S.C. Rep. Stephen Goldfinch (RINO-Georgetown) is already under federal indictment for his role in an illegal stem cell operation … now the “Republican” lawmaker is facing a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit for his role in a treasure hunting scam.
You read that right … a treasure hunting scam.
According to court documents uncovered by The Brownsville (Texas) Herald, Goldfinch conned treasure hunter William E. Kenon of Port Isabel, Texas – who is now suing the shady lawmaker for $200 million.
“Goldfinch told Mr. Kenon he was a lawyer and a state legislator who was also a diver and treasure hunter,” the complaint states. “Goldfinch told Mr. Kenon he knew of two other (unknown) shipwrecks which could be salvaged, and he had a money-making proposition for Mr. Kenon: Goldfinch could provide Kenon with his secret knowledge about the wrecks, provide divers for the Rio Bravo, and Goldfinch and Mr. Kenon could make a lot of money.”
Kenon and Goldfinch met in September 2012, at which point the suit claims “Goldfinch reiterated he was a South Carolina lawyer and influential state legislator who was very knowledgeable about shipwrecks and diving, and he had a knack for business deals. He bragged about making 5 million dollars off the sale and distribution of stem cells in Texas.”
Hmmmm … wonder if the federal agents investigating Goldfinch’s role in the stem cell scam know about that claim?
Goldfinch is also accused of offering to use his “influence as a powerful lawyer and state legislator” to get Kenon access to explore South Carolina’s inland waterways.
According to Kenon’s complaint, Goldfinch recommended the two incorporate under a finder’s agreement – however Goldfinch drafted a separate incorporation agreement that enabled him and another partner to cut Kenon out of the company.
“Mr. Kenon repeatedly requested Goldfinch re-draft the Operating Agreement to be consistent with the original Finders Agreement, but he refused to do so,” the complaint alleges. “Instead, Goldfinch emphasized that he was a very powerful lawyer and legislator in South Carolina, and if Mr. Kenon wanted Goldfinch out of the picture, it was going to cost Mr. Kenon money to take him out.”
Wow …
FITS became wise to Goldfinch this year when he proposed that Palmetto State taxpayers subsidize yet another institution of higher learning – the Charleston School of Law. We were also the first outlet to report on his stem cell scam.
As far as we’re concerned, he is the definition of “a piece of work” and has no business holding a position of public trust …
Of course neither does South Carolina’s governor, Speaker of the House, etc., etc., etc.
36 comments
…and the picture of who this clown really is becomes clearer and clearer (I mean for the folks who didn’t already know what an odd bird Goldfinch is).
…what an odd bird Goldfinch is
*chuckles*
Could be worse…
Is he just an ordinary run of the mill “family values” Republican, or a cult TEA Party “hater”?
A flim flamer from Texas is flimed flamed by a smarter flim flamer from South Carolina and now he is abitchin about being out flim flamed
Almost as exciting when one politicial cockroach takes a bite out of another political cockroach – almost
True, indeed. Still slightly interesting, though, as Goldfinch’s allegedly shady dealings continue their trek toward the sunshine. The CSOL thing (which conveniently also involved his wife’s cushy seat on the CoC board – a twofer!), the stem cell madness, and now this. I just can’t avoid the schadenfreude as I wait for the next installment.
Mainstream media readily spread Goldfinch’s golden lies far and wide but is strangely silent about the Goldfinch’s angles probed by FITS (no pun intended) over the past several months. Wonder why?
Excellent question- this would be a great and interesting investigative piece for somebody who could connect all of these dots. I was talking to a guy from down on that end of the beach just the other day, and he was marveling at the fact that David Wren (the investigative guy at the Sun News in MB) won’t touch Goldfinch with a ten-foot pole, even though he associates with some real unsavory characters in some of his bizarro “business ventures.” I am certain that it wouldn’t have anything to do with the kajillions of dollars Goldfinch’s family spends advertising in that fish-wrapper of a paper. That would be unheard of…
In this age of exploding social media and instant news outlets traditional mainstream media seems to have adopted a role of ‘hand-shake’ (safe) journalism to survive and attract revenues. But truth has a strange way of coming out. God forbid we end up stumbling our way into a society where the pillars of our society are for sale.
Spot-on assessment, and you are obviously familiar with the Sun News’ M.O. Generally, they jump in only when there’s so much blood in the water that it becomes awkward not to.
Yep. Those guys were blasted by MB Chamber of Commerce in the recent past which probably blunted their investigative spirit. Otherwise, there is so much to investigate in just the Goldfinch’s stem cell scam. Goldfinch is yet to talk about his partner, Adereth, allegedly falsifying medical records, or where Goldfinch got his “blood from newborns” (and how many) or the doctors involved in the blood collection and the mothers who supposedly “agreed” to the sale of blood and stem cells from their newborns. Goldfinchs’s story completely lacks credibility at this point for lack of details and no supporting statements from others involved. Mind-boggling.
Right again (on the Sun News smackdown). Some of the guys in church this week (one of whom knows Goldfinch pretty well) were saying too that one or two of the folks in the salvage / treasure hunter part of this daddy’s boy’s portfolio have some sketchiness in their backgrounds as well. Maybe Jody Barr will get bored chasing pols around Columbia and come on down and start sticking that microphone in some faces down here near the big water…
Came to know today from multiple very very reliable sources (belonging to MUSC families and their friends circles) that 60 Minutes crew have been chasing this stem cell story for a long time (apparently since Fredd Branyon’s plea) and have been making multiple visits to MUSC. One cannot overstate what a MAJOR scoop it is for FITS to have manged to break the BIG story of Stephen Goldfinch’s involvement ahead of 60 Minutes, who apparently have been looking at this case for over 3 years. Bravo FITS!! Proud of you!! Proud to have someone from SC thinking faster than 60 Minutes. Also, one has to wonder about the quality of investigative minds at 60 minutes these days.
Really?! It would make things really interesting if this story, ignored flatly by the pathetic MSM at the beach (and Cola) got some national legs…
Yep. The information is 100% accurate (60 Minutes visits to MUSC). Maybe 60 Minutes already contacted Goldfinch for an on-camera interview, only time will tell. Also, the folks I talked to at a party yesterday were furious that MUSC leadership rushed to judgement on Dr.Dammai and abandoned him to the wolves. They say ‘mislabeling’ is a very technical violation and this is first case ever where FDA now claims (in Fredd Branyon’s plea) that stem cells are ‘drugs’. So, Dr.Dammai (like most scientists) could not have known this at the time he was consulting. Folks who know Dr.Dammai say there was no mutual “agreement [with MUSC] not to renew faculty contract” as claimed by MUSC. Sad sad story.
I have not heard anything about the treasure hunting scheme. Probably regular folks like you and me will post what they find out and we will know more. MSM will follow, if they have any brains left.
Are you sure that Stephen Goldfinch is related to the Goldfinch Funeral Home people? I thought he wasn’t.
On first blush it seems odd that The Sun News hasn’t reported more about Goldfinch, but then again-it’s The Sun News. David Wren’s investigating sometimes doesn’t go beyond merely summarizing court documents.
He is.
I am no fan of Goldfinch but I don;t see the claim. Did any money change hands?
Yeh ,I was wondering the same thing.
Be careful exposing people.What goes around comes around,and you’re so full of narcissistic pride,you’re ready for a fall:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8SO1bfT3v0
I’ve “fallen” several times. The problem? I always get back up.
If you got back up,you haven’t truly fallen,yet.
and you wouldn’t have such a big chip on your shoulder
Never, ever, trust a guy with a beard like that. Unless said guy is named Mark Lemke, who was clutch in the playoffs for the Braves in the early 90’s.
A slightly thicker version of an Arafat beard.
Jean Toal will call Bill Nettles for you if you can guarantee her 5 votes that are not already committed to her through James Smith, McConnell or Leatherman. She’s unethical like that and you will become one of her possessions. She will then tell you how to vote and for whom to vote for the remainder of your career. Ask Todd R.
$5 million from stem cell sale and distribution in Texas…wow. I hate to think that Goldfinch managed to bamboozle the Federal investigators (and their higher-ups) for all these years with his stem cell yarn (about Dr.Dammai) that most average people can immediately see through. It seems more likely, as we hear more details of the stem cell case, that public have been deliberately misled in order to cover-up the involvement of powerful interests.
And yet Republicans would vote for a ‘piece of work’ like Goldfinch, SC’s Governor, and Speaker of the House over ANY Democrat EVERY time. Sick.
There is no Democrat under the age of 67 worth voting for.
Yeah, like one of the most powerful Democrat leader and operatives in the state is Jean Toal who is over 67 Is she worth voting for? Right. More and more stories of her corruption are coming out of the woodwork recently for some reason.
Is it true the WIS lawyers put the muzzle on Jody Barr about Don Beatty and Jean Toal and their corrupt ways?
Actually, I was thinking of Bill Traxler and Little Joe. Jean was not a nice person in High School, and I think she’s still inclined in that direction. I certainly wasn’t thinking of of Jim Clyburn.
…and what? Dems flock to Republican candidates when? It takes a semi-retarded pervert like Alvin Greene to shave even a little of that off (if you recall, homeboy pulled almost 30% of the vote against Demint!). Of course, Greene had already SAILED through a Dem primary against a qualified candidate, but that was racial politics and a discussion for another day. Save your anti-Republican vitriol; both parties suck pretty equally, but for entirely different reasons. We’re pretty much screwed until something breaks loose, but don’t ask me what. If I had the answer I’d yell it from the rooftops…
Get used to it. When you force Obamacare on a free people, the backlash will be VIOLENT!!!…Thank God….
What makes you think you can govern with Revenge, Incompetence and Hate, and it not come back on you?…Are you Communist???
Is that a legislative selfie? Seriously.
Fits, you got some ‘splainin to do ’cause your dates don’t add up.
Your story says “Kenon and Goldfinch met in September 2012, at which point the suit claims “Goldfinch reiterated he was a South Carolina lawyer and influential state legislator who was…”
Goldfinch may have been a lawyer but he sure as hell wasn’t a legislator in September 2012. He wasn’t elected until two months later in November and didn’t take office till January 2013. A bit of a credibility problem, there. It’s also hard to believe somebody could rack up $200 million in damages in a year of (botched?) treasure hunting.
What were they looking for and did somebody else find it first?
No ‘splainin necessary. Goldfinch was unopposed in the Republican primary, and no Democrat filed, so he got a walk-over in the general, too. While he may not have been officially sworn in, that does not preclude a little anticipatory BS in September 2012. He won with 99+% of the vote in November.