bgodot@wixer.UUCP (Buck Godot) (06/04/91)
The following letter recently appeared in Sour Graoes Magazette, an
Austin, Texas publication. It points some very barbed accusations at
Pencom. It also includes an intimidating carbon copy list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
John F. Akers, CEO
IBM
Old Orchard Rd.
Armonk, NY 10504
Dear Mr. Akers:
I am writing this in order to warn you. Pencom has deceived
IBM, the Austin Technology Incubator, and a number of other high-tech
companies.
Two principal staff members of Pencom Systems, Inc. are
operating under dual identities. Edward Taylor, a vice-president of
Pencom Systems, also goes by the name of Edward C. Ateyeh. Thomas
Morgan, a manger (sic) of technical research for Pencom Systems, also
goes by the name of Thomas Pallister.
There is also the matter of the possibility of insider trading.
Pencom employs Clinton R. Tomlinson as a recruiter. He is also a
securities dealer licensed with First American National Securities.
Sincerely,
Simon Templar
cc:
Jerry Carlson, Austin Site Manager
Jim P. Manzi, Lotus Development Corporation
Bruce Walker, Lotus Computing Corporation
Steven Jobs, NeXT Computer
Securities and Exchange Commission
Internal Revenue Service
Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire
Polemicist
Sour Grapes Magazette
Austin American-Statesman
Austin Chronicle
Dallas Morning News
The Houston Post
The New York Times
Barron's
Wall Street Journal
KTBC
KXAN
KVUE
Time
Newsweek
Business Week
Forbes
John Dvorak, PC Magazine
NeXTWorld
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Has anyone heard of these people or the securities company? Does
anyone know how to prove or disprove these accusations? Any
opinions?
...!cs.utexas.edu!helps!wixer!bgodotmrc@milton.u.washington.edu (Mark Crispin) (06/04/91)
Just about the only thing that I can tell from this letter is that someone -- `Simon Templar' is presumably a pseudonym -- has a vendetta against Pencom and has embarked on a campaign to defame Pencom and the people who work there. The most likely explanation is a disgruntled ex-employee. Even if there is any basis for the rather vague accusations, there is no reason to believe that anything illegal or even irregular is going on. It is legal to use an alias; it could be nothing more than an attempt to be discreet in moonlighting. The `insider trading' claim is nothing more than grasping at straws; it's meaningless unless Pencom stock is publicly traded and even so the employment of a particular individual proves nothing. It is possible that Pencom and the individuals named may have justification to sue for libel, provided they can identify the individual responsible. I have no relationship with Pencom except as a very satisfied customer. I would be saddened if their business is unjustifiably damaged by this vicious smear campaign. -- DoD#105
rogers@norad (Rogers L Hellman) (06/05/91)
Buck Godot recently posted a letter that had appeared in Sour Grapes
Magazette (an incredibly appropriate name). The letter contained
some facts and lots of insinuation and innuendo. i.e.:
Thomas Pallister and Edward Ateyeh are operating under
the names Thomas Morgan and Edward Taylor.
Clinton Tomlinson is possibly involved in insider trading.
Mr. Godot then asks the question, does anyone know how to prove or
disprove these accusations? Which is, of course, the point of this
posting.
Yes, Mr. Ateyeh and Mr. Pallister do go by the names Mr. Taylor
and Mr. Morgan for the reason that the latter set of names are
easier for Americans to remember and pronounce. Many of the
people reading this that come from non-anglican ancestry and who
live in the United States have ancestors who changed their family
name for the same reason.
Yes, Mr. Tomlinson is a licensed securities dealer, and while it is
POSSIBLE that he is engaging in insider trading, he simply isn't
doing so. Pencom is privately held and Mr. Tomlinson is only licensed
for trading mutual funds. Besides, his fellow employees don't think
he is smart enough. (just kidding Clint -)
One final point. The letter was signed "Simon Templar" a fictional
character also known as "the Saint". The original Simon Templar,
even portrayed as a roguish burglar and ladies man, displayed
higher ethics than this latest incarnation.
Rogers Hellman. Yes, I do work for Pencom, but with 10+
years of Unix experience, I don't worry about employment.
In this case I do NOT speak for my employer, only in his
behalf.jiro@shaman.com (Jiro Nakamura) (06/05/91)
In article <9106032341.AA00623@wixer> bgodot@wixer.UUCP (Buck Godot) writes: > > The following letter recently appeared in Sour Graoes Magazette, an > Austin, Texas publication. It points some very barbed accusations at > Pencom. It also includes an intimidating carbon copy list. The whole thing is full of air. I could write a letter with an intimidating CC: list anyday. Hell, I'm surprised the author didn't include Georgie Bush in the deal. :-! If I were Pencom, I'd sue Mr. Templar for libel. If I were anyone else, I'd ignore this. Mr. Templar makes no verifiable accusations, in fact he makes no accusations at all. Operating under a different name is no crime anywhere. And I don't see how employing a securities dealer constitutes "insider trading." - Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com ps. I have no dealing with Pencom except that I once reviewed one of their pieces of software. I found them to be a good company and would hate to see them slammed so. -- Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com The Shaman Group (607) 256-5125 VOICE "Bring your dead, dying shamans here!" (607) 277-1440 FAX/Data