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fatbob

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Got a lot of sympathy with the BTL comments that SkiCo had some significant failings to let it go on fo rso long without spotting it. It clearly wasn't old and used obsolete stuff going out the back door - he was specifically ordering so he could take 2 pairs a day. For starters are they so awash with cash that no-one spots him massively overordering on the demo fleet? Accounting basics - a bot could spot it.
 
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Mike King

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Well, no doubt management should have naught this earlier. Still, this was far from a harmless act. And while it is tragic that the kids will be affected by the punishment, there’s little doubt that punishment is warranted and required. Tomorrow is sentencing.
 

Seldomski

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“I acquired some items without permission,” he said. “However, during sentencing I’m looking forward to explaining some of the circumstances surrounding that.”

After Seldin asked him if he knew his actions constituted theft, Johnson said, “Certainly not initially. But I made some poor choices and that is the case.”

Kaplan, in his letter, referenced those comments and said he felt it was necessary to clarify “the timeline of events, and dispel any notion that his ongoing actions were in any way condoned.”

I am curious to see how Johnson rationalized the practice. In a nutshell, it appears he convinced management that selling old demo skis was not profitable. Then, fought measures to better track existing inventory while still taking old demos 'to the dumpster' - AKA selling Skico "garbage" on ebay.
 

Erik Timmerman

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Got a lot of sympathy with the BTL comments that SkiCo had some significant failings to let it go on fo rso long without spotting it. It clearly wasn't old and used obsolete stuff going out the back door - he was specifically ordering so he could take 2 pairs a day. For starters are they so awash with cash that no-one spots him massively overordering on the demo fleet? Accounting basics - a bot could spot it.

He must have been a pretty charismatic guy to be able to keep accounting and management off his back for all those years.
 

crgildart

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All the while, management was probably just trying to break even in the demo fleet gear and keep the customers happy who traveled but couldn't bring skis. I'd suspect a big western resort does a fair amount if high end rentals/demos for folks like us who might have an extra day or two traveling on business but not with our own gear.

Counter that to going to a car dealership and getting a smoking, more than 50% off deal on a brand new or barely used demo fleet vehicle??
A) That would certainly be filed under too good to be true sketchy deal by most customers
B) No dealership would let that happen more than once before figuring it out and taking care of the person responsible for the failure to collect fair value for the product... and if they stole it they'd be in jail before the car was repossessed. And, they certainly would go after the product, make the customer surrender it, and tell them to get their money back from the crook who stole it from the dealer they worked for.
 

fatbob

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Well, no doubt management should have naught this earlier. Still, this was far from a harmless act. And while it is tragic that the kids will be affected by the punishment, there’s little doubt that punishment is warranted and required. Tomorrow is sentencing.

Yeah he still ought to go down for at least a medium term. But SkiCo could do a bit more to help those employees he screwed over after all it was their lack of controls facilitated the crime.
 

James

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Management builds their culpability into the cost of doing business - one indirect point of the video I linked to.
How is that at all related to credit card fraud and using a third party to get tbe cash?
Isn't it almost straight siphoning of assets?
With statements by him like the one's printed, he is going to get near the max penalty. Zero remorse. But, it's an article, so who knows his full statement.
 

fatbob

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B) No dealership would let that happen more than once before figuring it out and taking care of the person responsible for the failure to collect fair value for the product... and if they stole it they'd be in jail before the car was repossessed. And, they certainly would go after the product, make the customer surrender it, and tell them to get their money back from the crook who stole it from the dealer they worked for.

I used to do some work with a pretty big chain of car/light commercial dealerships. CFO told me about an incident with one dealership. Some travellers (kinda like carnies in the US I guess but more culturally complex) had come in and bought a Transit for cash. A few weeks later they did the same. The particular salesman was delighted. They returned after another few weeks and said their business was expanding and they needed 3 more vans. Salesman was now going ecstatic about his commission. Of course because they were buying 3 they needed finance and they loaded up the spec- no problem thought the saleman, they'd shown they were good for money and he rushed through without the full credit checks. Next thing, first payment missed and when they attempted follow up the travellers had of course travelled off from their given address (probably changing numberplates in the process). GM at that dealership got immediately axed too and everyone in the country immediately given training on why you never skip the procedures.
 

crgildart

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One thing I will say as a professional reference is this.. The crook/seller seemed to be pretty reliable about delivering the goods they sold dirt cheap on eBay. Mine came pretty quickly and well packaged. It appears they weren't ripping off anyone where eBay or PayPal would get involved to resolve. Only people who weren't happy with them were the people they stole the gear from right? Granted, there's some bad karma associated with the skis now but that's about it.
 

James

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One thing I will say as a professional reference is this.. The crook/seller seemed to be pretty reliable about delivering the goods they sold dirt cheap on eBay. Mine came pretty quickly and well packaged. It appears they weren't ripping off anyone where eBay or PayPal would get involved to resolve. Only people who weren't happy with them were the people they stole the gear from right? Granted, there's some bad karma associated with the skis now but that's about it.
Yes, a very reliable seller of stolen goods.

Most sellers of thousands of stolen items aren’t quite so public. It’s amazing no serial numbers were compared by say Kastle or a curious Kastle rep.
 

crgildart

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Yes, a very reliable seller of stolen goods.

Most sellers of thousands of stolen items aren’t quite so public. It’s amazing no serial numbers were compared by say Kastle or a curious Kastle rep.
Long history with tons of positive feedback ratings. Amazing it went on for so long. Most sketchy sellers with sketchy product hang in for a few weeks or months to build the game then fairly quickly continue taking orders and money but stop delivering product keeping ALL the money. Were they also making the company pay for the shipping and fulfillment?
 

James

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Were they also making the company pay for the shipping and fulfillment?
I think he had the Aspen Co pay for the shipping boxes, not the shipping. That would reduce scrutiny, but still a lot of boxes to purchase.
Given the fact that some reps have made a stink over someone selling a comp pair of skis, it’s amazing at least one rep didn’t check out lightly used demo Kastles going for $250.
I know the last time I was at Aspen Highlands, for the Gathering, ‘16?, they didn’t have the Mx83. Most annoying. In fact, I was surprised how few Mx’s they had, given they used to have gobs of them.
 

Jwrags

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Long history with tons of positive feedback ratings. Amazing it went on for so long. Most sketchy sellers with sketchy product hang in for a few weeks or months to build the game then fairly quickly continue taking orders and money but stop delivering product keeping ALL the money. Were they also making the company pay for the shipping and fulfillment?
He was basically hiding in plain site.
 

Wasatchman

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Despite my wife's suspicions, I was really surprised to find out the seller was dealing stolen skis.

He had been on eBay a long time and seemed reputable. The only thing that was a little weird as I said was they didn't use any names. - just initials. As I said in an earlier post, I figure it was some grey market thing rather than outright theft.

As far as sentencing, the mid end of the 4-12 year range seems a bit harsh to me. The irony for him is he would have been much better off if Aspen would have caught him early rather than him getting away with it long enough to have stolen that much $$$ worth of goods.

Plenty of white collar criminals get less than that. Plus, pharma execs and other execs that have done harmful actions that kill or ruin people's lives don't even serve that type of time.

Not defending the guy at all and he should get in trouble. Just not sure the punishment fits the crime relative to other stuff I hear if he gets 8 years or whatever jail time for this.
 

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