Optima Tax Relief / Jesse Stockwell: And The Spin Goes On

Jesse Stockwell: Why not just deny the charges against you and show a few documents to back it up? We made request after request to you for your side of the story, which never came. No matter how you try to spin it Jesse, we will be there to make sure that people see the facts we uncovered and the sources of your wealth, your loyalties to convicted felons and your attacks against your own father including standing with those who threatened his life (arrest warrant) when he refused to give into their extortion attempts.

See for yourself if Jesse tried to avoid answering the charges against him by diverting your eye from the facts published at this and other U.S. Freedom Network Investigative Blogs.

Who is Jesse Stockwell, given name: Jesse E. Torres IV?

Jesse Stockwell, who changed his name from Jesse E. Torres IV, (Google: Is this why?) and who appears to have removed his name from the websites and posts he owns, controls or advertises on, is now attempting to spin the facts uncovered by the United States Watchdogs and other U.S. Freedom Network Websites.

We want to be 100% clear, Jesse Stockwell, Joanne Stockwell and Jesse’s associated companies were given multiple opportunities to answer these charges and declined to do so, electing instead, as is Jesse’s modus operandi,  to publish their “spin” on Jesse Stockwell’s personal website jessestockwell.com.

Here are  some of the facts we uncovered and published, all remain without objection.

1. 

   Joanne Stockwell of Falmouth, MA

   Not refuted: He allegedly conspired with his mother, Joanne Stockwell, and the two allegedly perjured themselves on Federal Loan Applications for the sole purpose of obtaining federal grants, which unlike student loans, do not have to be paid back. Our research shows that this ill-gotten money was never paid back, nor has Jesse or Joanne Stockwell ever denied this claim.

2. Not refuted: After Jesse Stockwell, then Jesse E. Torres IV, was not accepted at the Wharton School of Business, he was admitted only after his mother’s boyfriend’s brother, a head alumni of Wharton, got him late admittance as a personal favor. This fact is important as his Wharton degree is one of his major selling props prominently displayed on his websites.
3. Not refuted: His first company, “Coins That Care”, was created to exploit the 9/11 tragedy. This company was closed when they were sued, or threatened to be sued, by the N.Y. Firefighters and/or their Widows for copyright violations.
4. Not refuted: His next company was “Lendingpoint Mortgage, LLC”, one of the Junk Mortgage Companies that almost bankrupt the United States. This company was virtually shut down by the U.S. Government. Our research shows that Jesse Stockwell and Lendingpoint have never paid back even one dime of the reported millions in commissions from the devastating loans they made to those who could least afford them, nor has Jesse Stockwell ever stated anywhere we could find, that he had.
5. Not refuted: Next came “Debtmerica, LLC“, a company founded to exploit those in financial despair. This business was part of yet another class of businesses virtually closed for their deceptive and misleading practices on those who can least afford it by the Federal Government. We can best sum up Debtmerica with the fact that Jesse Stockwell’s Debtmerica paid $200,000 in fines and expenses to the Attorney General for the State of New York.
6. Not refuted: Now the Jewel in Jesse Stockwell’s crown, “Optima Tax Relief, LLC“. This time they chose an industry that even received a warning by the IRS about Tax Relief Scams. Fox Business News did a special on how unsuspecting victims are lured into these scams by Television, Radio and Web Advertisements. Have you seen or heard Jesse Stockwell’s pitch-man , Alan Thicke, on TV or Radio and how he uses scare tactics to lure in frightened prospects for Optima Tax Relief?
7. Not refuted: What to do with the money? Jesse Stockwell  forms “LoanNow“, to “help” those with “less than perfect credit”. To hear him, you would think he was looking for sainthood with an altruistic venture. Here is the real truth: LoanNow charges up to 189% interest for these loans. To show you just how bad this is, borrow $2500.00 for one year, you will pay back $11,901.25.
8. Not refuted: Our favorite is “SuperMoney“, Jesse Stockwell’s “Spin Machine”. Optima Tax Relief proudly displays its 5 Star rating from SuperMoney on its  front page to unsuspecting visitors. What it fails to tell those unsuspecting visitors is that SuperMoney was founded by and owned by, you guessed it, Jesse Stockwell. Nice to control your own ratings isn’t it?
9. Not refuted: BIG BUCKS web advertisers. There is no question Jesse spread his money around. This shouldn’t surprise you when you remember that Al Capone paid off politicians, judges and local police. We at U.S. Watchdogs did an in-depth investigation into the premiere consumer rating site, “Yelp”, when we received charges that Yelp was making negative claims about Optima Tax Relief disappear. The results of that investigation were published in the story, Is Yelp in Optima Tax Relief’s Pocket?
10. Not refuted: Connection to convicted felon, cousin and ex-roommate James Kimberly Torres, who distributed drugs from Mexico throughout the United States. Deceased from a gunshot to his own head. In his office, Jesse Stockwell prominently displays pictures of James Torres’ father, Donald Torres, an ex-patriot Portuguese-American living in Baja Mexico for over 20 years. Donald Torres is named in R.I.C.O. charges in the same lawsuit as Jesse Stockwell, then known as Jesse E. Torres IV.

Here is Jesse’s spin on the still unchallenged facts we uncovered in our investigations and come directly from his personal website, jessestockwell.com.

1: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on how he finally got into Wharton.

“When I applied to the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania I was fortunate enough, and very grateful, that my Alma Matter provided an incredible level of financial aid to needy students who didn’t have the financial ability to pay on their own.”

He doesn’t answer: How was he finally admitted? Was it as a favor?  Relevant since he plasters his Wharton degree everywhere on the Internet.

2: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on how he and his mother, Joanne Stockwell, allegedly falsified his application to illegally get grants, in lieu of loans, to Wharton. See #1 above and:

“I’ll always be grateful to Penn for giving me such an incredible education when I needed it most and am proud to say that I paid off my educational loans in full just a few years after graduation”

He does not mention even a word about the grants he received by the alleged fraud committed by Jesse and his mother, Joanne Stockwell to, if true, illegally obtain those grants. Nor during our research, did we find any indication that he or his mother have repaid those grants.

3: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on the claims that his first company, “Coins That Care”, was shut-down for copyright infringement by the New York Firefighters and/or their Widows.

“What I enjoy most about being an entrepreneur is the fact that I have been involved with firms that each have sought to improve upon and reestablish what I feel have always been industries in need of repair. I wanted to bring a lot of the polish and focus on integrity back to sectors of the economy that need that help the most and in that way,”

Jesse never addressed this charge. You tell us, is he saying that those commemorative coins were bringing back a “sector of the economy”? Do you agree; Jesse guy will try and spin anything!

4: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on Lendingpoint Mortgage and its dealings with Junk Mortgages and their associated high-commissions.

“Over the past few years I’ve experienced a lot of success, but that success has never come easily and in many cases if not most I’ve had to work incredibly hard to turn failures into recoveries and adversity into advantage. You learn to ‘bob and weave’ so to speak as well as ‘roll with the punches’.”

During our research, we never found that Jesse ever mentions his past company, Lendingpoint, would you? He and Lendingpoint Mortgage were a major part of the dirty business that almost bankrupt our country.

5: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on Debtmerica, the first company we have found that Jesse admits to owning. Jesse carefully crafted his statement that he has never been investigated. Jesse, what about the companies under your ownership or control?

“I have never been convicted or found guilty of any crime and have never been formally charged or investigated for any sort of criminal activity whatsoever by any government or civil agency. I did get a speeding ticket last year, though, so I guess nobody is perfect.”

Now come on Jesse, are you trying to spin that the $200,000 payment to the New York Attorney General was a donation to climate control? The debt repair industry is yet another industry Jesse Stockwell is drawn to that have been virtually shut down by Federal and State regulations.

6: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on Optima Tax Relief and how it isn’t in the same class of companies that the IRS warns unsuspecting consumers about.

“Perhaps the greatest milestone in my career occurred when the firm I’m currently most proud of, Optima Tax Relief, turned the corner to profitability and shortly thereafter, paid off all its start-up debt in full. It was a time when we, as a firm, we were testing out a new concept in tax resolution which was virtually unheard of prior to our launch.”

Wow! Even the emperor thinks he has clothes on! Jesse appears to have finally gotten what he was looking for, getting people to pay him for what they could do themselves and for free. Optima Tax Relief is Jesse Stockwell’s third company in industries targeted by Federal and State Governments for alleged bad acts against consumers. You can easily see why they’re under scrutiny. Jesse admitted to Optima’s paying off its start-up costs almost right after opening. Where do you think the money came from?

7: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on “Loan Sharking”, or at least what we call 189% vig on a loan.

“With the right senior management in place, coupled with the best support team available, it truly is possible to do great things and finally allow others to assist you in your mission rather than taking it all on by yourself.”

Jesse Stockwell is such a philanthropist! He loves to preach on the web about how he is saving people so much money with his loans over those PayDay Loans. Guess what Jesse? PayDay and this whole new “loan sharking” industry are under investigation by, you guessed it, the Federal Government. Do you readers see a pattern here in which types of businesses Jesse is drawn to?

8: Jesse Stockwell’s Spin on SuperMoney being his “Spin Machine”. You can’t pull off what Jesse Stockwell did without controlling the press about you. Then again, why control it when you can own it?

“You see, often times bright and successful people of all shapes and sizes come under attack or are harshly criticized by detractors who have little motive other than to voice differing opinions. I’ve personally seen how certain people can take advantage of others in negative ways unfairly for little more than personal ambitions or simply making themselves heard. “

Get our point? Jesse Stockwell was caught by numerous U.S Freedom Network blogs such as this one, that have been re-posted around the Web by those former employees and customers Jesse claims on his website, are supportive of him.  Here is just one example of just how supportive they really are. There is no spin that Jesse can come up with to hide the facts, undeniable facts, about him. There is an old saying we think applies; “when you have slept with dogs”.  Is Jesse now complaining he has fleas; blaming it on everyone who exposed those facts that he wants to keep from being known. As more and more facts have come out about him, his associates and certain members of his family, Jesse has changed his name from Jesse E. Torres IV to Jesse Stockwell. And as more facts have come out, our last visits to his many websites show he has removed his name from those websites owned by the companies he founded, owns or controls. After allegedly taking advantage of so many who could least afford it, he now apparently wants to drift off into the sunset, leaving what appears to be a checkered past behind him:

“I’ve lived in the city most of my adult life and would also like to get more involved in a more rural setting and active in such a community. I grew up in that sort of setting when I was a boy on Cape Cod and miss those country mornings and roads quite a bit.”

The Ballad of Jesse Stockwell does not stop here

As you can see, not a single story nor a single fact written about Jesse Stockwell, Joanne Stockwell or any of Jesse’s associated companies, by the U.S. Watchdogs or any of the U.S. Freedom Network investigative Blogs, has been denied. This includes Jesse’s new spin at his personal website. It is beyond belief that this young man truly seems to believe that he can spin his way out of anything he has done. Sorry Jesse, these blogs are from another generation where the truth matters, so when you post something less than true, we will be there with the plain and simple facts.

A Special Note about Karen T., a former Debtmerica / Optima Tax Relief Employee

We had set aside our investigations of Jesse Stockwell and his companies until the New England Watchdogs started receiving an abnormal amount of traffic for their story “Wealth on the backs of Mexican Americans“. Then it stopped. That is when we investigated why Yelp removed Karen T.’s numerous posts of her experiences with Debtmerica, Optima Tax Relief and Jesse Stockwell. Our investigation of Yelp and Optima Tax Relief resulted in the article, Is Yelp in Optima Tax Relief’s Pocket?

The most unkindest cut of all

Be watching for what started our investigation into Jesse Stockwell, then known as Jesse E. Torres IV, on how he did everything in his power to destroy his own father by forcing his father off his own property and into the street, standing by with Donald and James Torres who threatened his fathers life (arrest warrant), and did so for the sole purpose to extort monies from Jesse’s father.

Was Jesse Stockwell motivated by his association with his Great Uncle, Donald Torres, and his cousin, James Kimberly Torres, a convicted drug distributor who ended up taking his own life?

How much is he influenced by his mother, Joanne Stockwell, to whose apron strings Jesse appears to be tied?

Or was Jesse Stockwell’s motivation simple greed over the inheritance of acres of farm land on a lake in Cape Cod?

Be watching as we dig deeper into the motivations behind Jesse Stockwell’s past, present and future, including his frequent trips to Viet Nam and Russia where indecently,  there is no extradition treaty with the United States.

A final comment

Did Jesse even spin his ancestry, claiming to be the descendent of a Whaling Captain on his Portuguese side. History shows that Whaling Ships large enough to have captains came about around 1842 when whale oil was boiled at sea.

His “Whaling Captain” ancestor appears to have pre-dated that by many years. When his ancestor settled here, according to what we were able to uncover, there was a dirty little trick going on in most of New England, where selling new slaves from Africa was illegal. The “Providence Plantation” would bring in slaves, reportedly from Portuguese Slave Traders,  and give them papers to show they were born in what is now Rhode Island. With these new papers, slaves could be, and were sold throughout New England.

And we were wondering how Jesse’s ancestor came up with the money to buy the thousands of acres of property he owned in Rhode Island and Cape Cod. I guess we’ll never know for sure.

While we certainly don’t blame Jesse for his ancestor’s past, it does make us wonder about why he can’t resist spinning everything he doesn’t like. And that, we think, is very relevant to people considering doing business with him or one of his companies.

Related Links

• Arrest Warrant (Digital PDF)
• Jesse’s $200,000 payment to the N.Y. Attorney General
• Clients and Employees Re-Post U.S. Freedom Network Stories: One Example
• Google Search: Jesse E. Torres IV
• United States Freedom Network
• New England Watchdogs

Related Stories

• Jesse’s company Debtmerica paid $200,000 in fines & fees to N.Y. Attorney General
• LoanNow: How many heads of lettuce to pay that vig?
• Is Yelp in Optima Tax Relief’s Pocket?
• The supermoney.com website: The Spin machine?

The People

• Who is Joanne Stockwell, A.K.A. Joanne Torres, Joanne Stockwell-Torres?
• Who is James Kimberly Torres (James K. Torres)?

Spotlight Websites

•  jessestockwell.net (The NOT Jesse Stockwell Website)
• optimataxrelief.biz (The NOT Optima Tax Relief Website)

Reference Links

• Junk Mortgage National Emergency
• IRS Warning About Tax Relief Scams
• Fox Business: Don’t Become a Victim of Tax Relief Scams
• Alan Thicke: Is he using scare tactics to attract those in need to Optima Tax Relief?
• R.I.C.O Charges: Formal Complaint
• Jesse Stockwell’s Lendingpoint: Lest We Forget: Why We Had A Financial Crisis
• Is LoanNow Next Target by Federal Trade Commission?