Contributed by: Don Winner
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - A web site called AM Costa Rica published an article yesterday entitled "Agents investigating expat financial figure and wife". The article is about Mark Emory Boswell (a.k.a. Rex Freeman) who runs Foreign Currency Exchange (Forex) training operations in Panama and Costa Rica. I met this guy (his name is Mark Boswell but he prefers to go by Rex Freeman) a couple of months ago at the Veneto Hotel and Casino. When he introduced himself, it took a minute for the name to register and then I realized - "Hey, aren't you the guy that's sueing Eric Jackson for slander?" Yup, same guy... (more)
There Are Pills For That: Eric Jackson, the owner and editor of The Panama News, is what I consider to be a "serial slanderer." He has a tendency to become obsessed with a particular point, issue, or individual, and once he latches on he will never let go, no matter what. And you can forget about trying to use truth, facts, and logic - it they go counter to Eric's preconceived notions of reality he will ignore them, change the subject, counter attack, or assume some other victim posture. I reached the conclusion long ago that Eric is simply incapable of discerning the difference which is sad in its own way. But still if Eric decides to focus his muddled brain on you for whatever reason don't even waste your time trying to talk to him or trying to shake him off using intelligence, truth, facts, or logic. He's obsessive in a pit-bull kind of way, but also in a way that is not at all healthy.
Panama-Guide.com: Eric Jackson has been slandering me since August 2004 when I launched my website. Obviously, he is, has been, and continues to be worried about having a competitor. I met with him and we agreed to work our own respective areas of interest but again, he proved himself simply incapable of self control and had been attacking me personally and professionally for more than three years now.
Nice To Meet You, Rex: The first thing I wanted to know about Rex Freeman was what he is doing in Panama. He teaches novices how to trade in the Foreign Exchange market, to make money in the ebbs and flows of the differences in the different currencies around the world. I have dabbled in that a little myself and I know it's a hard game to play, especially for rookies. Usually, the guys who make all of the money are those who have been doing it for a long time and have "paid" for their education my making mistakes and learning the hard way through losing money in the market. Several years ago I played around (and got hammered). I said "that hurt" and left. But, I learned enough to talk about it and I know that there are people out there who trade Forex full time and make a nice living at it.
Conspiracy Theories: Rex is one of those guys who likes to talk about conspiracy theories. Like, supposedly there's a recording where you can see little explosions going off right as one of the planes hit the world trade center. Personally I don't buy into that bullshit but Rex seems to believe it. I asked him about the stuff that Eric keeps bringing up with the Oklahoma City bombing. Rex used to have a radio show, and he said that he had a guest who was a retired Army General who was an explosives expert, and according to that person ANFO could not have done the damage or taken down the Oklahoma City building.
Again, Bullshit: First of all, I know a lot of Army Generals, and I never met one who knew dick about home made explosives like ANFO. Army guys know a lot about C4 and military grade ordnance because that's what they use all day in things like artillery rounds, hand grenades and the like. But ANFO? Nah, not likely. Whatever. Rex and I came to an agreement - he believes some of that stuff and for the most part I don't. I've run into these "conspiracy theory" guys before and they seem to get a kick out of asking the "what if" questions. No one will ever be able to prove them right or wrong so they can talk forever, perfect fodder for talk radio.
Ripping Off Expats? Anyone who regularly reads this website knows that I will go after anyone who is preying on expats down here in Panama. One of the things I like to do well is to go after and expose those people or companies who target and victimize our community for fraud or any other kind of crime. For example:
Bonae Fidei Established: I'm covering some of this ground again because I wanted to remind people of some of my basic beliefs. I spend a whole lot of time and energy chasing down and going after the criminals who would take advantage of the flood of newly arriving English speaking expatriates in Panama. In short, when I hear about this kind of thing I write about it to warn everyone else. Anyone who knows me personally also knows that I take this kind of stuff to heart.
Guilt By Association: Eric Jackson has a serious problem with Rex Freeman. Eric Jackson also has a serious problem with me. The fact that I am talking to Rex Freeman is making Eric Jackson, quite literally, nuts. Eric should know that I talk to Rex all of the time. I call him on the cell phone and exchange email with him regularly. Most recently I contacted Rex to ask him about the report that came out in on AM Costa Rica. Eric Jackson is convinced that Rex Freeman is some kind of a serious fraud artist or scammer. Thankfully, I have my own resources and ability to think for myself, as well as considerable analytical and investigatory abilities. So far I have not reached the same conclusion as Eric. In fact to date I have only heard from two people (one of them Eric) who are rabid anti-Rex Freeman.
Using A Broad Brush: Eric Jackson is trying to paint me as some kind of a "friend of the scammers" or something because take the time to talk to Rex Freeman and actually listen to him. When I met Rex Freeman and realized he was the guy who had filed a criminal complaint against Eric Jackson I knew it would probably turn into a kind of "enemy of my enemy" relationship, since Rex had already sued Eric Jackson for slander and I probably should as well. But at the same time I have to consider the possibility that some of what Eric is alleging about Rex Freeman might be true. As a matter of fact most of the time when Eric gets obsessed about something or someone there is usually a little grain of truth in there somewhere, and then he spins it until it's no longer recognizable. In any case, I'm still approaching Rex Freeman with caution.
Watch Yourself, Rex: Rex Freeman tells me that he's teaching people how to do Forex trading and that's all good. I've received emails and comments on the website from one other person (besides Eric) who is strongly "anti-Rex" and I suspect that this person who is in Costa Rica is the original source of Eric Jackson's vent. So, if Rex has just one guy who he has significantly pissed off and that guy can find someone like Eric Jackson (to use) then that's the whole show right there. In any case, so far I have not received a flood of email or correspondence from people who have been victimized by Rex Freeman. In fact, I have not received any. In the Rod Spiller case, for example, I received dozens if not hundreds of emails and correspondence from people who are pursing legal complaints. That simply is not the situation with regards to Rex Freeman. In any case I'm still keeping an eye on this Rex guy and his Forex trading deal. If a flood of victims materialize then he understands that the first questions will be from me.
My Name All Over Panama Forum: Leslie Aldredge, one of the moderators on the Panama Forum Yahoo email group, is allowing a string of posts with the title "Don Winner's financial columnist in the news today" talking about Rex Freeman. You should know, of course, that once upon a time (a long time ago) I made the serious mistake of trusting Leslie Aldredge and she took advantage of that trust for her own gain - basically she conned me. What's more, that appears to be her "modus operandi", to gain the trust of someone and then to turn and bite that person when they are no longer of any use to her. So, if you're currently placing any form of trust in Leslie Aldredge, a US citizen from New York and currently living in Boquete, then I advise you to exercise extreme caution. And, she controls the Panama Forum Yahoo email group and has banned me from posting on that network. So by default she is allowing others to slander me, without allowing me to respond. So, I'm responding here.
What The Hell, Rex? I contacted Rex Freeman and asked him about the article that appeared in AM Costa Rica. This is his response:
Rex Is Done, Back To Don: OK, to sum that up, there were two people who had accounts in Costa Rica. They lost money due to their own inabilities as traders and decided to take it out on Rex by filing a criminal complaint. I contacted the Fraud Section of the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) in Costa Rica and spoke with them about the investigation. They did confirm that there is an open investigation. They also confirmed that the investigation has been prompted by the complaints of the two Costa Ricans, and that they recovered computer equipment with an intent to determine the nature of the business operations being conducted there. So, the raid did happen. There are outstanding complaints in Costa Rica, and authorities are investigating.
Hey, Rex is like Eric! There is also an open criminal complaint against Eric Jackson in Panama, and the Prosecutor is investigating that case. OK, let me talk about calumnia y injuria in Panama a little. You simply can not say things that are defamatory and not true in public in Panama. It's a crime. Anyone who is a victim can make a criminal complaint or file a civil lawsuit, and there are time constraints on both. The complaint goes through a filtering process at the PTJ, and if they decide that a crime has been committed then they forward the file to the prosecutor's office for investigation. It's up to the prosecutor to fully investigate and "flesh out" the case to prepare it for trial. They have to be sure that they have enough evidence to win a conviction before a judge.
Bitch, Thief, and Asshole: People get mad at other people all of the time, and they tend to rant and rave against the person who happens to be pissing them off. If you call someone a "bitch" or and "asshole" for example that's not a crime because you're just basically expressing your opinion about that person in a vulgar manner. If you call someone a "thief" then you are alleging that the person is breaking the law, which is a crime if unfounded. Calling someone a "con man" or "scammer" is also a crime (if unfounded) because it alleges criminal activity or that someone is breaking the law. Now here's the hard part for journalists - I report on crime all day long and it's easy to do. You just stick to the facts and report on the case. Reporters only get themselves in trouble when they stick themselves into the story in some way and make their own allegations.
Back To Bocas del Toro: Take the land issues in Bocas del Toro, for instance. I'm investigating allegations made by Jean Morales that Cirilo McSween is trying to steal 55 hectares of land from her. Now, regardless of what I think about those allegations, the person making the allegations is Jean Morales (not Don Winner.) If Cirilo McSween does not like to see me writing about those allegations then that's just too bad, and I suggest he address the allegations of Jean Morales in court. But I can talk about it all day long without slandering or defaming Cirilo McSween.
What About Pedro Miguel Gonzalez: Now, that sucker has been indicted by a federal grand jury which makes my job easy. I can talk about the indictment all day long, especially the part about how he's been indicted as a terrorist or under a law specifically written to allow the government of the United States to prosecute international terrorists who have killed or attempted to kill US citizens abroad, which makes Pedro Miguel Gonzalez an indicted terrorist. But it's not me saying that - it's the federal grand jury. Not so tough.
One Last Word on Rex Freeman: Is he ripping people off? I don't think so, or at least I have not seen anything that indicates that he has. Is he running schemes for offshore asset protection and skirting the edge of IRS compliance? Probably. One of the other things I have learned over time is that there are all kinds of ways to establish "close to the edge" legal practices and financial arrangements. The lawyer or company establishing those structures is not breaking the law by setting them up, but the individual who comes along and uses them to break the law then has a problem. This happens all of the time, for examples look to Eddy Kahn and Wesley Snipes. Everyone who is making a lot of money wants to find ways to avoid paying income taxes, and to everyone who would go down that path I would say "forget it." Compliance responsibility falls upon the individual when it comes to the IRS, and if you're trying to get away with something then you are exposing yourself to a huge and unnecessary risk.
Take The Time to Learn the Truth: I would urge you to simply consider the source and make your own call. You are all very smart people with great-big brains and ability to think for yourselves. I admit that it bothers me to see Eric Jackson taking chunks out of another victim. But you should also know that Rex Freeman is not a personal friend of mine (we have met exactly once), nor does he advertise on my website. In the case of Rex Freeman there are, as usual, some elements of truth to the stories Eric Jackson writes - like a raid did occur in Costa Rica. But for the most part it's apparently just a continuation of a personal conflict between Rex Freeman and Eric Jackson. And with regards to the report published in AM Costa Rica (and echoed by Eric), I see it as lazy, inaccurate, biased, unethical, and morally questionable "reporting" which has been Eric's trademark for years. Really, no surprise at all.
Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.
Comments (0)
Panama Guide
http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20071110090849190