olivergrinn's Journal

Oliver Grinn, a Network of Friends, and a Scam?
Introduction

Oliver Grinn is the Senior Manager of Barclays Wealth Bank, Geneva. This bank is not like the Barclays Bank found on every high street in the UK. Barclays Wealth Bank, Geneva caters exclusively to immensely wealthy customers and conglomerates, and Oliver Grinn has the responsibility to protect the untold billions of dollars his customers entrust to Barclays Wealth Bank, Geneva. So why did Oliver Grinn approve of a loan of $250,000 USD from a secured deposit without the consent of their customer, a loss that has now been reported to Interpol?

Key Players

Ian Williamson – CFO of a company called Leybourne Holdings, also known as LHL Concepts, and friends of one of Mr Grinn’s regional managers, James Perrse. Mr Williamson’s business purports to generate venture capital, up to $100 million USD, to finance building and infrastructure projects around the world. Their clients, the people needing funding for their project, need only deposit 5% of the project value.
James Persse – Regional Manager at Barclays Wealth Bank, Geneva, and Mr Williamson’s friend. He was the person who paid out $250,000 USD to Ian Williamson of Leybourne Holdings without consulting or informing the owner of the deposit.

Leybourne Holdings

Julian Bulman – Executive Chairman and partner of Ian Williamson. Mr Bulman is based in Thailand, where he associates with one Anthony McIlwain.
Anthony McIlwain – co-founder of Last Pixel, located in Perth, WA. Anthony McIlwain is a friend of Julian Bulman, and acts as Leybourne Holdings’ Australian ‘office’. His job is to recruit clients and introduce them, for a fee, to Julian Bulman.
Marshal Shichtman – Leybourne Holdings’ New York based lawyer and friend of Julian Bulman. Marshal Shichtman drafted a contract for one project and vouched the credentials of Mr Bulman and Mr Wiliamson to the parties involved.

The victims of this network of friends

An Australian businessman – the prospective buyer of a newly completed multi storey building in a major Australian city who was in need of some funding. He was introduced to Julian Bulman by Mr McIlwain and quoted $50,000 USD for the introduction. He was taken on as Leybourne Holdings’ client in March 2010 and deposited $1.5 million USD in Barclays Wealth Bank, Geneva, to be held as a secure deposit until the contract (drawn up by Marshal Shichtman and managed by Ian Williamson) was executed.
An Australian developer – the owner of the multi-storey building. It was his life’s work. He entered into the contract of sale which agreed that $35 million USD would be transferred to his bank by 30 April 2010, by Leybourne Holdings, in exchange for the building itself.

The Scam

With the contract signed and their client’s $1.5 million USD deposited, Leybourne Holdings engineered a “loan” from the deposit of $250,000 USD, delivered by James Persse and later justified to the client in a letter co-signed by Oliver Grinn. In this letter, Oliver Grinn and James Persse stated that the client would have to pursue Leybourne Holdings (their friend Ian Williamson) himself for a return of this money, despite the fact that they loaned it out without his permission.

Leybourne Holdings then disappeared with the deposit and did not fulfil their contract. The client, the developer, their solicitors and banks all believe this was a scam. After stalling all parties for several months, Ian Williamson declared in an email in July 2010 that Leybourne Holdings categorically would not fulfil the contract. Julian Bulman wrote to their Australian legal firm, HWL Ebsworth (who, incidentally, never received payment for their services) asking them to help “find a way out” of their contract, drawn up by Marshal Shichtman. All the parties involved believe Leybourne Holdings fraudulently entered into a contract they never intended to abide by.

Summary

The developer lost everything. After months of stalling the sale, the building went into Administration and is now considered a distressed sale. His life’s work was gone, and he had to declare bankruptcy. The businessman who wanted to buy it, Leybourne Holdings own client, lost $250,000 USD and nearly lost his entire deposit except for James Persse becoming nervous about Leybourne Holdings’ intentions and returning the remainder to the client. This time he did so without informing Leybourne Holdings.

The entire debacle has been reported to the Australian Federal Police and Interpol as a scam. It is believed Julian Bulman may have returned to Thailand, possibly Ian Williamson as well. In any case, they have disappeared and refuse to speak to anyone involved. A reckoning is deserved for this network of friends, who have devastated the victims of their enterprise.

Current Mood: angry