| A father / son team of convicted felons actually | | | | brokerage houses for real value securities. |
| did this in the early 1990s. The Dominion of | | | | Amazing is the fact that--despite excellent, |
| Melchizedek, a totally fictitious, sovereign nation | | | | detailed exposure in articles run in Forbes, the |
| was located on an uninhabited Stoll owned by the | | | | Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal as |
| Republic of Marshall Islands in the Atlantic Ocean,, | | | | long ago as the early 1990s--this monumental |
| off the coast of Columbia, South America. | | | | scam is still up and running, more than 15 years |
| President of this island nation was the son's wife, | | | | later. The Dominion's web site--[ clickable as of |
| who reportedly lived in California. It was | | | | press time of this News Release. Endless? |
| purportedly a quasi-religious society governed by | | | | Limitless fraud? On and on, into perpetuity? |
| a "House of Elders." It had a complete financial | | | | Where does it all end? Or, does it? one might ask. |
| system with phony banks and stock exchanges. | | | | Breakdown of the system in its ability to restrain |
| It sold citizenships, insurance and stock licenses. It | | | | giant scams seems to be the key to success for |
| sold diplomatic passports, religious grants, business | | | | this con man's dream. In his book, Six Hours Past |
| licenses.. And, it had an embassy listing in | | | | Thursday ( author, Jack Payne, goes one |
| Washington, D.C., Unbelievably, it was actually | | | | application better. "This nation-building exercise is |
| "recognized" by an African state. (One can only | | | | entirely illegal," says Payne. "It's blatant, |
| question what these officials were smoking at the | | | | in-your-face, outright crime. From the opposite |
| time.) This mighty little nation even had the | | | | side of the fence my book tackles another |
| boldness to declare war on France for nuclear | | | | broken system," he goes on, "our cumbersome, |
| testing. (The mouse that roared?) | | | | snail-moving legal system. Converse to |
| The sum of the Dominion's activities ran amuck. | | | | Melchizedek, this system is rife with opportunities |
| Cataloged by John Shockey, former U.S. | | | | for entirely socially acceptable, non-jailable 'legal' |
| Comptroller of the Currency, these included: taking | | | | crime." His novel weaves the story of how a |
| deposits, investment sums and fees, and issuing | | | | Chicago mobster, with the aid of a con man, |
| worthless "guarantees." Also, making loan | | | | creates such an entity, a gambling island Mecca, |
| commitments, verifying and "authenticating" values | | | | ala Monte Carlo, off the coast of Florida. |
| of other Melchizedek entities which issued | | | | "From fiction to reality! How close the gap? |
| hundreds of millions of dollars in worthless debt | | | | Really! And, when you have no moral compass |
| instruments which were used to obtain real | | | | with which to navigate," concludes Payne, "the |
| money loans and were exchanged in real | | | | sky is your only .limit. |