These expenses are downright criminal:

EMCID entourage racks up expenses at resorts, restaurants, theme parks - Monday, April 02, 2012 - Copyright 2007 Ourtribune.com
EMCID entourage racks up expenses at resorts, restaurants, theme parks

Monday, April 02, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
In early March 2007, a fat envelope arrived at the EMCID offices for Frank McCrady. Inside was a contract from Steven R Baker, CEO of the Baker Leisure Group. Don Holbrook, consultant to EMCID for EarthQuest, is also Baker’s partner.

‘Dino’ Don Lessem, one of the original consultants to the EarthQuest project, had recommended Baker to McCrady and after some initial discussion, McCrady signed the contract on April 5.

Also included was a letter to McCrady and Lessem suggesting “Step One” – a 12-day familiarization trip to exotic and lush locales and theme resorts including Las Vegas, the Canada Royal Terrell Institute (sic) in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, ( the actual name is The Royal Tyrrell Museum), Quebec City, Canada, Niagra (sic) Falls, Orlando and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

A second tour, to Europe, was also recommended. This one would last 10 to 12 days and include trips to see museums about German volcanoes, the Eden Project in Cornwall, England and “other European thematic sites.” The Tribune has been unable to determine if the group took this trip.

Baker/Holbrook charged $125,000 for this advice and a project analysis, plus any and all expenses. In addition, Holbrook received $195 per hour plus mileage, presumably to travel on his own recommended trips. Baker asked for $150-$225 per hour plus mileage. Covering all bases, they also tacked on a provision that all expenses such as copies, postage, etc would be paid at cost plus 15 percent.

The contract, signed on April 27, was immediately acted upon. EarthQuest, at this point in time, was little more than discussion and intent but the first order of business for EMCID was an incredibly expensive,12-day tour for dinosaur consultants, an attorney, an engineer, family members, a vision creator and an artist. McCrady didn’t wait long, just a month, to take off, and along with him, came 10 others including his wife, Allison, and their son, Phillip. Holbrook brought his son, Aidan. Rounding out the entourage were board chair Leon Cubillas, EMCID engineer Joseph Costanza, EMCID attorney David Marks, Zofia Kostyrko-Edwards, a Polish, ex-Disney portraitist and illustrator, and Brian Blanchard, vice president of a company who specializes in ‘creating vision and identifying opportunities.” Last but not least was Dino Don Lessem himself. Airfare alone for the group was thousands of dollars.

On May 28, 2007, most of the party left Houston, flying first to Atlanta. Others flew in from Burbank, California and Las Vegas. On May 30, they flew on to Walt Disney World in Orlando where lodging exceeded $10,000. One dinner, at Charley’s Steakhouse, cost nearly $3000. Then, on June 2, they departed for Nassau, The Bahamas, to stay at the Atlantis Resort. Credit cards receipts indicate the group checked out on June 5.

Just three weeks later, the EMCID group, now swollen to 14, departed for an even more exotic locale – China. This time Holbrook brought his other son, Ian. The McCradys brought both sons, Phillip and Christopher. Cubillas and his wife Mary went. Marks tagged along and brought his wife Alexandra. Dino Don was there and so were a few others: Mary Grimord, a secretary to Marks, Joseph Costanza, and Susan Osumi, a resident of Las Vegas. Total cost? Nearly $75,000 including more than $20,000 on airfare alone.

Twelve months later, McCrady, Cubillas, Marks and Costanza flew first class, at a cost of $7294.54 each, from Houston to Tokyo to Saigon and back. Nearly $32,000 – with food, hotels and expenses additional to this sum.

During 2007, EMCID paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to fly Holbrook to and from Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Orlando and Minneapolis. McCrady, Cubillas and other board members also traveled numerous times during 2007. Expenses racked up – hotel rooms, car rentals, golf dates, gasoline, and most of all meals. Meals upon meals upon meals. A single Christmas event at Chez Nous restaurant in Humble cost $2664.44.

In 2008, it was the same story, with hundreds of thousand of dollars going for Holbrook’s and McCrady’s expenses. During one April trip Holbrook made from Las Vegas to New Caney, EMCID picked up the tab for $8800 for Rockets tickets, nearly $500 for sporting equipment at Sports Authority and a farewell dinner at Chez Nous that cost $1149.20. Limousine charges on EMCID secretary Suzanne Parmer’s American Express account were numerous. The largest charge was for $3937.50 on August 1. Parmer’s credit card statements show several trips to Las Vegas and charges for thousands of dollars for hotels, car rentals, and meals including a whopping $277.95 room service charge at Mandalay Bay Hotel. Other charges during 2007-08 included a Top Deck Express pass to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, Comedy Club tickets, tickets to Las Vegas shows and everything from Smoothie King to Burger King to gasoline to phone services - all listed on her itemized statements.

Despite repeated requests by the Tribune, as of press time McCrady has not provided a list of all the EMCID-related trips McCrady’s wife and children have taken nor has he provided documentation for reimbursement to EMCID for his wife and children’s trips or for board members’ spouses’ trips, meals, etc. As of press time, the Tribune has to wonder if the taxpayers paid for these costly, personal expenses.

Click below to download the credit card statements:

Suzanne Parmer: http://www.ourtribune.com/apdf/emcid.pdf

Frank McCrady: http://www.ourtribune.com/apdf/emcid2.pdf

Loan funneled through second entity questioned - Monday, April 02, 2012 - Copyright 2007 Ourtribune.com
Loan funneled through second entity questioned

Monday, April 02, 2012
Cynthia Calvert
Immediately prior to press time, The Tribune confirmed that EMCID, through its affiliate, the East Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (“EMCEDC”) made an unsecured loan of $225,000 to Whitestone Houston Land, Ltd. (“Whitestone”) on May 23, 2011. (Whitestone is the legal owner of the EarthQuest land). That date was only two months before Whitestone filed its bankruptcy petition. Based on correspondence uncovered by The Tribune, it appears that EMCID leadership was already aware that the Whitestone bankruptcy was imminent. So what possible motivation was there to simply throw away another $225,000 of taxpayers’ money? And why was the loan “hidden” by EMCID by using EMCEDC as the loan conduit? Was the EMCID leadership somehow persuaded into this transaction? The EMCEDC minutes reflect the approval of the loan, but make no mention of its purpose. EMCID also refused to answer The Tribune’s inquiry as to the purpose of this loan.

I think it is high time for criminal charges. Don Holbrook swindled us out of a fortune! Don Lessem revealed to me on April 25, 2011 that the deal was bankrupt and the property was not being paid. And, on May 31,2011 Holbrook bragged to Pahrump, NV that Matlin Atlantis was bust, but Earthquest was going forward and would break ground in December 2011 or early 2012. He is a lying sack of ****. McCrady and that board are all just plain dirty.