“Brilliant Minds in Captivity Part Two" is the continuing story of living in a Federal Prison camp starting with the previous books “Guilty Til' Proven Innocent" and “Brilliant Minds in Captivity” 

Brilliant Minds in Captivity Part Two takes you through the drama, humor, and even boredom of living in the camp and stories of inmates in this camp as well as stories of inmates in prisons across the country. Also included are poems and letters from inmates. Stories about the justice system or injustice system that our Government has, prison reform, and sentencing reform. 

Living in a prison camp and prisons for the first few months of the Coronavirus.

Wednesday, November 28^th, 2018, Yesterday there was another raid in unit B2 and the cops found six cell phones, a couple of chargers, a pack of cigarettes, and a packet of two Viagra pills. What! Viagra pills, I do not want to know who had them. Of course, no one claimed any of the items found so they took the TVs away in B2 for a week. I am sure glad I am in A2.

I am not sure why the BOP or is it just the camp here, but they do not care about any of the inmates. About ten days ago they called up 24 inmates and said that they are being transferred to Big Sandy another Federal Prison camp in Kentucky about fifty miles from here. They had them pack all their stuff up and take it to R&D which is the shipping and receiving room for this kind of stuff and the mailroom. Now it has been ten days and they still have not been transferred and they do not have their belongings. Just the clothed on themselves. So, they must borrow and steal to survive until they are transferred. What a place!

Saturday, December 1^st, 2018. Got up this morning and listening to MPR and they were talking about a kid that had autism and was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Kent State. He said his goal is to be a pro basketball player. He says he can do it and does not listen to others and their negative comments. They said that his mom said he was just like everybody else and pushed him to do the things he wanted to do included playing basketball and never say you can not do it. Listen to your heart as everybody’s heart is the same. 

As I watch these men and young men here in the camp, I can tell the ones that have a goal and that will prosper when they get out. As I stated before there are three different groups of men in here. There are the leaders and most aggressive men that will be fine when they get out. These men are like me mostly older and have a career still waiting for them and will positively resume life. Then there is the middle of the road guys that can be convinced to go either way. They can listen and be around successful men and they will become successful. But just as easily they can be with the wrong crowd and go the other way and get back into a life of crime. Then they are hooked into that lifestyle and it is hard to escape from it. They can but they have to be convinced from someone wanted to help them escape from the environment that they are in. It is a strong challenge, but they can do it.

Then last there are the life criminals and they will not change, and I can tell who they are. They will not follow any rules and do not care about anyone but themselves. They do not care about who they hurt. They want and think they are in control. They are selfish and 80% of them will be back in prison.

Also, I heard on the news that George W Bush died at the age of 94. He said that he had no regrets of his life and he said no matter what age you can have fun. Rest in peace George. 

December 5^th, 2018 Today is declared a National Government Holiday celebrating George W Bush who died at age 94. We should honor his death, but this is another step back with congress and the senate getting anything done. With the Cavanaugh hearings and the other distractions that mostly the Democrats are causing by trying to destroy everything, President Trump is doing. The First Step Act is a bill that needs to be passed because it will help a lot of men and women be released early to home confinement including me. One part of the bill will send home men and women that are over 60 tears old, had no violations, no gun charges, no violence, and no victims, and have served at least two-thirds of their sentence. That means if this bill is passed,  I will be released on June 23^rd, 2020.

Here is a little prison humor:

An old Italian gentleman lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted the annual tomato garden this year as always but it was very difficult to work, as the ground was too hard. His son Vincent, who used till the garden up for his dad was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. 

Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I am just getting too old and the dirt is too hard. If you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like the old days. 

Love, Paps.

A few days later the old man received this letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Don't dig up that garden. That is where the  bodies

 are buried.

Love, Vinnie

The next morning at 4 am, FBI agents and local police arrived and dup up the entire area without finding and bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Now you can go ahead and plant the tomatoes. That is the best I can do under the circumstances. Love You, Vinnie.

Here is a story about a young that I met here and we will call him Al. Al is in his mid-thirties and he is also from Indianapolis. He said that he grew up in the Haughville area, which is a bad area of Indianapolis. He is about 5' 10" tall and in good shape as he works out a lot. He said that his now ex-wife had family that owned a bunch of rentals and she managed them. One of the homes that she managed was rented to a Spanish man and his girlfriend. Al help her and did maintenance and mowed and he mowed the lawns for some of the tenants. he mowed the lawn for this Spanish man. Every time he finished mowing and trimming the lawn he would go the front door to collect. A few times the Spanish man would hand him a $100 bill from a big wad of money. Al said that he would be at the front door and never when in any farther. Al noticed people coming and going at the house but never thought anything about it. He said that he did later think that they were dealing drugs. 

The DEA has been watching this home and the people including Al and his wife. The tenants would always call Al's wife and said that they would bring her the rent money and it would always be in cash. The Feds were also tapping the phone calls Al's wife.  

One day the DEA raided the Spanish man and his girlfriend and arrested them and about twenty other people including Al and his wife. They said that someone said that they were part of the ring and was part of the conspiracy. The DEA let Al's wife go as they believe she had nothing to do with the ring. But they indicted Al because someone said that he was part of the ring. He said that he was not, but that did not matter. His attorney said that he should do a plea deal as if it goes to trial it could be ugly. His attorney thought that he could get him off on probation. That did not happen he would up doing a plea of two years and that is what he got and was sentencing to Ashland Federal Prison Camp where I was. The same old story as most others. Guilty by association, Guilty by hearsay. 

Al's wife was pregnant when he came to the camp and he was divorced soon after his daughter was born. What a shame!

I have been scammed, I was working with an inmate that said he had a publishing company and would publish my books. this was dragging on and caught him in too many lies. I believe that Mike, the man that I was working with has made it all up. Xaxis may have been a publishing company and Blue deck Press may have been a business, but you can not find them. All the girls that I have been emailing with are not real. I believe that they are all the same person which is Mike and he is doing all of this on his cell phone from the prison camp. He had Peggy send $375 to Xaxis for editing the book, which went to his wife, I guess. I had him researched and wow look what was found in public records. And I thought he was a nice guy, here are some public records on him.

Mike was in prison for check fraud and was released from prison in September 1989, he obtained a driver's license bearing a false Social Security number.

A fellow friend Frederick, testified that Spillan contacted him in September 1989 and that he participated with Spillan in schemes to pass counterfeit cashier's checks. Spillan would buy a low denomination cashier's check, then use it as a master to make counterfeit checks in much higher denominations, at times as high as $28,000. Frederick saw Spillan make counterfeit checks using a computer, printer, copier, and watermarked paper. On two occasions, Frederick used counterfeit cashier's checks produced by Spillan to purchase traveler's checks. In March 1990, Frederick purchased traveler's checks from the Ohio Auto Club, and in April 1990 from People's Travel.

Another friend Rezabek testified that he contacted Spillan in December 1989 and that he and Spillan opened a letter that contained an authentic check from the Mercury Insurance Group made out to a James McFarland. The two used this check as a master to make counterfeit checks.

Then another friend, Shugarts testified that he participated with Spillan in several schemes to pass counterfeit checks. In one scheme, Shugarts used counterfeit checks produced by Spillan to purchase cars from four private individuals, sell the cars to dealers, and divide the proceeds. In another scheme, Shugarts opened accounts at banks, deposited Spillan-produced checks, and withdrew funds. In yet another scheme, Shugarts used Spillan-produced checks to pay for Western Union wire transfers of money.

In March 1990, several law enforcement agencies in Ohio joined with the FBI to investigate the counterfeit check ring. On March 22, 1990, Detective Gene Hunter of the Waterville, Ohio Police Department applied to the Franklin County Municipal Court for a warrant to search the residence, office, and automobile of Spillan. In support of the application, Detective Hunter submitted a six-page affidavit linking Spillan to Shugarts. The state court issued the warrants. When the warrants were executed, agents discovered a check protector machine, false identification used by Spillan, and telephone messages to Spillan from a supplier of safety paper.

This action by law enforcement agents did not deter Spillan. In April 1990, he and another associate, Danny Porter, attempted to buy traveler's checks with a counterfeit cashier's check at a Columbus, Ohio, travel agency. Unbeknownst to Spillan and Porter, the travel agency had informed the Columbus Police Department that Porter had called ahead to order the checks, and, as a result, the Columbus police sent a detective to pose as a trainee and work in the front office. With Spillan waiting in the parking lot, Porter entered the agency and tendered the check. The detective contacted the drawee bank and discovered that the check was probably not legitimate. As this verification was taking place, Spillan and Porter attempted to flee but were stopped by officers of the Columbus Police Department.

Spillan proved to be a particularly determined criminal, for even this encounter did not deter him from further counterfeiting activity. In June 1990, Spillan ordered a supply of business checks bearing the name of a company called National Rx Services, made them payable to an alias, William T. Hamil, and then forged the name of a company officer. Spillan then cashed these counterfeit paychecks at Columbus-area grocery stores.

In August 1990, federal agents arrested Spillan and searched his wife's car. In the trunk, the agents found pieces of a counterfeit check. When fit together, the pieces formed a check like the counterfeit paychecks Spillan had recently passed at grocery stores. In addition, agents found a piece of opened mail, addressed to James McFarland, which contained a check made payable to McFarland from the Mercury Insurance Group.

In September 1990, a federal grand jury returned a 23-count indictment against Spillan. 

In October 1990, Spillan moved to suppress the evidence discovered in the March 22, 1990 searches of his residence and office. In November, the district court denied the motion.

Spillan's trial began on November 13, and on November 16 the jury convicted him on all 23 counts of the indictment. After several post-trial motions, one dated June 7, 1991, the district court entered its judgment, and sentenced Spillan to 71 months imprisonment. Spillan filed his notice of appeal from that judgment on the same day, June 7, 1991. The significance of these dates will become apparent later in this opinion.

Later in June, Spillan moved for a new trial, alleging the discovery of new evidence. The district court denied the motion on June 28, 1991, and Spillan did not file a notice of appeal.

Not sure why I trusted this guy, his crimes just keep going.

Stock Loan Scam Took|$70 Million, SEC Says

July 11, 2008CNS

     COLUMBUS, OHIO (CN) – A felon with a “long criminal record” and his wife took $70 million from 125 borrowers in a fraudulent “stock-based loan program,” the SEC claims in Federal Court. Michael Spillan and his One Equity Companies took stock as collateral for loans of less value, then sold the stock, the SEC says.

     Spillan, 41, of Gahanna, Ohio, “has a long criminal record that includes several convictions in the State of Ohio and one federal conviction, all relating to fraudulent conduct,” the complaint states. “In 2004 he was convicted on state charges of forgery, theft and unlawful possession of dangerous explosives. The theft and forgery convictions were for using false documents to collect over $400,000 in unclaimed funds held by the State of Ohio that did not belong to him. He was released in March 2007, after servicing 26 months of a 4-year sentence.”
     Also sued is his wife, Melissa K. Spillan, 38. “She helped run the stock loan scheme alleged herein while her husband Michael Spillan was in prison,” the complaint states. Both Spillan,s refused to respond to SEC questions.
     Also sued are One Equity Corp., Triangle Equities, Victory Management Group, Dafcan Finance.
     The SEC claims the Spillan’s raised “about $70 million from approximately 125 borrowers from all over the globe, by holding themselves out as stock-based lenders, underwriters or administrators. The Spillan’s raised the money by inducing borrowers to transfer ownership of millions of dollars of shares of publicly traded stock to them as collateral for purported non-recourse loans based on a false promise to return the shares to borrowers who repaid their loans. Unbeknownst to the borrowers, the Spillan’s generally sold all the shares that the One Equity Companies received from them to fund each loan. Because the One Equity Companies agreed to loan 10 to 50 percent less than the market value of the shares transferred, they retained substantial sales proceeds, even after funding each loan. They also received interest payments. The Spillan’s, however, did not set aside any cash reserves to repurchase and return shares to borrowers who repay their loans. Instead, they used all the money to pay expenses, including over $1 million in salary and other benefits to themselves. Currently, the Companies owe millions of dollars to certain borrowers but do not have the stock or cash to repay them. The Spillan's nevertheless continues to solicit new borrowers.”

Gahanna Couple Charged In $25M Stock Scam

The FBI arrests a husband and wife accused of defrauding investors all over the world from their Westerville-based business. Get the details.

Published: 4:18 PM EDT September 3, 2010

When Michael Spillan was sent to prison in 2006, he promised not to commit any more crimes, but on Friday, the FBI said he had again defrauded people, this time out of $25 million. 

Spillan went to prison four years ago on forgery charges, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported. 

On Friday, he was being held in the Franklin County Jail, again accused of fraud.

Michael Spillan and his wife, Melissa Spillan, were accused of running several businesses in Westerville as a front for a multi-million-dollar stock scam that the FBI said involved investors all over the world.

The FBI arrested the couple at their Gahanna home on Friday morning, Hirsch reported.

Federal investigators said the couple would offer loans to borrowers and hold shares of stocks as collateral.  When people repaid the loan, they were supposed to get their stock back, but a federal indictment alleged they sold the stock and used the money for their own personal expenses. 

Gahanna Couple Pleads Guilty to $25 Million Fraud Involving Stock-Based Loan Scheme April 21, 2011 

Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS—Michael Spillan, 43, of Gahanna, and his wife, Melissa Spillan, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to running a fraudulent stock-based loan scheme that caused at least 38 victims to lose $19,695,580.

Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Michael Spillan also pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud.

The plea agreement includes a 140-month sentence followed by five years of supervised release for Michael Spillan and a 36-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release for Melissa Spillan. Judge Sargus will determine a final sentence following a pre-sentence investigation. No date for sentencing has been scheduled.

The plea agreement also calls for them to make full restitution to their victims.

According to a statement of facts read during their hearing, the Spillan’s owned several companies including One Equity Corporation, Triangle Equities Group, Inc., Victory Management Group, Inc., and Dafcan Finance, Inc.

The Spillan’s made low-interest loans to their victims who transferred shares of stock to the Spillan’s as collateral. The Spillan’s promised to return the stock to the borrowers once the loans were repaid. The Spillan’s sold the stock without the borrowers’ knowledge instead of holding the shares and used the proceeds to fund other loans or for their own personal gain.

COLUMBUS –Michael Spillan, 44, of Gahanna was sentenced to 140 months in prison, and his wife, Melissa Spillan, 41, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for operating a fraudulent stock-based loan scheme that caused at least 38 victims to lose $19,695,579.17. 

They were also ordered to pay restitution to all their victims.