This is an assertion of a history of racketeering and Ponzi Schemes relating to the attorneys and non-profits involved in the YDC cases. Attorney General John Formella sought $100 million of public funds to pay for claims against the State for victims of YDC abuse. David Vicinanzo states that he was one of the lead attorneys to seek it.
According to 169- C 3:
VII. “Child placing agency” means the department, Catholic Charities of New Hampshire, Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, or any successor organization.
David Vicinanzo and Nixon Peabody have served as legal counsel to the Diocese of Manchester, which covers Catholic Children’s Services and Catholic Charities.
Gordon MacDonald, New Hampshire’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, was also employed by Nixon Peabody and was also counsel for the Diocese of Manchester.
Together, David Vicinanzo and Gordon MacDonald handled hundreds of cases involving alleged child abuse for the Diocese.
Francis Talbot was a longtime chaplain at the YDC. He was accused of sexual abuse at the Diocese and convicted. He was not charged with sexual abuse at the YDC. I believe that David Vicinanzo and/or Gordon MacDonald or their colleagues at Nixon Peabody would have been involved in his case in 2002.
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Rule 1.7 requires Attorneys to reveal if a conflict of interest exists. I do not believe that David Vicinanzo or Gordon MacDonald have revealed this with regard to the YDC cases and their representation of the Diocese of Manchester, which included Catholic Charities and priests who had been accused of sex abuse, such as Francis Talbot – a Chaplin at YDC.
I believe there should be an investigation into quid pro quo arrangements when it comes to David Vicinanzo, who also claims that he provides “pro bono” legal counsel to the NHCADSV to whom his ex-business partner Gordon MacDonald referred plaintiffs of YDC abuse after he’d dismissed the initial case for “victim negligence.” David Vicinanzo and Nixon Peabody then joined Russ Rilee in the claims against YDC. It would be logical to assume that his client, the NHCADSV, introduced him.
It would be logical to assume that between he and his client, it was arranged for Timothy McLaughlin at Shaheen & Gordon to threaten me with a defamation suit to withdraw statements I had made about the NHCADSV and Amanda Grady Sexton being involved, with other public officials and attorneys, in a “kids for cash” type scheme. The NHCADSV has stated that they brought on Brian Harlow, a victim of Diocese of Manchester abuse, on the 10th anniversary of the Diocese investigation/Spotlight to increase their business. Brian Harlow came from non-profit SNAP. The Executive Directors of SNAP resigned after a whistleblower highlighted a kick back scheme with attorneys.
David Vicinanzo gave political donations to Ovide Lamontagne, Kelly Ayotte, John Sununu, Chris Sununu, John Stephen inter alia:
From Wikipedia:
As an attorney for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, Lamontagne negotiated the 2003 settlement of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s investigation into the child sex abuse scandal that spared the diocese from being criminally charged. In all, in the period of 2002–03, the diocese agreed to a $15.5 million settlement involving 176 claims of sex abuse.[5][6]
The May 2003 settlement of 61 abuse claims for $6.5 million handled by Lamontagne as counsel for the Manchester Diocese prevented the diocese from being criminally prosecuted. In December 2002, the diocese had admitted that its failure to protect children from sexual abuse may have been a violation of criminal law, becoming the first diocese in the United States to do so. Under threat of indictment by the New Hampshire Attorney General, Bishop John McCormack signed an agreement acknowledging that the Attorney General office possessed evidence sufficient to win convictions as part of the settlement.[7]
Lamontagne claimed that McCormack and other prominent church members wanted a speedy settlement and, in an example of behaving “pastorally” rather than as a litigant, instructed their attorneys to take a moderate stance and eschew hardline legal tactics. Lamontagne said of the diocese’s legal strategy, “That is not typical in terms of client requests.”[8]
John Stephen introduced the no-bid contract for Maximus Inc. for Medicaid in 2004. Maximus is contracted with Catholic Charities, and Kathleen Kerr, who was legal counsel for the NH DHHS/DCYF for 12 years, joined Maximus Inc. and is on the board. Maximus is contracted with the DCYF and YDC.
The YDC is named after John Sununu, to whom David Vicinanzo also gave generously.
Gordon MacDonald dismissed David Meehan et al.’s claims against the State for child abuse at the YDC for “victim negligence”. He then referred plaintiffs to the NHCADSV, who are David Vicinanzo’s clients. Then joined Russ Rilee and convinced Gordon MacDonald’s successor, John Formella, to get approval for $100 million. Nixon Peabody is seeking 40% of each claim they make. The NHCADSV I believe are also to receive a portion of each settlement as they did in Rapuano & Does v Dartmouth filed by Chuck Douglas and Steven J Kelly Esq who also filed several suits against St Paul’s School while David Vicinanzo represented members of St Paul’s Faculty.
David Vicinanzo praised Judge Richard McNamara’s decision to keep the Grand Jury Criminal Investigation Report private. His client who had petitioned for it – the NHCADSV – got a contract with the school out of it.
David Vicinanzo also represented Phillips Exeter Academy when the DCYF admitted to deleting files of sex abuse at the school. His client, the NHCADSV, got a contract out of it.
When Catholic Medical Center was forced to pay $3.8 million for a kickback scheme revealed by a whistleblower, Chuck Douglas stepped in to represent the whistleblower. Catholic Medical Center falls under Catholic Charities as well, and former Monsignor Edward Arsenault (who pled guilty to defrauding the Diocese of Manchester, CMC, and a dead priest’s estate) had been responsible for increasing the business for Catholic Charities and CMC. That means that he was responsible for increasing business for Nixon Peabody and Divine Millimet and John Stephen, who’d introduced Maximus and had a consulting company that is down the block from Nixon Peabody. David Vicinanzo had made political contributions to Ovide LaMontagne of Divine Millimet and to John Stephen.
Nixon Peabody has been involved in a couple of National Ponzi Schemes. At least one of them using public funds. The law firm was founded in 1999. David Vicinanzo and Gordon MacDonald joined. The Diocese cases quickly ensued. James F McLaughlin was the police officer. Edward Arsenault was the “compliance” officer, personally arranging 250 settlements according to his bio, and Chuck Douglas was filing many of the claims.
Chuck Douglas was New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice when John Sununu was Governor. Chuck Douglas allegedly ordered a teenage girl back to YDC after the State had paid for her to have an abortion. In Chuck Douglas’ divorce proceedings from Caroline Douglas, she accused him of financial fraud and spoke of the “club” of attorneys and judges. They are the same club today as they were in 1999. And they are protecting James F McLaughlin, attorneys, non-profits, and AGs who have all benefitted from the Diocese cases, the St. Paul’s School cases, and the Phillips Exeter Academy cases.
Not one of these is asking for a Grand Jury Investigation into the YDC. The DOJ funds UNH for research and policy regarding child sex abuse. The centers have been operating in one form or another since 1978. The DOJ has funded the New Hampshire Justice system for the prosecution of youths. The NHCADSV endorsed former juvenile prosecutor Paul Havorsen to become DA for Merrimack County. He had sent children to YDC, where they were abused. Forty years after the UNH center was formed, the Office of Child Advocate came into existence.
In a few months, it published a report on the extreme abuse of children at YDC. UNH never did this. Is it because the YDC is a sexual and mental abuse research center? Is it because the abuse of children at facilities that fall under Catholic Charities or the DCYF can have their data taken and become studies for UNH, whose chair is Alex Walker, who is also Chair of the Catholic Medical Center and represented the Diocese of Manchester with Ovide LaMontagne?
How can you assure the public that Nixon Peabody’s representation of the YDC cases, St Paul’s School faculty, Phillips Exeter Academy, and the Diocese of Manchester were not Ponzi schemes benefitting attorneys and non-profits in a small club that included Chuck Douglas, the NHCADSV, the AGs office, Edward Arsenault, James F McLaughlin, and DCYF?
Should the public be the first ones to foot the bill for the $100 million in claims of sex abuse or the people in the club above who have profiteered? These attorneys have dozens of companies, properties, and shell companies. Two of Nixon Peabody’s partners are on the board of directors for Primary Bank, which is the bank for Children’s Advocacy Centers. The bank’s directors are also heavily involved in Catholic charity-related businesses.
Please investigate Ponzi schemes before the public is defrauded. The FRM Ponzi scheme under Kelly Ayotte’s tenure as AG involved the Banking Department and other public offices. The AG’s office has withheld information on the cover-ups of YDC abuse. I understand that victims are unable to access their medical records from the doctors they were sent to see while at YDC. These doctors were affiliated with the Catholic Medical Center/Charities.
There must be a clear and transparent investigation before the public is further defrauded. The money came to New Hampshire for child services. It was used for everything but the protection of children. AG Gordon MacDonald dismissed Anna Carrigan v New Hampshire. What is going on?
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