving him cash. Hopefully, he really is a person
in need otherwise, maybe those guides you saw are just waiting for the right
time to give him an ass kicking. (Reply
to this)
carynml
2009-07-20
02:02 pm UTC (link) Well
yeah, I mean who would only ask for ensure when given the opportunity to eat?
Who would let their pic be taken if they were on the scam? He signed a receipt
with an address and an email address on it. But then again, as my mind goes
over it, there were other signs that I also should have noticed. I asked a
friend of mine if a person with full AIDS could live for 9 years and he said
yes if the person had the right meds. I
will probably never know. From:
Holli Emore Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 10:35 AM Subject: posted on Jill's FB page Beth: Mark and I ran across him coming
through Cleveland [OH] back in our first apartment. I don't remember the exact
year but is was some time between 2000-2003. Gave us and a few of our PAC
friends the same song and dance. I think he even stayed at Metro Hospital
w/pneumonia because I do remember visiting there and him being in isolation.
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 1:13 AM
To: Holli S. Emore
Subject: Jill sent you a message on Facebook...