Traveling Door-To-Door Sales Chronology July 2005 - December 2006

Compiled By Dedicated Memorial Parents Group

Director: Phil Ellenbecker

January 6, 2007

www.dedicatedmemorial.org

www.travelingsalescrews.info

Traveling Door-To-Door Sales Chronology July 2005 - December 2006

1)

December 2006 - Missing Traveling Magazine Sales Agent Found Murdered.

Body found in Memphis was woman lost in NLR.

Little Rock Arkansas -

An Oregon woman reported missing last month in North Little Rock has been identified as the person whose body was found in a wooded area in southwest Memphis on Nov. 26, police said. Tracie Onaya Jones, 19, whose last known address was in Albany, Ore., was reported missing Nov. 17. She had last been seen two days earlier at the Pilot Truck Stop at 3300 Valentine Road in North Little Rock. Jones was in central Arkansas selling magazine subscriptions, police said. On Nov. 26, Memphis police were called to investigate a body found in a wooded area near Westview Road and Third Street. According to a news report, the body was clad in a pink shirt. When she was reported missing, Jones was wearing bluejeans and a gray hooded Georgia Tech sweat shirt, North Little Rock police said. Memphis police said there were several “apparent knife wounds” to her head and body. Memphis authorities were alerted to the North Little Rock missing person report regarding Jones by an employee of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said North Little Rock police spokesman Sgt. Terry Kuykendall. “After providing the Memphis Police Department with information of Jones’ disappearance, including details of tattoos and clothing, it was determined there was a strong possibility the body discovered in Memphis was that of Ms. Jones,” Kuykendall said. On Monday, the body was positively identified. Jones was selling subscriptions for Epic Subscriptions of York, Pa., said company owner Robert Blair, who reported Jones missing and described himself as her employer and boyfriend. Blair said he was managing a group of 10 salespeople on Nov. 15 when they left a Malvern motel headed for the Little Rock area.

2)

December 2006 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Rape, Oral Copulation, Rape With A Foreign Object, And Kidnapping With The Intent To Rape.

Claremont California

TRAGEDY IN CLAREMONT

Rondie Walz formally charged; suspect’s background comes into focus Will Bigham Claremont Courier Saturday, December 9, 2006

The door-to-door magazine salesman who allegedly raped a 20-year-old Claremont resident last Saturday was formally charged on 4 felony counts at an arraignment hearing on Wednesday. Rondie Lamont Leland Walz, 22, did not enter a plea at the hearing; a second arraignment hearing is scheduled for December 13. The suspect’s bail has been raised to $3.3 million from its original $1 million, a change that reflects the seriousness of the charges filed against Mr. Walz, said Samer Hathout, a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Mr. Walz could face a life sentence—with the possibility of parole after 31 years—if convicted on all 4 charges, which include rape, oral copulation, rape with a foreign object, and kidnapping with the intent to rape.

3)

December 2006 - Four Magazine Salesmen Arrested For Harboring

A Missing 17-year-old Colorado Girl.

Man's suspicions lead to missing teen

Morgan Hill, California

A Morgan Hill man's intuition prompted him to tip off police to a missing 17-year-old Colorado girl who was found Tuesday selling magazine subscriptions in his neighborhood. The girl had been missing for months when she turned up in Morgan Hill with two men who also were selling magazines door-to-door, Morgan Hill police said. The resident told police he was suspicious when the teenager came to his door, and he then scoured the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Web site. His search turned up her picture, police said. Police found the girl in a van with two of the men who were part of the magazine sales group. The supervisor of the group, which police said was operating illegally in the city, had picked up the girl in Colorado three months ago. Police arrested four members of the group in connection with harboring the girl. Contact Howard Mintz at hmintz@mercurynews.com or (408) 286-0236.

4)

December 2006 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Kidnapping With Intent To Commit Sodomy And Attempted Sodomy With A Person Under 16 Years Old.

Man Accused Of Dragging Teen Into Bushes Pleads Not Guilty.

VISTA, Calif. -- A self-described magazine salesman accused of dragging a teenager into bushes near a Carlsbad elementary school admitted to investigators after his arrest that he had intended to molest the boy, a prosecutor alleged Wednesday. Eric Rodney Hill, 27, was arrested last Friday by officers who'd been called to the area near Jefferson Elementary School on reports that a man had been harassing children, according to Carlsbad police Lt. Bill Rowland. Deputy District Attorney Christine Israel said Hill "made admissions" about what he planned to do with the boy. Based on those alleged admissions, the defendant has been charged with kidnapping with intent to commit sodomy and attempted sodomy with a person under 16 years old, Israel said.

5)

November 2006 – Magazine Salesman Rapes Port St. Lucie Woman.

Salesman allegedly assaulted PSL woman

Port St. Lucie, Florida

A Lafayette, Ala., magazine salesman was arrested Saturday night for allegedly forcing his way into a woman's home in the east central section of Port St. Lucie and sexually assaulting her. Lanay L. Daniels, 21, was charged with felony burglary with sexual battery and was being held without bond at the St. Lucie County Jail.

6)

November 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Assault And Vandalism.

Death threat of a salesman

Nashville Tennessee

A door-to-door magazine salesman became irate when a woman rudely rejected his sales pitch, and he allegedly “threatened to come back to her residence later to kill her,” police say. When the woman said she wasn’t interested in a subscription, “words were exchanged, some racial in nature.” The 20-year-old suspect later admitted to officers that he “became angry and started kicking the front door because she called him a nigga (sic) several times.” Although he denied threatening to come back later to kill the woman, he was picked up for assault and vandalism.

7)

WANTED

November 2006 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Statutory Rape of 14-year-old Girl.

Peddler sought in sex case.

Police say man, 21, was selling magazines when he targeted girl, 14

St. Paul, Minnesota

A man acting as a door-to-door salesman of magazines is wanted by police on suspicion of having sex with a 14-year-old Forest Lake girl he was soliciting. Authorities don't know where 21-year-old Quario Deeric Dozier lives or how to find him, though they say his last known address was in East Point, Ga. They say he sweet-talked a teen and her friend over several days last spring as he went door to door selling subscriptions.

8)

Magazine Sales Crew Van Rollover.

November 2006 - At Least 10 Injured In Van Crash.

Oklahoma City -- Police are investigating a van crash in Oklahoma City that injured at least 10 people on Saturday night. Officers said at least 10 children or young adults were in the van, which rolled over on Interstate 44 near Southwest 119th Street. The driver told police he saw something on the road, tried to avoid it and then lost control of the van. At least two people were taken to local hospitals by helicopter, authorities said.

9)

Door To Door Magazine Sales ALERT

November - 2006 - Seattle Washington

A black male in his 20s has been hanging around an Admiral gas station, approaching a female employee and masturbating in plain view. He has repeatedly asked about the same woman when she is not present. A man matching the description (blue cap, black do-rag, blue jacket with a red stripe and British flag on the chest, white shirt, red tie) was seen selling magazines door-to-door in the 5900 block of 37th SW and refusing to leave the area.

10)

November 2006 - Door-to-door salesman convicted in rape of teen

EL CAJON – A door-to-door cleaning supply salesman from Louisiana faces a prison sentence of 80 years to life for raping an El Cajon high school student in her home. Archie Lee Thomas, 20, was convicted Monday of five counts of rape, assault with intent to commit rape, rape with a foreign object and forced oral copulation, said prosecutor Terrie Roberts. Superior Court Judge Patricia K. Cookson ordered Thomas to remain held in jail without bail pending a Dec. 11 sentencing hearing.

11)

October 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Sexually Assaulting A 12-Year_Old Girl.

(WJZ) Howard County, MD Howard County Police arrested a man Tuesday in the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Elkridge. David Fernando Garcia, 23, of 941 West Capital Ave. in West Sacramento, Calif., was charged with multiple counts of sex offenses and assault. Police reports indicate that Garcia was employed by a traveling magazine sales company by the name of Chapel Sales, Inc. out of New Jersey.

12)

August 2006 - Magazine Salesman Receives 20 Years In Wisconsin Prison

For Brutally Beating And Raping A Woman Brandon Green will spend more than 20 years in prison for brutally beating and sexually assaulting a Menomonie Wisconsin woman. Green was selling magazine subscriptions for Sunshine Subscription Agency out of Coral Springs Florida when he forced his way into a woman's home and assaulted her. Green was sentenced to 21 years. He'll have to register as a sex offender and can never work as a door-to-door salesman again. Sunshine Subscription Agency is a traveling magazine sales crew that works for Palmetto Marketing.

13)

August 2006 - Convicted Sex Offender Magazine Salesman Wanted For Escaping Courthouse. A door-to-door salesman facing minor charges escaped from the Burlington courthouse today after authorities learned he is a fugitive sex offender. It started Monday when police arrested an overly-aggressive door-to-door magazine salesman in Shelburne. Tuesday authorities learned he is a convicted California sex offender who jumped probation. Police reports indicate that David Banda works for Buckeye Sales a traveling door-to-door magazine sales group operated by Points Across

America out of Denton Texas.

14)

July 2006 - Eleven Magazine Salesmen Rounded Up By Police - Nine Have Criminal Records.

Kinnelon, New Jersey - Police rounded up a gang of 11 magazine solicitors working for a Colorado company on Thursday -- nine of whom had criminal records that included theft, drug possession, home invasions and possessions of firearm. Three solicitors had previously spent time in prison. The group was employed by Great Lakes Circulation, a traveling door-to-door

magazine sales company out of Evergreen Colorado.

15)

July 2006 - Two Magazine Salesman Charged With Suspicion of First-Degree Theft And Unauthorized Entry Of A Motor Vehicle.

DRAIN, Oregon: Sheriff's deputies arrested two men thought to have stolen $1,500 from a bank envelope in a car in Drain. Aaron Lloyd Schwab, 20, of Roseburg and Kevin Leo Oxford, 21, of Nebraska were in Drain selling magazines door-to-door, said Dwes Hutson, spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. When the money was discovered missing by the alleged victim, he confronted both Schwab and Oxford. Both denied taking the money, and said they found it on the side of the road, Hutson said. The two suspects have been charged on suspicion of first-degree theft and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and were lodged at the Douglas County Jail. Police reports indicate that traveling magazine salesmen were working for Atlantic Circulation Inc. operating out of Mountville, PA.

16)

July 2006 - Nine Magazine Salesmen Arrested All With Criminal Records.

Greece, New York — Police have arrested nine out-of-state door-to-door magazine salespeople, all with criminal records, including a 27-year-old Maryland man who is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Ohio in similar circumstances earlier this year, said Greece Police Lt. Stephen Wise.

17)

July 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Assault.

Maple Valley, Washington - A door-to-door magazine salesman was arrested here after losing a sale and brawling with a homeowner. The 21-year-old salesman was invited inside a home in the 27600 block of 239th Place on Friday evening, and he was about to seal a subscription deal when he mentioned an additional $14 charge. The 36-year-old woman of the house

immediately soured on the transaction and began ripping apart the paperwork she had filled out. She tried to throw the receipt in the trash, but the salesman grabbed her shoulder, according to a police report. The woman's 36-year-old husband then grabbed the front of the salesman's shirt, and they began wrestling on the family room floor. The woman called police, who found the man walking on a nearby street and arrested him for assault. He was holding a marijuana pipe in his hand, police said. The homeowner scraped his knees and tore his jeans in the scuffle, but no one was seriously injured. A King County sheriff's deputy called the salesman's boss at Integrity Sales and informed him his salesman was no longer welcome in Maple Valley.

18)

July 2006 - Door-To-Door Salesman Mental Compoetency Examination Ordered After Rape.

El Cajon, California - Door to Door Salesman Rape Suspect.

A mental competency examination was ordered Monday for a door-to-door salesman accused of forcing his way into a woman's home in El Cajon and repeatedly raping her. Criminal proceedings were suspended for 20-year-old Archie Lee Thomas, who is charged with five counts of rape and one count each of rape with a foreign object and burglary. The woman told police she

was raped when a man selling cleaning products forced his way into her home about 5:40 p.m. on April 14. The man was in the home for about an hour, and was detained by police at Bradley and Mollison avenue soon after fleeing. The woman subsequently identified Thomas, of St. Louis, Mo., as the man who allegedly raped her, according to El Cajon police Lt. Tim Henton. After an examination by doctors, a judge is expected to rule on the defendant's mental competency on July 20. If charges are reinstated, Thomas faces up to 73 years to life in state prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Terrie Roberts. Police reports indicates that the Archie Lee Thomas was working for T&B Sales a traveling door-to-door cleaner sales distributor for Austin Diversified Products.

19)

July 2006 - Magazine Salesman Being Charged With Petit Larceny.

Avon, New York - The Avon Police Department is advising area residents to be wary of door-to-door salespeople after a Kansas man was arrested for allegedly swiping a village resident's wallet while in the house selling magazine subscriptions. Kelly Parker, 20, faces a charge of petit larceny. The village resident told police his wallet was taken from inside the house,

and the only person who had been in the house was the magazine salesman. The wallet, containing $182, was recovered. The village police department is warning residents that while some reputable companies do business through door-to-door sales, there are others that are not legitimate.

20)

June 2006 - Magazine Salesman Being Charged With Burglary, Abduction and Attempted Rape.

Union Township, Ohio - Mother Attacked In Home By Door-To-Door Salesman. A door-to-door salesman is in jail after police say he attacked a mother in her home. It happened in Union Township, Clermont County, just off Summerside Road. The mom had four kids in her home at the time when the salesman, 20-year-old Dyangle Turner of Los Angeles, allegedly forced his way inside. Police say Turner was trying to sell magazines in the

Summerside neighborhood last week when he allegedly forced his way into the victim's home. Turner is facing charges of burglary, abduction and attempted rape. For the last month, he's been working for a Texas based company called "Points Across America." A spokesperson says they do door-to-door magazine sales across the country. Turner is being held at the

Clermont County jail on a $100,000 bond.

21)

June 2006 - Two Magazine Salesmen Plead Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter and Aggravated Battery.

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Plea Reached In Silva Lanes Death

Two of the four men charged in the Oct. 20 slaying of Benjamin Suazo outside the Silva Lanes bowling alley reached a plea agreement with prosecutors Wednesday. Joshua Burgess, 24, of Miamisburg, Ohio, and Andrew Long, 22, of Liberty, Mo., each pleaded no contest to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery. Each could face a maximum sentence of 4 1/2 years in prison at sentencing for their roles in Suazo's death. Two other defendants charged in connection with Suazo's

homicide, James Combs and Jason Furden, have turned down plea offers and are slated to go to trial June 27. Suazo, a 32-year-old Santa Fe resident, was beaten into unconsciousness, but was still alive after a fight with a group of

out-of-state magazine salesmen outside the bowling alley Oct. 20. While Suazo was lying on the ground unconscious, a sport-utility vehicle being driven by Furden and containing other magazine salesmen ran Suazo over, according to evidence at a preliminary hearing in the case last year.

22)

June 2006 - Magazine Sales Fraud.

Kansas City, Missouri - Missouri Magazine Door-to-door Salesman to Pay Restitution and Penalties. A man who sold magazine subscriptions door to door in central and southwest Missouri but never delivered the magazines will pay $2,699 in restitution to consumers and $2,000 to the state of Missouri. Jefferson City, Mo. - infoZine - Under a court order obtained by Attorney General Jay Nixon, Jason E. Cogbill is also permanently barred from selling magazines or engaging in door-to-door sales in Missouri.

23)

June 2006 - Mentally Challenged Teen Returned Home By Traveling Magazine Sales Crew.

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Missing teen returned to home. A mentally challenged Albuquerque teen is home after going missing Tuesday afternoon. Arthur Anaya is 18 years old, but has the mental capacity of a 10 year old. His grandmother, Mary Montoya, says someone took advantage of that. Arthur Anaya says he went willingly last Tuesday with the traveling magazine salesman who came to his door. But Montoya says her grandson

isn't capable of making his own decisions. By Tuesday evening Anaya was in Denver training to sell magazines. Montoya says she was sick and went to lay down for a nap, when she woke up a few hours later Anaya was gone. His younger brother says he was lured away by door to door salesman, the only thing he left was an 8-hundred number that went right to voicemail.

24)

June 2006 - Wisconin Consumer Protection Warning.

Madison Wisconsin - Traveling Magazine Sales Crews Recruiting Wisconsin Kids. Consumer Protection Warns Parents To Check Out Companies. There is a warning from the state about teens who are out searching for the perfect summer job. Experts warn some jobs might

sound like fun, but be more dangerous than you think. The state Department of Consumer Protection is warning young people and their parents about traveling sales crews that are currently recruiting in the Madison area. Many teens are lured in by being told the jobs will allow them to travel and meet new friends. But consumer advocates said don't go knocking on doors

unless you've thoroughly researched the company. "Young people should know that they're risking their life," said consumer protection's Glen Loyd. "It is a highly dangerous occupation." In 1999, seven teens were killed when their magazine sales crew van crashed. That might be the most memorable event, but Loyd said it's not the only bad experience Wisconsin teens

have had. "Young women come back from these things pregnant," said Loyd. "Some kids get beat up. Some kids find themselves in another part of the country unable to get back to Wisconsin. A lot of bad things can happen."

25)

May 2006 - Magazine Salesman Charged With First-Degree Burglary and Sexual Abuse — Both Felony Charges

St. Louis, Missouri - Magazine salesman charged with multiple felonies.

A 19-year-old woman invited a magazine salesman into her home Wednesday, according to police, but when she refused to buy his product he made sexual remarks and pinned her to the floor. Derell Lee Sikes, 20, of Cleveland, was charged Friday with first-degree burglary and sexual abuse — both felony charges. Sikes was working with Magazine Inc., a company out of Kitteridge, Colo. Magazine Inc. is a magazine sales crew operated by Great Lakes Circulation out of Evergreen Colorado.

26)

May 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For a Six-Year-Old Warrant.

Cohasset, MA. - Magazine salesman nabbed in Cohasset.

Police arrested a Louisiana man on a six-year-old warrant after several residents complained that his door-to-door sales tactics were too aggressive. Terrence McKinney, 30, who said he lived in Mansfield, La., was selling magazines on Monday night in Cohasset, Police Chief James Hussey said. He said officers found McKinney after "we had three or four calls from

residents about aggressive soliciting." A check showed that he was wanted on a warrant from Dedham District Court, Hussey said.

27)

May 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Rape.

EL CAJON, California – Salesman to be tried in rape.

A high school student told a judge yesterday that a door-to-door cleaning supply salesman forced his way into her El Cajon home and repeatedly raped her during a violent struggle while she was home alone on spring break in April. “He was choking me, holding me. It seemed like he wanted to kill me when he choked me,” the 18-year-old woman testified in El Cajon Superior Court. After hearing the testimony Judge Patricia K. Cookson ruled there was sufficient evidence for a trial and ordered Archie Lee Thomas held in jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail pending a May 30 hearing to set a trial date. Thomas, 20, of St. Louis is charged with six counts of rape, rape with a foreign object, forced oral copulation, residential burglary with intent to commit rape, assault with intent to commit rape and tampering with a telephone. He faces a maximum penalty of 80 years, eight months in prison if convicted of all charges, prosecutor Terrie Roberts said outside the courtroom. The woman Thomas is accused of raping said Thomas came to the front door of her family home around 4 p.m. selling cleaning products.

She said Thomas forced his way in and grabbed her around the neck after she opened the door to see what he wanted. She testified that Thomas dragged her from room to room as she tried to fight him off, punching, kicking and poking him. She said she picked up a potted plant and tossed it at his head, then tried hitting him with a dining room chair. Nothing stopped him, she testified, as they stumbled into furniture, knocking a cup to the floor and smashing a ceramic framed photograph. When Thomas dragged her into the kitchen, the woman said she grabbed for a nearby phone, but Thomas snatched it from her and threw it on the floor. Ultimately, the woman said she gave in because she feared Thomas would kill her.

28)

May 2006 - Aggressive Magazine Salesman Injures Homeowner.

SARPY COUNTY, Neb. - Woman Reports Injury From Door-To-Door Salesman. Investigators in Sarpy County warned about some aggressive door-to-door salesmen that have been knocking on doors in the Omaha metro area. One woman said a salesman attacked her when she refused to buy his magazines. Brandy Heywood said she opened the door to find a salesman, and she told him she wasn't interested and tried to close the door. "He tried to get me to buy a magazine, told me he was trying to earn points to become a youth counselor. He slammed the door. I was standing right here (and) this part of the door hit me in the head and I fell back.

29)

April 2006 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Sexual Assault.

FARMINGTON, Connecticut - Miss. Man Faces Sexual Assault Charge.

Police on Thursday charged a Mississippi man with the sexual assault of a mentally disabled man. Donnie McDonald, 31, of Rose Hill, Miss., was charged with second-degree sexual assault and second-degree burglary. He was ordered held on bail set at $75,000. Police said McDonald was illegally selling magazine subscriptions door to door when he influenced the resident of a home to give him cash and checks for the magazines. McDonald also engaged in a sexual act with the man, police said in a press release. McDonald was not authorized to solicit door-to-door sales in town, police said. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

30)

April 2006 - Magazine Salesman Cited For Disorderly Conduct.

Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin - Door-to-door salesman's antics result in citation.

Questionable behavior by a door-to-door magazine salesman prompted calls to police from two local women in separate incidents over the past few weeks. A 19-year-old New York State man was cited for disorderly conduct after the women called police to report his aggressive, and in one case, sexually suggestive behavior, according to a Fond du Lac Police Department

report. Police were on the lookout for the man after an 18-year-old woman told officers that the man had come to her 14th Street residence selling magazines at about 1:30 p.m. April 19. He said he was selling subscriptions to earn a trip to Mexico. The woman agreed to buy a subscription and left the door to get her checkbook. When she returned, she found the man

inside the house. The man made several sexual comments to her, asking her to shake her breasts and give him a show, according to the report. He told her he provided a free backrub with each magazine subscription purchased and offered the woman a full body massage. The officer who responded to the residence later that day noted in his report that the woman cried while providing details of the incident. Police reports indicates that the offender was working for a magazine sales company out of Pilot Point, Texas by the name of "Direct Subscription Services, Inc." Coincidently, Direct Subscription Services, Inc. has the same address as All-Star Promotions aka AllStar Promotions out of Pilot Point, Texas.

31)

April 2006 - Attorney General Files Lawsuit against Magazine Collection Agency.

West Virginia - ATTORNEY GENERAL DARRELL McGRAW SUES TO STOP CHECK GAME SOLUTIONS, A FLORIDA COLLECTION AGENCY, FROM HARASSING CONSUMERS OVER BASELESS DEBTS.Attorney General Darrell McGraw filed suit today in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County against Check Game Solutions (“CGS”), a Florida collection agency, and its President, Catherine Key of Vero Beach, Florida, for trying to collect money from West Virginia consumers for debts they claim were based on magazine subscription purchases. Problems began when CGS’s client, Universal Subscription Agency (“Universal”), sent vendors into West Virginia selling magazines door to door. Consumers were taken in by the young vendors’ pleas for assistance in meeting sales quotas, and wrote checks on the spot to purchase subscriptions for various magazines. Some consumers regretted the purchase right away and, when they could not find the salesperson in their neighborhoods, decided to stop payment on their checks. Under West Virginia law, contracts for multiple magazine subscriptions can be canceled at any time and for any reason. Instead of canceling the purchases, Universal hired CGS to send debt collection letters to consumers, accusing the consumers of writing the magazine company bad checks.

32)

April 2006 - Magazine Salesman pleas Guilty to Rape.

Concord, New Hampshire - 3rd verdict in rape case - Salesman takes guilty plea Christopher Armstrong, the only magazine salesman who was still facing criminal charges, pleaded guilty yesterday to raping a woman in her Concord home nearly a year ago. In exchange for pleading guilty to four charges yesterday, Armstrong, 24, of Jonesboro, Ark., will spend about one more year in the Merrimack County jail and will have to register as a sex offender for life. Armstrong was employed by Fidelity Reader Service a traveling door-to-door magazine sales company out of Naples, Florida.

33)

April 2006 - Magazine Consumer Fraud.

Columbia, Missouri

Business fined for missing magazines. 60 mid-Missourians said they didn’t receive their orders.A Joplin business that solicited magazine subscriptions from Columbia residents but never delivered them was ordered to stop

soliciting, advertising or selling magazines in Missouri. Judge Gene Hamilton of the 13th Judicial Circuit granted the permanent injunction against Kameron Christian Johnson and his business, Creek House Subscription, after more than 60 people from mid-Missouri complained that they had never received magazines they ordered. Johnson was ordered to pay $4,863.50 in restitution to the customers and $2,000 in civil penalties and fees to Missouri.

34)

April 2006 - Guilty Plea in Rape Case.

Concord, New Hampshire - Salesman pleads in rape case.

A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty yesterday to raping a Concord woman in her apartment last year. Cassidy Coburn of Monroe, Utah, is the second of three magazine salesmen sentenced in the assault of the woman in March 2005. He pleaded guilty to aggravated felonious sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault and two counts of theft for taking the woman's

camera and identification. Coburn was employed by Fidelity Reader Service a traveling door-to-door magazine sales company out of Naples, Florida.

35)

March 2006 - Home Robbery.

Fort Worth, Texas - FW resident robbed by door-to-door salesman.

Not much gets past 74-year-old Suzanne Reynolds. She still works hard for her money as full-time account executive. "I won't ask anybody for anything. If I want something I get what I call a job and earn the money for it." And she chose to spend some of it when a boy in need came to her door. "He was very personable, very clean cut. He said he was selling magazine

subscriptions and the more magazines he sold, the more points he would get and he was trying to make a better life for himself." Reynolds invited the boy in, twice. A second time he asked for water and a cigarette. Not until the next day did she realize she'd been had. "I picked up my purse and it was very light and I said to myself, 'what's wrong with this picture?' My credit card case was gone - I had over $300 in my case. "I wish I could get him, to talk to him. I'd speak to him by hand." Reynolds isn't the only one complaining. Fort Worth police made two arrests this week after solicitors bullied homeowners. They arrive from out of state, usually without a license, to sell and no legitimate charity.

36)

March 2006 - Rape/Murder

Contra Costa, California - Rape-murder suspect enters not-guilty plea

A traveling magazine salesman from Missouri pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he raped and killed a 90-year-old Lafayette woman in her home in December. Richard Craig McNew, 32, a felon from St. Louis, entered his plea in Contra Costa County Superior Court in the slaying of Anna Elizabeth Vuori. He faces special circumstances of murder committed during the commission of rape, robbery and burglary, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty, Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves said. Vuori was bound and gagged in her Moraga Boulevard home, sexually assaulted and found smothered to death Dec. 10. The killer took $18,000 in savings bonds and $200 in cash and Vuori's keys, according to court documents. McNew worked for Overachievers, a Missouri magazine-subscription company. He is jailed without bail in Martinez. Investigators said DNA at the crime scene matched a sample of McNew's DNA included in a national database. McNew has a criminal record in Missouri that dates to 1993 and includes convictions for assault, robbery and drug and weapons possession, court records show.

37)

February 2006 - Rape/Murder

Toughen sales laws

Contra Costa Times, California

Posted on Fri, Feb. 10, 2006

EDITORIAL

WHAT'S WRONG with this picture?

Magazine sales companies hire violent felons, then send them into unsuspecting communities across the country to pitch their products, door-to-door. A disturbing number of these traveling salesmen have been accused of rape and murder of elderly women who mistakenly opened their doors. Many more have been accused of burglarizing and robbing people. Yet the companies that hired them say that they bear no responsibility because the workers are independent contractors. They defiantly insist that there is no reason to change the way that they do business. The sexual assault and murder of 90-year-old Ann Elizabeth Vuori in her Lafayette home two months ago has cast a much-needed spotlight on the unregulated industry of door-to-door magazine sales. The man charged in her murder, Richard Craig McNew, 32, was a traveling magazine salesman. Authorities believe that is how Vuori met McNew, who had a long, violent rap sheet in Missouri. McNew worked for an Indiana clearinghouse that has faced several lawsuits over violence by its traveling magazine salesmen. A salesman with the same

company has been charged with sexually assaulting a 74-year-old San Jose woman the same month Vuori was killed. Meanwhile, there have been increasing reports nationwide of sexual assaults, often involving elderly women, by door-to-door magazine salesmen. The nature of the business makes it difficult to rein in abuses by predatory salesmen. Clearinghouses hire sales companies that hire sales crews. Companies frequently change names to help shield them from legal troubles and hide their tracks. But it's high time that something was done to help protect the public. For starters, cities and counties should require door-to-door salesmen to get permits and submit to mandatory criminal background checks. Lafayette already has a

permit ordinance. But since it is rarely enforced, it's just an empty law on the books. True, there will be those who thumb their noses at the law. But they might think twice if they know they're risking a stiff fine. The Wisconsin Senate just passed a bill requiring all door-to-door sales crews to register with the state, post a bond and submit to background checks

on employees. Supporters of tougher restrictions say it doesn't go far enough. But if it passes the Assembly, the law would be the stiffest in the country. It is a good first step, and California should follow suit. Magazine clearinghouses and sales companies have lobbied hard against efforts to make them more accountable. One of their favorite arguments is that

requiring permits and background checks will drive the traveling salesmen away. In our view, that's the best argument yet.

38)

February 2006 - Rape

California - Traveling rapists stalk N. California

A roving band of rapists passing themselves off as door-to-door salesmen is terrorizing northern California communities. Police have already interviewed Yusuf Kargbo about the men he has hired to sell magazine subscriptions. One of Kargbo's employees is facing charges of rape, another is being held on rape and murder. Recent attempts to find Kargbo have proven unsuccessful. Last month Ann Elizabeth Vuori opened the door of her Lafayette home to a man selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door. Once inside the 90-year-old's home, Richard McNew bound and raped the defenseless woman. Once his wretched hunger had been satisfied, he smothered her to death. Less than three weeks later, in San Jose, Larry Jackson, an Arkansas parolee, told a 74-year-old woman he was tired and thirsty from walking the streets selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door. She welcomed Jackson, 40, into her home. He promptly dragged her into a back room and raped her. McNew has a history of convictions in Missouri of burglary, robbery, assault with injury and drugs and weapons charges dating to 1993, according to St. Louis County Circuit Court records. Just a month before murdering Vuori, McNew had been picked for trespassing in the home of a 63-year-old Sandra Cancel. Luckily, Cancel's son came home first. "He said he worked for some company selling magazines," Cancel said. "He was hungry and said my neighbor was getting him a sandwich, when he thought he heard someone yelling for help in my house. But that's baloney because no one was home." Jackson's arrest record spans four states. Whether Kargbo was aware of his employees' pasts is unknown.

39)

February 2006 - Burglary.

PALO ALTO, California - Palo Alto police warn magazine salesman after string of burglaries. Palo Alto police are warning a group of door-to-door magazine sales reps to stay out of their city. Police suspect a string of residential burglaries in Palo Alto may be linked to the out-of-town solicitors. As part of their investigation, detectives told the sales reps they would arrested if they tried to sell magazine subscriptions in Palo Alto without a permit. The move comes less than a month after a door-to-door magazine salesman was arrested in San Jose on suspicion of raping a 74-year-old woman. And earlier this week, Palo Alto police arrested a magazine salesman for prowling after a homeowner found him standing at a sliding back door.

40)

February 2006 - Sexual Assault/Murder Cases

CONTRA COSTA, California - Suspects worked for same firm.

The crimes bore an eerie resemblance -- two elderly women sexually assaulted last month in Lafayette and San Jose, one of them killed, and in each case a traveling magazine salesman charged. Now, police in both cities acknowledge a closer link, saying the two door-to-door salesmen worked for the same company -- a roving crew with past ties to an Indiana clearinghouse that has faced several lawsuits over violence by traveling salesmen. It is unclear whether the two men worked together. The firm, called Overachievers, may have overseen a few dozen salespeople and might have split them into smaller groups to cover more territory, said San Jose police Detective Mike Carlson. But investigators are looking to see if there is more than just coincidence, aiming to trace the movements and dealings of a sales crew that roved between Portland, Ore., and the Bay Area, part of a largely unregulated industry that watchdogs say is rife with bad actors.

41)

January 2006 - Home Burglary.

Palo Alto, California - Prowler arrested in area of burglaries.

Palo Alto police arrested a man on charges of prowling at 4:38 p.m. Monday after a resident saw him in the backyard of a house in the 1200 block of University Avenue. The man was arrested a block away. Police are also investigating four residential burglaries that were reported Monday within a six-block radius of the prowling incident, Detective Kara Apple said. The four burglaries were in the 2200 block of St. Francis Drive, the 900 and 1000 blocks of Oregon Avenue and the 600 block of Melville Avenue. The homes were all broken into through rear windows or doors by force, or through an unlocked door. Apple said police have not established any direct connection so far between the prowler arrest and the residential

burglaries. Michael Williams, 19, was booked into the San Jose Main Jail on a charge of prowling. He is listed as transient, but may be from Missouri or Tennessee. Williams was working as a door-to-door magazine salesman but he did not have a Palo Alto peddler permit, Apple said. Anyone with information about the residential burglaries is asked to call Agent Adrienne

Moore at (650) 329-2669.

42)

January 2006 - Unsolved Rape Case.

Portland, Oregon. Criminal threat knocks on door with goods to sell.

Safety - Police say a door-to-door salesman raped a woman in Sellwood, in what could be a growing problem. He came to a Sellwood home last fall to sell magazine subscriptions. The neatly groomed man in his 20s was sharply dressed in a black suit, crisp white shirt, pink-striped tie and polished black leather shoes. Instead of talking sales, police say he forced his way inside and raped a woman. Police think he left town shortly afterwards, heading south with a traveling sales crew to California. Prosecutors and police suspect the Sellwood rapist might be one of a growing number of violent criminals who find their victims while roving door-to-door selling magazines. Portland investigators now are working to see whether there is a link between the Portland rape and two similar cases, one ending in murder, of elderly women in the San Francisco Bay area by traveling magazine salesmen. Law enforcement and victims' advocates say these cases highlight a shadowy national magazine sales industry where companies recruit heavily to attract workers by promising quick cash and easy work. Police say such tactics often attract people with serious criminal backgrounds.

43)

January 2006 - Consumer Fraud.

Central California

Children's Hospital warns of sales scam

Children's Hospital Central California has learned that an organization called Entrepreneurs Across America has been selling magazines door-to-door in the Fresno area, claiming its sales benefit cancer patients at Children's Hospital in Madera. But the organization has no affiliation with Children's Hospital, and is not participating in a hospital fundraiser, officials say. Anyone with questions about the legitimacy of any fundraiser for Children's Hospital is instructed to call administration at 353-7100.

44)

January 2006 - Magazine Salesman Rape Case

Santa Clara, California

Traveling sales crews worry police

SOME PEDDLERS LINKED TO CRIME

The salesman who showed up at the house near Prospect High School in San Jose was neatly dressed and carried identification. When an elderly woman opened the door, he asked if she would buy some magazines to help him ``earn points for his magazine sales job.'' The woman hesitated. The salesman begged for a glass of water. Once inside, he asked to use the bathroom. And then, according to Santa Clara County prosecutors, the 40-year-old parolee dragged the 74-year-old woman into a back bedroom

and raped her. A door-to-door magazine salesman remains in custody today on suspicion of sexually assaulting an elderly woman at her West San Jose home last month, San Jose police reported today. After knocking on the 74-year-old woman's door in the area of Prospect High School, the 40-year-old man identified himself as a general subscription magazine salesman to persuade the woman to let him inside, police said. Once inside the house, police said the man grabbed the woman and forced her to a back bedroom where he allegedly assaulted her sexually. After the man fled the scene, the woman, whose identity is being withheld, called her husband who then contacted police. Police located the suspect in the area and the woman later

identified him, police said. He was arrested on Dec. 30 and was booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of burglary and various sex offenses, police reported.

45)

January 2006 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Kidnapping, Assault With A Deadly Weapon, Felon In Possession Of A Handgun.

California.

Detective: Victim Tried To Leave Crew

Salesmen Accused Of Kidnapping Man

Burt Dials was trying to flee his door-to-door magazine sales crew in Los Angeles on New Year's Day when he was kidnapped at gunpoint from a city bus by members of the crew who tried to stop him, according to court records and a Los Angeles County sheriff's detective. One of the men charged with Dials' kidnapping, Dewell Keith Lafleur, 32, was initially charged with murder in Santa Fe in connection with Benjamin Suazo's October beating death at the hands of the group of out-of-state magazine salesmen at the Silva Lanes bowling alley parking lot. But Lafleur, the leader of the Santa Fe sales crew, saw those charges dropped after a preliminary hearing in November, when eyewitnesses from the bowling alley homicide said Lafleur acted as a peacemaker the night that Suazo was beaten, and then run over, by the other members, according to court records. Four other young men who list out-of-state addresses and were members of Lafleur's crew in Santa Fe still face second-degree murder and other charges connected to Suazo's death. During a phone interview on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Jeanine Lum painted a disturbing picture of the magazine sales crew that Lafleur headed in Santa Fe and California. She said Lafleur's victim in Los Angeles was trying to leave the sales crew because he was "tired of ripping people off" and felt guilty about selling magazine subscriptions that they would never receive to old women. "They hustle people for money," Lum said. "They normally prey after the elderly because they're easy victims." Members of Lafleur's sales crew are typically paid only $20 a day for working 12-hour shifts, well under the minimum wage, Lum said. She added that sales crew leaders justify the low wages by saying that they pay for members' room and board as they travel the country. Lum said most of the members of Lafleur's crew have lengthy criminal records. Lafleur himself has a criminal record, she said. Members of Lafleur's sales crew tell prospective clients they are trying to raise money for college, or for college trips to Europe, but they are lying, Lum said. "These kids have their speeches down," she said. Lum said that going door to door to sell magazines is a perfect way for salesmen to "case" neighborhoods where they can break into homes or cars. During the incident in Los Angeles County on New Year's Day, Dials was on a city bus around 7:15 p.m. but did not know that another member of the sales crew, Chassidy Tolliver, had spotted him and told Lafleur and other members of the group that Dials was

trying to escape, Lum said. "This employee was trying to break out of this ring," Lum said. Lafleur, Tolliver, 22, and another member of the group, Robert David Richie, 38, are all charged with kidnapping for ransom and assault with a deadly weapon, to wit, a handgun, according to their felony complaints. Richie is additionally charged with being a felon in possession of a handgun, according to his felony complaint. According to court records, Richie is the person who wielded a handgun during the kidnapping. The vehicle that Lafleur was driving during the commission of the alleged kidnapping was the same make and model as the Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle that he was arrested in during the early morning hours of

Oct. 20, 2005, in Santa Fe, according to court records. Lum said Lafleur, Tolliver and Richie were arrested in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 3, after an alert police officer learned that Lafleur's Escalade had the same license plate as the vehicle used in the Jan. 1 kidnapping. When Dials was located by police several days later, he had "numerous visible injuries" to his face, Lum said. "He probably should have gone to the hospital," Lum said. The founder of a New York based clearinghouse on child and youth labor issues has said that door-to-door magazine sales organizations are a nationwide problem, recruiting young people into situations in which they are exploited or can become victims or violence. "This is a nationwide problem, and it has been for many years," said Earlene Williams, founder of Parent Watch, in October. Parent Watch tries to help youngsters and young adults who join traveling groups that sell magazines. "The great majority of these kids are innocent kids who are lured into these sales crews because they want to travel and make lots of money, but criminals also jump on board, who are running from the law, Williams has said. "They are a danger to both kids on the crews and people in their homes." On Tuesday, Williams said she was not surprised by the alleged kidnapping in Los Angeles County. "It happens often," Williams said. "Believe it or not, this is not the first case that I have heard of. They really don't like to lose one of their top salespeople. I don't know if that is the case in this situation, but it has happened in other

cases that I've handled."

46)

January 2006 - Magazine Salesman Sentenced To 55 Years For Murder.

New Jersey.

MURDER PROMPTED LAWS:

After Shirley Reuter of Dover Township was killed by a magazine salesman,

area towns adopted 'no-knock' ordinances.

Good Samaritan's killer gets 55 years in prison.

77-year-old widow let salesman in home.

TOMS RIVER — Anything short of life in prison without parole is too good for the selfish teenager who brutally murdered a 77-year-old widow after she let him into her Dover Township home for a drink of water on a hot day when he was going door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions, tearful relatives of the victim told a judge Friday. The family of murder victim Shirley Reuter left the Ocean County Courthouse disappointed after Superior Court Judge Edward J. Turnbach imposed a 55-year prison term on 19-year-old Azriel Bridge of Chicago. "I'm very disappointed that this guy has the opportunity to perhaps go back into society and do this again,'' said David Reuter, son of the victim, after Turnbach imposed the sentence on Bridge. "He's obviously a deviant,'' David Reuter said of Bridge, who sat speechless with a blank stare throughout the sentencing hearing. "I don't understand the judge's decision. I don't,'' Reuter said. "He got away (with it),'' Shirley Reuter's granddaughter, Devena Gargano of Bayville, Berkeley, said of Bridge. "It should have been life.'' Turnbach sentenced Bridge for the June 9, 2004, murder that terrorized Shirley Reuter's Chestnut Street neighborhood. The judge ordered that Bridge serve 85 percent of the prison term, or 46 years and nine months, before he can be considered for parole

47)

January 2006 - Magazine salesman sentenced in rape of N.H. teen

CONCORD, N.H. -- A judge has sentenced a magazine salesman from Massachusetts to 7.5-15 years in prison for raping a Concord, New Hampshire, teenager at her home. Twenty-five-year-old Joseph Haniffy of Chicopee was one of three salesmen charged with raping the 19-year-old. She testified she met the men when they knocked on her door to sell her magazines. She said she played a kissing game with them but did not agree to have sex. Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Edward Fitzgerald said he hopes the sentence sends a message to the community that no means no. The woman said Haniffy forced her to perform oral sex. She said she then was raped by the three men. Haniffy was convicted of three counts of rape. The two other men charged in the case are awaiting trial.

48)

December 2005 - Magazine Salesman Accused Of Attacking Woman In Her Home

MOUNT DORA, Florida - A judge Thursday ordered no bond for the man accused of attacking a woman inside her home. Mount Dora police said he used his job as a magazine salesman to target the victim. Charles Hartman was booked early Thursday morning and it was a scary night for one Lake County resident who said a knock on her door turned suddenly violent. "He grabbed me by my neck and forced his way in and I wrestled him to the ground and started screaming, 'Help me! Help me! Help me!'" explained the unidentified victim. The victim, who didn't want to be identified, had no trouble identifying her attacker. She said it was Charles Hartman. "I know he was going to rape me. Why else would you come into somebody's house?" she questioned. The door-to-door magazine salesman was arrested shortly after the attack and, while police don't have proof of a sexual assault, they want Heartman off the streets. "We are going with burglary of an occupied dwelling. We don't have any proof of a sexual assault, but there were two small children in the house who were terrified," said Lt. Roger Children,

Mount Dora Police Department. Along with arresting Hartman, the police dragnet picked up some of the other door-to-door

marketers, telling them to either leave town or go to jail. The salesman work for Integrity Sales of Arizona. Their boss described the men as something other than upstanding citizens. "We pull them off the street from doing drugs, homeless shelters and get 'em out there. We teach them responsibly. We teach them structure," said Ryan Atkins, Integrity Sales.

49)

December 2005 - Local Girl Found After Two Days Missing

Magazine Sales Scam Leaves Girl Scared for Her Life.

California - We have just been told 18-year-old Ashley Nicole Hanson is in the custody of California authorities. She was able to call 911 and her mother after running from the hotel she was being held at. Ashley left Bay County nearly six weeks ago to embark on a journey claiming to make her money and show her the world. "They spoke of $200 to $500 a day. Bonuses, football games, Las Vegas where their next stop was supposed to have been." An ad ran in our local newspaper in early November, seeking teens and young adults eager to travel the country, making large profits, and selling popular magazines door-to-door. Ashley Nicole Hanson, an 18-year-old Mosley High School graduate, joined the traveling team against her

parents’ best advice.

50)

December 2005 - Robbers wake sleeping victims

Orange County, Florida

What appears to be a random home invasion struck the Lake George area of south Orange County early Tuesday. Three robbers kicked in the front door of a house on Gatlin Place Circle about 3 a.m., abruptly waking the homeowners asleep in their bed, sheriff's reports show. The robbers then kicked open the bedroom door and ordered the husband and wife to hand over their cash and jewelry. While one of the men held the couple in their 60s at gunpoint, the other two ransacked the house for about 20 minutes, reports show. Robbery Detective A.J. Jones said the couple may have been targeted by solicitors selling magazines door to door. The men took jewelry, coins and the homeowners' 2001 black Lexus with Florida tag P51-3JY.

51)

December 2005 - Four Magazine Salesman To Stand Trial For Murder.

Bowling-Alley Killing: 4 to stand trial for murder.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - A District Court judge found probable cause Thursday to charge four Midwestern magazine-subscription salesmen with second-degree murder in connection with the October death of a Santa Fe man outside a bowling alley. However, District Judge Michael Vigil dismissed the remaining counts against the four men — each was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence — while acknowledging the culpability of the victim — 32-year-old Benjamin Suazo — makes the case difficult for prosecutors to prove. “The hard one is the murder case,” Vigil said. “This is such a tragedy for the Suazo family and for these four defendants.” He said the violent situation that led to Suazo’s death — which took place Oct. 20 in the parking lot of Silva Lanes off Cerrillos Road — was “out of control” and that the four defendants knew their acts created the possibility of death or great bodily harm. Suazo died after allegedly being beaten by the four defendants and run over by the Chevrolet Suburban in which they were riding. After Vigil announced his decision, the four men — James Combs, 20, of St. Clair Shores, Mich.; Jason D. Furden, 27, of Lawrence, Kan.; Joshua Burgess, 23, of Miamisburg, Ohio; and Andrew Long, 22, of Liberty, Mo. — alternately hung their heads and cried. Combs and Furden were allowed brief visits afterward with family members.

52)

November 2005 - Police say salesman posed as officer, performed body search on woman

Door-to-door detective?

Decatur, Ala.

A door-to-door salesman, who overheard a domestic disturbance, allegedly impersonated a police officer and threatened to jail a woman who refused a body search, authorities said Tuesday. Dustin Andrew Branton, 25, of Kingston, Ga., told Decatur police he was selling magazines at Wheeler Estate Apartments on Saturday at 6 p.m. when he heard a man and a woman arguing. Detective Jeremy Hayes didn't release the name of the victim but said Branton barged into her 134 McEntire Lane apartment and identified himself as a police officer. After searching the woman's boyfriend and escorting him from the apartment, Branton returned, Hayes said, and ordered the woman to submit to a body search so he could look for injuries. She initially refused, Hayes said, but changed her mind when Branton threatened to take her to jail. Hayes declined to describe details of the search but said the victim realized Branton wasn't a police officer when he ordered her to drive him to a Madison hotel. "The female transported Branton to the hotel due to fear and dropped him off," Hayes said. "She called 911 from the Ramada Inn parking lot. She was not physically injured." Police found Branton on Monday at the hotel at 9:30 p.m. and brought him to Decatur for questioning, where he allegedly confessed in writing to the incident. Hayes said Branton's criminal record prevented him from becoming a police officer, but he has a relative in Georgia working in law enforcement. "I think he saw an opportunity to use the knowledge he had and took advantage of it," Hayes said. Branton told police he worked for Universal Subscription Agency, but a company spokeswoman said an independent traveling sales company under contract with Universal Subscription Agency employed Branton. An attempt to reach the contracting company wasn't immediately successful.

53)

November 2005 - Two Magazine Sales Agents Killed In Van Crash

Phoenix, Arizona

Two teenagers were killed and seven more were injured Sunday when a van registered to a northwest suburban company that sells magazine subscriptions crashed outside Phoenix, Ariz., authorities said. The crash was reminiscent of a 1999 accident in which a van carrying 14 magazine sellers, ages 15 to 25, crashed on Interstate Highway 90 near Janesville, Wis. Seven

died, and five were seriously injured. In Sunday's crash, a 2004 Chevrolet van registered to Alliance Service Co., 1875 Rohlwing Rd., Rolling Meadows, was heading north on Interstate Highway 17 just before noon when it flipped over, crossed the median and landed in the southbound lanes, said Frank Valenzuela, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. All nine occupants of the van were thrown from the vehicle, Valenzuela said. Two died at the scene, about 15 miles north of Phoenix, and the remaining seven were taken to area hospitals. One was in critical condition with severe head trauma, but the conditions of the other victims were not known, Valenzuela said.

54)

November 2005 - Unsolved Rape Case Portland Oregon

Crime Stoppers: Rapist Posed As Door-To-Door Salesman.

Officer Catherine Kent, Portland Police Bureau.

PORTLAND -- The Portland Police Bureau, in cooperation with Crime Stoppers, would like your help in identifying and apprehending a rape suspect. On Oct. 20, at about 5 p.m., the suspect knocked on the victim’s door, forcing his way inside, where he physically and sexually assaulted the woman. Prior to the assault, the suspect may have walked through the Sellwood neighborhood representing himself as a door-to-door magazine salesman, contacting other residents. Detectives have released an artist’s sketch of the suspect. He is described as a male with a dark complexion, 21-25 years old, with a thin face and build. He was clean-shaven, wearing a dark suit with a pink striped tie. Anyone with information about this incident or who can identify the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in this case, or any unsolved felony, and you may remain anonymous. Call Crime Stoppers at (503) 823-HELP (4357).

55)

November 2005 - Magazine Sales Consumer Fraud

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Fake stories used to sell subscriptions.

The magazine salesman who rang Lauren Smith’s doorbell off Hyde Park Road at 7:30 p.m. late last month claimed to live with his mother around the corner. He said he was trying to sell enough magazine subscriptions to pay for a trip to London, and his deadline was that night. James Combs showed Smith a list of magazines but she protested they cost too much. She said she’d prefer to give him the money directly and offered to write a check for $40. Combs demurred. He said he would have to give her check to someone else — he mentioned a local hospital — and argued she would be better off buying the magazine subscription. She declined. All during the conversation, he kept saying, “Don’t hate me,” Smith recalled recently. She said the nervous but “likable-looking” young man “didn’t look threatening at all.” He even told her his mother had suggested he offer to do slave labor for neighbors and gave her an address and telephone number — which turned out to be false. The next day, Combs and a few other door-to-door magazine salesmen associated with a company called World Wide Circulation were

charged with the murder of a 32-old Santa Fe man in the parking lot at the Silva Lanes bowling alley. “I will never again open the door at night,” Smith said. “But the neighbor thing — and the mom thing — obviously worked on me.” Combs’ spiel was typical of sales pitches used by traveling crews all over the country.

56)

November 2005 - Door-To-Door Salesman Convicted Of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault.

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania

Door-to-door salesman guilty of sex offenses

A New York state man was convicted in Lackawanna County Court of three sexual offenses Wednesday, but cleared of three others. A seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated more than six hours before finding Delmar Hooks, 27, of Elmira, guilty of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault.

57)

October 2005 - Magazine Sales Agent Dies By Drowning.

Honolulu, Hawaii

A 19-year-old woman from Washington drowned Monday morning at the Lanai Lookout after she was hit by a large wave and swept out into the ocean, according to paramedics. Witnesses say the woman was with a large group of people taking pictures on the lower shelf around 10:30 a.m.

Jasmin Kermmoade grew up in landlocked Lincoln, Neb., not knowing the dangers of the ocean. The 19-year-old woman was with a group of fellow employees in magazine sales when she was swept off a rocky ledge near Lanai Lookout on the east shore of Oahu on Monday and drowned.

Jasmin K. Kermmoade, 19, Lincoln, died Monday (10/24/05) in Honolulu, Hawaii. Born, Lincoln (2/21/86), to Daryl D'Wayne and Julie Kalleen (Wooten) Kermmoade. Sales and bookkeeper for Tower of Power. Tower of Power is a traveling magazine sales crew working for Pacific Coast Clearing Services, Inc.

58)

October 2005 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Vehicular Homicide.

Young man dies in I-75 wreck.

Adel Georgia

A 20-year-old man died early Sunday morning, Oct. 23, in a single-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75. Cook County Coroner Ron Lipsey identified the victim as James Stephens Crawford, of Hubert,N.C., a passenger in the van. The van's driver, Steven A. Smith III, 20, of Amherst, Mass., has been arrested and charged with homicide by vehicle, first degree, because he was

allegedly driving under the influence of marijuana, according to the Georgia State Patrol, Tifton Post. Smith also was charged with serious injury by vehicle (two counts) because two other passengers were hurt in the wreck. Additional charges against Smith are failure to maintain lane, driving too fast for conditions ( construction zone), driving under the influence of marijuana, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. At last report, Smith was being held in the Cook County Jail. According to State Trooper D.L. Harnage, Smith was driving a 15-passenger,Ford E-350 van north on Interstate 75 about 3:50 a.m. Sunday. The van had five occupants. Smith stated to the GSP that he fell asleep and drove off the edge of the road around Mile Marker 38 on I- 75 (between the Adel Industrial Park Exit and main Adel Exit). Smith awoke and apparently oversteered. The rear of the van came around and the van crashed almost head-on into the concrete barrier. The van started flipping down the barrier. Crawford, who was seated right behind the driver, was ejected and killed on impact, according to Harnage. Crawford was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:10 a.m. Sunday, Ron Lipsey said. Harnage said he believes that two of the other passengers also were ejected. They were seriously injured. One passenger received a severe laceration of the scalp. At last report, the condition of the other ejected passenger was unknown, but that person reportedly was on a back board at South Georgia Medical Center. "Only the driver was wearing his seatbelt," Harnage said. Another passenger was treated at the Memorial Hospital of Adel and released. According to warrants, less than 1 ounce of marijuana was found in a plastic container in the van. Smith submitted to a blood test, Harnage said. The van had been accompanied by two other

vehicles. The vehicles were carrying 18 young adults from Tampa, Fla., north to Columbus. The young people had planned to sell magazine subscriptions for Fidelity Readers Service Inc., said Trooper Harnage. The Naple, Fla.-based company offers young people travel opportunities across the U.S. The GSP Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is continuing its investigation into the case, with plans to do measurements at the accident scene. Thus, the charges against Smith may be revised or upgraded.

59)

October 2005 - 32-year-old Man Murdered by Magazine Salesmen.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

5 Men Charged in Slaying; Report Suggests Fight Started Over Woman

A group of out-of-state magazine salesmen killed a 32-year-old father of two at Santa Fe's Silva Lanes bowling alley early Thursday in a fight that started because one of the salesmen thought the victim was staring at his girlfriend, court records state. Benjamin Suazo of Santa Fe died after he was beaten to unconsciousness in the bowling alley parking lot, then was run

over with an SUV, according to the records. Five of the traveling salesmen— Dewell Keith Lafleur, 29, and James Combs, 20, both of St. Clair Shores, Mich.; Jason Furden, 27, of Lawrence, Kan.; Joshua Burgess, 23, of Miamisburg, Ohio; and Andrew Long, 22, of Liberty, Mo.— were each arraigned Friday on an open count of murder for Suazo's death. Furden is identified in an officer's statement as the driver of the sport utility vehicle that ran over Suazo. Furden is accused of dragging the beaten Suazo in front of his Chevy Suburban, then re-entering the SUV before the group of salesmen "drove over Benjamin while he laid unconscious on the ground."

60)

October 2005 - Magazine Salesman Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Attempted Rape

Door-to-door salesman to serve 3 years in prison.

TELL CITY, Indiana - An Alabama magazine salesman arrested in April for allegedly attempting to rape a Tell City woman was sentenced late last month to three years in prison. Joey Evans, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery, a Class D felony, and was ordered to serve three years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Evans underwent a voluntary polygraph examination in August under an agreement that charges would be dismissed if he passed the state-police-administered exam. Police said Evans failed the test.

61)

October 2005 - Magazine Salesman Arrested For Attempted Rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Salesman jailed for attempted rape of 16 yr.-old Bakersfield girl

Bakersfield, California Kern County deputies were dispatched to a possible victim of a rape in the 400 blk of Wilson Av, in Oildale. When deputies

arrived they discovered a 16 year old female had allowed a door to door magazine salesman into her residence for the purpose of ordering magazines. The salesman forced himself on the victim and attempted to rape her. The assault was interupted when a relative of the victim arrived at the residence. The suspect then fled out the door. A short time later the victim saw the

suspect in the passenger seat of a blue Ford pick-up as it drove past her residence. A sheriff's broadcast was put out over the sheriff's radio describing the suspect and vehicle. About seven minutes later a deputy on patrol spotted the vehicle at Oildale Dr & Decatur St. The deputy made an enforcement stop on the pick-up. A passenger in the pick-up was identified as the suspect by the victim. The suspect was identified as Michael Anthony Prasser, 20 years of age,from Spokane, Washington. He had identification showing he works for, Free X Press. Prasser was booked into the Kern County Jail for Attempt Rape and Sexual Battery. The victim was not injured during the assault.

62)

October 2005 - Magazine Salesman Azriel Bridge Pleads Guilty To Murder.

Teenager pleads guilty to killing Dover Township woman.

TOMS RIVER — A teenaged magazine salesman from Chicago showed no emotion today as he admitted using fireplace tools and a kitchen knife to beat and stab a 77-year-old widow to death last year, after she had let him into her Dover Township home for a drink of water. Azriel Bridge, 19, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Edward J. Turnbach to the murder of Shirley Reuter on June 9, 2004, while he was going door-to-door in the widow's neighborhood selling magazines. Bridge was employed by American Community Services.

63)

September 2005 - Salesman charged with raping woman.

Des Moines, Washington

Prosecutors have charged a 27-year-old door-to-door magazine salesman with second-degree rape in an alleged assault on a severely disabled woman in Des Moines. Police and prosecutors say Raymond H. Moultrie, a transient whose listed addresses are numerous hotels on Pacific Highway South, knocked on the door of a 28-year-old woman with Down syndrome on Sunday in an apparent attempt to sell magazines. Charging documents filed in King County Superior Court contend that Moultrie sexually assaulted the woman, who has the mental capacity of a grade-school child and is incapable of giving consent. Moultrie, who has a criminal history in at least four states, is being held in lieu of $750,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in the Regional Justice Center in Kent on Oct. 10.

64)

September 2005 - Magazine salesman convicted of Rape, faces 20 to 40 years

Concord, New Hampshire

A jury convicted Joseph Haniffy yesterday of raping a Concord woman in March while selling magazines door to door, but cleared him on a charge of conspiracy. Haniffy, 25, could face 20 to 40 years in prison. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about eight hours over two days before returning their verdict at 1 p.m. Haniffy did not visibly react in the courtroom. The victim and her husband wiped away tears when the verdicts were read. Haniffy's public defenders, Donna Brown and Meredith Lugo, could not be reached yesterday, and it was unknown if they will appeal. Some speculated a guilty verdict would prompt plea deals in the rape cases against two other salesmen who were with Haniffy, the first of whom is to

stand trial late next month. Haniffy was employed by Fidelity Reader Service out of Naples Florida.

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September 2005 - Man Killed Magazine Sales Agent Sentenced To Life In Prison

Rapid City, South Dakota

Neil Frame to spend life in prison.

Rapid Valley man pleads guilty to murdering a young woman who came to his door selling magazines. RAPID CITY -- Saying he wanted to "make things right" by taking his punishment, Neil Frame pleaded guilty Wednesday to murdering a 21-year-old woman who came to his door last April selling magazines. Frame, 41, will spend the rest of his life in prison as a result of his plea. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty against him. Kristina Denise Moore, 21, of Lancaster, Calif., went missing April 21 after she was going door to door selling magazines in Frame's Rapid Valley neighborhood. Her nude body was found two days later in a field near Hermosa. Frame turned himself in April 26. On Wednesday, Frame stood before 7th Circuit Judge Janine Kern and calmly told her how he killed Moore in a moment of rage. "Kristina Moore came to my house to sell magazines," Frame, a retired military man with no criminal history, said. "I was pretty annoyed. ... I felt as though the magazine sales ... was pretty much an overpriced scam." Kristina Moore was employed by Pacific Coast Clearing Services out of Gig Harbor, Washington.

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September 2005 - Magazine Sales Woman Charged With Reckless Endangerment and Endangering The Welfare of Children

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Police: Teen neglected baby.

A Missouri teen selling magazines door to door in Scranton has been accused of malnourishing her infant son, who at the age of 6 months weighed 9½ pounds. Jessica Harrington, 19, was released Tuesday after she waived her right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court. She is charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children. The baby is now in foster care, and Miss Harrington — herself a product of foster homes, authorities said — is free on bail. Miss Harrington’s lawyer argued Tuesday that she has done the best she can caring for her child while moving state to state selling magazines.

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August 2005 - Magazine Salesman Charged With Simple Assault, Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, Escape and Resisting Arrest

SWOYERSVILLE, Pennsylvania

Police Blotter

A 21-year-old man who was wanted on a probation violation out of New York was arrested on resisting arrest charges on Slocum Street on Friday, police said. John Bonilla, no address reported, was stopped after police reported to Slocum Street for a report of a man going door to door trying to gain access into homes. When stopped, Bonilla said he had no identification except a form from the magazine company he represented, police said. Police said they discovered Bonilla was wanted out of New York and while arresting Bonilla, he pushed away from the officers and fled on foot. After a short pursuit, Bonilla was arrested. He was charged with simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, escape and resisting arrest. He was taken to

the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.

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August 2005 - Convicted Murderer Going Door -To-Door Selling Magazines

Boston, Massachusetts

I-Team: Door-To-Door Magazine Sales, Part 2

(WBZ) Quick action after an exclusive I-Team investigation uncovers door to door sales crews that are compromising your safety. The I-Team found crew members with criminal records doing a lot more than selling magazines. Kathy Curran has been working with the I-Team and has the latest on what’s being done to keep you safe. Donna Peltier-Saxe, Marblehead: “It made me extremely fearful, it went from an experience where I thought I was helping someone change his life to being really frightened.” Donna Peltier-Saxe says a good deed went bad when she realized a convicted murderer was knocking at her door.

Donna Peltier-Saxe, Marblehead: “He told me he was selling magazines, part of a re-education program.” Steven Shores showed up at her Marblehead home hawking magazines. Shores was making a living traveling door to door after serving time for murder.

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August 2005 - Magazine Salesman Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Assault With Intent To Commit Rape And Physical Elder

Abuse Resulting In Great Bodily Harm

Palo Alto, California

Abusive salesman earns prison term.

A roving magazine salesman who assaulted an 80-year-old Menlo Park woman in 2004 was sentenced to 11 years in state prison today in San Mateo County Superior Court. D'Angelo Langford, 19, a door-to-door solicitor from Georgia, pleaded no contest in June to assault with intent to commit rape and physical elder abuse resulting in great bodily harm, according to Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. The victim was attacked in her Alice Lane apartment at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 6, Wagstaffe said. Langdon allegedly shoved the woman onto her bed, pulled up her blouse, and attempted to sexually assault her while repeatedly beating her, Wagstaffe said.

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August 2005 - Two men arrested in credit card scam

Woonsocket, Rhode Island -Two out-of-state men who claimed to be selling magazines door-to-door on Blackstone Street Monday night were both wanted on warrants. Justin Liles, 22, of Philadelphia, Pa., was charged with being a fugitive from justice in Gloucester County, N.J., police said. Also, Richard J. Bogart, 22, of Augusta, Wis., was arrested on a warrant for

failure to appear for a hearing in District Court, Providence. At about 10:30 p.m., police said they ran background checks on the two men after neighbors questioned their activities. The men claimed they were selling magazines for a company identified as Liberator Sales of Gig Harbor, Wash., for which they provided a telephone number and the name of a supervisor. The police said a woman on Blackstone Street divulged her credit card number to someone on a cell phone provided by the two men. Liberator Sales is a magazine sales crew working for Pacific Coast Clearing Services out of Gig Harbor, Washington.

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August 2005 - Magazine Salesman pleads guilty to killing Worcester man

WORCESTER, Massachusetts

A magazine salesman from Tennessee who beat a 61-year-old Worcester man to death is sentenced to serve up to 20 years in prison. Twenty-year-old Adam Lowery pleaded guilty yesterday to manslaughter in the death of William Hollister. Prosecutors say the two men met at a Worcester bus terminal last December after Lowery's girfriend kicked him out of her home. After Hollister agreed to give Lowery a ride, the two men got into an argument in the car. That's when Lowery allegedly struck Hollister in the head with a metal pipe and kicked him in the head and face. Lowery was arrested a day later after police found him in Hollister's car. Lowery was originally charged with murder, but prosecutors reduced the charge to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for his guilty plea.

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August 2005 - Magazine sales company loses lawsuit against Inside Edition

Florida

Coral Springs magazine sales company lost a lawsuit that accused the producer of the television news program Inside Edition of breaking federal laws by sending an employee undercover to obtain hidden-camera footage. Inside Edition reported in February 2004 that Pitts Sales Inc. and other magazine sales companies exploited and abused sales agents. Pitts Sales sued Viacom Inc. subsidiary King World Productions Inc. three months later, alleging violation of anti-wiretapping laws, fraud and trespass. U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn ruled against Pitts on all three charges, with his latest decision coming Friday. "We have maintained throughout the litigation that Inside Edition's news gathering activities were proper, and we feel vindicated by the court's rulings," program spokesman Jim Kelly said.

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August 2005 - Man posing as salesman sexually assaults teenager

Houston, Texas

(8/02/05 - HOUSTON) — A northwest Harris County neighborhood is on edge after a door-to-door salesman sexually assaults a special needs teenage girl. Police released this sketch of a man they say posed as a salesman and assaulted a young girl. It happened back in mid-June in the home near Perry Road and FM 1960. Investigators released a sketch of the man who they say was trying to sell magazines. He gained access inside the home by pretending to have special needs himself. Authorities say that is what the suspect used to gain the 17-year-old's trust. "This individual is a predator and he is out there and he's knocking on doors, going door to door. If you or your children don't know already not to open your doors to anyone, please don't open the door," said the victim's mother, who we're not identifying. The so-called salesman has not been found. But investigators believe the attacker is a young white man with blonde hair and blue eyes either in his late teens or early twenties. If you have any information, you are urged to call Houston area Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You will remain

anonymous. (Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV)

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July 2005 - Boise Police cite nine people for unlicensed soliciting

Sales crews pose as charity workers.

Boise Idaho

Boise Police cited nine people in a West Boise neighborhood for soliciting without a license July 11. The incidents occurred in neighborhoods off McMillan and near Centennial High School. Boise Police say they received numerous calls from residents of as many as 30 young adults going door-to-door selling cleaner and magazines. Residents say they suspect the solicitors were from Texas because they traveled in vehicles with Texas license plates. Two citizens also reported burglaries from their homes after the sales people had come knocking. One resident reported that a salesperson came to the door, asked for a drink, which she went to get, and after she returned, her purse and the salesperson were gone, police say. On July 10, officers confiscated as evidence a large amount of checks, receipts, and purchases. The checks and cash totaled several hundred dollars. Also found by police was an instruction book the solicitors carried urging them to tell people the sales were raising money for college or charities.