As I tried to understand what I was being told, it became totally apparent that moving a million dollars in and out or around and around in County accounts took some major doings by others besides Eddie Holbrook. Any County Manager that did not know this kind of shenanigans was going on in country accounts deserves to be fired for incompetence. But the County Managers during this time frame; David Deer, Eddie Bailes, Jeff Richardson and now Brian Epley are not incompetent, so they had to know this kind of a financial “culture of corruption” was going on as it was going on. And, likely as not, Brian Epley as the Financial Manager at the time was probably the one who cut the Million Dollar check and kept quiet about it. The other Commissioners too. Perhaps that is why it took over a year and Eddie Holbrook being disgraced and defeated in the 2018 election before the Copy of the Million Dollar check as well as the accounting for over $3 Million more in other county checks was finally provided to me in December of 2018. Although I had requested, under the, Freedom of Information Act, a copy of both the front and back of that Million Dollar check and only the front was provided-even after numerous follow-up requests. Obviously to withhold from me who actually endorsed and cashed that million-dollar check.
After weighing all the reports and putting the information together, like a jig-saw puzzle, it brought me to this conclusion. It was CMS that cut that first Million Dollar check. Either a bribe or a fee to Eddie Holbrook for his favorable (to CMS) actions to sell the Hospitals at such a cheap price and unheard-of good terms for CMS. CMS must have cut that first million dollar check directly to Eddie Holbrook and Eddie Holbrook deposited THAT check into his personal account. Then Holbrook became aware of his criminal liability for doing such a thing and transferred the million dollars to the county and the county cut a million dollar check back to ALWS Baseball and Massa Eddie Holbrook.
Now let’s add a little more collusion to this confusion. The Accounting (attached) I received from the Commissioners, after Holbrook’s disgrace and defeat, listed the check as “Grant for ALWS – funded by CMS.” But another county ledger, that sources provided to me, listed the purpose for that million dollar check to be “For SHS (Shelby High School) ball field improvements.” Different purposes listed at different times for the same check. The check listings for the Million Dollar check plus the other $3 Million worth of checks was years later and involved CMS about the time of the Hospital sale. Therefore, I have to believe the accounting involving CMS was correct, but was inadvertently released to me by someone new who didn’t know so much about the ALWS cover-up.
I hope you readers were able to follow this piecing together of a jig-saw puzzle like bits of information. But the documents are attached and the conclusion is obvious: There was and is still a culture of corruption surrounding the American Legion Series World Baseball, Inc. from start to finish. A culture of corruption that was heartless, ruthless and criminal. Thieves and liars all. Knowingly, as Holbrook, Commissioners and County Staff had to be or unknowingly as many of the 600 so-called volunteers who drank the Eddie Holbrook-ALWS Kool-Aid.
But folks, I can’t say enough about the blatant and disingenuous lies that were told.
Remember all the tall tales about the two busloads of Cleveland County folks who travelled to Indianapolis to pitch Cleveland County to the American Legion big-shots for the ALWS location? They didn’t travel on their own dime. The very first check on the list, for $70,000 says this was for a 2008 Loan from somebody that the County paid on September 30, 2009. Right in the middle of big unemployment and many home foreclosures in Cleveland County.
Remember the tall tale that the ALWS was so popular that ESPN had picked them up for broadcast. Scroll on down the list of checks and see where ESPN was paid by several County taxpayer checks totaling $240,000 or more. Add them up yourself. Don’t believe me.
Look at all those checks for SHS ballfield renovation. The “Field of Dreams” as they call it. The ALWS Baseball, Inc spent almost $3 Million on SHS ballfield improvements. I wonder if that includes the “Eddie Holbrook Gate” out front of the SHS Baseball Field. Look around when you attend the 2019 games with your free tickets. (Actually, you can see the gate at any time as it is out front before the ticket booth.) You begin to wonder who owns the Baseball Field? Shelby High School, CCS and taxpayers or Eddie Holbrook and the ALWS. Nonmatter, YOU taxpayers paid for it and Eddie Holbrook and others have THEIR names all over it.
Look at the numerous county checks that say “Operations County Part.” I count a total of $725,000. Don’t you just wonder why Cleveland County is paying three quarters of a million dollars for ALWS operations. And what is “Operations?” Boondoggle trips and fancy motels and meals. Or what? And that is not even counting the many large checks that just say “ALWS Support.” And why would Cleveland County taxpayer money pay $50,000 for “ALWS UN-BUDGETTED operations expenses?” Or pay for anything else. If the ALWS Baseball can’t support themselves and pay their own bills, just shut’er down. Or let the taxpayers vote on it!!! Perhaps that is why all of this has been kept secret for so long. Taxpayers would NOT approve such expenses. Especially in the middle to the great recession.
Also, the $75,000 Travel/Tourism Grant that Commissioners used taxpayer money to pay ALWS. What was that money used for? And another $75,000 to ALWS for “Marketing, Advertising, Operations?” m
Again, ALWS expenses, not county bills to be paid for by taxpayers.
It goes on and on. Now you have the list. Look through it and find one red cent of the $4 Million the county spent, during hard times for CC citizens, that ALWS fairly deserves from Cleveland County. And note that the list stopped with only one check in 2018. That doesn’t mean that county funding for ALWs stopped with that last check on the list.
It also does not mean that the Commissioners diverted taxpayer funds from other accounts without listing them on this particular list. Maybe another $4 to $5 Million. Or more for that matter. There is no telling about that, but I am going to ask. The Freedom of Information Act is a good thing. NC Public Records laws are good too, although the Commissioners and others usually ignore such requests. And, why should they not ignore these laws? They ignore laws all the time and the DA won’t prosecute. But that too is an article for another day.
It is also no-telling how much county tax money sent to the ALWS Baseball, Inc went into somebody else’s pocket. The County, under Commissioner Chairman Massa Eddie Holbrook has not been accountable. Why would any sane person even start to believe the ALWS Baseball Inc, under Massa Eddie Holbrook would be accountable?
You would think that the other commissioners would have done something about this a long time ago. You would think the commissioners NOW would do something about wasting all this taxpayer money without any accountability. I fully expect that the Commissioners will continue funding the ALWS Baseball as is. If so, I will let you know so we can make some changes in the Commissioner’s board in the 2020 Commissioner’s Elections!!!. Like we did in 2018. New Commissioners Doug Bridges and Deb Harding need some help to form a majority. Let’s make it so in 2020.
*Documents are on the next page!
Stay tuned!!!