One of the most frustrating things in business is when
a customer knowingly bounces a bad check with the intent of getting merchandize
and never paying for it. These people (or thieves as I prefer to call
them) never intend to cover their checks when they write them. The people
I have listed below are not people who make a checkbook mistake, they
are people who are professional thieves. They write checks on closed accounts
with no intention of paying their money back. The intent of this part
of my web site is to give them all a little free advertising for what
they are. A number of them are either in jail or have been in jail. In
my opinion they should ALL do jail time.
Many merchants make an effort to collect bad checks
and when their efforts are not successful they simply write off the loss
and forget it. I take a different view of this matter. When I get a bad
check I always contact the individuals 3 times. Anyone can make an honest
mistake and bounce a check. But 99% of us will get embarrassed and cover
the check as soon as possible. The people that fall into the 1% class
are thieves. They never planned on covering the checks from the beginning.
They only wanted the merchandize and they don't want to pay for it.
So after three contacts, if these people refuse to
45,000 catalogs that I print every year. The dog business is a small
business.
There are not millions of people involved in it.
In many cases people that are involved in dog training recognize these
names. I am hopeful that in some small way I can develop a reputation
for these criminals and possibly prevent other dog trainers, venders
or sportsman from being ripped off the way that I have been.
Not everyone agrees with how I treat people who scam
me out of money.
Carolyn M. Elliott
Po Box 596
Beardman, OR 97818
Deborah Mitchell
PO Box 217
16175 Oakridge Rd
Corning, CA 96021
530-585-2369
Bryan Griffith
2838 E Black Canyon Hwy
Emmett, WI 83617
James Barnes
308 Stewart Rd
Birmingham, AL 35224
Robert
Lee Jr
1607 Carrington Park
Jonesboro, GA 30236
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Jerry Wayne Kelly
Jr.
802 Shore Acres Blvd
LA Porte, TX 77571
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Annie Bell Grant
30183 Andover Ct
Inkster, MI 48141
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Robert Tye
111 Ardsley Ave
Trenton, NJ 08638
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Ronnie Scarberry
PO BOX 594
Panama, OK 74951
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Christopher
Rodriquez
Cathy Ann Rodriguez
501 Ruth Ave
Baytown, TX 77520
Copyright 2001
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Stanley Davis
545 Hill St
Inglewood, CA 90302
Copyright 1999
This is a bad check. We have connected the Los Angeles County Prosecuted
about this criminal matter.
We have been successful going after
people by going though the county prosecutor, we are anticipating success
in reaching!
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Bart Epright
Suzy Ann Silva
791 Pennsylvania
Ave
Walingford, PA 19086
Copyright 1999
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Mike or Nina Wilson
3410 W Main St
Louisville KY 40212
Copyright 1999
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Vernon Rutledge
PO Box 37621
Oak Park, MI 48237
Copyright 1998
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Peggy J. Gilkey
624 Shelby Ridge
Hickman, KY 42050
Copyright 1998
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John Slater
Rt 1 Box 249-A
Williford, AR 72482
870-966-4758
Copyright 1998
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Leerburg's
Most Wanted
Number 1
"A Real Bum"
Kevin Johnson - Police Officer in
East Orange, N.J.
Kevin Johnson is a real bum. He is a thief, a liar
and totally unethical. He bounced a check with me in 1995. What really
sets this guy apart from the others is that he is or was a cop. He was
a police officer for the East Orange Police Department in East Orange
N.J. and the order was sent right to the police station.
He paid for the videos with a personal check. I have
written Kevin numerous letters to no avail. On one occasion he told
me he would send the money; this never happened.
In the past 2 years I have followed him, he has moved
into Ring Sport. He was a member of a Ring Sport Club in Conneticut
but they recently kicked him out of the club for unethical behavior.
It seems the club members were not familiar with this man’s character
until I let them know how he conducts his business.
I just found out that he recently bought a Maliniose
from a Long Island Dog Trainer and Equipment Manufacturer, John Brown.
I hope Mr. Brown did not take a check from Johnson !!!!! Johnson is
also driving a new Mercedes Benz car. My advise is that if you live
on the East Coast and this guy shows up at your club to train - tell
him your membership is full.
Kevin Johnson - if you see him at a Ring Sport Competition - tell him
I said hello.
Kevin Johnson
37 Orange Ave.
Elmwood Park, NJ. 07407
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Leerburg's Most Wanted
Number 2
Andrea Alexandros & Carmen Brunner
(Alias) Andrea Longwolf or William Brunner
These two individuals worked a scam. They wrote 2
bad checks a week apart. I have included copies of their checks. These
checks were drawn on an account with no money in it. Notice that the
checks were one number apart. When we contacted them, we were told that
they were on welfare and would not be able to pay for the NSF checks.
They would not return the videos.
Their names will appear in our catalog for 1997. We
also contacted the district attorney’s office and welfare office
in their area.
These ladies order videos on competition dog training.
These are not casual dog trainers. They have videos on Competition Heeling,
Forced Retrieve, the Send Away, Jumps Etc. They are either involved
in Competition Obedience with the AKC or with the sport of Schutzhund.
When Andrea ordered the second group of videos she
ordered with the name Andrea Longwolf and asked that they be shipped
to the William Brunner residence. So it would sound like they are basically
a small group of thieves.
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Leerburg's Most Wanted
Don Wilson
3726 Hwy 29
Thomasville, NC 27360
910-476-1973
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Leerburg's Most
Wanted
Derrick Chestnut
AKA Vincent Taylor
Oakland, New Jersy
Once a dirt ball, always a dirt ball is a perfect
description of this slug. I don't have a lot of use for liars, cheats
and thieves. Derrick Chestnut fits all of these descriptions and more.
He is as bad as they get in the dog business. Any person who is ever
thinking about buying an imported dog should read this entire section
on this bum and his wife (Carolyn) and friends (Terry & Kelly).
They all fit into the same category.
With a little bit of luck he is now in or on his way
to prison where he belongs. Read the article at the bottom of this page
and see why I feel so strongly about this piece of dirt. As the years
have passed I would get emails from people that he scammed. There was
not a lot I could do except continue to give him the kind of publicity
on my web site that he deserves.
Derrick Chestnut also goes by the name of Vincent
Taylor. He is a dog scam artist in addition to a liar. He currently
has/had a dog kennel in Oakland, NJ, he lists himself in Dog World as
an importer. Chestnut has spent time in jail a number of times for WRITING
BAD CHECKS, THEFT BY DECEPTION and VIOLATION OF HIS PAROLE. His common
tactic is to tell someone he has a specific famous dog from Europe when
in fact he has nothing to do with this animal. He will sell people a
totally different animal. This guy is a real slug and gives every honest
dog breeder and importer a black eye, he is so bad he even gives theives
a bad name! He needs to take up a permanent residence in prison.
He has taken money from a number of people for dogs
he promises to deliver and then never does. He has stolen thousands
of dollars from people but because they do not live in his town gets
away with it. This guy is a bum and needs to be in prison. With a little
co-operative effort from all of them together - the local District Attorney
may be able to do something.
Chestnut cheats people all over this country. He is
on probation for doing this. I suggest that you visit a web site created
specifically to let people know what a crook he is. Derrick
Chestnut.
This is not the only person this guy has cheated.
I am constantly hearing about him. It amazes me that his probation is
not revoked. Maybe because he does it outside his city and no one hears.
Well, with web sites like this the word is going to get out.
Email:
Thought you might find this interesting: Seems Derrick
Chestnut has been trialing at some recent USA local club trials in the
East, according to the trial results listed in USA's magazine. While
the creep never ripped me off, I dealt with some of the fallout from
his dishonest dealings when I was fostering rescues in New Jersey several
years ago, and can only hope that he eventually reaps the misery he
sows. In my opinion, he shouldn't even be allowed to enter a sanctioned
trial, or be granted a membership in USA.
I'm glad you've kept his history on your web page.
I've referred more people than I can recall to that info whenever his
name, or a shady-sounding deal that speaks of his modus operandi is
mentioned. Thanks for the help in warning folks about this cretin.
The following is an article from a New Jersy newspaper
concerning Chestnuts arrest on theft charges.
Paterson dog breeder charged in thefts
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
By JENNIFER V. HUGHES
Staff Writer
A Paterson dog breeder and trainer, already on probation
for theft, was indicted Tuesday for allegedly billing customers nationwide
out of more than $91,000 -- promising purebred and highly trained dogs,
but instead delivering commonplace canines with health problems.
Derrick V. Chestnut, 34, sometimes took his customers'
money -- up to $8,500 per animal -- but never delivered the dogs, said
Eileen Kane, the Passaic County senior assistant prosecutor handling
the case.
Those allegedly scammed include an Illinois woman
who gave Chestnut $3,250 for a dog that was never sent, and a California
woman who paid $13,500 for two dogs -- one had severe physical disabilities
when delivered, and the other never arrived.
"Most of the people were dog lovers so they kept
the dogs anyway," Kane said. "As one victim said, 'I just
bought myself one very expensive house pet.' The point was that they
were buying them for a special purpose; they weren't buying them for
house pets."
Neither Chestnut nor his attorney could be reached
for comment.
Chestnut Dog Command, his former Haledon business,
no longer is listed in Passaic County.
Chestnut, on probation for a 1997 theft, has two other
arrests on theft charges. In both cases, in 1989 and 1995, he was sentenced
to probation, according to court records. He also has been repeatedly
named a defendant in civil lawsuits filed in Passaic County and was
fined $500 in Totowa Municipal Court in 1994 for neglecting one of his
dogs. Details on those civil and criminal cases could not be obtained
Tuesday.
Kane said that from April 1994 to July 1999 Chestnut
victimized people in Totowa, Wayne, and Paterson, but also scammed people
in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and California. All told, nine people
lost $91,400, according to the 20-count indictment handed up Tuesday
by a grand jury in Passaic County.
Kane said Chestnut often found people through advertisements
in Dog World magazine. He allegedly claimed his dogs were purebred and
trained in the Schutzhund method -- a German regimen that teaches dogs
obedience, protection, and tracking. And people were willing to pay,
Kane said.
In August 1996, a Paterson couple, Darryl and Gathlyn
Smoot, paid Chestnut $4,000 for one of the specially trained dogs for
home protection. Soon after, they received a German shepherd, but it
wasn't what they expected.
"They said that a contractor came over to their
home one day and was working on the gutters and the dog was just lying
in the kennel," Kane said. "Eventually, the guy just came
up and gave the dog a sandwich."
Kane said the investigation into Chestnut started
early in 1998 after some victims contacted her office. Other alleged
victims came forward after word spread through the dog breeding community,
and still more heard about Chestnut through the Internet after alleged
victims posted Web sites.
An Internet search revealed anonymous Web pages that
mention Chestnut. One asks other alleged victims to respond by e-mail,
saying: "With your help, we can rid the dog world of this criminal."
Another says: "This guy is a real slug and gives every honest dog
breeder and importer a black eye."
Kane said another of Chestnut's victims was a former
Passaic County sheriff's officer, who in April and May 1994 paid almost
$5,000 for part ownership of two female dogs in order to get a share
of the profits that would come from their puppies. In the next two years,
Sheriff's Officer Herbert Dekorte of Wayne also purchased three dogs.
But Dekorte never saw profits from the puppies and he also never got
his dogs -- losing $18,650.
In Dekorte's case, as in others, Chestnut gave his
customers checks to repay their money, but when they tried to cash them,
they were told that the account had been closed, Kane said.
Other people were promised German shepherds that were
free from hip problems -- a common disability with the breed. Kane said
that in several cases, Chestnut forged pedigree papers to cover up the
dogs' health problems.
In addition to the dog cases, Chestnut allegedly scammed
a 19-year-old clerk he met at a Totowa office supply store out of $18,000
the teenager won in a personal injury lawsuit. Kane said that in January
1998, Chestnut told the teen he could double his money in a week if
he lent him $10,000.
The clerk, Robert Kirby, agreed and gave Chestnut
the money, which he had been keeping in cash in a safe-deposit box.
But after a week, when the profits didn't show up, Chestnut told Kirby
that he needed the rest of the cash -- $8,000 -- which Kirby agreed
to hand over.
Kane said Chestnut eventually gave Kirby a check to
repay him, but the account was closed.
Chestnut's wife, Carolyn, was charged in the indictment
with two counts of theft by deception. Another Paterson man, Terry Kelly,
was charged as an accomplice with counts of theft by deception and attempted
theft by deception because, on several occasions, money was sent to
his account, Kane said.
In total, Chestnut was charged with 14 counts of theft
by deception, two counts of attempted theft by deception, two counts
relating to bad checks, and two counts of forgery. One of the counts,
which represents the total dollar amount, carries a maximum 10-year
prison term.
Chestnut also was charged in a separate indictment,
also handed up Tuesday, with another theft. In June 1999, he allegedly
agreed to sell a car to a Totowa man and took $3,200, but never delivered
the vehicle.
Copyright
© 2000 Bergen Record Corp.
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Thomas Lovick
780 Kilkenny Cir
Lithonia, GA 30058
Copyright 2000
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Louis Rosenberg
16138 E Epson Dr
Loxahatchee, FL 33470
Copyright 2000
SHIPPING ADDRESS:
6224 Diamond Lake Ct
Boynton Beach, FL 33437
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Douglas Finney
P.O. Box 357
Shrub Oak, NY 10588
Copyright 2002
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Trisha
Bonner
400 Timber Creek Dr. Number 1013
Richwood, TX 77531
Copyright 2002
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John
Juliano
800 Pleasant Street
Lee, MA 01238
Copyright 2002
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Katie
Brown
Central, SC
I was looking for a SchH puppy prospect
when I saw her litter announcement on the internet in a Yahoo SchH discussion
group. She and her husband the two GSD's, the sire, a working PSD, and
the dam, claiming she's a drug dog. This sounded to me like an ideal
breeding so after asking many questions I agreed to fly to South Carolina
at my expense to buy one of her pups. She required a $400 deposit before
I arrived so I mailed her the money with the stipulation that if for
whatever reason I didn't find a pup that suited my needs I'd get the
money back. This seemed highly unlikely though because she had been
feeding me daily emails about how good her pups were, and how positive
the selection tests turned out.
However, when I arrived at her house, the pups were
nothing like she described. Instead of the little prey monsters I had
expected, the pups had little to no prey drive, nor any other noteworthy
characteristic that would make them working dogs. The pups were tested
by an experienced K9 dog trainer who had imported the male using standard
selection test techniques, like the ones in your puppy bite training
video. Even though he was a personal friend of the family, once he had
drawn me aside he told me in confidence that he wouldn't take a single
pup out of that litter for lack of any working drive. Pet quality, all
of them.
I asked Katie Brown to return my deposit and she wrote
me a personal check from her own account, since apparently she had already
cashed my check. I thought nothing of it at the time and returned home
empty-handed, but satisfied, because I wouldn't have been able to train
any of her pups in SchH anyway. The trip cost me $500 in airfare, car
rental, hotel, etc. but I do not expect a refund for that since she
did not give a written guarantee on the temperment of her litter, just
empty claims. So I have to eat that loss. I took the trip at my own
risk.
However, as to returned deposit, her check bounced.
I called her back to tell her and her husband assured me that she would
take care of it. Nothing. I emailed her and she demanded the original
check be returned to her before she cut me another check. Well I'm no
idiot. If I return the original check then I have no proof in court
that she defrauded me. I scanned the check in the computer and emailed
her a copy as proof. I've tried to call her every week, and emailed
her several times, but there's never an answer.
Considering that her check bounced in November
and it's now January I'm assuming that she has no intention of paying
back her debt. Dishonest people like this really piss me off. I'm sure
that you can relate because you've had bums write you bad checks for
your merchandise. I want to get the word out that this lady is a deadbeat
and a bum. I want to warn other uninformed SchH enthusiasts not to get
tangled up with this woman.
-Yvette
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Ron Flemming
World K-9 Protection Training
10 W Michigan Avenue
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Copyright 2003
Ron still owes us $105.00 for an outstanding
order. We called his number and it has been temporarily disconnected.
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