Linda Raymond, Pete Buttigieg and David Matthews are Thieves
I contracted with a distribution company named, "The Distributors" located at 702 S Michigan St, South Bend Indiana to warehouse my books until sold. The contract was signed by Patti Walsh, the manager.
(Back Cover)
. "The Distributors" owned none of the books but simply shipped them out when sold similar to what Amazon does.
For example, Barnes and Noble sold my books and hundreds of books were sent to their warehouses throughout the country by "The Distributors". I received a small check from "The Distributors" in 2008 for a couple of hundred of dollars. I was told all the books not sold by B&N were returned.
For example, Barnes and Noble sold my books and hundreds of books were sent to their warehouses throughout the country by "The Distributors". I received a small check from "The Distributors" in 2008 for a couple of hundred of dollars. I was told all the books not sold by B&N were returned.
In 2008 I moved to Asia and every attempt after that to get an accounting of my books failed. Phone calls were not returned and emails were not replied to. My understanding was that they had gone out of business and nothing could be done.
Through the years I began to see my book being sold on Ebay and Amazon but I didn't put it all together until 2017. I started seeing lots of my books being sold on Ebay and Amazon.
Since no one but "The Distributors" and Amazon (which had sold out all the books sent by me) had my book I could not understand how my book was being sold anywhere as "new". I was able to contact several sellers and the information I received was that they had bought my book directly from "The Distributors" at the distribution warehouse in South Bend from a man named Andrew Raymond and another man named David Matthews who is a well known local businessman in South Bend and the guy who built the Commerce Center who is a friend of Mayor Buttigieg.
In 2016 Linda Raymond who owned "The Distributors" decided to sell the building and along with Andrew Raymond (relative or son?) started selling the books to bookstores, individuals and auction houses. She committed several felonies.
Below is a copy of three sales transactions between a buyer (Derek Miller) from Elkhart Indiana and Andrew Raymond dated November of 2016 as well as a copy of an SMS to me on Facebook. Mr Miller sold some stolen books on Ebay and Amazon and got caught.
"They had thousands of SKUs available. I bought a limited amount of any one book. There were large book sellers that’s spent thousands upon thousands of books (as stated by Andrew)." Note the date of sale was Nov 6, 2016 and Matthews then purchased all the remaining books for 100K on Jan 1, 2017.
David Matthews purchased the building on January 1, 2017 for $150K verified by the Indiana Secretary of State. I spoke with Mr Matthews twice by phone in August of 2019. On my first phone call he confirmed he bought the warehouse from Mrs Raymond on January 1, 2017 for $150K and that in a separate agreement he purchased all the books in the warehouse for an additional $100K.
So basically, Mr Matthews purchased between $250K-500K (the latest book of mine on Amazon was listed for $488) worth of my books which were clearly stolen by Mrs Raymond as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars of other people's books. He told me his intention was to sell all the books. I asked him to send me a copy of the sales contract and he said he would think about it.
I then informed him he had purchased stolen property and demanded my books back as required by law.
Matthews then stated he was not able to sell most of the books and had them destroyed yet he offered no proof of when, how or where they were destroyed.
You have to ask who spends $100K for books without thinking how to sell them?
If he was a legitimate person and not a thief he would have offered to help me recover the books he sold. My book in particular has shown up for sale on Ebay and Amazon continuously since the sale by Raymond to Matthews.
If you buy a car that turns out to be stolen by law it must be returned to the righfull owner. Matthews di not return any books and did nothing to help me. He is a thief plain and simple.
I think he is a liar. Why would you destroy a million dollars worth of books? You wouldn't. You could easily give them to libraries, schools, hospitals etc etc and take a tax deduction. Even stupid people know that. You can't take a tax loss by destroying them.
The IRS might want to take a look at his taxes regarding this.
In my second phone call to Matthews a few days later I again asked him to send me a copy of the sales contract which he refused to do and then hung up the phone. I assume he got legal advice not to help me out since he is liable for selling stolen property.
Mrs Raymond knowingly sold books she did not own, clearly a felony. With research I found out she had been stealing from authors for decades and gotten away with it. I spoke with multiple authors who had books stored with them and they all said they got cheated but could do nothing about it. Many said they went thru the same thing as me that they ignored all pleas for an accounting of their book sales. One individual said they contacted the FBI and was told their books were not worth enough to go after them.
If you Google, "The Distributors" you can see the dozens of complaints against that company going back to 2007.
I think he is a liar. Why would you destroy a million dollars worth of books? You wouldn't. You could easily give them to libraries, schools, hospitals etc etc and take a tax deduction. Even stupid people know that. You can't take a tax loss by destroying them.
The IRS might want to take a look at his taxes regarding this.
In my second phone call to Matthews a few days later I again asked him to send me a copy of the sales contract which he refused to do and then hung up the phone. I assume he got legal advice not to help me out since he is liable for selling stolen property.
Mrs Raymond knowingly sold books she did not own, clearly a felony. With research I found out she had been stealing from authors for decades and gotten away with it. I spoke with multiple authors who had books stored with them and they all said they got cheated but could do nothing about it. Many said they went thru the same thing as me that they ignored all pleas for an accounting of their book sales. One individual said they contacted the FBI and was told their books were not worth enough to go after them.
If you Google, "The Distributors" you can see the dozens of complaints against that company going back to 2007.
Several individuals and several book store owners who I was also able to speak with told me they bought books directly from Andrew Raymond and Mr Matthews. Several dealers on Ebay and Amazon kindly took their listings off after I informed them they had purchased stolen property.
The question is who would pay 100K for tens of thousands of books from a distribution company and not ask if they owned the books? David Matthews.
Linda Raymond found a shady businessman and unloaded her stolen books and Matthews figured he could double or triple his money just on my book alone. Raymond had never been sued by anyone because lawyers cost money so he figured he too could sell the books over time.
This was not a retail bookstore simply a warehouse for books.
My book alone was selling for as much as $488 on Amazon. Multiply that by 1000 books and you get nearly 500K over time. Matthews knew what he was doing.
"Christmas Rarities" is a one of a kind collectible book that will never go out of style. There is no book like it and probably never will be as it took over four years to make.
The question is who would pay 100K for tens of thousands of books from a distribution company and not ask if they owned the books? David Matthews.
Linda Raymond found a shady businessman and unloaded her stolen books and Matthews figured he could double or triple his money just on my book alone. Raymond had never been sued by anyone because lawyers cost money so he figured he too could sell the books over time.
This was not a retail bookstore simply a warehouse for books.
My book alone was selling for as much as $488 on Amazon. Multiply that by 1000 books and you get nearly 500K over time. Matthews knew what he was doing.
"Christmas Rarities" is a one of a kind collectible book that will never go out of style. There is no book like it and probably never will be as it took over four years to make.
I spent my entire life's savings on getting it done traveling for four years throughout the USA and Europe photographing private collections.
The mistake Matthews and Mr Andrew Raymond made was that they sold my books to dealers who sold them on Ebay and Amazon and it came to my attention because of the number of listings and the prices asked for.
There is no doubt in my mind Matthews never destroyed any of my books but has them stashed somewhere. Of course now it would be more difficult to sell them.
Another reason I believe Matthews is a crook is because the sale was brokered by a National company. Their agent named Jacqueline Knapp Roelke did these types of sales for a living. Clearly she knew of the separate book sale. She also had to know that "The Distributors" did not own any of the books. And so she must have informed Matthews of that as well and he still bought the stolen books.
I think anyone who reads this can only come to one conclusion about Mr Matthews. Does anyone really believe Matthews would shell out 100K for books valued at maybe 1 million dollars or more and then burn them a month or so later?
This is a guy who ran for a city councilman seat and luckily for the folks of South Bend's 4th district he lost because he is without a doubt in my opinion a very shady businessman at best and a thief at worst. He clearly sold stolen property and in my opinion he had to know the books were stolen.
Several attorneys I spoke with in South Bend told me he is liable. If Matthews had done just a little research he would have noted several links on Google starting in 2011 that "The Distributors" was ripping off the authors who had their books stored at their warehouse.
1000 books stacked 5 feet high on two skids 6 to a carton, each book individually wrapped in plastic for protection, printed using the highest quality paper being sold on Ebay and Amazon for as much as $488 is not something you sell for a buck a piece and then throw out as Mr Matthews claims unless you are a complete moron. Nor are they something you would not notice.
I would think the city of South Bend might want to rethink doing any business with this guy. Same for Spartan Nash Grocery Stores and Centier Bank.
Mr Matthews is a developer in South Bend. His properties include: Ivy Quad, East Bank Townhomes, River Race Townhomes, East Bank Flats and River Race Flats. I wouldn't think of buying anything from this guy.
The mistake Matthews and Mr Andrew Raymond made was that they sold my books to dealers who sold them on Ebay and Amazon and it came to my attention because of the number of listings and the prices asked for.
There is no doubt in my mind Matthews never destroyed any of my books but has them stashed somewhere. Of course now it would be more difficult to sell them.
Another reason I believe Matthews is a crook is because the sale was brokered by a National company. Their agent named Jacqueline Knapp Roelke did these types of sales for a living. Clearly she knew of the separate book sale. She also had to know that "The Distributors" did not own any of the books. And so she must have informed Matthews of that as well and he still bought the stolen books.
I think anyone who reads this can only come to one conclusion about Mr Matthews. Does anyone really believe Matthews would shell out 100K for books valued at maybe 1 million dollars or more and then burn them a month or so later?
This is a guy who ran for a city councilman seat and luckily for the folks of South Bend's 4th district he lost because he is without a doubt in my opinion a very shady businessman at best and a thief at worst. He clearly sold stolen property and in my opinion he had to know the books were stolen.
Several attorneys I spoke with in South Bend told me he is liable. If Matthews had done just a little research he would have noted several links on Google starting in 2011 that "The Distributors" was ripping off the authors who had their books stored at their warehouse.
1000 books stacked 5 feet high on two skids 6 to a carton, each book individually wrapped in plastic for protection, printed using the highest quality paper being sold on Ebay and Amazon for as much as $488 is not something you sell for a buck a piece and then throw out as Mr Matthews claims unless you are a complete moron. Nor are they something you would not notice.
I would think the city of South Bend might want to rethink doing any business with this guy. Same for Spartan Nash Grocery Stores and Centier Bank.
Mr Matthews is a developer in South Bend. His properties include: Ivy Quad, East Bank Townhomes, River Race Townhomes, East Bank Flats and River Race Flats. I wouldn't think of buying anything from this guy.
After finding Mrs Raymond's home address I sent her a certified letter in September of 2019 asking for a full accounting of all the sales of my book as well as asking for any not sold books to be returned to me. She signed for the letter but ignored my request. Here is the certified sent letter:
Linda Raymond
1515 Jefferson ST
South Bend IN
June 27, 2019
Dear Mrs Raymond,
I authored and published the book Christmas Rarities in 2007. I subsequently contracted with
your company, The Distributors, to be the fulfillment house for my books. Patty Walsh was your
agent I dealt with. I personally delivered 1000 books to your warehouse at 702 S Michigan St,
South Bend, Indiana.
I recently saw my books being sold on Amazon and elsewhere. A subsequent investigation
determined you sold the inventory of books at your firm to Mr Matthews on Jan 17, 2017. This
was confirmed by Mr Matthews. You were not authorized to sell my books to this individual.
Please immediately provide me a full accounting of The Distributor’s fulfillment of my books
and payment for books sold, and contact me to arrange a return of the remainder of the books.
John Lightner
John Lightner
I received no response from Mrs Raymond.
And while Mr Matthews could claim he did not know the books were stolen, Mrs Raymond clearly knew she did not own the books. Mr Andrew Raymond clearly knew the books were not owned by Mrs Raymond so he also committed a felony in knowingly selling stolen property.
I was able to contact Mrs Raymond's attorney, a Mr Peter Yarbro and explained the situation to him. He asked for a copy of the contract and I told him I was still in Asia and the contract was back in the US and that I would be happy to supply it to him but I asked him to simply ask Mrs Raymond for an accounting of my books. State law requires that if a company either moves or goes out of business that they contact all the book owners of the move or liquidation so that they can pick up their books.
None of the authors who had their books with "The Distributors" was notified nor was I. So they broke the law there as well.
After I spoke with Mr Yarbro I received a threatening letter from him. He failed to address why I and others were never notified "The Distributors" and Mrs Raymond intended to sell the business nor did he reply as to why I have never received an accounting of my book sales or what happened to my books nor did he respond why Mrs Raymond sold books she did not own to Mr Matthews.
Here are several links to people who have been ripped off by this company including a few of their posts:
I have not been paid one dime by these scammers, they never answer the phone, and from rip off http://report.com it appears this has been ongoing for a long time, 2007 there is a post about the same issue. The owner lies thru his teeth and his employees all cover for him, if anyone else has had this problem , we should band together and group sue to get at least some of what we are owed. I did not write a book, get it into Barnes and Nobles stores so these clowns could pocket the money for simply mailing out boxes of my books.
Paul Nardizzi ************@http://rcn.com
We sought the services of The Distributors in order to facilitate sales to major book selling chains. We have been trying to obtain a final accounting monies owed to us from sales for almost a year and repeated requests for resolution have been ignored. Previous payments were slow and always with an excuse blaming the "accounting department".
The below post is on Facebook if you query "Pandora's Books" which was also owned by Mrs Raymond
https://www.facebook.com/10812
The below post is on Facebook if you query "Pandora's Books" which was also owned by Mrs Raymond
https://www.facebook.com/10812
There are dozens of complaints from authors dating back to 2011.
3:50 AM
3:50 AM
Linda Raymond's last known address is 1515 Jefferson St South Bend IN Her last known phone number was 574-514-7693. She lives in a very nice home worth a lot of money.
| 7:18 AM (0 minutes ago) |  | ||
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tavia m.
Hi John, I read your blog. I would say they owe our company about $1364. I tried and tried to get them to pay and they ignored me. We self published a guidebook to the Freedom Trail. I am leaving the company in December so I won't be able to help you for much longer. The amount for us was low which is why we didn't sue, but I did send it to collections and they were unable to recover anything.
Patty Walsh was the person that cheated us
11/15/2019, 5:20 AM
tavia m.
They probably had 400 books
Linda Raymond's last known address is 1515 Jefferson St South Bend IN Her last known phone number was 574-514-7693. She lives in a very nice home worth a lot of money.
If anyone can tell me where or how to contact Patty Walsh or where she works please email me or phone me.
I have verified that Mr Andrew Raymond works at the Four Winds Casino in South Bend. Perfect place for him. Hope they are counting their money every night.
There is an irony to this story. Jacqueline Knapp Roelke was the agent who brokered the sale between Mrs Raymond and David Matthews. She was sued by Mrs Raymond for fraud regarding the sale. She has since moved to Tennessee. Her phone number is 574.276.8530. I have spoken with but she refused to comment, so I do not know the specifics of the suit.
So here we have one crook who has defrauded hundreds of authors suing another alleged crook.
Below is a page copied and pasted from Ebay on Dec 5 2019, showing an ornament that sold for $1425 and where the seller referenced my book, "Christmas Rarities". The book is the only reference book out there that major auction houses and collectors use.
eBay item number:
163964353980
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
Item specifics
| Material: | Glass | Featured Refinements: | Antique Glass Christmas Ornament |
| Theme: | Figure |
Up for sale is the RARE Antique LADY w/ a PURSE Extended Annealed Legs Glass Christmas ornament. It is ranked in John Lightner's book on Christmas Rarities as an R1, being the most rare ranking.
In overall fair antique condition for its age. It has some paint loss, silvering loss, dirt and wear from age and use. This ornament looks darker in person than in the photographs. I didn't lighten the photos, it is just is the way it photographed. In person, it appears very dirty, but I didn't want to attempt to try to clean it. There are no chips, cracks or breaks that I can see. Please refer to the photos for condition details.
David Matthews phone is 574.607.8008.
Linda Raymond phone is 574.514.7693
Andrew Raymond phone is 574.386.6410
Jacki Roelke phone is 574.276.8530
Peter Yarbro (attorney for Mrs Raymond) phone is 574.234.7606
Derek Miller phone is 574-318-9790 DR Book Recycling Co Elkhart IN
Linda Raymond, Andrew Raymond, David Matthews and Jacki Roelke were all given a copy of this blog posting inviting corrections or a response prior to posting. None have replied.
In Nov/Dec/Feb (2019-2020) I phoned the South Bend Police four times asking for a detective to contact me. Two separate messages were left for the Police Chief Rufzkowski. I have received ZERO response from them. I spoke with his assistant, Dawn on Feb 10th and she said she would get the message to him.
There is an interesting article on how then Mayor Buttigieg fired the black Police Chief. Chief Ruszkowski was involved. Read this: https://theintercept.com/
With no police response I then sent emails to all the City Council members asking for help. No one responded.
It was only after all those attempts that I then sent emails to the mayor's office. I sent four emails to his office with no response.
I sent emails to his office, his PR director and chief of staff as well as two or three posts on his FB page with ZERO response.
I asked his office in my email addressed to: mayorpete@southbendin.gov asking them to contact me and instruct the police chief to do his job with no response to date.
In Nov/Dec/Feb (2019-2020) I phoned the South Bend Police four times asking for a detective to contact me. Two separate messages were left for the Police Chief Rufzkowski. I have received ZERO response from them. I spoke with his assistant, Dawn on Feb 10th and she said she would get the message to him.
There is an interesting article on how then Mayor Buttigieg fired the black Police Chief. Chief Ruszkowski was involved. Read this: https://theintercept.com/
With no police response I then sent emails to all the City Council members asking for help. No one responded.
It was only after all those attempts that I then sent emails to the mayor's office. I sent four emails to his office with no response.
I sent emails to his office, his PR director and chief of staff as well as two or three posts on his FB page with ZERO response.
I asked his office in my email addressed to: mayorpete@southbendin.gov asking them to contact me and instruct the police chief to do his job with no response to date.
Half a dozen posts on the South Bend Police FB group got no response.
Here is a copy of my email to the mayor's office on Nov 27, 2019
Here is a copy of the email sent to both the mayor's office and the PD on Dec 8th:
Not one response from the police, the police chief, any council member, the mayor or any of his staff.
Calls were made to the police dept on Nov 15th (2 calls made) and on Dec 8th a message was left for Chief Ruszkowski on his phone but NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE AT THE PD.
On Feb 10th I made yet another effort to contact the SB police and spoke with the Chief's assistant Dawn Ebersol. I RECORDED THE CONVERSATION. I emailed her data and was promised he would respond. As of Feb 16th ZERO response. I sure hope the PD responds quicker to someone getting shot. If you read the Intercept documentary on how the black Chief got fired you would have to conclude the PD is racist. Is the police chief of South Bend, chief Ruszkowski covering up the million dollar book heist for ex mayor Pete? It looks that way. New evidence about how the ex black police chief got fired has come out.
If you read this post you would have to conclude the SB police dept is inept and corrupt to continue to cover up for Linda Raymond, David Matthews and the ex Mayor.
At least 8 emails were sent to Mayor Pete's office, one or more to his Press Secretary. Nov 15, 27, 28, Dec 5, and Dec 11th, Jan 10th and Feb 7th.
An additional three messages were sent directly to ex Mayor Buttigieg's campaign site. They didn't even read it but sent me back an automated response.
A million dollars or more of stolen books possibly still in the warehouse and no one in SB gives a damn. Amazing.
Seems every day a new seller on Ebay or Amazon is posting my book for sale. Totum books just listed and now has taken down the post per my request.
The
Here is a copy of my email to the mayor's office on Nov 27, 2019
| Wed, Nov 27, 6:20 PM | | ||
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Hello,
I am wondering how Mayor Pete thinks he can win the Presidency when his own police dept can't return a phone call regarding grand theft and selling of stolen property worth over $400K? I have called twice now and asked for a detective to contact me with no response. Maybe someone at the mayor's office can get it done?
575 537 1700
There was no response
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I have made three phone calls to the SB Pd asking for someone to contact me with no replies. Additionally, I phoned the PD and asked for the email address of the chief since no detective bothered to contact me and was transferred to a recording and left a message. NO one from his office has contacted me.
I have sent three or four emails to the Mayor's office with no replies.
I have sent a copy of this blog to all the city council members with no replies.
I left a personal message for the Chief of Police (Ruszkowski) with no reply
I have sent three or four emails to the Mayor's office with no replies.
I have sent a copy of this blog to all the city council members with no replies.
I left a personal message for the Chief of Police (Ruszkowski) with no reply
This guy is running for the Presidency and he can't even get his PD to make a phone call? Or return a call from his office or anyone from his city council.
I am in Asia right now. Nothing I can do here but someone should go to the warehouse and if there are any books there now (doubtful) they are STOLEN books. I have at least 250K-500K worth of my books stolen.
Here is the link to the theft: https://
Calls were made to the police dept on Nov 15th (2 calls made) and on Dec 8th a message was left for Chief Ruszkowski on his phone but NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE AT THE PD.
On Feb 10th I made yet another effort to contact the SB police and spoke with the Chief's assistant Dawn Ebersol. I RECORDED THE CONVERSATION. I emailed her data and was promised he would respond. As of Feb 16th ZERO response. I sure hope the PD responds quicker to someone getting shot. If you read the Intercept documentary on how the black Chief got fired you would have to conclude the PD is racist. Is the police chief of South Bend, chief Ruszkowski covering up the million dollar book heist for ex mayor Pete? It looks that way. New evidence about how the ex black police chief got fired has come out.
I cannot insert the recording here but anyone interested can send me an email and I will send them them the recording. jlightner1@gmail.com.
Here is another link about the fired Chief not very flattering to Buttigieg from the AP: https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-in-state-wire-ia-state-wire-weekend-reads-police-03c58d5429448bfbf78cfb76fe682d24
Did Chief Rutkowski do Buttigieg a favor by covering up the theft as a thank you for getting the job after they axed the black Chief? One has to remember the guy who bought the stolen books, David Matthews was a friend of Buttigieg's and did a huge amount of business with the city.
At least 8 emails were sent to Mayor Pete's office, one or more to his Press Secretary. Nov 15, 27, 28, Dec 5, and Dec 11th, Jan 10th and Feb 7th.
An additional three messages were sent directly to ex Mayor Buttigieg's campaign site. They didn't even read it but sent me back an automated response.
A million dollars or more of stolen books possibly still in the warehouse and no one in SB gives a damn. Amazing.
It is beginning to look like there is a massive cover-up going on here. Which is disappointing since I like the mayor although now I am beginning to think he is just another con man like Trump. And by now of course any books that might have still been in the warehouse are long gone.
I also have sent emails to every single news organization in the South Bend area with response from the South Bend Tribune only. They are all covering this up.
Seems every day a new seller on Ebay or Amazon is posting my book for sale. Totum books just listed and now has taken down the post per my request.
The
Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President Facebook site kicked me off. The cover up continues.
The question now is Dave Matthews a contributor to Mayor Pete? Is the police dept, the council and the mayor all covering up for this guy and Linda Raymond? A million dollars worth of books stolen and bought by David Matthews and no one in South Bend cares. The stench is overwhelming.
Sorry, but in my view the guy is either corrupt or completely inept. Either way someone like that has no business in a Cabinet position especially the Dept of Transportation.
And if the FBI does its vetting job they should be asking a lot of questions.
On January 1 I sent a message to Buttigieg's campaign Facebook Page. Here is what I sent them:
Why has the Mayor's office ignored 6 email requests for them to ask the PD to investigate a million dollar book heist involving major South Bend developer David Matthews? Is a major newspaper about to investigate? Read this: https://lindaraymondisathief.blogspot.com/
This is their response:
John, thanks for connecting! Are you up for answering a few quick questions to help with Pete Buttigieg’s campaign? Have you decided which presidential candidate you plan to vote for? Have you decided which presidential candidate you plan to vote for?
They didn't bother to read the post. If anyone has any further information please email me at jlightner1@gmail.com.
So, at the end of the day Buttigieg while mayor had to know about this. His staff, his campaign staff, his Facebook staff, the Police Dept including the chief, the entire city council members and about a dozen news organizations all covered the theft up. Incredible but true.
I feel bad about this for Buttigieg a guy I like and admired. But all he had to do was instruct his Police Chief to do his job. He whiffed. Why?
People like me lost their entire life savings over this theft, fraud and cover up and Buttigieg could care less it seems.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of Patti Walsh or Andrew Raymond's address please contact me.
Also, if there are any attorney's out there in South Bend willing to take my case please contact me. If it weren't for Covid I would have returned to the US in May. The South Bend Tribune said if I produced the contract between myself and The Distributors they would investigate. They were the only newspaper or media outlet that responded to me of the dozens I sent the link to. Quite a coverup.
| Dec 24, 2019, 12:46 PM | | ||
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Why are you burying this story? https://lindaraymondisathief.
book heist with a leading developer with ties to the mayor involved.
| Dec 25, 2019, 1:44 AM | | ||
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We're not burying it. It's very much on our radar and we are interested in learning more. The holidays
affected our time frame but, again, we're not ignoring this issue. I'm assuming you're the John who's
involved in the matter? And is this the best way to reach you; can you share a phone number for a
reporter to call?
Alan Achkar 
Executive Editor
South Bend Tribune
574-235-6323
| Feb 10, 2020, 7:04 PM | | ||
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PS: May I suggest that if you folks were serious about investigating my claims you would
have asked Mrs Raymond the following:
1. Did your company contract with John Lightner to house his book, "Christmas Rarities"
2. Was Patti Walsh your manager? And where is she now?
3. What happened to his books and all the other books stored at your warehouse?
4. How do you respond to the dozens of authors on the internet complaining about not
getting paid?
5. Why have you not responded to his letter to you of
6. Did you notify the authors that you were going out of business as required by law?
7. Who is Andrew Raymond?
8. Mr Lightner has receipts for books sold by Mr Raymond. How could that be?
9. Did you in fact sell the books to Mr Matthews in a separate transaction for 100K
So now you would have her on record
Then you go to Matthews and ask the following:
1. Did you purchase all the books from Mrs Raymond for 100K
2. Did you ask her if she owned the books?
3. Why would you think a book distribution company would own any of the books?
4. What happened to all the books? If destroyed any proof of that?
5. Do you currently have any books?
Then you go to the PD and ask them why they never returned any of my three phone call
including one to the Police Chief. Ask them if they have a recording of all calls dates given.
Why on earth you guys would not do this now is beyond me if you are serious. If you were
just stringing me along fine. I get it.
Then you go to Buttigiegs's office and ask the same questions.
It is beyond my comprehension why you would wait on this while the evidence is there now.
During the confirmation process of Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary I sent emails to every
major Democratic and Republican Senator: Schumer. Durbin, Sanders, McConnell, including Pelosi
with not one response.
The truth for the Congress seems to be they don't want any corrupt politicians in Congress unless
it's their party's corrupt members. These phonies are a joke.
It will be interesting to see if there is even one non corrupt Congress person interested in this story.
Probably not.
NOT A SINGLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS HAS RESPONDED.
Here is an email sent to Alan Achkar, Executive Director of the South Bend Tribune on
Jan 20, 2021 to several Senators:
Alan,
Just an fyi I have decided to send this email to about a dozen Senators: The two Indiana
Senators, Mitch McConnell, Durbin, Schumer, Coons, Thune, Lindsey Graham and the South
Bend state rep, Jacki Walorski.
Hello,
Before you vote to confirm Mr Buttigieg for a cabinet position you may wish to read this:
In my view Mr Buttigieg is either part of a conspiracy to cover up a million dollar book heist
along with his police chief, the entire city council members of South Bend and the entire
media or he is one inept administrator.
Under the circumstances I do not feel Mr Buttigieg should be confirmed. Mr Biden's camp
has been made aware of this blog with no response.
I don't relish winding up in a ditch somewhere but the corruption here is obvious. No one
seems to care.
If I wind up dead somewhere you have a good story. Unless you are part of the cover up
for not doing an investigation long ago.
Sincerely,
John Lightner
*After sending this email to the South Bend Tribune I can no longer post on their site.
Today, Jan 24, 2021 I found yet another of my books sold on Ebay. The likelyhood of it being stolen is
probably 99%. Someone who bought a book for $250 or more isn't likely to sell it on Ebay.
This bookseller was notified the book was likely stolen, never responded and sold it anyway.
Sent to every member of the e Senate on Jan 28, 2021
| 10:56 AM (0 minutes ago) | | ||
| ||||
Hello,
It's kind of amusing to see the Dems going after Trump for corruption but when it is one of their own
they take a pass. Trump should be held accountable but it seems in Congress it's ok to be corrupt
as long as the person is from your party in power.
Before you vote to confirm Mr Buttigieg for a cabinet position you may wish to read
In my view Mr Buttigieg is either part of a conspiracy to cover up a million dollar book heist along
with his police chief, the entire city council members of South Bend and the entire media or he is one
inept administrator.
Under the circumstances I do not feel Mr Buttigieg should be confirmed. Mr Biden's camp has been
made aware of this blog with no response.
I don't relish winding up in a ditch somewhere but the corruption here is obvious. No one seems to
care.
Not a single Congress person replied.
Here is an email I received on Sept 15, 2021 from someone asking about purchasing a book.
| XXXXX | Tue, Sep 14, 12:36 AM (2 days ago) | |
I’m very sorry to hear that. Yes, I’ve seen quite a few for sale on eBay and Amazon- all for over $900!
I have other Christmas ornament books but yours just seems to have a lot more of the era that I collect.
Thank you, I will be in touch!
Sent from my iPhone.
|
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have left several messages for Mr Wren with no response. Which is what I expected. SB media have all covered up the book heist by not investigating it. A million dollars worth of books stolen with dozens perhaps hundreds of authors getting ripped off by Linda Raymond and her husband for a decade or longer and Matthews buying all the books knowing they were not her property and trying to make a buck off the stolen goods. And neither the corrupt police chief nor the Mayor nor the City Council nor any media source cared to investigate it. Liberal media will not investigate corrupt Democratic politicians unless it becomes a National disgrace but B is a Con Man. He's a Trump Con Man in disguise.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWith no response from the South Bend Police Dept after a year of trying here is the recording made with the Chief of Police, Ruszkowski's personal secretary proving I made the call. There was never a reply. Here is the link on You Tube.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIEEePVNQ_Y&ab_channel=johnL
Just as an add on I really do not care why Buttigieg fired the Black Police Chief. btw he also fired the woman who reported it. The reason I included the report was because Buttigieg seems to have a pattern of covering things up.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to also read this report: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-buttigiegs-decision-on-police-chief-shadows-his-presidential-run. Not a very flattering report.
You know 74 million idiots voted for Trump. It seems to be very easy to manipulate people. Facebook and other social media do it daily. You need to think thru the BS. The local and National Media are protecting this guy. Trump was right about one thing-it's all biased. The Left and Right Media are all biased. They don't report news anymore they try and shape it. And instead of being objective reporters they protect their own even if they are dirty.
An add on. As I stated in the blog the law required Linda Raymond who owned the book warehouse to contact the authors whose books she held if she was either to move or go out of business. Not a single author that I spoke with or myself were notified. Of course the reason she didn't contact anyone was because she sold the books to David Matthews who resold them. He had to know they were stolen but he felt he could get away with it. And he did. He has never even threatened me with a lawsuit nor has Linda Raymond because they both know they are crooks. And they both know they will continue to get away with it unless and until I can return to the US and pursuse the matter which I have been unable to do for 2 years due to Covid. All I can continue to do is to try and expose them and the police and Buttigieg. But I see now the Left wing media will do nothing because he is Biden's boy. And don't forget I even contacted every single Congressman in power about the accusations prior to his confirmation hearings. NOT ONE SINGLE REPLY.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to an email I will repeat it one more time. Linda Raymond owned a book warehouse called, "The Distributors" in South Bend Indiana. I along with hundreds of other authors stored our books there. In my case 1000 of them retailing anywhere from $200-$900. Book stores like Barnes and Noble for example do not buy direct from authors. You have to go thru a distributor.
ReplyDeleteLinda Raymond sold her warehouse to a well connected local developer named David Matthews who purchased the books separately for $125K with the intention of selling them. But they were not Raymonds to sell nor Matthews to buy. She stole them. And my view is unless Matthews is a complete and utter idiot he knew they were stolen. Keep in mind the agent who was the go between did this for a living and also had to know the books were not owned by Raymond. Interestingly, Raymond filed a lawsuit against her dispostion unknown. One crook suing an alleged another crook. When I found out that the books were stolen and sold on Ebay and Amazon I was able to contact Matthews who admitted he bought them. The police were contacted half a dozen times requesting a detective contact me. They never replied. Two separate phone conversations one with a recording left with the Chief's direct line and one with the Chief's secretary (which I did record) got ZERO response.
Dozens of attempts to contact Buttigieg while mayor got ZERO response. Same for the City Council members, same for dozens of media in Soutt Bend and same for Congressmen. ZERO response from all of them.
There is clearly a cover up here and massive fraud.
I have no idea why you are defending Buttigieg. At best he is a con man. At worst a thief. No way in the world he doesn't know the books were stolen or that the police chief refused to investigate the theft or that his buddy, David Matthews sold stolen books. If you really listen to the guy he is nothing more than a slick Wily. He never answers difficult questions but he is good at deflecting. He is very intelligent and an excellent speaker but in my view he is a Con Man. Trump could learn a lot from him.
ReplyDeleteI am defending him because all of us, even "sleazy politicians," still have a sliver of good inside. As long as someone is alive and breathing, it is never too late to hope for someone's redemption. That sliver of good is worth protecting and nurturing. Now I can't protect and nurture that sliver of good on my own, but my prayers can help do so and God does the rest. That is one of the most important things my Catholic faith has taught me. As a practicing Episcopalian,
ReplyDeleteSecretary Buttigieg is my brother in Christ.
We Christians are supposed to love and look after everyone, which includes our own. Every person, including politicians, who identifies as a practicing Christian is my brother or sister in Christ.
As a Christian, I am supposed to love the unlovable. To love is to will the highest good of the other. It's what God wants me to do. I love Buttigieg so I have to allow him the freedom of his choices, but at the same time, I love him too much to sit back and do nothing while he continues to make bad choices. But the only thing I can do is pray for him
and leave the rest to God. I don't wish Buttigieg ill. I wish him well. I want the highest good for him. Does that make sense?
This article sums up the heart of my attitude and my feelings perfectly: https://aleteia.org/2019/09/16/pope-we-have-to-do-more-than-insult-our-politicians-we-have-to-pray-for-them/
I must say, it's good advice.
I misunderstood you. I've done more harm than good and for that, I'm sorry.
I'll go now
and take my comments down.
Btw, Christmas Rarities sounds like a book to be proud. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavours
Ok, so this blog is not about Buttigieg's politics but if you now read and then listen to the Intercept reporter's commentary you (or at least I did) find the report credible. The SB dept or parts of it are appear racist and Buttigieg's white handlers wanted the black guy gone and so B fired him and used the alleged FBI investigation as a pretext to fire the black Chief.
ReplyDeleteAnd they sure as hell do not want the tapes out there in the public to listen to.
So how does that all tie in with the book cover up. It fits nicely. Somebody wanted Ruszkowski appointed Chief and Ruszkowski is indebted to somebody who doesn't want the book theft investigted. Ruszkowski is covering up for someone and Buttigieg covered up for Ruszkowski. A good conspiracy idea but it makes sense. Why else has there been no investigation?
Some conspiracists actually think B ran for President in order not to face charges in the debacle of firing the black Chief. The powers that run SB do not want the tapes to come out because they will show the PD is racist. Buttigieg is simply another puppet being manipulated by his backers.
All Politicians are in the pockets of their sponsors fronted by Lobbyists or Corporations or whomever. Look at Joe Manchin from West Virginia. Here you have one guy (ok maybe also one woman nut job from AZ) tying up the entire Biden agenda. One Senator who can shitcan the whole program. Instead of thinking of what is good for the whole country he is only considering what is good for him. He is in the pocket of the Coal Barons accepting millions of dollars to vote as they direct. And I get that sort of but I thought it was country first then your state then your family. Manchin only cares about himself. Just saying that's politics. They are all rather useless narcissists interested only in their own power and egos. Just my view.
And Buttigieg is no different. Here you have a 37 yr old inexperienced politician thinking he is better equipped to run the country than any other candidate. That's a lot of hubris in my view. He should have waited his turn and supported whoever else got nominated but he saw an opporotunity and went for it.
Buttigieg at the time was a media darling and the media gave him a pass. Cooper never challenged him. Unfortunately, most of the media today is biased and click bait oriented for ratings. They do not care about truth just ad revenue. And half the country are fools who believe all the BS from both sides.
Let's be honest here. Biden offered Buttigieg a Cabinet position to drop out telling him it wasn't his time yet but drop out and I will give you this great position and you can run for President after I leave. B was never experienced enough to run for President and he doesn't have the cred to run the dept in my view but hey if a Con man and Reality show clown can win the Presidency it only shows the even dumb people can and will run for the greatest job on earth. No qualifications or experience needed.
One last thought. My view is that in order to be a politician you must be a liar. It's a pre requisite. And to be a great politician you must be able to spoon feed BS to sound like caviar to anyone asking a difficult question. B is well educated and a very smooth talker. He never answers a difficult question but deflects the question with smooth BS just like he did with Anderson Cooper who gave one of his worst interviews. If Trump had half the smooth Con chat abilities that B has he would have won in a landslide.
I do not hold out much hope those responsible for the theft will ever be held accountable. I spent my entire savings and four years of my life doing something I loved only to see my stolen books being sold on Amazon and no one cares. Sad
Here is the link to the Intercept report and commentary: https://theintercept.com/2019/09/20/pete-buttigieg-south-bend-police/
Here is the link to the Anderson Cooper interview with Buttigieg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAWVY7PXR0E&ab_channel=CNN
Linda Raymond, Anthony Raymond, David Matthews, Pete Buttigieg, Chief Ruszkowski, the South Bend City Council members, the SB media-they are all corrupt in my view. How else do you explain no investigation of a million dollars worth of books stolen?
DeleteWe can now add Michelle Golebiewski a County Prosecutor and her boss, Ken Cotter as corrupt government officials as well. Neither have replied to over 24 phone messages left for them. Ms Golebiewski finally after a dozen phone calls answered her phone on Dec 1 and told me stealing a million dollars worth of books, selling them to David Matthews who in turn knowingly purchased stolen property and reselling them to book stores throughout the country were not criminal offenses and then hung up on me. I recorded the phone conversation and added the link to my second blog above. The whole City is a cesspool of corruption.
ReplyDelete