Thursday, February 4, 2010
Daily Planet Stung By Alleged Fraud
Media / People / Business Robert Gammon — Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 10:24 AM
The Berkeley Daily Planet says that it and numerous other small East Bay companies were victimized by a payroll fraud scheme perpetrated by an East Oakland payroll business. In a front-page story today, Becky O’Malley, editor and co-owner of the Planet, states that Clickbooks.com ripped off the paper for “a minimum of tens of thousands with the possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” before closing its doors and vanishing from the East Bay last month.
According to O’Malley, Clickbooks.com not only handled the Planet’s payroll checks, but also its tax payments to the state and the IRS. However, O’Malley says she recently discovered that Clickbooks.com had been underpaying the taxes, and then pocketing money that was supposed to go to the state Franchise Tax Board and the Internal Revenue Service.
O’Malley also said she has learned that owners of many other East Bay small businesses, including the well-regarded Emeryville restaurant, Bucci’s, were victimized by Clickbooks.com. The Planet has hired a lawyer and filed suit yesterday against Clickbooks.com, but O’Malley says she has reason to believe that company founder Bill Norgren has fled to the Philippines.
The alleged fraud scheme is just another blow to Berkeley’s hometown newspaper, which has suffered badly in the recession. It also has been hurt by a campaign brought by East Bay Zionists who are trying to put the paper out of business with an advertiser boycott because O’Malley sometimes publishes readers’ opinion pieces that are critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
...i've known bill for quite some time...since i was like, 6 or something. now i suddenly have a premonition that he's in trouble and i look him up. jeezuz. what do i find? that he's a professional scam artist? look, he's always looked at me funny, but i live near him so are there any messages u want me to send him? :D
like
dislike
William "Bill" Norgren is a professional SCAM artist! He teaches his employees to lure in potential clients and runs away with their money. He even took away a lot of benefits from his employees working in that God-forsaken company of his. What happens to his former employees? All agencies connected to workers' benefits have no record on file regarding their employment with CBPI aka GlobalEstaff. Hence, no claims can be made. And he's got the nerve to call himself a righteous and religious man. We'll see you in hell Mr. Norgren, together with your Filipina "Chuckie" doll for a wife. Some taste you got haha!
The fact of the matter is that The Berkeley Daily Planet is taking advantage of Clickbooks-Globalestaff which has been equally hit hard by the economy.
The Berkeley Daily Planet has launched a rotten assault against its victim
"Clickbooks" and its former owner Bill Norgren in an attempt to dig itself out of its own financial pitfalls and mismanagement. Clickbooks has been operating since Y2K as a legitimate payroll contractor providing employment and creating jobs for the several employess of Clickbooks who have been with the company since Bill entered the business.
As any business that goes out of business, and it appears the daily planet is getting a taste of what it must be like and what clickbooks has suffered in its ordeal and inability to continue to function.
The problem the Berkeley Daily Planet faces will be a countersuit for libel and slander and it faces those charges from each and every individual it has named. The berkeley Daily Planet has named all of the employees as alleged co-conspirators in its super grand fraud story, and the business owner has been completely mischaracterized as a criminal....and it had better watch its step trying to implicate innocent family members , friends, or former employees. Let alone naming them in the press against all rules of conduct of confidentiality and protecting the innocent in the case. Because those are also separate cases and there are privacy violations to consider.
I tried to get several articles written in the Daily Planet about its victimization of Clickbooks all of which were rejected and refused, I even called and they denied even recieving any articles on the matter. WAY TO GO.....Censor everything that affects you but exploit your victim.
I KNOW THIS WILL COME AND I AM THANKFUL IT HAPPENED. I LEFT THIS COMPANY WHERE I SPENT YEARS OF HARD WORKS JUST TO BRING THIS TO SUCCESS HERE IN PI DUE TO ENVIOUS EMPLOYEES AND ALSO, JUST TO AVOID CHAOS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN BRETHREN.
I PITY SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES WHOM I HAVE HELPED ESPECIALLY HAYDEE GABRIEL AND SHARON CORNEJO-CONCEPCION WHO EVEN MADE UP STORIES JUST TO REACH THEIR PERSPECTIVE GOALS OF TAKING MY PLACE AS THE COMPANY'S OVERALL OPERATIONS MANAGER HERE IN PI.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? GOD is REALLY GOOD.
BILL NORGREN IS AT HIS CONDOMINIUM RESIDENCE AT THE PEAK IN MAKATI, PHILIPPINES ALONG LEVISTE cor. RUFINO Sts. SALCEDO VILLAGE, MAKATI CITY. HE HAS BEEN LIVING IN HIDING WITH HIS FILIPINA GIRLFRIEND REMEDIOS "REMY" SAMSON WHOM HE BOUGHT A CONDOMINIUM UNIT IN 2007.
BILL NORGREN IS A SELF PROCLAIMED, SELF RIGHTEOUS "IGLESIA NI CRISTO" MEMBER AND ATTENDS (IF HE STILL DOES) WORSHIP SERVICES IN BEL AIR LOCALE. HE DRAGGED THE INC NAME TO THE MAD. IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL SON OF GOD WHO WILL INHERIT HEAVEN?
THEIR COMPANY IN MAKATI CLOSED FOR BUSINESS IN DECEMBER OF 2009 AND LEFT EMPLOYEES UNPAID. IN FAIRNESS TO MS. HEIDI GABRIEL AND ALL OTHER STAFF, THEY ARE VICTIMS AS WELL.
IF YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND YOU WILL NOT BE AN ACCESSORY TO THE CRIME OF HIDING BILL. FEEL FOR THE VICTIMS, FEEL IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE VICTIMS AS WELL.
Bill Norgren -- what happened to our Social Security Contributions? PAG-IBIG Contributions? You deducted from our salaries but DID NOT remit to the government. How about our Phil/Health contributions? How about our BIR deductions? We file the Income Tax Return in April 2010, but where is our Certificate of Deductions? How do we contact you? Where is your Filipina Office Manager, Heidi Gabriel? Is she also in hiding? You owe us looooots of explanations, Mr Norgren!
Author Archives
-
Jerry Brown’s Optimism Has Been Costly
- May 18, 2012
-
A’s Planned Move to San Jose Looks Dead
- May 17, 2012
- More»
