Please read this post, as a background to the following:
Well, the grace period for Carlos Hill's eviction, ended on Wednesday, June 17.
However he moved out of his $40-million, East Armour Heights home, just before members of the Office of the Trustee in Bankruptcy (the Liquidator's Office), could throw him out.
According to the Gleaner Report, Carlos Hill allegedly had men working for him, who were loading his belongings into three (3) trucks, before the members of the Office of the Trustee in Bankruptcy- the Liquidator, got to his house.
If this is so, then I hope that Mr. Wildman (the Trustee in Bankruptcy/Liquidator) has a record of the belongings he saw in Mr. Hill's house, two (2) weeks ago...Because if the books that took center stage, during the moving exercise, are anything to go by, this gentleman seems to be intrigued by deceit...
(..And as such, might have been hiding some of his belongings, so that they will be eliminated from the liquidation exercise..thus depriving Cash Plus investors of some of the money to be gained from this exercise).
...Or is he?
Among the items being loaded into trucks, were two books: License to Steal by Timothy Harper and Greed Inc. by Wade Rowland.
Now the press has been making much ado about these two books...
...However, on closer examination of the titles of these books and their respective editorial and reader reviews, on Amazon.com, we gain different insight into these books.
1) The full title of License to Steal, is: License to Steal : The Secret World of Wall Street and the Systematic Plundering of the American Investor
Whilst the full title of 
2a) The Editorial Review of License to Steal is as follows:
"Harper, a lawyer who teaches at the Columbia University School of Journalism, teams up with several Wall Street stockbrokers to break the financial industry's code of silence. They create the fictional character Brett Buertelsohn to tell the story of how rogue stockbrokers (and their firms) bilk investors by pitching overvalued initial public offerings (IPOs), charge bogus commissions, and manipulate and mislead clientele.
In a few short years, he rises from being a cold caller to vice president - a rise made possible by his enthusiastic engagement in activities that, while not against the law, are certainly not in his clients' best interests.
Very detailed descriptions of transactions and sales tactics bring home the meaning of the phrase caveat emptor. A well-written, easy-to-follow, suspenseful, and thought-provoking read for any investor; recommended for public and academic libraries".
2b) Whilst the Product Description, for Greed Inc., states:
"A searing indictment of modern corporations, which enjoy the legal status of individuals but are not bound by the same legal and moral responsibilities. While recognizing the positive contributions corporations have made over the past two centuries to science, technology, and medicine, the author examines the greed at the core of it all and pinpoints what went wrong."
3) Now the way that these books were displayed on TV, with only the abbreviated titles given, you may think that the abbreviated titles indicate the character of the reader...that he is not only greedy (or reading about how he can thrive as a greedy person), but is reading about how to obtain a license to steal other people's money.
However, the reader reviews for the above books, reveal the true content and context of these books...
For License to Steal:
R. H. Jordan (Arizona) states:
Too true!
As a former floor trader (Pacific Coast Stock Exchange) and OTC trader (many years ago), I know that the sort of things written about in this book are true. Shlock brokerage houses across the nation, Florida in particular, are still filching and bleeding their clients without any conscience whatsoever. The only way to be safe today is online investing with realtime service. Even the "finest" names on the street are guilty as hell.
I loved this book!
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For Greed Inc.:
Ron Waterson states:
A provocative look at a very real problem,
Have been a fan of the authors since reading Ockham's Razor. His books are always provocative, stimulating, challenging and ultimately satisfying. This one is all of those things, and it is directed at a very real and current problem.
This is the best take-out of the ethically messed-up business corporation I've seen. It gives you the complete history of the corporation, along with an excellent discussion of morality, where it comes from, and why its absent in publicly traded corporations. Anybody who works for a big corporation at any level ought to read it, as should our political leaders.
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So, could it be that Carlos Hill was reading these books from an investors point of view-having a general interest in investing and the so-called "unfairness" of Wall Street...or was he reading these books so that he could gain inside knowledgeable re how to fleece people of their money?
Well, we will soon find out...
For Mr. Hill is to appear in court on July 28,2009, to answer to the following charges:
1) Four (4) counts of fraudulent conversion
2) Four (4) counts of obtaining money by false pretence.
His brother, Bertram Hill, and former Cash Plus Chief Financial Officer, Peter Wilson, who are both charged with one (1) count of conspiracy to defraud, will, along with Mr. Hill, answer to their charges on July 28.
From Carlos Hill's trial, we, the public, will gain great insight into the man. (The trial no doubt will be followed closely by the Jamaican media, seeing the vested interest that Jamaicans at home and abroad have in the final outcome).
Then we will know, once and for all, the true character of Carlos Hill and whether or not he's deceitful or just intrigued by it.
For sure, MOUBlog will keep you updated re the trial proceedings and the final verdict.
(I would like to thank brookenovak for the use of her Flickr inset photo above).
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Article, "Cash Plus boss vacates premises" by Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer-Jamaica Gleaner, June 18,2009
2) Article, "Carlos Leaves House On The Hill: Liquidator takes control of Carlos Hill's house", by Karyl Walker - The Jamaica Observer, June 18,2009
3) CVM Television's News at 8:00 p.m., June 17,2009
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