Suicide Rocks Lyford Cay

A Lyford Cay resident was found dead Tuesday night in an apparent suicide that has rocked the once elusive gated community in Nassau, Bahamas.

Police report that a neighbor discovered the body of a 54 year old resident of Canoe Way, Lyford Cay.  He was discovered at about 6pm Tuesday hanging with a rope around his neck. At this time, police are classifying the death as a suicide, but are are uncertain as to what led him to kill himself.

This tragedy is the latest in a series of shocking events that keep unfolding behind the gates of Lyford  Cay.  Most of the disturbances have swirled around one of the biggest names in the hedge fund industry - Louis Bacon.

  

Bacon has been the focus of several police investigations since he acquired his Point House home in Lyford Cay.  His home was once raided in connection with a pair of military grade sonic boom speakers that he had and was using to irritate his neighbor, Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard.  When police raided Point House, they found ten handguns in the home, and all were located in places which were in the plain view and reach of residents and staff.  

Then, the first death investigation at his home concerned the death of his former employee, Dan Tuckfield last year. The mysterious death case was swept under the rug and the autopsy report was never made public for the press to report.  This caused much suspicion because it was reported that Tuckfield was naked at the time, floating in the jacuzzi of Bacon's home.  

This year, police were called back to Bacon's home to investigate yet another floating body.  This time, the body was found floating on Bacon's beach. The reports were even more suspicious than the first. Initial reports were that the body was that of a Haitian male.  Later, it was discovered that the deceased was Peter Tuckerfield, a Caucasian male who is believed to have also been working for Louis Bacon.  

Once again, the press has no official autopsy report to refer to.  Instead of a transparent official process, it seems that the waters are muddied and Louis Bacon has become an elusive and in-popular Bahamian resident.  

This latest tragedy behind the gates is a suicide, and reports are that there may be some kind of connection be tween the Canoe Way resident and Bacon, in that the deceased may have been working for the hedge fund boss as well.

Journalists in Miami have already pointed to suspicions that Dan Tuckfield was running drugs for Bacon, in an extensive transshipment scheme involving several countries.  It wouldn't be far fetched, seeing that his Moore Capital investment company is mixed up in an investigation concerning a Multi-billion dollar international scam.  

Sotheby's Boss Shot at Bacon's Event!!

By CLAIRE GARDNER

THE chairman of one of the most famous auction houses in the world is recovering after reportedly being shot in the face during a grouse shoot in Scotland.

Henry Wyndham, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe was said to have been injured after a gun was accidentally fired towards him, spraying shot in his arm, throat and face.

It is thought the old Etonian would have been blinded had he not been wearing glasses when the accident happened last Monday – the first day of the grouse shooting season.

Mr Wyndham was reportedly standing at his post – referred to in the shooting world as a grouse ‘butt’ – when a gun near him was accidentally fired, leaving him with shot wounds in the upper half of his body.

Emergency services were called and Mr Wyndham was airlifted to hospital from the Scottish moor. He was treated for 52 lead pellet wounds.

The accident took place on a hired estate on a shoot organised by American hedge-fund manager Louis Bacon, 56.

Mr Wyndham, 58, has now been released from hospital and is said to be recuperating with his family at a cottage in Scotland.

Accidents are rare in shooting but not unheard of, especially during grouse shoots because the birds like to fly close to the ground. Each shotgun cartridge is loaded with about 250 pellets.

A source said: “Henry was very lucky – if he had not been wearing glasses he would have been blinded.”

As well as being chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, Mr Wyndham is also the most senior auctioneer at the auction house.

He swung the gavel when the world record for the most expensive artwork sold at auction was broken in 2010 – Giacometti’s Walking Man sculpture fetched £65  million from a mystery buyer.

A Sotheby’s spokesperson said: “Henry Wyndham sustained an accident on the grouse moor and is currently on track for a full and rapid recovery.”

The grouse-shooting season officially starts on 12 August – the “Glorious Twelfth” – but because it fell on a Sunday this year, a day when it is customary in Scotland not to shoot game, it got under way a day later.

Mr Wyndham has been involved in the art world for more than 35 years. In a recent interview he explained that his enthusiasm developed when he was 15.

“It all started with collecting, for me. I started collecting stamps and then moved on to collecting weaponry and swords. And then probably at age 14-15, I then got into collecting drawings. So it evolved into that. I think that’s where it all came from, really.”

He also explained his love of auctions.

“I think auction houses, the beauty of it is that there is a process, and then there’s a theatre at the end. There’s a performance and the performance is the final thing. I like the idea of the hammer falling and that being the price that’s paid and the end of the story.”

Losing The Crown

Written by Dimitry Uviski

SLIPPING HALO?

Is all well at the Court of King Louis?

Is Hedge-fund King Louis Bacon’s halo beginning to slip?  

In the first half Of 2011, Bacon’s flagship Moore Global Fund was down 5% according to various well-informed. news reports. Back in May it was further reported that Moore Capital had been displaced in the TOP 20 biggest world hedge funds. In the same month American insurance giant A.I.G. filed a law suit against  ICP Asset Management and Moore Capital. According to the New York Times A.I.G. which is now mostly owned by the US taxpayers “suffered losses while insuring mortgage securities created by ICP. The suit says ICP manipulated those securities in a way that benefited itself and Moore Capital.” Although the main thrust of the suit is aimed at ICP it also argues that Moore Capital should repay any gains it made from dealing in the alleged suspect securities.

In March Bacon had been embarrassed when news leaked out that despite his opposition on supposed environmental grounds to a proposed Xcel transmission line over his 171,000 Colorado ranch, his own hedge fund had a near $60m stake in Xcel. Moore Capital owns 2,300,00 shares in the utilities company. Invited by the Denver Post to defend his position, Bacon wrote: “The transmission line is an unnecessary white-elephant project that will generate hundreds of millions in profits for Xcel’s owners while sticking ratepayers for the bill”.

Perhaps more worrying for investors has been the succession of regulatory issues and

concerns that have been highlighted over the last 2 years.

 

• In April 2010 Moore Capital in New York paid $25m to settle charges by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission alleging that a former manager had attempted to manipulate platinum and palladium prices in 2007 and 2008. As part of the settlement Moore Capital had its registration as commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors restricted for 3 years.

 

• In March 2010 the Financial Services Agency and Serious Crime Agency of the UK raided Moore Capital’s Curzon Street Headquarters and arrested Julian Rifat a trader at the firm on suspicion of  being involved in a widespread insider-dealing ring. The case has not yet come to court.

 

• In September 2008, Steven Harrison a former top Moore Capital trader in London paid a $78,000 fine to the FSA to settle a market abuse investigation.

Bacon's Hypocritical Environmental Stance

Most people would never put a financial trader and an environmentalist in the same sentence. Normally, investors are the ones being attacked by tree-huggers who religiously lash out at them for their disregard for the natural environment when taking on major developments.

But somehow, billionaire hedge fund manager Louis Bacon has painted a good image for himself in the United States by donating massive plots of land to conservation groups.  The Moore Global Investments chief took advantage of media coverage when he made the largest land donation to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in its history.  He sponsored 90,000 acres of land in the Colorado Mountains to the organization, as he is an avid fisherman and hunter. He purchased two ranches in the Colorados, one of which made news for Bacon again as it represents the largest transaction of a single family home in US history.  He bought Trinchera Ranch, which spans some 171,000 acres, for $175 million in 2007.

But media in the US haven't given him a free pass from their watchful eyes because of his philanthropy. He's found his name caught up in reports relating to several questionable enterprises, such as talk of DanTuckfield, who was found dead in his home in the Bahamas, being a trafficker for Bacon; his Moore Capital fund being caught up in an international criminal investigation into a Multi-billion dollar, Multi-national hedge fund scam; and his suspicious knack for being one of the most secretive billionaires on Wall Street, with reports of an iron fist approach to governing his commodities.  

He may run hard on his employees, but he's been pleasing nature lovers with grants of conservation easements to local organizations. He has over 400 acres just north of Southampton, Long Island, and over 500 acres within Southampton, New York. 

Robins Island in Long Island's Peconic Bay

But in the Bahamas, his image of environmentalism is quite tarnished, with a long list of local news reports attesting to that. It was shameful for the former administration, the Free National Movement, when it's leader in the Senate, Dion Foulkes, admitted from the floor of the Upper House that Louis Bacon did, indeed build his massive hideout marina in the alcove of the shoreline to his home without any government approval. Former SenatOr Foulkes spoke into record that his colleague responsible for the environment, Earl Deveaux, granted Bacon a license after the fact.  

Deity all his efforts up north, he came to the tropical nation with other intents, as is exposed by his disregard for Bahamian authorities and their right to tell him that he cannot dig out the sea bed and the shoreline along his Point House, Lyford Cay home. 

His name has recently been mentioned along with the Aga Khan IV, with observers stating that the pair may have joined up for a venture in the Turks & Caicos after the loss of the FNM in the recent general elections.  The Aga Khan and he former government were berated by the press when he, too, dug for his marina on the pristine Bell Island without having a permit before he started.  Former Minister Deveaux made it worse when he kept riding up and down in the Aga's luxury helicopter. 

A $2 Billion Concession or Confession

Business reporters and financial quarters are abuzz with the talk of the $2 billion that Louis Bacon will be giving back to investors any day now.  The Macro Hedge Fund manager of Moore Capital says this year, the fund may be too big to match past returns, citing that his liquidity and opportunities are more constrained.  But is such a gigantic and shocking payback a concession for investors or a confession that Moore Capital really was a part of the multi-billion dollar scam that is still the subject of international criminal intelligence investigations?  

Bacon's hedge fund made news headlines when Moore Capital employees were cited in subpoenas concerning this scam, which involves hundreds of billions of dollars and spans over several countries and financial capitals. To date, the case is still inconclusive, but Bacons tactics of bullying the media, police and government officials seems to continue in the meantime. That bullying comes in the form of long dollars that have been able to buy him relative safety thus far. Financial critics are questioning whether the generous $2 billion payback may result in those Moore Capital employees cited for investigation being taken off of the list of possible defendants, and Moore Capital continues its hedge fund management unabated.  Aware of Bacon's smooth tactics, finanacial reporter Landon Thomas Jr. of the New York Times reported that Moore Capital's main fund was down 3.18% this year through the second quarter. 

But too many questionable tactics have been used by the hedge fund czar, so much so that internationally, business reporters are taking note of the trends of Bacon's actions, especially in the Bahamas.  The tropical archipelago may be considered by the soem in outside world as a playground where the beautiful can play and corruption gets its away.  However, more intelligent voting populace and independent, free thinking journalists and broadcasters are swiftly changing the atmosphere, and Louis Bacon won't be able to get away with using his billions to bully his way to corruption, especially not with a new government in power. 

His alleged tactics include: convincing hospital officials to withhold an autopsy report that should have been made public concerning the death of his worker Dan Tuckfield (who was discovered dead, floating naked in a hottub); having his good friend, former Environment Minister Earl Deveaux, grant him a government permit for his marina after he had already tore up the shoreline and created a secret alcove where any kind of contraband could come into his back door incognito; getting Lyford Cay Managing Director Mary Braithwaite to turn a blind eye as he wreaked havoc on his neighbor, Peter Nygard's property in order to build up his easement and ruin the roadway to his neigbor's home; persuading former National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest to give him back a pair of dangerous long-range speaker weapons used by the military, even though police had conducted an official raid and confiscated the weapons (the minister admitted that the speakers could severely impact air traffic control and Bacon's attorney Pericles Maillis admitted to the press that his client intentionally used them on Nygard); forcing certain members of the press who were hot on the trail of his wrongdoing to cease and desist from writing or speaking about him; and getting certain members of the court to give Nygard attorneys a hassle as they sought justice from the constant harassment Nygard employees were getting, and the deplorable conditions created by the construction of Bacon's alleged illegal easement; convincing the former Attorney General John Delaney to throw out a criminal case presented against Bacon by Peter Nygard, even though the foundational case which stems from Canada gave leeway for Nygard's lawyers to pursue the case here, with evidence of defamation and corruption coming to light. 

It was widely reported in the Bahamian press during the run-up to the May 7, 2012 General Elections that Bacon is suspected of being a major financier of the former government's party, the Free National Movement. Indeed, it's Cabinet Ministers were proven to have colluded with him in instances, as was admitted once by the former leader of government business in the Senate, Hon. Dion Foulkes.  It gives financial critics reason to believe that Louis Bacon's actions in the Bahamas are a reflection of his attitude and actions anywhere he invests, mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the Bahamas, no pressure exists for political parties to reveal their sources of funding, however, in the US and the UK, it is necessary and thus, both the US Republican Party an the UK Tories party made an honorable mention of the half a million sponsored by Louis Bacon, although many suspect the figure is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he truly gave these parties to allegedly assist in covering up his many tactics to get the things he wants without going through the proper channels. The Restor Our Future special committee for presidential candidate Mitt Romney received a half a million dollar donation from the likes of 18 Moore Capital employees. 

The current $2 billion payout may just be the beginning of some serious cash gifts being handed out, as the Republican party keeps raking in big bucks to help their bemused candidate Mitt Romney defeat President Barak Obama in the November elections, that is only about 90 days away. 

It's a political chess game of power that Bacon seems intent not to lose, but every good game player knows that money can't buy everything - and therein may lie his downfall. When the FNM lost the general elections it he Bahamas this past May, it was reported that Bacon moved his mega millions to the southerly neighbor Turks & Caicos, where government officials may be more easier to persuade and society is believed to be a bit more passive.  He may be monitoring the US elections from that vantage point, hoping that the successful return of the Republican party could signal his return to chiefdom - a privilege which passed him in the Bahamas despite the millions he invested. Bacon may run for now, but an old adage says, if you keep running around the world, which is a circle, you will end up right back where you started, and you will have to face the same issues you ran from unless you correct them.

 

--
Sent from Empress Felicity

Bacon Intimidates Bahamian Press

Louis Bacon is attempting to muzzle the Bahamian press through intimidation utilizing his cheque book and lawyers.  This is not a case of one or two law suits and threatening letters to journalists, it has been said that the Bacon legal team is targeting ten to twelve Bahamians to silence them and oddly all of them were and are PLP supporters.

 

Recently the Nassau Tribune published a story “Billionaire's Claim Of Defamation” detailing how the Lyford Cay billionaire filed charges against an alleged contributor of a local blog, namely Bahamas Press.

 

Louis Bacon is also seeking an injunction against Earlin Williams over four articles posted on BahamasPress.com, according to a Supreme Court writ dated July 11, 2012. 

 

But what is it that a journalist, making only a fair wage, can pay to a billionaire?  Some observers are of the opinion that Bacon is simply attempting to suppress the message by silencing the messenger.

 

This is not the first time that Bacon’s local lawyers have sent threatening or intimidating letters to individual journalists and media houses in hopes of getting them to back off of Bacons trail and turn a blind eye to obvious news.

We understand that officials at JCN have also received such notices. Sources also indicate that several individual journalists have been approached by attorneys and threatened with defamation law suits.  To make things worse, the former administration supported these actions by allowing these types of suits to be filed and leaving journalists to fend for themselves.

 

This will not happen with Ear to the Ground on the case; we intend on ensuring that both sides of the coin are presented in true journalistic form.  That is the Freedom of the Press, the voice for the silent majority, and a main staple in a democratic society.

 

One can only question the reasoning behind Bacon attacking journalists, when he can be linked to a number of criminal acts. Some those are presently being heard before Bahamian courts. The most significant being an alleged conspiracy with officials of the Lyford Cay Home Owners Association to drive his neighbor from the luxury community.

This plot even included the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Bacon’s operatives funded much of a documentary that directly attacked the character and reputation of his neighbor Peter Nygard.  That forced the hiring of a former Scotland Yard detective who uncovered the entire scheme. These findings are what make up the base of what appears to be a strong criminal case Nygard commenced against Bacon and others in the Bahamian courts.

 

But that is not the only matter before Bahamian courts. Bacon is also entangled in a legal battle over a section of land that serves both of their Lyford Cay properties as an access easement. It's alleged that Bacon used political influence under the former administration of the FMN, to attempt to steal the land without any objections. One wonders why then Bacon is determined to intimidate and silence the press?

 

It's also reported that Bacon is wanted for questioning in connection with the discovery of the dead body of his former property manager Dan Tuckfield and more recently Peter Tuckerfield, whose body was floating on a beach along his property.  A man who was said to be visiting Point House and whose body seems to have vanished of the face of the earth.  This after police reported to members of the Bahamian press that a body was found in the surrounding property of Louis Bacon's Point House home in Lyford Cay. After further investergations, it was discovered to the suprise of the authorities at the morgue at the Princess Maragaret hospital, that police reported the person to have drowned in the area of Bacons property.

 

The threat of Bacon loomed all the way into the tranquil islands of Andros and Exuma. There, Bacon had his high-powered lawyers to cause for the police, with the assistance of a former cabinet minister in the then Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham's administration, to arrest Terry Bain.  Bain is a leading environmentalist who resides in the Exuma Cays.  He was harassed for speaking out against Bacon's total disregard for the Bahamian environmental laws by illegally dredging a marina for his boats.  

 

Prescott Smith is another environmentalist and bonefisherman who resides on the island of Andros who Bacon had his legal team intimidate, leaving him wrapped into the fist of Bacon's long dollars arrested for the same matter.  

Louis Bacon brought a suit against these well respected men, parading them before the Bahamian courts for a matter legal matter Bacon knew that he could not win. Observers say that if the men had the money they would counter-sue Bacon, the hedge fund king, for millions of his big bucks for unnecessary harrasment.  

 

Most of the media houses in the Bahamas are fed up with Louis Bacon and his intimidation tactics, trying to muzzle them from simply mentioning his name.  But the hedge fund king continues to make the headlines as the police have had to visit his property constantly over the last several years.  Police raided Point House and found illegal ultrasonic speaker weapons used by the military, that Bacon's attorney Pericles Maillis admitted that his client used gainst his neighbor Nygard and guests.  The military speakers were confiscated by the police because it also could of caused a serious air collission because the illegal military speakers was interfearing with Bahamian Aviation safety system for its in-coming and out going flights.  This act within itself was an infraction against the Aviation safety laws. 

 

Then there was the discovery of dead bodies - that of Dan Tuckfield, Bacons former property manager found drowned in a jacuzzi, and there was another body fished from the waters near Bacons property.  During one of the raids at Point House, police found more than ten guns in the home, left in plain sight, which could have easily been used or stolen by staff members or unsuspecting persons.

 

All of these conspicious matters were not easy to disregard but rather, it was these most pertinant activities that had caused for the media to do their jobs as members of the fourth estate.  But because they did their job and did it so well to the annoyance of Louis Bacon the hedge fund king, he had his local attorneys push their legal weight around threatening just about all of the Bahamian media such as the Journal, Tribune, Nassau Guardian, the Punch, and several radio talk show hosts with letters of intimidation.  Bacon seems to stop at nothing to avoid his name or face being seen or mentioned in the press or the media.

 

With no luck of avoiding news headlines in Nassau and with the major defeat of the governing Free National Movement party (FNM), it has been reported that the hedge fund king has taken his millions to the Turks & Caicos Islands to trying to build his nest of deception and confusion on the government and people of that island.  The people of the Turks & Caicos islands should take their cue from the Bahamian people who ran Bacon of of the country and the FNM out of power because of the alleged corruption surrounding the relationship of the former FNM government and Bacon - a name Bahamian judges probably dont want to see on another fickle court document.