Sun Country Airlines - Tom Petters - FRAUD ARTICLE

[Mamma]

From Petter's bio....kind of ironic don't ya think...

Achievements: Establishing the John T. Petters Foundation and providing endowments at select universities, allowing Petters to take a tragic situation of losing his son and creating a positive experience for students around the country which he hopes will live on beyond his life and the life of his companies. Endowments at universities throughout the United States: College of St. Benedict, $5.3 million to create the Thomas J. Petters Center for Global Education; College of St. Benedict, $2 million for the Petters Auditorium; St. John�s University, $1.5 million for the Retreat Center; Miami University, $10 million to establish the John T. Petters Center for Leadership, Ethics and Skills development in the Richard T. Farmer School of Business; Miami University, $4 million to create the Jennifer Petters Chair in Asian Business; and Rollins, $12 million to create two new faculty chairs in International Business.

 

[satpak77]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122306728649903239.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Petters Co. founder Thomas Petters was arrested Friday on charges of mail and wire fraud, money laundering and obstructing justice, said federal prosecutors in Minnesota.
Mr. Petters, 51 years old, resigned Monday as chairman and chief executive of the Minnetonka, Minn., private holding company whose investments include Fingerhut, Polaroid and Sun Country Airlines.
Mr. Petters is at the center of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation alleges may have been a broad-reaching scheme that defrauded hedge funds in and outside the U.S. Those involved claim they lent money to Petters Co. to finance sales of electronic goods to discount retailers, which Mr. Petters used to enrich himself and pay off other lenders.

Wire Image/NewsComThomas Petters



Mr. Petters hasn't been indicted or arraigned, said his lawyer, Jon Hopeman. A bail hearing is set for Tuesday, and Mr. Hopeman said prosecutors want to detain Mr. Petters without bail even though Mr. Petters surrendered his passport Monday. "I'm going to fight to get him out," said Mr. Hopeman.
Petters Group Worldwide, a global holding company that is invested in Petters, Friday said the firm and its employees "are committed to preserving the assets." "Those of us who have worked with Tom Petters" are "shocked by the events which have transpired during the last two weeks," Petters Group said.
In a Sept. 19 affidavit filed in federal district court in Minnesota, FBI Special Agent Timothy Bisswurm said more than 20 investors and investment groups may have been bilked of "substantially more" than $100 million through investments in Petters Co. Losses claimed by funds that say they were affected could top $2 billion.
According to the affidavit, a "cooperating witness" approached the government with incriminating evidence that Mr. Petters deceived investors with phony documents showing the company was selling merchandise to Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club and other retail outlets. The affidavit said that the deals were pure fiction and that Mr. Petters used investors' money to support other businesses and an "extravagant" lifestyle.
Gottex Fund Management of Switzerland may have losses from investments it made in hedge funds that provided financing for transactions involving Petters Co., the company said Friday. Potential losses represent less than 4% of total assets under management and less than 2.5% of gross assets for Gottex's market neutral funds, the company said.
Interlachen Harriet Investments Ltd., a Cayman Islands hedge fund, filed a civil suit in federal court in Minnesota Tuesday claiming it was defrauded by Petters Co. and unnamed "John and Jane Does" on a $60 million loan.
Lancelot Investment Management of Northbrook, Ill., Thursday said it also appears to have been victimized by fraud at Petters and will cooperate with authorities investigating the matter.
Acorn Capital Group, a Greenwich, Conn., hedge fund, filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Mr. Petters in August, saying he had defaulted on about $273 million of loans.
Write to Judith Burns at [email protected]



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