Justice?

Hi all,

Greetings from the past!

I’d like to share my experience with regards to victim compensation in the case of Paul Saulnier.

After Saulnier was released from prison I received a handful of small checks over an estimated 2 year period.  No check exceeded $150 and most were under $100.  In total I imagine I got 4-5 checks for a a sum of under $350.00.  I lost $11,000 in Saulnier’s fraudulent scheme.

I used the resources of PACER and the Victim hotline to attempt to track down Saulnier’s parole officer, case officer, or anyone, so I could remind them that I (and presumably all other victims) was still waiting to be reimbursed.  I got nowhere.  I was able to speak to a couple of 3rd degree connections such as a courtroom assistant who once worked for the judge back when the trial was heard, but I never reached anyone who could give me any actual information or more direct contact.  After several dead ends, I gave up.  It felt like once he did his time and promised to compensate victims, no one really looked or cared if he actually did.

Anyone else have anything to share?

Updates?

Hello old friends,

It’s been 8 years since the original December Rain Scam that took our money – can you believe that?  Apparently, on Feb 2, 2016, Paul Saulnier was released to a halfway house in Port Orange, Florida under parole.  That’s more than a year ago.  To my great surprise, I received one check for a small amount (125$ more or less) last month (January 2017).  I hoped that check was the beginning of the long slow payback of the money Saulnier stole from me (in my case $11000 before interest) but alas nothing more has been received. This isn’t a good sign.  He’s been ‘out’ for more than a year so…. I am wondering if any of you got anything or know anything more?  I plan to make some noise about this by getting in touch with Saulnier’s supervisors, whoever they are.  If he needs to go back to jail, fine with me.  I want my money.

Also, I saw that my DOJ Victim’s Access thing was frozen and I have to call them to get access, which I will do tomorrow.  But anyway, I digress.  Does anyone know anything?  Have any of you received any money recently?

Be well,

Me

Too Soon?

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

October 05, 2015

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons USP Atlanta 601 McDonough Blvd. S.E. Atlanta, GA 30315 Phone: (404) 635-5100 Fax: (404) 635-5392

to: me

RE: PAUL SAULNIER
Register Number: 59530-018
Docket Number: 13-CR-00717

Dear (me):

You have requested to receive notifications regarding PAUL SAULNIER, an inmate incarcerated at this facility. Notifications concerning this inmate will be provided to you through the Victim Notification System (VNS). You may obtain current information about this matter on the Internet at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov or from the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY: 1-866-228-4619) (International: 1-502-213-2767). In addition, you may use the Call Center or Internet to update your contact information and/or change your decision about participation in the notification program.

You will need the following Victim Identification Number (VIN) ” and Personal Identification Number (PIN) ” anytime you contact the Call Center and the first time you log on to VNS on the Internet. If you are receiving notifications with multiple victim ID/PIN codes please contact the VNS Call Center. In addition, the first time you access the VNS Internet site you will be prompted to enter your last name (or business name) as currently contained in VNS. The name you should enter is (mine).

This notice is to inform you that PAUL SAULNIER has been approved for placement in a Community Corrections Center (CCC), otherwise known as a halfway house, and will transfer from this institution on February 2, 2016. After the transfer, the inmate will be located at Dismas Charities of Orlando in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to the information provided regarding this offender’s CCC transfer, the following information is relevant to the inmate’s eventual release. The inmate is scheduled to release on July 1, 2016. The inmate is not eligible for parole. Upon release, the inmate will reside in Port Orange, Florida, and will be supervised by the United States Probation Office at USPO – Middle District of Florida – Jacksonville, John Milton Bryan Simpson, United States Courthouse, Suite 6-350, 300 North Hogan Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202-4268.

You may cancel this notification at any time by calling the VNS toll-free number provided, or by submitting your cancellation request in writing to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Also, if BOP staff initiate a notification and are unsuccessful in contacting you due to inaccurate contact information, your participation in the notification program may be canceled; therefore, it is essential that you continue to ensure your contact information in the VNS remains up-to-date. Finally, notification will terminate when the inmate has completed service of the sentence for the crime which resulted in the notification.

If at any time you have any questions or concerns regarding this program or the offender’s status, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address or you may telephone the VNS Call Center. Sincerely, G. Lewis Unit Manager If you do not want to receive email notifications from the Victim Notification System (VNS) please log into the VNS Web site athttps://www.notify.usdoj.gov, select “My Information”, remove your email address and click the “update” button. If you remove your email address, you will continue to receive letters from VNS except in those case which have large numbers of victims. To change your email address, select “My Information”, provide a new address and click the “update” button. If you do not want to receive any notifications in your case, select “Stop Receiving Notifications” and follow the instructions on the screen. If you believe you have received this email in error, please contact the office listed at top of the email message. Please note, if this is the first notification you have received from VNS you will need to wait 4-8 hours from receipt of this email before you can login to the VNS Internet site (https://www.notify.usdoj.gov). In addition, it will also be 4-8 hours before any documents which may have been uploaded to VNS as part of this notification are available under the “Downloads/Links” section on the Web page. Please call the Victim Notification System (VNS) Help Desk at phone number 1-866-625-1631 for assistance and questions.

Do we know what prison Asswipe will be rotting in?

Would be great to know. Maybe there’s a public webcam with which we can eavesdrop on our friend, to make sure he’s okay?  Anyone know?

The judge is interested in knowing the impact this crime has had on you and your family.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. 

April 14, 2014

U.S. Department of Justice USAO – Northern District of Illinois 219 S. Dearborn St. 5th Floor Chicago, IL 60604 Phone: (312) 886-4196 Fax: (312) 469-6215

(me)

Re:	United States v. Defendant(s) Paul Saulnier Case Number 2009R00328 and Court Docket Number 13-CR-00717

Dear (me): 

The enclosed information is provided by the United States Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS). As a victim witness professional with the United States Attorney’s Office, my role is to assist you with information and services during the prosecution of this case. I am contacting you because you were identified by law enforcement as a victim during the investigation of the above criminal case. 

On April 8, 2014, defendant Paul Saulnier pled guilty to the charges listed below. Any remaining counts will be disposed of at the time of sentencing. As a result of the guilty plea, there will be no trial involving this defendant. 

Number of Charges	Description of Charge(s)	Disposition
1	Mail Fraud – Frauds and swindles	Guilty

A copy of the Plea Agreement has been uploaded to the Victim Notification System (VNS) website and will be available for you to view and print after 24 hrs of this notice. Please use your assigned VIN and PIN number at the bottom of this notice to create your profile in VNS. 

The sentencing hearing for defendant(s), Paul Saulnier, has been set for July 9, 2014, 11:30 AM at Courtroom 2119 (RRP), U.S. Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL, 60604 before Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer. You are welcome to attend this proceeding; however, unless you have received a subpoena, your attendance is not required by the Court. If you plan on attending, you may want to verify the date and time by using the VNS Call Center or website. If you are a victim of the charged offense(s) and wish to speak at sentencing, please call our office well in advance of the scheduled hearing date.             
  
The judge is interested in knowing the impact this crime has had on you and your family.  In an effort to provide this information to the Court, we are enclosing a Victim Impact Statement. Although many crime victims experience similar feelings, questions, and concerns as a result of crime, no two victims  experience the same emotional, physical and financial impact. Only you can tell those of us involved in your case how you or those close to you have been affected by this crime. One way to do this is to prepare a victim impact statement. Not all victims are comfortable putting their thoughts on paper, and while you have the opportunity to complete an impact statement, you are under no obligation to do so.  If you have concerns or questions regarding the completion of your victim impact statement please contact Felice Weiler, Victim Witness Coordinator, at 312-886-4196 for assistance.  Please complete the victim impact statement by 14 days and forward to: 
                        
                                                Attn: Felice Weiler, Victim Witness Coordinator 
                                                United States Attorney’s Office 
                                                Northern District of Illinois 
                                                219 South Dearborn Street, 5th Floor 
                                                Chicago, IL 60604 
  
Under criminal law and procedures, all information contained in your victim impact statement must also be disclosed to the defendant and his attorney.  Additionally,  an U.S. Probation Officer may also contact you in an effort to obtain additional victim impact information. 

A United States Probation Officer prepares a report for the Court and may contact you to discuss the impact the crime had on you financially, physically, and/or emotionally. If you are contacted, please make every effort to provide accurate and detailed information. 

Because of the Court’s schedule, hearing dates could change on very short notice. If you plan on attending, you may want to call the VNS Call Center or check the website to confirm the date and time. Please note, there is a 24-hour delay in information transfer to the website. 

Through the Victim Notification System (VNS) we will continue to provide you with updated scheduling and event information as the case proceeds through the criminal justice system. You may obtain current information about this case on the VNS website athttps://www.notify.usdoj.gov or from the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY: 1-866-228-4619) (International: 1-502-213-2767). In addition, you may use the Call Center or Internet to update your contact information and/or change your decision about participation in the notification program.

You will use your Victim Identification Number (VIN) ‘(this is your unique and personal number)’ and Personal Identification Number (PIN) ‘(this your unique and person PIN’ anytime you contact the Call Center and the first time you log into VNS on the website. If you are receiving notifications with multiple victim ID/PIN codes please contact the VNS Call Center. In addition, the first time you access the VNS website, you will be prompted to enter your last name (or business name) as currently contained in VNS. The name you should enter is (your last name).

Remember, VNS is an automated system and cannot answer questions. If you have other questions which involve this matter, please contact this office at the number listed above.Sincerely,FELICE D. WEILER LECC/Victim Witness Coordinator

Paul Saulnier’s plea agreement

Chain Gang

Courtesy of BW88:

“Paul Saulnier’s plea agreement was posted on PACER today, and within the 15 pages of detail it confirms that Mr. Saulnier plead guilty to the mail fraud charge in exchange for having the lesser wire fraud charges dropped. Per the agreement, he falls under an offense level of 18 and criminal history category of 1, which carries with it a recommended sentence of 27 to 33 months in prison (not including a term of supervised release of up to 3 years), and he is ordered to pay restitution to victims in an amount to be determined by the court. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 9th at 11:30am (CST) in Illinois federal court. For all those victims that have actively sought justice, assisted the government in its investigation and prosecution, and waited for so long, this should finally come as welcome news.”

Indeed.  Now wouldn’t it be nice if the assw*pe actually came up with the money to pay us all back? I don’t foresee this, but the fact our judicial system prevailed is sure nice.

Thank you BW88

(couldn’t resist adding the image…)

Important Info

Commenter BW88 left an important comment which I want to copy and post so that it will appear front and center on the blog.  Thank you BW88.  Here goes:

“For those interested in the case but not directly victims themselves, a login can be created for the federal government’s online PACER records system at http://www.pacer.gov in order to obtain documents and information relative to this case. The full indictment and most other documents are a matter of public record, and can be retrieved from PACER for a nominal (or no) fee. The indictment document itself shows that Saulnier was indicted on a total of 6 felony counts, including 5 counts of fraud by wire, radio, or television, relating to the theft of approximately $230,578 in funds from over 40 victims through his fraudulent ‘December Rain’ sick children’s charity. For those intent on seeking further information via PACER, the case is being tried in US District Court, Northern Division of Illinois, Eastern Division. A search of this division’s records for the name ‘Paul Saulnier’ will return relevant case information for viewing. And to the victims of this bizarre situation I say congratulations, because it does appear as though justice will finally be served.”

Charges filed

Charges have been filed against Mr. Saulnier, finally. The LECC/Victim Witness Coordinator is Felce D. Weiler. The telephone number for the office (in Chicago) is 866-365-4968. If you were a victim and you have not weighed in, or if you want to track progress, call the number above and arrange to be registered in the Victim Notification System (VNS). The VNS is an easy-to-use online service that you can use to track the case and to have contact information for the investigative and legal staff. Good luck!

Fax number for US Postal Inspector Valentine

FAX 312-983-6309

Q.R. Valentine
U.S. Postal Inspector
Chicago Division
433 W. Harrison St., 5th Floor
Chicago, Ill 60669
Tel 312-983-7924

Postal inspector contact information 02/18/2012

Several /many of the December Rain victims have received inquiries from the US Postal Inspection unit regarding December Rain/Paul Saulnier scams related to inauguration ticket auctions.  In case anyone needs it, here is the contact information for the Inspector conducing the investigation:

Q.R. Valentine

U.S. Postal Inspector

Chicago Division

433 W. Harrison St. 5th Floor

Chicago, Ill 60669

312-983-7924