Gretchen Belli, defendant in Barwest lawsuit, did jail time for crimes against the City of Taft, CA

A January 15, 2005 agenda for the Taft (CA) City Council indicates:

"In or about 2000, the City of Taft entered into a consulting agreement with Gretchen Belli to perform various consulting services. The consulting agreement was terminated in early 2001. Sometime thereafter, Mrs. Belli and her son, Jacob Ritchey, were indicted by the Kern County Grand Jury for several crimes against the City of Taft including four felony counts of (1) grand theft, (2) attempted grand theft, (3) filing a false or fraudulent claim for payment with the City of Taft, and (4) conspiracy to defraud to the City of Taft."

A story published July 27, 2005 in the Bakersfield Californian reads:

"The long, sordid tale of a onetime Bay Area socialite accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from Taft for fancy homes and vacations has one more mystery left: What will her punishment be after pleading no contest to two felonies? Gretchen Belli faces time in state prison or county jail -- or no lockup at all -- when she is sentenced in Kern County Superior Court Aug. 16, Deputy District Attorney Craig Smith said Tuesday. It's very likely Judge Jon Stuebbe will order Belli to pay $29,970 restitution to Taft, he said. The Taft City Council paid Belli's company some $760,000 in 2000 and 2001 to consult on economic development projects that eventually were abandoned..."

Subsequently the minutes for the August 30, 2005 meeting of the Taft City Council indicate:

"...that the Gretchen Belli trial is over, and that she received 60 days jail time and deposited $29,750 in an account for the City of Taft.."

Gretchen Belli is the former daughter in law of famed San Francsico attorney Melvin Belli. She is listed as a consultant in the credits of the 2007 film "Zodiac." She is also known as Evelyn Gretchen BELLI, Gretchen Riddell, and Gretchen Riddel Ritchey. Belli is named in a lawsuit filed by Barwest LLC June 21, 2007.

It is likely that Barwest's connection to Willie L. Brown, Jr. involved Gretchen Belli.

Barronhaus LTD, Barron Mazel and Marc Palazzo were originally involved with the Los Coyotes Tribe & Detroit-based casino syndicate Barwest LLC

excerpts as posted at http://www.barronhaus.com/
BARRONHAUS LTD.

OUR CORPORATE CHARTER, MISSION & PHILOSOPHY

BARRONHAUS LTD. (“Barronhaus”) was chartered for the purpose of providing innovative and individualized financing and financial management advisory services to both domestic and international companies. Many of our client companies have specialized needs which are not readily addressed through the limited traditional service offerings of most commercial lending institutions and investment banking houses, and which require a special insight or focus. We are uniquely responsive to the practical requirements of start-up entities, emerging growth companies, Native American tribes, corporations in the process of engineering financial turnarounds or reorganizations, lower to middle-market enterprises (i.e., entities with annual sales and/or market capitalizations of between $2 million US to $500 million US), mature firms in distressed industries, and international companies with complex or combined funding requirements.

Barronhaus serves as a direct lender or equity investor, a syndicate participant, a broker, a placement agent, an advisor, an administrator, or in some combination of roles, depending upon the specific circumstances and requirements in each case. Barronhaus’s network of correspondents and syndicate participants includes a host of industrial finance companies, factoring firms, insurance companies, trade finance houses, foreign banks, investment banks, pension funds and private venture capitalists. Regardless of the nature of our participation, Barronhaus prides itself on our relationship-centered focus...

OUR CLIENT MARKET
Native American Tribes seeking capital for land development and gaming enterprises or expansions thereof including, vendor leasing or financing, working capital, project development and expansion; Barronhaus and its principals have secured over $300 million in capital commitments for various Native American projects including gaming, land development and health clinic development.

Barron Mazel, Founder and Managing Director of Barronhaus Ltd. has been an investment banker specializing in corporate finance, project financing and mergers and acquisitions and leveraged transactions for the past 40 years. A partial list of clients Mr. Mazel has concluded transactions with includes: Republic Corporation, Litton Industries, Malibu Record, Lito Veal Company, Durango Brothers Meat Company, and Quality Foods Company, Nabisco Corporation, Tool Research & Engineering, The Rug Doctor LP, BarWest LLC, Los Coyotes Band of Indians, Group West Companies, I.A. Foster Grant, Inc., and Multimedia Gaming. Previously, Mr. Mazel was Co-founder of Legal Reserve Life Insurance, and Vice President of Citizens Life and Casualty Insurance and an Executive at Equity Funding Corp. Mr. Mazel was a Corporal Medic in the United States Air Force and attended the University of California at Los Angeles.

Marc A. Palazzo, Esq., arranged initial conference calls and meeting between Barwest LLC/Los Coyotes Tribe and Willie Brown, Jr. (former Mayor of San Francisco and former Speaker of the California Assembly), he has been an attorney and an investment banker specializing in corporate and gaming finance, corporate operational and financial restructuring, project financing and acquisitions and leveraged transactions for the past 20 years. Mr. Palazzo currently is General Counsel and Managing Director of Barronhaus Ltd., an investment banking firm and a Director of Monarch Medical, Inc. a developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary medical disposable products. Mr. Palazzo also serves as a Director of a company engaged in travel, leisure, art animation cels (Dino Babies, Ninja Turtles). Mr. Palazzo was the Chief Financial Officer for AFI, LLC, an owner/manager of 33 properties for site development and commercial product sales during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia and was Operating Manager for First American Games LLC, a company established to develop Native American Gaming Projects in 1994. Previously, Mr. Palazzo was Vice President at Lincolnshire Management, a Leveraged Buyout firm, and Head of Public Acquisitions of Sakura Bank (formerly Mitsui Taiyo Kobe). Mr. Palazzo practiced corporate and securities law with Certilman Haft LeBow Balin Buckley & Kremer in New York, New York. Mr. Palazzo has a Masters in Business Administration - Finance (with honors) from the University of Chicago, a Juris Doctor from the Temple University School of Law and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Akron.

Meeting arrangements and payment instructions for Willie Brown's Barstow casino related lobbying services

TVT has obtained various documents shedding further light on Willie Brown's involvement with Detroit-based casino syndicators pushing a Barstow casino including several emails regarding meetings with, and payment to, Willie L. Brown, Jr. for his efforts to lobby in Sacramento on behalf of the interests of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians and Detroit-based Barwest, LLC. Among them we discover the following:

FEBRUARY 2, 2004
An email from Marc A. Palazzo, General Counsel for Barronhaus Ltd., dated February 2, 2004 notified certain participants including officials with the City of Barstow of an initial face-to-face meeting with Willie Brown on February 3 at 11:00 a.m. using the Law Offices of Kay & Merkle – 100 Embarcadero (at Mission)

Prior to that meeting taking place, Brown’s assistant Meredith MacNeill had indicated the following to Palazzo which he included in this email:

Meredith MacNeill: "I have spoken with Willie Brown and he would like to have the funds wire transferred. I have all the appropriate information you need to make the transfer happen."

FEBRUARY 20, 2004
An email from Meredith MacNeill (Willie Brown’s assistant) dated February 20, 2004, and sent via an email address at Carolyn Carpeneti Productions, provided notice and details for a follow-up conference call with Willie Brown that had been organized for Monday, February 23rd at 10:00 a.m. PST. The following anticipated participants were notified:

• Carolyn Carpeneti (Willie Brown’s fundraiser and the mother of his daughter)
• Marc A. Palazzo (New York attorney for Barronhaus Ltd. and investment banker who had assisted MacNeill with coordination of the initial February 2 meeting)
• Michael J. Malik (Detroit casino syndicator; principal, Barwest LLC)
• Lance Boldrey (attorney Dykema Gossett; represents Barwest LLC)
• Ron Rector (economic development director, City of Barstow)
• Lawrence Dale (Mayor, City of Barstow)
• William Serwer (attorney Ehrlich, Foley & Serwer; represents and structures Michael J. Malik’s various business interests including Barwest LLC)
• Barron Maisel (unclear; but believed to be a broker/business advisor for the Los Coyotes tribe)

NOTE: There are no records on file with the California Secretary of State disclosing any lobbying activity Willie Brown may have undertaken on behalf of Barwest, LLC or the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians.

Ilitch Spokesman confirmed Wheat, Brown & Rossetti were on board for lobbying and consultation

as pubished 10.20.04 in the Desert Dispatch:

"...There are no guarantees that the state or federal government will approve the casino, but BarWest has an impressive team, including Alan Wheat, a former congressman from Kansas; Mike Rossetti, formerly a top aide to Interior Secretary Gale Norton; and Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco.

"Shields said

• Wheat is on board as a federal lobbyist,


• Brown is doing state lobbying and


• Rosetti, an attorney, is a consultant. Shields said Rosetti is an asset partly because he's well-respected at the Interior Department..."

1. Wheat Government Relations has been retained by Barwest LLC as well as other Michael Malik/Marian Ilitch affiliates (Gateway Casino Resorts LLC, Blue Water Resorts LLC) and tribal partners (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Shinnecock Indian Nation). From 2002-2006 those entities paid Wheat Government Relations at least $1.4 million.
   


2. While Barwest spokesman Tom Shields indicated Willie L. Brown, Jr. was a lobbyist for Barwest LLC and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, Brown was never registered as their lobbyist with the California Secretary of State as would be required.
   


3. Michael Rossetti's status as a "Consultant" to the Detroit casino syndicators, while employed at a law firm (Akin Gump) that also is one of the top three lobbying firms on Capitol Hill, is suspect. Although the Detroit Team has retained other Akin Gump attorneys who are not registered as their lobbyists either. Rossetti's post Interior role with the Seneca Nation which has come into question is similar to his role with Barwest and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians, although Rossetti earlier had intervened on the Seneca Nation's behalf while still at Interior.

SF Chronicle editors warned Willie Brown commands a high price and leaves little paper trail

posted at sfgate.com 4.08.04 and previously published as an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle:

EDITORIAL

Bright lights, small city

IT SEEMS only natural that Willie Brown, the charismatic, erudite former mayor of San Francisco would be attracted to the bright lights of a growing city. Now he has found a new town in which to make his mark -- booming Barstow.

Brown, who during his career has shown a flair for high-level deal-making, has been hired as a lobbyist by the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeo Indians in San Diego and the BarWest development company to help them bring an Indian casino to the thirsty desert town between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It's a pact that shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed Brown's headline- grabbing career -- the only paper trail he leaves behind is one lined with money. [NOTE: Brown never registered as a Barwest or Los Coyotes lobbyist]

The Los Coyotes Indians are one of the scores of tribes in California trying to cash in on the state's wildly expanding gambling industry. With gaming interests trying to turn every piece of "tribal'' land into 24-hour- slot-machine sanctuaries, it was only a matter of time before Barstow's tribes saw a dice-rich oasis in their corner of the desert.

Who better to deliver the goods than a big-city gambler such as Willie? If the desert dwellers in Barstow haven't the foggiest notion of how Brown operates, they'll soon realize that this is one deal they shouldn't bet against.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/08/EDGGB61ELI1.DTL

(This article appeared on page B - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle )

What was Willie Brown's role with Barwest's original Barstow casino proposal?

In a reference to Willie L. Brown, Jr., the former Speaker of the California Assembly and later Mayor of San Francisco, the Berkley Daily Planet posted the following on 11.16.04:

"Earlier this year, Brown has surfaced as a lobbyist for BarWest LLC, which is developing plans for a casino in the Barstow area with the Los Coyotes Band of the Cahuilla and Cupeno peoples.

"The casino plan is being floated by Marina Ilitch, who with her spouse owns the Little Caesars Enterprises (Little Caesars Pizza), the Detroit Redwings hockey team and a quarter-interest in the MotorCity Casino in Detroit."

Willie L. Brown, Jr. never registered as a lobbyist for Barwest LLC nor the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians.

Plans for a Los Coyotes Indian Casino in Barstow were rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in March 2004. Ilitch was reportedly encouraged by some in the Governor's office to consider talks reagarding a Barstow casino with a northern California tribe, the Big Lagoon Rancheria Indians.

Chronicle columnists confirmed Barwest had hired Willie Brown as an advocate in Sacramento

4.07.04

COLUMN: Matier & Ross

Gamblin' man: Willie Brown has long had a fascination with gambling, and his latest bet is with the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians of San Diego County and Detroit-based BarWest development.

The two groups have hired the former San Francisco mayor to help pave the way for an off-reservation Indian casino they're planning to build in Barstow (San Bernardino County), of all places.

"Basically, Brown was retained to help us through the state government process, and that includes working with the governor's office and the Legislature,'' said Tom Shields, spokesman for BarWest.

"Obviously, he is one of the most well-known figures in state government, and he understands the process and can help guide us through it,'' Shields said.

And he's not the only star in the mix -- one of BarWest's partners is Marian Ilitch, wife of Mike Ilitch, owner of the Little Caesars pizza chain, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings.

The Los Coyotes Band is one of a number of tribes negotiating with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for compacts that would allow them to operate as many as 2,000 slot machines per casino in exchange for the state getting a slice of the revenue.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why a San Diego-based tribe wants to put a casino in Barstow:

"It's halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas,'' Shields said. “We figured it's the perfect location.''

Brown declined to provide specifics about his new work because of attorney-client privilege, but said, "I'm a lawyer back practicing law, and I have a lot of clients . . . and I'm earning an honest living.''