BANGKOK BOILER ROOM ‘WHISTLEBLOWER’ FREED FROM FRAMED RAPE CHARGE-
MANILA PRISON ARE ‘EATING AWAY AT HIS SOUL.’
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threatened to blow the lid off the massive worldwide frauds, has been freed and
his name has been cleared in the Philippines of a false rape charge.
Human Rights officials say – the girl was fake. Her age, 17, was fake. The location was fake, and even the medical examination was fake in an arrest believed to have been paid for by a British boiler room operator based in Bangkok.
in Manila for the rape of a 17-year-old girl, and committed to three years of
living hell in custody before a city court threw out the case on July 16th.
for Human Rights.
had already filed a case with the Office of the Manila Chief City Prosecutor
recommending charges be laid against several police officers.
connection with Bangkok but our first concern is to deal with the local
officials and police. Mr Sharpe is in touch with his Embassy and arrangements are being
made to provide him with travel documents. Meanwhile he has been helping us
with our enquiries. We are concerned for his safety.”
in Bangkok, having worked for them all, before he decided to cut and run in
2010. He claims he had a conversion after being put on the suicide detail – dealing with people who were threatening to end it all after after losing their life savings, who were then convinced to invest more cash to ‘fake’ investigators who would get them their money back.
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| Thonglor – gated boiler room |
Its believed he was the man behind a raid on boiler room premises in Bangkok’s Thonglor Soi 25 in 2009. This was reportedly the headquarters of a major operation. But, instead of taking all computers and files and going after the bosses, police merely charged the workers for working illegally and had them deported.
Up the creek and without a paddle – Sharpe went on the run.
Boiler rooms are illegally share dealing houses.
Using VOIP
lines they call potential customers worldwide promising high returns on
investments because they have ‘insider knowledge’.
Invariably the customers are ten cent companies or do not exist at all – nor technically do the ‘boiler rooms’ which can
operate out of plush offices or even small condos – and provide ‘service addresses’
Boiler rooms run swathes of the Bangkok tourism and nightlife industry and some posh bars
Asian based boiler room syndicates have spread themselves out
among Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and now even Chiang Mai and
Pattaya.
In Thailand they own a large
slice of the tourism restaurant and bar industry, and manage the leases on
swathes of sex bars in Bangkok and Pattaya.
But more recently have broken into the nightclub business running
several top spots in Bangkok and a fashionable family bar in Pattaya. Sharpe worked for four American bosses, a Brit and an Irishman. His last boss was British.
Boiler rooms cannot work without the co-operation of the local authorities and police,
who once in a while stage a raid, and deport a few foreigners for working
illegally – but the bosses are never touched.
for his life fled to Manila under the name Max Klein, of French nationality.
This was possibly the worst choice he could have made as
Philippines police have for a long time been tied up with these operations and
benefit from them. The BR bosses also to and fro between Bangkok and Manila all the time. A Bangkok boss recently celebrated his birthday in the Philippines.
LA Café in Ermita,Manila, because amazingly one approached him and showed him a photograph of
himself and said he was being looked for.
with possession of drugs and the rape of a 17-year–old, who later admitted that
she was neither raped, nor 17, nor even knew Sharpe. And even the police medical examination was faked she said.
The drugs charge was used to hold him for 36 hours but no drugs were ever offered to any laboratory for testing and the ‘drugs’ file has since been lost, according to lawyers for Sharpe.
Initial complaints have been made of ‘illegal detention’ and ‘planting evidence’. At the centre of the enquiry are officers of the Anti-Crime-Unit MPD Police Station 5, Ermita, Manila and one man specifically named is Chief Sergeant Carlos C Chan.
RAPE GIRL’S CONFESSION
I, JESSICA ALONTAGA DELA TOREE, also known as JODESSA ANNUAT, resident of .(deleted), Manila, 25 years old, voluntarily give these statements, which are nothing but the truth. It is not true that that we met and know each other in LA Café on the night of March 24, 2010. It is not also true that we saw each other on said night with Aleli. It never happened, and all my statements given before P03 Ethel Patricio are all lies, and also it’s not true that we went to Camp Crame for medical examination.The medical examination is not true. Also the testimony of Corazon Annuat was only concocted. She is not my true mother, but she is the real mother of Jodessa Annuat. I am not the true Jodessa Annuat. I was only allowed to use the birth certificate with name Jodessa Annuat, who is the daughter of Corazon Annuat. We only use this to accuse Max Klien also known as Stephen Sharpe with rape but no rape really happened, and we never really know each other. The truth is Mr. Sharpe or Klein is only a victim of set up. I will not mention any name for my safety. I prepare these statements to prove that Mr. Sharpe is really innocent of the charge. I want him to be set free, and I am asking for an apology from him for the mistake I have done. I am also asking for forgiveness from his parents for the things I have done.(Signed)Jessica Alontaga dela TorreSubscribed and sworn to before me this 8th day of June 2012, Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Sharpe had never been to the hotel.
caused to both myself and my family members, by some extremely heinous and
demented members of the Philippines National Police Force and others is eating
away at my soul like an incurable cancer.
me just to forget about it, get on a plane and go home to be with your family.”
Manila early next year to testify.
Clarification: In an earlier story I published the fact that Sharpe fled Bangkok to join another scam in Manila. He has replied to this allegation.
“I did not travel here to
the Philippines to work for another Boiler Room. A means of travel for my
escape from Thailand and H was presented to me and I took it !#
After leaning
what I needed to learn about the Security Fraud Operations under the direction
of UK Nationals (names deleted) I quit and never went back. I had
in fact reported two Security Fraud Operations to NATIONAL POLICE FORCES
and yet I was the one who ended up in jail. I had complete knowledge
that (name deleted)* had purchased from (name deleted)* his established operations here in
Manila. I would have gathered additional Intelligence on the Operations of (deleted).
had my efforts not been interrupted by demented and heinous police actions
directed against me.”
I am happy to clarify.
* Refers to two men active in the BR business in Bangkok.
COMMENT: Excellent work by the Philippines Commission for Human Rights. They say they will bring charges. They say they have been successful in operations exposing police corruption in the past. They are seeking ‘life sentences’ (20 to 40 years) for the officers involved. Lets hope they succeed. But how does that leave the boiler room bosses in Bangkok – still untouchable I suspect. These guys may have beach houses in Hua Hin, but they do not generally leave money trails. Cash is couriered. But there are grumbles in Bangkok as to who is getting the bigger slice of the pie.
MESSAGE FOR STEPHEN FROM CHIANG MAI. I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR NOTE. CAN YOU SUBMIT UNDER THE CONTACTS SECTION OR EMAIL ANDREW at this site.
Not entirely clear why he threatened to blow the lid on the boiler rooms in the first place? Also, when he first moved to Manila it was to work in another one of these scams? Hard to feel too sympathetic towards him. 3 years for what he previously did is probably fair. The bosses deserve more but seem as 'untouchable' as ever…
Interesting comment Tim
Dont want to be overly harsh on the guy as someone spending time in a Manila prison for something they haven't done is not something to take any pleasure in. BUT he seems, at the very least, to have moved in some murky circles. More to this story than we know, or may ever find out, no doubt…
It is an interesting comment to be honest, because a reformed boiler room boy was once a boiler room boy!! Anyone that takes someones life savings under false pretenses deserves jail time… If the likes of Drew Noyes and Brian Goudie were to join the priesthood tomorrow, would that make them better people? Nah.. However he was innocent of the rape charge but was still guilty of other crimes, perhaps?? Or was he naively lured into the trade actually believing his script, believing that this was the investment of the year, believing he had a proper job in stocks etc… For me the jury is still out!
Well of course you are right. He knowledge was such that he knew exactly what the BRs were up to and continued to work for them up until his decision. I was interested in the point you made about him going to work a BR in Manila.
What almost everyone did not know is that I was a retired Private Investigator. I needed to walk down the Paths that I DID walk down, in the Interest of Justice !!! Sometimes, ILLEGAL activities that grab my personal attention take me years of difficult and dangerous work to facilitate. YES, I had complete Knowledge relating to the BR operations, however, the Intelligence that I gathered over several years of active participation is, today, contributing to TRUTH and JUSTICE. I held telephone conversations with some of the VICTIMS and I KNEW, INSTINCTIVELY, that I had to do what I had to DO !!!
It cost me and my family dearly, yet, I know in my Heart and Soul that my efforts, in the long run, will benefit the VICTIMS, regardless.
Respectfully and with Complete Integrity,
Stephen Sharpe
What almost everyone did not know is that I was a retired Private Investigator. I needed to walk down the Paths that I DID walk down, in the Interest of Justice !!! Sometimes, ILLEGAL activities that grab my personal attention take me years of difficult and dangerous work to facilitate. YES, I had complete Knowledge relating to the BR operations, however, the Intelligence that I gathered over several years of active participation is, today, contributing to TRUTH and JUSTICE. I held telephone conversations with some of the VICTIMS and I KNEW, INSTINCTIVELY, that I had to do what I had to DO !!!
It cost me and my family dearly, yet, I know in my Heart and Soul that my efforts, in the long run, will benefit the VICTIMS, regardless.
Respectfully and with Complete Integrity,
Stephen Sharpe
Have to agree with Lee………….. justice has been achieved, albeit in the wrong way
Boiler room boys. The screws are tightening.
You may escape Thai justice ( if there is such a thing). But you wont escape whats coming.
We will start with your dummies out drinking in Nana and cowboy ( so you dummies, expect a rough ride ) then big boys .We will be in your bedroom one morning.
Payback time starts soon from a physco near you.
Come on feel the Noyes
Andrew. Do you have to delete their names?