Is this the end . . . or only the begining??

[sonofdaxjones]

With the full on Understanding that Lew "I'm old, I forget things" Perkins (aka BITB in terms of loading his own pockets) didn't have the first clue this was happening . . . but one must logically ask, where's the money??   So is the next step, the ticket brokers, the Pump Brothers, Father Morningstar . . .   ?????


TOPEKA,  KAN. – Five former employees at the University of Kansas have been indicted on federal charges of conspiring to steal more than $2 million worth of tickets to KU athletic events, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

The indictment alleges tickets to Kansas basketball, football and other athletic events were stolen and sold by ticket brokers or third parties.Named in the indictment are:

Thomas Ray Blubaugh, 46, Medford, Okla., who was working as a consultant to the ticket office at KU.

Charlette Faye Blubaugh, 43, Medord, Okla., who was Associate Athletic Director in charge of the ticket office at KU. Thomas Ray Blubaugh is her husband.

Ben Kirtland, 54, Lenexa, Kan., who was Associate Athletic Director of Development and supervisor of the Williams Educational Fund. The Williams Fund is the fund-raising arm of Kansas Athletics, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that promotes university athletics. Kirkland  was the head of fund raising for Kansas Athletics, Inc., and the highest ranking official working directly with the Williams Fund.

Rodney Dale Jones, 42, Lawrence, Kan., who was Assistant Athletic Director in charge of the Williams Educational Fund.

Kassie Liebsch, 28, Lawrence, Kan., who was a systems analyst working in the KU Athletics ticket office.

The indictment alleges that in 2005 Charlette Blubaugh began stealing season tickets for KU athletic events. She gave the tickets to Kirkland, Jones, Liebsch, Brendan Simmons and Jason Jeffries to sell to third parties. As a result, the conspirators made $3 million to $5 million. (Simmons and Jeffries, who have pleaded guilty to related federal offenses, are not named as defendants in this indictment).

The conspirators violated university policies limiting staff members to two complimentary season tickets to football and basketball, which could not be transferred or sold.


The indictment alleges that in order to divert tickets the conspirators:

Entered false information into a computer system designed to prevent tickets from being stolen.

Paid kickbacks to third parties not connected to the ticket office to sell tickets to individuals and through ticket brokers.

Had checks written to third parties not connected to the ticket office.

Had ticket brokers write checks that were converted to cash at the brokers’ banks.

Purchased money orders with cash in amounts less than currency reporting requirements in an effort to keep the proceeds from being traced back to them.

Concealed the receipt of their outside income on reports required by NCAA rules.


The indictment seeks a money judgment of between $3 million and $5 million, representing the value of the stolen tickets.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million each. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway and Christine Kenney are prosecuting.

[Sugar Dick]

TOPEKA,  KAN. – Five former employees at the University of Kansas have been indicted on federal charges of conspiring to steal more than $2 million worth of tickets to KU athletic events, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

The indictment alleges tickets to Kansas basketball, football and other athletic events were stolen and sold by ticket brokers or third parties.Named in the indictment are:

Thomas Ray Blubaugh, 46, Medford, Okla., who was working as a consultant to the ticket office at KU.

Charlette Faye Blubaugh, 43, Medord, Okla., who was Associate Athletic Director in charge of the ticket office at KU. Thomas Ray Blubaugh is her husband.

Ben Kirtland, 54, Lenexa, Kan., who was Associate Athletic Director of Development and supervisor of the Williams Educational Fund. The Williams Fund is the fund-raising arm of Kansas Athletics, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that promotes university athletics. Kirkland  was the head of fund raising for Kansas Athletics, Inc., and the highest ranking official working directly with the Williams Fund.

Rodney Dale Jones, 42, Lawrence, Kan., who was Assistant Athletic Director in charge of the Williams Educational Fund.

Kassie Liebsch, 28, Lawrence, Kan., who was a systems analyst working in the KU Athletics ticket office.

The indictment alleges that in 2005 Charlette Blubaugh began stealing season tickets for KU athletic events. She gave the tickets to Kirkland, Jones, Liebsch, Brendan Simmons and Jason Jeffries to sell to third parties. As a result, the conspirators made $3 million to $5 million. (Simmons and Jeffries, who have pleaded guilty to related federal offenses, are not named as defendants in this indictment).

The conspirators violated university policies limiting staff members to two complimentary season tickets to football and basketball, which could not be transferred or sold.

The indictment alleges that in order to divert tickets the conspirators:

Entered false information into a computer system designed to prevent tickets from being stolen.

Paid kickbacks to third parties not connected to the ticket office to sell tickets to individuals and through ticket brokers.

Had checks written to third parties not connected to the ticket office.

Had ticket brokers write checks that were converted to cash at the brokers’ banks.

Purchased money orders with cash in amounts less than currency reporting requirements in an effort to keep the proceeds from being traced back to them.

Concealed the receipt of their outside income on reports required by NCAA rules.

The indictment seeks a money judgment of between $3 million and $5 million, representing the value of the stolen tickets.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million each. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway and Christine Kenney are prosecuting.

Reminds me of that scene from Office Space, where Michael Bolton, Samir, and Peter are trying to figure out what money laundering is.  If only these people had knocked on the door.

[Acceleration Man]

I guess just congrats EMAWs for infiltrating the Beakers' and keeping the revenue away from the university. Just don't get caught next time, k? 

[AzCat]

Kassie Liebsch, 28, Lawrence, Kan., who was a systems analyst working in the KU Athletics ticket office.

She'll be popular in the joint:

[kcchiefdav]

Rules to embezzling...
1. Always have a partner
2. Know that you will be caught
3. Pick a reasonable number of how much you want to steal
4. When you have reached that number, hide half the money in foreign banks
5. Take the rest of the money you've stolen and all the evidence you have to the Feds and rat your partner out. You should be able to negotiate a short prison stay and keep the foreign money.
6. Find next company and repeat.

[sonofdaxjones]

Rules to embezzling...
1. Always have a partner
2. Know that you will be caught
3. Pick a reasonable number of how much you want to steal
4. When you have reached that number, hide half the money in foreign banks
5. Take the rest of the money you've stolen and all the evidence you have to the Feds and rat your partner out. You should be able to negotiate a short prison stay and keep the foreign money.
6. Find next company and repeat.

7.  Make sure you have an old boss who doesn't know what the hell is going on, and apparently doesn't even bother to look into the situation when his best customers complain that they are not getting a level of service they demand.  (and/or is involved in the situation).

[bubbles4ksu]

that phog thread says its the beginning. but it just seems too good to be true.

[Sugar Dick]

that phog thread says its the beginning. but it just seems too good to be true.

Doctor Holliday is a real dipshit over there

[Sugar Dick]

Soapboxstew

As many of you know, I have a good buddy (former Home Depot employee) who works for the ncaa investigative division who provides me with inside information.  he called this morning in a panic to discuss pending violations to be assessed early next week to the University of Kansas (needless to say issues go far beyond josh selby however, his pending amateur status is dependent upon sanctions outlined below).

 

1). University of Kansas Athletic Department Kickbacks – Apparently the ticket scheme is the tip of the iceberg:  Kickbacks include – Russell Stover, Heartland Food Inc. (concession vendor), Midwest Airlines (KUAD charter flights) Attorney Rep resentation and the biggest one of all, Adidas.  Jason told me kickbacks to AD officials could total well over $25MM (over a 5 Yr period)

 

2). Recruiting Violations – Josh Selby will not be able to play this season. His amateur status was denied due to his association w/ Ken Lewis (Adidas rep and independent pro scout for many NBA teams).

 

3). Title IX Violations – It’s long been known the Kansas Board of Regents has a loophole to avoid Title IX compliance.  It turns out the NCAA is finally cracking down (Several other states will face similar repercussions).  Loss of scholarships for both football and basketball. “

      What a turd this soapbox fella is

["storm"nut]

Kassie Liebsch, 28, Lawrence, Kan., who was a systems analyst working in the KU Athletics ticket office.

She'll be popular in the joint:

Kassie it still working of the ku athletic department as head of the ticket office.  
http://www.kuathletics.com/staffdir/kan-staffdir.html

[Rage Against the McKee]

  I think I'll send her an email.

[CNS]

I think I'll send her an email.

Conjugal visits.

[Dugout DickStone]

Black dress or the crazy eye with bald boyfriend?

[Dugout DickStone]

When is that prominent Overland Park lawfirm going to drop the hammer on KSU?  After all this time, they must really be building up some evidence...

[mcmwcat]

Soapboxstew

As many of you know, I have a good buddy (former Home Depot employee) who works for the ncaa investigative division who provides me with inside information.  he called this morning in a panic to discuss pending violations to be assessed early next week to the University of Kansas (needless to say issues go far beyond josh selby however, his pending amateur status is dependent upon sanctions outlined below).

 

1). University of Kansas Athletic Department Kickbacks – Apparently the ticket scheme is the tip of the iceberg:  Kickbacks include – Russell Stover, Heartland Food Inc. (concession vendor), Midwest Airlines (KUAD charter flights) Attorney Rep resentation and the biggest one of all, Adidas.  Jason told me kickbacks to AD officials could total well over $25MM (over a 5 Yr period)

 

2). Recruiting Violations – Josh Selby will not be able to play this season. His amateur status was denied due to his association w/ Ken Lewis (Adidas rep and independent pro scout for many NBA teams).

 

3). Title IX Violations – It’s long been known the Kansas Board of Regents has a loophole to avoid Title IX compliance.  It turns out the NCAA is finally cracking down (Several other states will face similar repercussions).  Loss of scholarships for both football and basketball. “

      What a turd this soapbox fella is

 

[badnewsjimmy]

My first x wife is from Medford, Ok. What a crap hole of a town.  

[Rage Against the McKee]

Soapboxstew

As many of you know, I have a good buddy (former Home Depot employee) who works for the ncaa investigative division who provides me with inside information.  he called this morning in a panic to discuss pending violations to be assessed early next week to the University of Kansas (needless to say issues go far beyond josh selby however, his pending amateur status is dependent upon sanctions outlined below).

 

1). University of Kansas Athletic Department Kickbacks – Apparently the ticket scheme is the tip of the iceberg:  Kickbacks include – Russell Stover, Heartland Food Inc. (concession vendor), Midwest Airlines (KUAD charter flights) Attorney Rep resentation and the biggest one of all, Adidas.  Jason told me kickbacks to AD officials could total well over $25MM (over a 5 Yr period)

 

2). Recruiting Violations – Josh Selby will not be able to play this season. His amateur status was denied due to his association w/ Ken Lewis (Adidas rep and independent pro scout for many NBA teams).

 

3). Title IX Violations – It’s long been known the Kansas Board of Regents has a loophole to avoid Title IX compliance.  It turns out the NCAA is finally cracking down (Several other states will face similar repercussions).  Loss of scholarships for both football and basketball. “

      What a turd this soapbox fella is

With his connections at Home Depot, this guy can't be wrong. Damn, that sucks for KU.

[mcmwcat]

With his connections at Home Depot, this guy can't be wrong. Damn, that sucks for KU.

i did not take that into consideration.   

[Doberman_CATS!!!]

Five charged in Kansas ticket scandalEmail Print Comments29 Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Federal prosecutors charged five former University of Kansas employees Thursday with conspiring to steal more than $2 million in tickets to athletic events in a scandal that embarrassed the school and likely led to the early departure of athletic director Lew Perkins.

Prosecutors singled out former associate athletic director Charlette Blubaugh, who was in charge of the ticket office. They said she began stealing tickets in 2005 and gave them to other key athletic department employees to sell, either personally or through third parties.


 A report conducted by a Wichita law firm and released in May said five Kansas athletics staffers and a consultant -- none of whom still work for the university -- sold or used at least 17,609 men's basketball tickets, 2,181 football tickets and a number of parking passes and other passes for personal purposes.

Blubaugh, 43, of Medford, Okla., was charged along with her husband, Thomas Blubaugh, 46, who was a consultant to the ticket office.

Also charged were former assistant athletic director Rodney Jones, 42, of Lawrence; former associate athletic director Ben Kirtland, 54, of Lenexa, Kan.; and Kassie Liebsch, 28, of Lawrence, who was a systems analyst working in the ticket office.

Two other former employees, Brandon Simmons and Jason Jeffries, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in March.

Investigators said the conspirators made between $3 million and $5 million in the scheme over five years.

Revelations of the ticket scam earlier this year angered many big-time donors who had been meeting exorbitant dollar demands for the privilege of buying premium tickets in always sold-out Allen Fieldhouse. Under an unpopular system imposed by Perkins to raise money, seating was allocated on a points system based on how much a fan donated to the Williams Fund, the money-raising arm of the athletic department.

The best seats were supposed to go to the people who made the biggest donations. That alone caused resentment, especially among older followers who had occupied good seats for years and were unable to meet the new demands. Many wondered whether others had gotten good seats simply by purchasing tickets sold in the scam.

Perkins retired in September, a year earlier than previously planned. While never accused of having anything to do with the ticket scam, he nevertheless admitted he had been guilty of poor oversight and said it was the most embarrassing thing that had happened in his 40-year career.

A report conducted by a Wichita law firm and released in May said five Kansas athletics staffers and a consultant -- none of whom still work for the university -- sold or used at least 17,609 men's basketball tickets, 2,181 football tickets and a number of parking passes and other passes for personal purposes.

The report showed that more than $887,000 in basketball tickets and more than $122,000 worth of football tickets were involved.

"Being on the athletics side, the simplest way to try to describe this is that there was a curveball thrown and I missed it," Perkins said in May. "I missed that curveball. It got by. We had the wrong people hired for the wrong jobs."

The report found no wrongdoing in the points system and said the scheme's actual effect on tickets awarded was minimal.

The investigation began in March amid reports that tickets to Jayhawk basketball games -- both at Allen Fieldhouse and in NCAA tournaments -- were being scalped by officials within the athletic department.

The report suggested that Jones, former director of the Williams Fund who helped determine who got premium seats at Kansas home games, was a key player in the scandal. Kirtland, who was the school's associate athletic director of development, told investigators that Jones "was always on the lookout for development tickets."

The report blamed Kirtland for helping create "an atmosphere similar to a worker in a candy store" when it came to work with the tickets.

It also said Charlette Blubaugh, who was in charge of the ticket office and was the manager most familiar with the ticketing software, played a major role.

The indictment said the scheme included entering false information into a computer system designed to prevent tickets from being stolen, paying kickbacks to third parties not connected to the ticket office to sell tickets, and concealing the receipt of outside income on reports required by the NCAA.

Jones' attorney, Gerald Handley, said he had not seen the indictment and had no comment. It was not immediately clear if the other four had attorneys.

Phone messages left for Perkins and Kirtland were not immediately returned. The Williams Fund directed questions to associate athletic director Jim Marchiony, who also didn't immediately return a call.

No phone number was listed for Thomas and Charlette Blubaugh, Jones or Liebsch.

[Sugar Dick]

Soapboxstew

As many of you know, I have a good buddy (former Home Depot employee) who works for the ncaa investigative division who provides me with inside information.  he called this morning in a panic to discuss pending violations to be assessed early next week to the University of Kansas (needless to say issues go far beyond josh selby however, his pending amateur status is dependent upon sanctions outlined below).

 

1). University of Kansas Athletic Department Kickbacks – Apparently the ticket scheme is the tip of the iceberg:  Kickbacks include – Russell Stover, Heartland Food Inc. (concession vendor), Midwest Airlines (KUAD charter flights) Attorney Rep resentation and the biggest one of all, Adidas.  Jason told me kickbacks to AD officials could total well over $25MM (over a 5 Yr period)

 

2). Recruiting Violations – Josh Selby will not be able to play this season. His amateur status was denied due to his association w/ Ken Lewis (Adidas rep and independent pro scout for many NBA teams).

 

3). Title IX Violations – It’s long been known the Kansas Board of Regents has a loophole to avoid Title IX compliance.  It turns out the NCAA is finally cracking down (Several other states will face similar repercussions).  Loss of scholarships for both football and basketball. “

      What a turd this soapbox fella is

With his connections at Home Depot, this guy can't be wrong. Damn, that sucks for KU.

How can you be sure soapbox is not the former Home Depot, and he's just using Hope Depot to qualify the statement about having a buddy?    

[CNS]

So Lew is still untouched, other than the self-imposed "incompetent" tag?

Lew would be an ideal mentor.

[Doberman_CATS!!!]

Kassie Liebsch, 28, Lawrence, Kan., who was a systems analyst working in the KU Athletics ticket office.

She'll be popular in the joint:

Kassie it still working of the ku athletic department as head of the ticket office. 
http://www.kuathletics.com/staffdir/kan-staffdir.html

What?

[sonofdaxjones]

You can just see Doc Holiday . . . all angst laden, clutching his little Jayhawk doll, hoping and    that the NCAA doesn't get involved in this issue.

[pissclams]

You can just see Doc Holiday . . . all angst laden, clutching his little Jayhawk doll, hoping and    that the NCAA doesn't get involved in this issue.

what cracks me up is that he's most mad at Hal Wagner from Ace Sports (ticket broker).  always easiest to blame someone else for your problems.

[Dugout DickStone]

I gain more and more respect for Lew every day.  He chose his last job before retirement very wisely.  It's as if he asked himself "which is the dumbest school in the country?  One who is so starved to feel respected they will let me do whatever, pay me whatever I want and then, when it's time to get out of town ahead of the posse, will pay me for having screwed them?"

He nailed it.