Busted Martial Artists

[GeneChing]

...which means there's a lot of backlog for this thread.

Martial arts instructor jailed for sex with girl
A martial arts teacher who had sex with a 14-year-old pupil has been jailed.

Neil Levesley was asked to take the girl for private Tae Kwon Do lessons and the pair had sex twice at his home after they became close, Cambridge Crown Court heard.

The 32-year-old bank worker, who was aware of the youngster's age and had confided in one of her friends the relationship could "ruin his career", admitted two charges of unlawful sexual activity.

He was sentenced to 21 months.

The two stopped seeing one another at the end of last year because of the age issue, but got back together, Sara Walker, for the prosecution, told the court.

The girl's mother became suspicious about the nature of the friendship and confronted them, but both denied they were in a relationship.

When police were informed of the suspicions they seized the pair's phones and found texts from Levesley to the girl about how much he loved being with her.

Levesley, arrrested in March at his home, Croft Park Road, Ely, confessed to what had happened between them. The friendship had developed into an emotional relationship when Levesley was at a "low ebb", following the sudden break-up with his long-term partner, Mark Shelley told the court in mitigation.

"He had had a large setback in his life and formed the friendship with the girl which then developed," he said.

"This was not a grooming type of operation. This was not a predatory case where a man identified someone he could prey on.

"This developed was an emotional relationship which was very much consensual."

Rejecting an appeal for a suspended sentence to enable Levesley's participation on a sex offender programme, Judge Anthony Batewho told him that as a mature adult, he should have resisted temptation.

"You were the girl's trusted teacher. Adults who cross the line have to be punished and I regard an immediate term of imprisonment as the only sentence appropriate," he said.

He also banned Levesley from working with children under the age of 16 in future and ordered him to sign on the Sex Offender register when he is freed.

Martial Arts Instructor Arrested for Attempted Sex Assault
Updated: Sep 4, 2008 09:48 PM

The owner of a local Tae Kwon Do school is under arrest and charged with attempted sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Police fear there may be more victims.

41-year-old Luis Castro was arrested in connection with the alleged incident in the summer of 2007.

Castro's school is located in the northeast part of the valley. He is also involved in other youth organizations.

Metro is asking others who can help the investigation to call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Warrant: Martial arts instructor was sharing bedroom with teen
Joseph Gailes
Posted: Today at 1:20 a.m.
Updated: 41 minutes ago

Fuquay-Varina, N.C. — A search warrant released this week indicates a former martial arts instructor accused of having sex with a teenage student, was sharing a bedroom with another 15-year-old when he was arrested last November.

According to a search warrant affidavit for cell phone records of Joseph Matthew Gailes, 31, of 3674 River Road, Fuquay-Varina, and the second girl, the girl's father told police that Gailes and his daughter but did not sleep together.

He said the two took turns sleeping on the couch in the living room and did not sleep in the same bedroom.

The father also told police the two would send text messages "a lot" to one another and that Gailes had provided her with the cell phone they used to message one another.

According to the warrant affidavit, the girl told police that she and Gailes "were very open with the text messages" and admitted they "could be seen as different" but said their relationship was "just friendship."

Gailes, who taught tae-kwon-do at Vision Martial Arts in Fuquay-Varina, already faces three counts of statutory rape involving an alleged relationship with another 15-year-old girl, including a sexual encounter in a hotel room during a Durham martial arts tournament last September.

[iron_leg_dave]

...which means there's a lot of backlog for this thread.

When I was 18, I was the only mentor kids had where I was living. I remember, two kids of mixes Japanese Hawaiin and Irish descent who I still keep in contact with I did judo with every day. They were little, like 9 and 11 years old.

they atarted going to this BS martial arts school, and when things started to smell wierd, I started to tell them to tell their instructor about me and that I said that his system was fake and that I was going to come to class.

I had fully intended on it.

He left town, and didn't take his sh** with him.

Sadly, think this kind of stuff is way more common than gets reported.

Ironically, my best shaolin mentor sold drugs. And slept with women half his age. Who were 18-20.

[GeneChing]

...as long as your 36 or older.

Here's a to-be-busted article.

SIMI's karate teachers have Gujarat cops worried
10 Sep 2008, 0503 hrs IST, Paul John,TNN

AHMEDABAD/SURAT: A nondescript organisation called Darsgah-Jihad-o-Shahadath (DJS) has been vexing Gujarat police for the past few months. Its association with the new radical wing of SIMI cadres is being looked into by several agencies.

DJS, as it is called, offers training in self-defense to its cadres and operates from Hyderabad and Secunderabad region, with Shaikh Mehboob Ali heading the front. In their confession statements to MP police, two SIMI leaders Ameel Pervez Farooqi and Safdar Nagori had mentioned their close association with DJS. The SIMI-DJS association dates back to 2002.

"The organisation trains youngsters in martial arts especially karate and 'lathi' and various other fitness regimes. The training manual happens to be on the lines of the RSS. The organisation maintains a website that consists of photographs of its training activities," says a senior police official.

DJS was upfront in lodging protests against Gujarat ATS team led by DySP NK Amin during the arrests of Maulana Naseeruddin in 2005 from Hyderabad, in connection with the Maulana's association with the Lashkar-e-Toiba . Amin had shot at a crowd protesting against the arrests that claimed the life of Mujahid Salim Islahi. DJS had taken to the streets and demanded Amin's arrest. It has openly declared on its website that both Amin and Chief Minister Narendra Modi are its biggest enemies.

Investigators believe that DJS members may have been helping SIMI organise training camps for its cadres. Besides being more than 25 years old, DJS is suspected to be in close contact with other radical groups operating from Andhra Pradesh. AP police has been providing necessary inputs on the organisation and its existing operations around the country, both to Mumbai and Gujarat police.

Towards the end of November last year, a training camp for SIMI cadres was organised in Kerala that included SIMI leader PA Shibly, where some youths from Gujarat, including Zahid from Ahmedabad was trained. According to clues provided by MP police, many in this camp had assumed pseudo names - and each identity was kept secret. The training camp was organised for the purpose of segregating the 'cream' to be later sent for arms and explosives training outside the country while another cadre would be involved in 'mass murder' operations.

[JGTevo]

I agree that it's not a crime, but it's an abuse of power when one uses their extreme influence as a teacher, for things like that... Psychologically when someone looks up to a person and follows them, you can get them to do almost anything, hence the reason why such extreme brutality was possible from Germany during WW2, and how such extreme brutality is possible in the middle east right now. I mean, it's something completely different to have a relationship with a student, and train a suicide bomber... but the reason I bring that up is to illustrate how easily people are influenced by someone who they consider a "Teacher" or "Leader".

[chaiwai]

Martial arts instructors are not angels. Why do people expect only the best from them?

[iron_leg_dave]

Martial arts instructors are not angels. Why do people expect only the best from them?

I remember, when I first met that longfist/hsing yi instructor, he said he never dated his students. I trained with him for years, and he never did date a student. Even with his breaking lots of laws, getting in fist fights, selling pot and dating women (of legal age) half his age, his gong fu was good, he was healthy, and he had an earily righteous feel to everyone that met him. Maybe some hannibal lector psychology sh**...

[GeneChing]

5 or 6 years old. abominable.

Bond set for martial arts studio co-owner
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
6:03 p.m. September 12, 2008

SAN DIEGO – Bond was set at $150,000 Friday in federal court for the co-owner of a Ramona martial arts studio who is charged with possession of child pornography.

William Joseph Hazlitt, 27, was arrested in Ramona Wednesday by FBI agents and San Diego County sheriff's deputies. According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday, Hazlitt possessed a computer containing images of child pornography.

During the execution of a search warrant, Hazlitt told FBI agents and other law-enforcement authorities that he “was stimulated by the images of kids as young as 5 or 6 years old,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra P. Serano, who is prosecuting the case, said following the Friday court hearing.

Hazlitt is scheduled to appear Sept. 25 for a preliminary hearing, but Serano said there may be a request for a continuance.

Serano said Hazlitt has “denied any inappropriate touching” of children he worked with, and authorities “don't have any evidence” of such.

“But in these types of cases, if we have a person who is regularly around children, they will follow up and do an investigation just to be sure,” she said.

[GeneChing]

contracts....

Call 4 Action: Karate scam?

MISSION -- A Mission family issued a Call 4 Action after getting out of karate classes contract cost them $600.

Iliana Lerma told Action 4 News that she feels like she’s playing a tug of war game after trying to cancel a contract with Texas Martial Arts.

“They were very nice at first, willing to help, saying if we wanted to cancel, they’d help us out," Lerma explained.

Both she and her husband considered enrolling their son in classes for the unforgettable experience they advertise.

She said her husband took a tour and brought home a contract.

After they discussed it they realized it was more than they could afford in their budget and sent a letter to cancel the contract.

"When we actually tried to cancel and my husband went back to get the contract papers, that's when the man said, 'No, you already signed the contract that money is ours'," Lerma recalled.

The contract states cancellations must be sent by certified mail within three days or you will be billed monthly.

But the Lerma family mailed in their letter on May 16, four days after touring the facility.

Texas Martial Arts owner Jason Solis said the rules are spelled out in black and white in the contract he showed us.

“Martial Arts is a commitment that we expect people to take seriously," he said. "We love training with them and in order to make sure they are measurable results, we do like to see people finish their entire term of agreement."

Lerma said the program is good and appreciates what they do for children.

“But when it comes to families realizing they can’t pay those fees, he should be understanding about it," Lerma said.

She said she understands a cancellation fee, but $600 dollars is steep.

Meanwhile, every month the bill isn’t paid she is charged a $10 dollar late fee.

Solis told Action 4 News that there are already about ten students enrolled in his class and paying the monthly fee but do not attend.

“We're more than willing to charge a small cancellation fee, for the time and paperwork to process," Solis said. "We'd be more than glad to do that. Even better, we'd be more than glad to have Issac come in and experience the benefit of training with us still."

[GeneChing]

not really a bust at all. quite the opposite. but i love the closure line - "toddle off to the public toilets in the middle of the night"

Matviyenko's Son Threatens Suit
22 September 2008By Anna Malpas / Staff WriterThe son of St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko is threatening to sue a British newspaper that wrote he insisted on staying at Nottingham Castle -- of Robin Hood fame -- in lieu of a hotel in the city.

The story, which appeared Tuesday in the Nottingham Evening Post, said banker Sergei Matviyenko was planning to attend a martial arts competition and had rejected a four-star hotel in favor of staying at the castle.

The report, which claimed that he would be arriving with a 40-person entourage, quoted Matviyenko as saying: "I was looking forward to learning more about Robin Hood while staying at this historic place."

The story was picked up by British tabloid The Sun and given the headline: "Russian Can't Rent Robin's 'Hood.'"

But a spokesman for VTB-Development, where Matviyenko is general director, said Friday that Matviyenko was not planning to attend the martial arts competition and had not asked to book the castle.

"Sergei is planning to sue the Nottingham Evening Post for slander and undermining his business reputation," spokesman Ivan Balyuk said in an e-mail.

A Nottingham Evening Post employee said the newspaper was unaware of any planned lawsuits and said there would be no official comment. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Martial arts promoter Tony McDonagh said he had been asked to book rooms for Matviyenko and had called the castle, among other venues. "I contacted a number of places on his behalf," he said. "The castle was one place. It was basically my idea."

Matviyenko did not have a 40-person entourage, McDonagh said. The Sept. 27 competition involves some 40 Russians, including athletes, but Matviyenko's request was for "up to eight more people," he said.

McDonagh said he had been asked to book the rooms by M1 Global, a martial arts events promoter. Matviyenko is vice president of the martial arts league Mix Fight M1.

Vadim Finkelshtein, the president of the Mix Fight M1 league, derided the hubbub as "completely stupid." "We didn't ask for anything, no palace. They have made Sergei into a monster," he said, adding that he would attend the competition and stay in a three-star hotel. He said Matviyenko would not go and had never planned to go.

Nottingham Castle supervisor Ynys Crowston-Boaler said the castle, which is now a museum, was not fit for Matviyenko or any other overnight guests because it has "no ensuites or plumbing."

"He wouldn't want to toddle off to the public toilets in the middle of the night," Crowston-Boaler said.

[ngokfei]

Hey Gene

I don't think the posting
Typical .....Karate Scam.

has any place on this Busted thread.

I believe the main purpose of this thread was to identify child predators.

Something that is a business dispute IMO doesn't belong here.

Contracts?
As far as I know your new sifu Tony Chen makes use of contracts in his gyms, or am I wrong?

And probably 90% of the businesses that purchase Wholesale from your employer use contracts as well.
Best not to dump where you eat.

[GeneChing]

If the main purpose of this thread was to identify child predators, I'd have called it the "child predators thread". I'm on a lot of web newsfeeds. Whenever martial arts have a brush with the law, I post it here. Most of them are child predators, but if you scroll back, you'll find other legal issues.

As for contracts, yes, most schools use them. That's why I posted the . Obviously if the law goes after contracts, that's opening Pandora's box, not just with martial arts schools, but fitness clubs, music schools, dance academies, gymnastic schools and all sorts of contract-based private schools.

You project a lot, ngokfei. It's your tragic flaw...

[ngokfei]

Well if that is the case then the Thread Title should be changed to something else.

The term busted suggests an actual Arrest, or even found guilty of a crime.

For the most part this thread has been aimed at child Predators.

I don't recall any other additions being directed at a Civil Case such as the one you referrenced.

Yes I believe I do project myself well. Only a flaw to those on the receiving end. I have a hard time talking out both sides of my mouth

California is one of the only states that labels MA Schools as nothing more than Health clubs (not schools in the educational sense) and are required to follow their regulations. Alot of the Contractual program selling and upgrading are being scruitinized with a few lawsuits being made against major organizations for prescidence as we speak. That may be a informative article to have covered for the mag.

[GeneChing]

By definition, 'busted' is slang for an arrest. Then again, busted is slang. All the news items I link to in this thread involve martial arts who have run afoul enough with the law to get covered by the press. That's another form of being busted in my mind. Nowadays, it's seems even more devastating.

Martial art man's 'benefit fraud'
Adrian Blayney

A man running twice-weekly martial arts courses was overpaid £11,100 disability living allowance, a court has heard.

A fraud investigator watched Adrian Blayney, 49, teaching choi kwang do at Aberdare, Neath magistrates were told.

But Mr Blayney, of Cimla, Neath, told the court his role in the classes at Aberdare was mostly supervisory.

He denies failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of changing circumstances, and the trial continues.

Prosecutor Claire Templeton told the court Mr Blayney had been claiming the allowance at the highest rate.

This was for people either unable to walk or able to walk only in severe pain.

He was also in receipt of care allowance at the lowest rate for help in preparing his main meal of the day.


There's not a day I can honestly say I'm without pain
Adrian Blayney

DWP fraud investigator David Williams told the court in October 2006 they received a tip-off Mr Blayney was teaching martial arts in Neath and Aberdare.

On two occasions, he travelled to a leisure centre in Aberdare where he observed Mr Blayney taking classes.

"He seemed to be demonstrating certain movements - lifting his arm and turning his body," said Mr Williams.

He said Mr Blayney, who was dressed in a black uniform with gold lettering, was walking around the hall and interacting with the students.

Mr Blayney was interviewed under caution in January 2007 and his entitlement to the benefits has since been withdrawn.

'Rest'

Giving evidence, Mr Blayney said while working for Ethnic Cuisine in Swansea in 2001 he slipped in a chiller, badly injuring his back.

The following year, he suffered a heart attack, which he said made the condition worse.

The court heard he was on daily medication for pain relief.

"There's not a day I can honestly say I'm without pain," he said.

"I can walk a bit but I walk with severe discomfort."

He told the court that his role running the courses was largely supervisory, with other instructors involved in the more physical aspects.

"I walk around and rest, walk around and rest," he added.

He said he was involved in teaching close range moves such as hand-grabs and pressure points, which did not involve "large or sudden movements".

The court heard that he was overpaid between April 2003 and December 2006

[GeneChing]

Looks like it got picked up by the U.K. tabloids....

Benefits cheat is martial arts tutor
Published: 30 Sep 2008

AN ex-factory worker was yesterday ordered to repay £11,000 he fiddled by claiming he could barely walk – while he taught martial arts.

Adrian Blayney, 49, got disability living pay after hurting his back in a fall at work in 2001.

He claimed he also had a heart attack in 2002. But the court heard he ran two martial arts classes at a sports centre.

A Department of Work and Pensions official saw Blayney show fighting moves in Aberdare, South Wales, after a tip-off.

Neath JPs heard Blayney received the top rate of allowance for those “only able to walk in severe pain”, saying he was “virtually unable” to cover 50 metres.

He told them: “I show hand movements. I can’t demonstrate techniques using my lower body.” Blayney, of Neath, got 15 months’ community work.

Karate ace's £11K fraud
30/09/2008

A karate instructor who fiddled more than £11,000 disability allowance while running a martial arts class was convicted yesterday.

Dad Adrian Blayney, 49, was given 15 months' community service and told to repay the £11,000 by magistrates.

He claimed he could barely walk because of a bad back.

But he was caught after a tipoff to benefits fraud office.

Investigator David Williams said he saw him "always on his feet" during classes at a centre in Aberdare, South Wales.

Blayney, of Cimla, Neath, must also pay £250 costs.

[Crushing Step]

By definition, 'busted' is slang for an arrest. Then again, busted is slang. All the news items I link to in this thread involve martial arts who have run afoul enough with the law to get covered by the press. That's another form of being busted in my mind. Nowadays, it's seems even more devastating.

Gene, keep the contract legal battles for sure. This is something that has come to dominate martial arts a a business, and I'd love to see it get more attention.