Despite its august name, the Harvard Learning Centers in Boca Raton was not exactly the Ivy League. Nor was the criminal conspiracy for which its president, Donald Patten was convicted Friday. It seems Patten issued stock from that company, then used the proceeds to pay back "debts" to people very close to him: his wife, his son, his mother, and -- in a flourish that just begs for an indictment -- his limousine driver. Check this out:
According to the indictment and evidence introduced at trial, Platten caused his limousine driver to purchase the house and obtain a mortgage by providing false information about his income and assets in order to conceal Platten's ownership of a house in Boca Raton. The day after he purchased the house, Platten caused his limousine driver to execute a quit claim deed transferring his interest in the property to Platten's wife.Let's see. A limousine driver roped into participating in a hair-brained criminal plot. A bunch of mysterious money. And enough IOUs to fill a suitcase. Did Patten get the idea for this scheme while watching Dumb and Dumber?
