Through a mistake in the system, Parrett was never fitted for a monitoring device ....

Funny, this article does not mention one word of the upcoming trial for the "MASTERMIND" CEO, FOUNDER, of this company ! Nor , does it mention the EXECUTIVE, that is supposedly expected to go to trial AFTER, yes AFTER, the FOUNDER!

James K Happ.Now this is the MAN!!!
No reporter mentions this guy......hmmm.......WONDER WHY?
Although, he & his wife were able to sell and purchase multi-million dollar property in Florida recently. Apparently, he was prepared for that but not the trial that calls for him to be last in the GROUP......hmmmm

Remeber, FIVE EXECUTIVES were already sentenced, one of which has already served and been released.



Friday, August 15, 2008 | Modified: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 8:00 AM
Parrett’s disappearance kept rumor mill alive amid NCFE sentencings
Business First of Columbus -
by Kevin Kemper


Still missing after more than four months on the lam, Rebecca Parrett’s legal appeals are being put on hold while speculation circulates over her whereabouts.

Parrett was one of five executives convicted this year in a multibillion-dollar fraud linked to the 2002 collapse of National Century Financial Enterprises Inc., the Dublin company she co-founded. Parrett, 58, was considered part of the leadership cabal at the company and was convicted on fraud, money laundering and securities fraud charges. She is facing up to 75 years in prison on those charges.

But shortly after returning to her home in Arizona to await sentencing, Parrett went missing. Since her late March disappearance, U.S. marshals have been chasing down “several dozen” tips from strangers and acquaintances, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Drew Shadwick, who is in charge of the investigation.

Through a mistake in the system, Parrett was never fitted for a monitoring device after she was allowed to go home.

News about Parrett has been scarce, and in the absence of facts, it appears fiction has begun to circulate.

During the sentencings of Parrett’s co-defendants this month in Columbus, legal observers talked about what they have heard through the grapevine. One suggested Parrett’s minivan was found. Another said authorities discovered a corpse that might have been Parrett.

Another theory suggested someone saw Parrett in Aruba and snapped her photo with a cell phone.

“We’ve had some stranger (identifications),” Shadwick said. “People send pictures thinking it’s her.”

Part of that may be due to the publicity surrounding Parrett’s disappearance. The television show America’s Most Wanted features Parrett on its Web site and it aired a segment about her in June.

The site claims her aliases include Rebecca Green, Rebecca Kunzi, Rebecca House, Rebecca Robinson, Rebecca Ayers and Rebecca Mayes.

Adding fuel to the rumor fire was the accusation that Parrett’s four co-conspirators were accused in April of plotting an escape to Aruba.

Three of the former executives, Donald Ayers, Randolph Speer and Roger Faulkenberry, were jailed until their sentencings as a precaution. Co-defendant James Dierker was allowed by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley to remain under house arrest after friends, family and coworkers sent letters attesting to his character.

In addition to the jail time she is facing on her convictions, Parrett could expect to face up to 15 additional years for disappearing, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Squires.

“Her flight would be considered in fashioning a sentence, as well as potential new charges for bail jumping,” said Squires, who prosecuted the National Century executives.

By comparison, a jury found Ayers, who is Parrett’s ex-husband, guilty on nearly identical charges as Parrett. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The government didn’t sentence Parrett despite her absence because federal law allows convicts to seek leniency before sentencing, said Gregory Peterson, Parrett’s attorney.

Peterson said he’s had no contact from Parrett since shortly after the trial. After she disappeared, he stopped filing legal arguments on her behalf.

“Everything with respect to her has been stayed, like a time out,” he said.

Peterson told Marbley after Parrett’s conviction that she had no money left after paying her legal fees, but government agents think Parrett has access to wealth thanks to her time at National Century, where the fraud took nearly $2 billion from investors.

If that’s the case, Parrett has no reason to turn herself in, said Lois Colley, a private investigator who runs Colley Intelligence International in Columbus.

“She doesn’t have anything to give to the government unless she knows where some of the money is buried,” said the law enforcement veteran. “But the government is not usually interested in bargaining.”



614-220-5460 | kkemper@bizjournals.com