It is the haven of all criminals, drug dealers & scammers, to keep warm while looking for prey. One can get scammed so easily here in Florida. Even if the venture seems perfectly legitimate, there are so many fraudsters that it's practically impossible to make a safe business investment.

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It was around July of 2006 when my ship finally came in. I had acquired a little investment capital to work with and wanted to buy a small "on going" print shop to make a living, and publish my eBay Trade Publication in house; it had just turned a year old. I had been going back forth with one print shop for quite a while, but my efforts to close the deal, seemed futile. I needed more cash. I decided therefore to look for other investment alternatives to build up my capital a bit more. An extra $50,000 or so would have been very helpful.

I looked high & low, in the Miami Herald, the Sun Sentinel, as well as Ebay & Craigslist, online. I looked at so many ads, until one day on July 30th, I ran a cross a Craigslist posting for someone needing a short term investor, to help buy inventory. I replied to see what it entailed.
See the complete email file here

This individual advised me that she was professional in the show horse industry and she was called upon by top professionals in the industry to select and purchase horses for their clients. Through her longstanding history, she developed a clientele that would travel all over the country to buy horses from her due to her good reputation for selecting quality horses. She explained that she had relocated to the area and was short on capital for purchases. As such, she was seeking short term investors who wanted to double their money within 30-60 days.

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In an effort to do due diligence, I requested a list of references; business plan; and financials. Mr. Hargett immediately, without hesitation provided them. The references all checked out; the business plan appeared to capture the areas outlining the investment and the financials were well put together. In addition, the people she used as references claimed Ms. Hargett sold many horses for "top dollar." One particular investor advised me she has also invested in Ms. Hargett and seen positive results. With this due diligence under my belt, I made plans to meet Ms. Hargett in person.

Within the next few days, I drove up to Wellington to meet with Heather Hargett. I must admit that I was impressed with the farm. There was a large, beautiful home and a 10 to 12 stall barn on a 4 1/2 acre lot. Heather showed me around the barn, the horses and then took me inside to show me videos of horses that she was interested in and explained to me how she selected her horses for resale. This was my first visit, I really wanted to see that the operation seemed legitimate before I even seriously considered an investment. I was not aware at that time that Ms. Hargett did not own the facility. It appeared she was well settled and had a business venture in place.

Many more emails were exchanged, until I finally made a decision that the investment had real potential. I made an appointment to go back again to see a few horses that had been released from quarantine, and dropped off at her barn for a few days. I wanted to see the horse that I might be investing in. Not that I knew what I was looking at, I liked the horse, so we talked more about the investment. I continued asking tons of questions. One of my main concerns was the security of the investment; in the event that the horse had some ailments, and could not be sold.

Heather assured me that nothing ever happens to the horses. They basically train for 10 - 15 minutes a day, and spend some time in the paddock, but mostly stay in their stalls. She further advised me that if the horse was in fact unsalable, that the insurance would cover most of the purchase price. She explained to me, as also noted in the business plan, that the insurance policy is like a security for the horse. If the horse could not do its job, I would at least get my investment back.
I found out only after litigation, that this is NEVER the case.

She did mention that prior to purchasing the horse, it gets a complete pre-purchase examination by a licensed veterinarian, which includes xrays, flexing of all the joints, checking for lameness, blood work, etc... She explained the vet will look inside the horses for things that she could not evaluate from the outside. She advised this would be done at her farm before the purchase was made. Moreover, she pointed out that the horse would also be insured for mortality & major medical, making the investment relatively risk free.

Another concern was the actual value of the horse and the anticipated resale price. Heather advised me that she had access to horses in a wide price range.(from $45,000 to upwards of $150,000) These prices represented her cost to buy & import the horses from Europe. She explained that she usually buys horses in the $75,000 to $100,000 range, depending on the horses' performance in videos that the importer sends her. In the case of Flemmingh, the cost was $75,000 and the resale price would start at $150,000 and the longer we kept him, the more he would be worth.

Granted there would be expenses for daycare, vetting, shoeing, boarding... all of which were relatively very expensive, but considering the short term, (she said she would have the deal wrapped up by the end of august - see third email) it was still a very appealing investment. It did seem incredible that people would spend that kind of money for a horse. However, these were top quality Show Horses, imported from Europe. I've heard of race horses being worth well over a millon dollars. Based on the opulence of the community, I had no problem believing that she could get those prices. As they say, "she certainly put on the show!"

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Having asked all the questions and done my due diligence in checking her references, which all seemed favorable, I wired $75,000 to Newman Equestrian Inc. for the purchase of Flemmingh, an 8 year old, bay gelding. I understood that I was forming an affiliation with Heather in respect to this particular project. Based on her energy and zest for this business, I did discuss the possibility of trying to encourage investors to set up a farm as a partnership with her should this venture prove successful & lucrative.

I understood that I was purchasing the horse (Flemmingh) at cost from Newman Equestrian Inc. and that I would pay all expenses incurred (also at cost) for the care of the horse. Going back to the security of the investment issue, I was trying to figure out Heather's angle. Her financial gains for each projects. I still wanted to feel assured that she was not going to take my money and run. Logic indicated to me that she was making a profit in the daycare/training, which she provided and billed me at $75.00 per day.

This did not include the stall rental of $1,500 per month and other ancillary charges including medications. Additionally, she explained she was going to charge me (and other investors) a 10% commission upon the sale of the horse. Considering that she was trying to get investors for 5 to 8 horses, I thought she would do very well, between daycare and sales commissions. I had no reason to think that she would run off with my investment. Which she didn't.

I continued receiving emails from Heather, telling me about other spectacular horses that were available to invest in. Travis was one such horse. He was priced at $100,000 but according to her he could go on the market right away for $200,000. So I spoke to a cousin of mine that was interested in an investment. Unfortunately, $100K was a little rich for his blood at that time. So he passed on it... I told Heather that I would look around for someone to split it, 60/40 with me. Well that never happened. Heather did come up with a less expensive horse (Silco) that she suggested we could split 50/50.

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She insisted that he was just as nice as Flemmingh, implying that he would be sold by the end of August as well. In our emails I did express to Heather that I was running low on funds, being that this investment was $37,500 just to purchase my share, and realizing that there would be expenses for daycare and so forth that I would have to cover 50% of. She assured me that this would be a "Quick Deal" as previously mentioned in her email. I jokingly advise her that the horse would have to eat Alpo, as I wouldn't be able to afford his classy diet...

Again, based on Heather's representations that we were buying an exceptional horse (that she personally hand picked from 600 horses in Germany) and that she had an immediate buyer for, I wired $37,500 to Newman Equestrian Inc, located in Pace, Florida, for the purchase of Silco. My understanding was that Silco (just like Flemmingh) had just been released from quarantine in Miami, and would need a little time to acclimate to the US, train, fatten up a bit and get that "Spit & Shine" as Heather calls it, to ready for sale. She made it apparent that there was a buyer wanting that particular horse, and a sale would be closed in the next 30 to 45 days, max.

All was going well with the horses, according to Heather. I was considering the possibilities of recruiting investors for Heather's farm project. I would of been happy with a small referral fee, (I suggested that we could split the sales commission) and she would benefit from additional inventory to sell as well as the income from daycare. I was also looking around for alternative print shops that may be suitable for me as I expected to almost double my working capital in the next 30 to 45 days. She was receptive to the idea of splitting the commission and encouraged me to seek investors. Which I did.

I commissioned someone to place ads in craigslist in 50 cities for two weeks and I ran an ad in the Sun Sentinel. I also solicited anyone I thought might have an interest in investing. Needless to say, I spoke to quite a few people who did not care for such an unconventional opportunity. I managed to bring two people up to the farm. One was an accountant who was investigating the merits of the investment for some of her clients. She did not particularly like horses but kept an open mind.

Heather gave her the Grand Tour of the barn while explaining the potential of investing in show horses. She then showed her several videos of horses that were available. We discussed it further on the way back to her office, but she was very skeptical. Had I sold my horse in 30 days or so as expected and realized a reasonable profit, I am sure she would have been interested. Unfortunately, as of today, more than six months later,I could only tell her about the nightmare I had gotten myself into.

The other prospect was a guy who liked real estate, but was also open to other good opportunities. His name was John. Again, Heather gave him the Grand Tour, while explaining the potential with Show Horses... She then took us inside to show him a few videos and tried to interest him in a particular horse that she claimed she was interested in for herself but could not afford it. The price she quoted him was $85,000. Right away I felt that she was marking the horse up by $10,000, or maybe more. I could not prove it, just a gut feeling, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Under this scenario, John would have had to pay $85K for the horse, $1,000 to transport it here (I believe it was in New York) and then the typical vetting which she was quoting at $2,000 and daycare, equipment... another $5,000 to $6,500 for the first bill. As I took John home, I continued to encourage him to consider the investment, not pressuring him in any way. I did not like my gut feeling but I did not want to turn him off to dealing with me. He did due diligence and I admired him for it. A week or so later, Heather told me that he had contacted her. She told me that they had talked and that she had sent him some projections, which she forwarded to me as well. I felt she was circumventing me for communicating with John directly, but I let that go.

A red flag went up when I examined the projections for XXX (XXX_numbers.xls) that she had sent him. To start with, the horse was priced at $85,000. I believed that it was really a $75,000 horse that was marked up $10,000. (I only felt this because she claimed the horses would be $75,000 and now the numbers changed) I also noticed that the expenses were nearly double my expenses. The $1,281 vet bill for example was now $2000. Overall, expenses were much higher. I also noticed that there was no line item for commission in these projections as were none in my projections. I did mention to her that after commission, there would be hardly any profits left for the investor.

So I asked her to explain the commission structure to me so I would have a clear understanding. I had been under the impression all along, that when she sold my horse for $150K, I would be owing her 10% of the $150K. However, her explanation to me was that she adds the commission to the sale price. She said I would receive a bank wire for $165K, and that she would bill me for the $15K commission. OK, that made more sense I thought. But still, I didn't like what I was seeing and my gut feeling was becoming anxiety. I started to wonder all over again if I had made a mistake in trusting her. It was still early, so I decided to wait until the anticipated date of my sale to see how it played out. The next time I spoke to John however, I advised him to wait until my horse sold to be sure that all went smooth, before he got involved.

In the meantime, I was still waiting for Flemmingh to sell.... We were now in mid September and still no vetting. It seems we had an appointment that was pushed back a few days because of Hurricane Ernesto.. From there another appointment was supposedly scheduled for Thursday Sept.12th. There was a problem however. Heather advised me that Flemmingh had knocked one of his shoes off, and stepped on the nails hurting his foot. She claimed that it was no big deal really, that she would have to soak his foot in a bucket of water for a week or so, then he should be fine. Apparently we had another tentative vetting appointment set for Tuesday, Sept. 26th which was then moved to the 27th.... In the meantime, the foot that she claimed was hurt, never did get better. So Heather had a vet (a friend of hers) from Palm Beach Equine, run some tests on Flemmingh. I was concerned about the fact that Flemmingh who had been so fabulous, was now having problems.

My gut feeling told me that something was up but she was in control. She had the horses at the barn in Wellington, approximately 60 miles away from me. So, I did not visit too often.; She could have told me anything and I had no way of proving otherwise. I kept emailing her to get information, hoping that it was something minor and that soon he would sell so I could bail out of what could become a huge nightmare. I no longer trusted Heather and wanted to figure out her angle. I felt that she was purposely delaying the sale of the horse. Was it just that she was trying to get more daycare dollars out of me to satisfy her greed or was she trying to line up the sale of all the horses, so she could pack up & run with the money? Talk about anxiety, sleepless nights where my brain was working overtime trying to figure out her strategy. I later learned after litigation commenced, that she had been sending me emails claiming the horses were well and fabulous, but that was not the case.

Did I just lose some $125,000+ to a 29 year old, con artist? So easily? What a feeling... That had to be the worst feeling I ever had in my whole life. From that point on, my life was nothing but one big anxiety attack. My stomach constantly in knots, unable to sleep, depressed, feeling like a total failure and worst of all, there was really nothing I could do about it. I prayed & waited; hoped that I was just having a bad dream. Yeah, right! I kept emailing her, hinting that as soon as one of the horses sold, I, along with a few investors that were waiting to see the outcome of my investment, would invest in more horses. I had a feeling that the Sept. 26 vetting appointment wouldn't materialize. It didn't. I tried to stay positive, hoping that it would all work out and I would eventually get most of my investment back.

Now, we were in the beginning of October. Needless to say I received two more daycare bills for Flemming & Silco adding up to $5,753. I was told that Flemming had finished all his treatments and was doing well. He's 95% recovered, she kept saying. I was also told that October is the month that everyone attends the finals up north, PA. DC, MD.... There would be nothing happening until the first week of November, when everyone comes back to Wellington to ready for its big show. Silco on the other hand, supposedly had been tried out by a Wellington "Big Wig" Andre Dignelli around the 12th of Sept, and had been tried out by his partner, Frank Madden at the end of the month. (I found out later that they are competitors, not partners I also found out after litigation ensued that Mr. Madden never came) I was told that he loved it and a vetting appointment was set for the first week of November...

I was really hoping that there was some truth to that, as Flemmingh had gone through a battery of tests, all of which were negative according to Heather and there was still questions as to what was wrong with him. Palm Beach Equine felt that it was something with his back, caused by a faulty saddle, perhaps. If I remember correctly, it cost me close to $6,000 for Palm Beach Equine to conclude that "it may be a faulty saddle". Heather on the other hand still believed it was something with his foot. Either way, I didn't see Flemmingh selling in the near future. Silco was my "Ace in the hole" I depended on him to relieve some of my financial burden. Ironically, during this time, despite my horses not selling, heather continued to send lists and pictures of other horses that she had buyers for but not the capital to buy those animals. I have since learned after litigation, that if Heather had buyers, she could have referred those clients to the horse owners and still received a 10% commission just for bringing buyers.

As expected, the first week of November came & went and no vetting took place. I did receive daycare bills for November though. I did ask Heather to pro-rate the bills for 1/2 a month as we (at least I did) expected that both would be gone by mid November. By now, Heather was denying that there were appointments set. She stated that the buyers were moving down for the season and it would take a little time for them to get settled in. (I guess she did not think of that when she mentioned that she had three appointments set for the first week of November) Again I waited. Totally freaked out, still stressed to the max, and the sleepless nights started all over again. Still, there was nothing I could do. Never been so frustrated in my entire life. She had me right where she wanted me and was playing me like a puppet.

I tried to stay positive, rationalizing, that perhaps her deal had fallen through and she just did not have a buyer for Silco. According to her, and the newspaper supported it, we were in the beginning of the Wellington season, so I figured there was a good chance that she may find a buyer... Even though this Show Horse investment was not one of my smartest moves I kept looking at business opportunities hoping to find something lucrative to get into should one of the horses sell. Ironically, I ran across an ad very similar to the one I had just recently published for investors.

I responded out of curiosity as I had nothing to invest; I had just enough money left to cover my bills. Would you believe it was an investment offer to buy & sell Race Horses? His name is John and seemed to be a nice guy. We met, and he filled me in on his endeavor. I explained my situation to him. He assured me that I would not have any problems with him and he would try to help me figure a way out of my predicament. I even took him up to the farm to look at the horses and give me his thoughts. While we were there, Heather advised me that Silco had a vetting appointment the following Saturday, Nov 25th. Great! I thought.. Hopefully he will be sold & be gone by the first week of December.

OMG! Was I finally about to see some Return On Investment? According to Heather, a vetting was done on Nov. 25th, so payment usually follows within 7 days. Heather mentioned that the blood work would be coming in on Thursday the 29th. So I waited & waited until finally, on the 29th I inquired. Heather called me the following day to give me an update. Well, wouldn't you know it, there was a discrepancy in the xrays, so the vet ultrasounded the legs and found scar tissue. Needless to say the buyer backed out of the deal. She told me that the buyer wanted the horse's medical records from Germany. She felt that it was an old injury and that it might not be a concern. Never the less, I freaked out as she mentioned that if we could not sell Silco, she could send him back to Germany & get another horse as that was the guarantee she had from her contact that assisted her with buying the horse.

Unfortunately, the thought of starting all over again just did not Click with me. Anxiety? Forget anxiety, I was totally freaked out at the thought that here I was practically broke (?she bled the life out of ? just existing to pay my bills, wondering what I would sell to continue paying my bills. With no potential sale on Flemmingh in sight, I'd have to wait on her to find a suitable replacement horse to start all over again... I couldn't handle it anymore. I gave up. I offered to sell her the horses at a loss (I offered them for $175K - $50K less than I should of had by the end of August) just to walk away from the nightmare.

She said she would go to the bank and apply for a loan. I didn't believe her, so I called the bank to verify that she even went there. Another week passed while she was waiting for the bank's response. All I wanted was $25K to $50K down and I would of held a note. I even offered to put $125K in a CD to collateralize the loan for her if she was applying for the whole amount. Unfortunately, a loan was not an option for her. (Of course, she never mentioned that she had no assets, bad credit and a bad reputation, so no sane person would loan her money) So in a last attempt to resolve this, I offered to hold a note for the total amount,(nothing down) using her own horses as collateral, (they were sound) at 18% interest, which was the rate that my bank charges for an unsecured line of credit. Thank god I didn't go that route, as I would have had just a worthless piece of paper.

That was not good enough for her however. She thought I should sell her the horses for exactly what I had in them plus $25K profit, and at 0% interest! She wanted to pay me $162,544.83 (about $12,500 short of my offer) over 3 years with only my horses ?which were not salable according to her? as collateral, and no interest. I thought she was Nuts! She was totally unreasonable, I then decided to seek help in dealing with this fraudster. It was obvious that she was stalling for time, and that she had an ulterior motive, which I just couldn't figure out. She had the horses, I was out of money, she was calling the shots.

I absolutely could not handle the stress any longer. Here I was, with $137,000 in two unsaleable horses, daycare bills piling up to the tune of $5,000 per month (give or take) and not knowing anything about horses or anyone who own horses. WOW! What an extraordinary predicament to be in. This definitely brought a new meaning to "I'll try anything once". Well, I began by looking up attorneys -online- in the Wellington area, hoping to find one that might be familiar with horses.

There was one firm that sounded interesting based on their online profile. I sent them an email explaining my situation and asking if he could help. He called me, we spoke, he seemed more interested in how I would be paying him, than anything else. His final response was simply that he couldn't help me. Typical of S. Florida lawyers. There was no explanation. Back to the search engine. In the meantime since Craigslist was the cause of this incredible mess, I thought I'd post for help, on it. It was a simple post in the Palm Beach Craigslist, in the platonic/friendship section offering to buy lunch to anyone who knew and wanted to talk horses. Hey, it was a shot in the dark; no question about it, but what did I have to loose.

In the meantime, I sent emails to two other law firms in the Palm Beach area. One didn't even respond. So much for professional courtesy. The other did. We set up an appointment for a consultation. He seemed very professional, informative and more concerned with giving me options than discussing fees. The only thing was that he didn't know horses at all... That same day, I had another meeting in Palm Beach, just a few blocks from the attorney's office. Ironically, someone had answered my Cragislist post a few days prior and we had set up to meet while I was in the area. He was a nice guy, knowledgeable of Show Horses and Race Horses. He knew a lot of people in Wellington and even knew Heather. He told me some very interesting things about her... It seems, I'm not the only one that fell prey to her scams. I just couldn't get over how I met someone on Craigslist who knew Heather and was able & willing to help me with this horrific nightmare. He was God sent I thought!

He referred me to an attorney friend of his who knows horses very well. I emailed her my story and right away, she called me and started helping me out. She never discussed fees or a retainer... Instead she discussed options that we could pursue to get out of this mess quickly and inexpensively. We discussed some of our options, whereas she explained to me that litigation could take years and cost upward of $20,000 just to get a judgment. Then, the judgment would have to be collected, surely Heather wouldn't just hand me full payment and apologize for all the inconvenience. I might never be able to collect a dime from her. The best option was to let Heather buy me out of the horses, which I had previously attempted to do.M

So, we asked Heather and her lawyer to draft a fair settlement, that would put this matter to bed once and for all. They came back with the same basic amount of $162,000 but now started nitpicking at daycare bills, vet bills, didn't want to offer credit for the horses' equipment (about $5,000) still wanted to pay it off over 3 years at no interest and wanted me to waive all my rights to civil/criminal suits, and worst of all wanted a confidentiality clause, which would prevent me from publishing this article. Bottom line, I was looking at approximately $118,500 ($19,000 less than I have into the horses, and no profit at all) to be dragged out over 3 years at no interest, and the high probability that she would default ?with two unsalable horses as collateral? and waiving all my rights. Not a good option! We decided to pursue other options to level the playing field a bit...

There is no question that litigation can tie the hands of justice, but we are sowing, inching our way to a resolution. I am also told, now that the horses have been placed in proper hands, that there will be some ability to sell the horses but that it will continue to cost money. Now, the costs associated with daycare have dropped drastically. About 80% less than Heather use to charge me, but for better care. My research now has shown that Wellington, known as Welly-World, is for the big players with BIG BUCKS. It is a place that the Heather Hargett's of the world have no business playing in, and her attempt to play with the big dogs is embarrassing at best. Heather Hargett is a legend in her own mind? She claims that she wants to sue me for slander and defamation for ruining her good name. Wow!, that's the joke of the century!

This bring us to near real time. We are now at recent events ?in the past few weeks or so? which cannot & should not be revealed at this time. BUT, I have sooooo much to tell you. You just wouldn't believe! So, please check back as I will update this file as events that I can discuss, unfold. It should be soon. Definitely, check back for the conclusion, to see if and how justice prevailed. Will I get most ?or some? of my money back, or is it going to be a total loss? Will Heather Hargett AKA Heather Williams, end up in jail and finally learn that defrauding folks is just not nice? Check back & find out!

pics of Heather

The Horse Investment scam drama goes on...
We have recently discovered that at least 50+ individuals were victim to this con artist, in different ways that include but are not limited to: Investment Fraud, Bad Checks, Unpaid invoices for goods & services, Unpaid commissions to agents, the list goes on and on... Stay tuned as we continue investigating every apsect of this story... Also, much more details about our pending lawsuit, coming up soon. If you were victim of this person, please come forward by sending me an email via 'Ask a Question' or admin@badbusinessreport.com and by all means, feel free to post a comment.


Read the official complaint for damages filed Jan 19, 2007 in Broward County
Read the Complaint Here

Below are Depositions 1, 2 & 3 from Ms. Hargett/Williams.
Read Heather's deposition part I
Read Heather's deposition part II
Read Heather's deposition part III

This is the report form the Special Master to the Judge in regards to Me. Hargett/Williams objections. Special Master's Report


The eMail file consists of all the email correspondence between Mr Buck & Ms.Hargett/Williams. That in itself tells the whole story.
eMail File

The business plan that was presented to Mr.Buck by Ms. Hargett/Williams. It is discussed in length in deposition III. Also the equipment list, shows the overpriced equipment billed to Mr. Buck
The Business Plan
Equipment Costs

The Horse price list, is a list of horses with prices that was sent to a prospective investor that Mr. Buck had introduced to Ms. Hargett/Williams. As some people have pointed out, most of these horses can be found on various sites on the web at much lower prices.
Horse Price List

There was a motion to compel the defendant to sit for her deposition and bring with her the requested documents that she continues to withhold. Due to Ms. Hargett/Williams's attempts to stall the hearing by consulting with attorneys who ask to reschedule depositions, but ultimately walked away from the case as Ms. Hargett/Williams probably cannot afford their retainer. We had to file a Motion To Compel

A Request For Admission was also filed for Ms. Hargett/Williams to admit to certain facts; of course we have not seen a response. A request for Production of Documents was filed as well. Guess what; we've yet to see the first document.
Motion to Compel
Copy of RFA
RFP to Defendant

The "More emails" file, is a short file of emails between Ms. Hargett/Williams where even with two pending lawsuits she is still trying to attract unsuspecting investors into her horse scams.
More Emails

The following Motion file by Ms. Hargett/Williams included two Motions. 1) A motion for continuance to stop her deposition until after a hearing for the second Motion; a Cease & Decist Motion requesting that the Plaintiff shut down his Bad Business Alert website where Ms. Hargett/Williams's fraudulent business dealings, including all proceedings from this complaint and comments from several Bulletin Boards, are displayed for the whole world to see.
Heather's Motion

Our Response to the Temporary Injunction filed shortly thereafter, indicated to the court that it is the Plaintiff's First Amendment Right to Free Speech, to post anything & everything that relates to this complaint and that Ms. Hargett/Williams had absolutely no basis for her Motion to Cease & Decist.
Response to Temporary Injunction

This file "Other Victim" contains emails from a few other investors who answered her Craigslist posting, it also contains emails from people who have come forward about their experience with Ms. Hargett/Williams and finally there are some postings that were copied from the WEF and the COTH Bulletin Boards.
Other Victims

Below is a copy of Ms. Hargett/Williams's filing for Griffon Gate Farm LLC on August 2nd, 2006.
Griggon Gate Farm LLC

They're talking about us on the WEF Board: WEF Thread

and on the Chronicle Of the Horse: The Chronicle of the horse

If you know of any other board/site talking about us, please let us know.

UPDATE
On April 6, 2007 at 4:57 pm, attorney number three has advised;
the Firm of Borgognoni & Gutierrez in Miami, Florida will not be representing Ms. Hargett.

On April 9, 2007 Judge Carney ruled that Ms. Hargett is to produce the documents she has refused to produce, relevant to her subpoena duces tecum, no later than Friday, April 13, 2007 before 5:00 pm in the attorney's office. In addition, she must attend her scheduled deposition next week in the presence of a general master, due to her continued refusal to respond to questioning. The general master will rule on any objections at this deposition. The court has agreed with our motion that the costs be borne by each side.

Court's Order on Plaintiff's Motion to Compel

UPDATE
April 13th, 2007: We have obtained the lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach, on behalf of Peter King, who invested in a horse and paid daycare to Heather Hargett/Williams until he later found out on his own that his horse had been sold. He was given a check by Heather Hargett/Williams for the sum of $87,327.00 that was returned UNPAID by Heather Hargett/Williams's bank.

For those who remain skeptical about the allegations towards Ms. Hargett/Williams, see for yourself

Peter King's Complaint


3RD DEPOSITION UPDATE:
As stated below, the deposition did not go smooth. Neither did the first or the second deposition for that matter. There were many objections despite overrules by the Special Master, leaving many questions unanswered and the deposition was cut short By Ms. Hargett/Williams, claiming she had to go inject a sick horse, which name she would not reveal.

DEPOSITION III IS NOW POSTED. Click on the Deposition link below.
Also, right below Deposition III, is the Special Master's report to the Judge. We also have the video version of the deposition which is 2 1/2 hour long. I will edit the video into short clips so you can view the deposition "live".

Read Heather's deposition part III

Special Master's Report

NEW! Finally I have the full deposition video posted in 15 minute clips. Just click the links below. Enjoy!

NOTE: This has absolutely nothing to do with Ms Hargett/Williams. It does have to do with fraudulent transactions that seem rampant in the horse industry. Finally, someone sought justice and through perseverance, achieved some closure. GOOD FOR YOU! I say. More people should fight back instead of walking away in shame for having been victimized.
Very interesting reading, to say the least

Indictment
Josh Release Guidelines
Final Joshua Cardine Bries

To my readers:

I have received emails today seeking to know how the deposition of Ms. Hargett went today. She showed up EMPTY handed again!!! She stayed 1 ½ hours and left despite the special master telling her that she would have a sanction for doing so. She claimed sick horse and left!!!

I attended the video deposition and was astonished that Ms. Hargett admitted over and over to knowingly showing in the amateurs and being a member of the USEF during at least 2004-January 2007. She claims that she did not violate the rules because in 2006 she had not yet shown so she did nothing wrong but then admitted she never told the USEF that she was not an amatuer. My lawyer presented her numerous written contracts from 2005 and discussions wherein Hargett agreed to doing business as an agent and had horses in her possession as an agent. She was visibly frustrated at the repeated questions about frauding the USEF!

Ms. Hargett claimed to have only sold ONE horse in the last five years over $100,000.00.

She claimed that her business plan was just a guideline and not to be followed by anyone and claimed common sense would tell people it was just fluff (I can't remember the exact words but close enough).

Are you all sitting down for this? Ms. Hargett claims that despite the fact my invoices stated "stall rental" that she upped the charge to include the cost of her grooms apartment that the groom rented for $1300 per month plus utilities. Not only that, but Ms. Hargett billed for HER apartment and living expenses/utilities (you will recall that she lived rent free at a certain person's house). She explained, EVERYONE in the industry that is a professional has the clients pay for their apartment because afterall, she was only here in Wellington to sell MY horses!!! She admits to never disclosing to me this additional cost over the dry stall rental and claimed, since I never asked, she never pointed it out. My lawyer asked her why she would charge if her business plan indicated she was housed in Wellington for her entire business and she claimed it is industry standard to put the costs to the clients just like everyone else does.

But that is not all!! She then admitted to NOT paying numerous vets since December 2005 for prepurchases she requested and were conducted and the reason why she has not paid.....she does not have any money, but certainly knows she owes it!!! She even admitted to stiffing a vet three weeks ago on a horse vetted in South Carolina.

She claims to have investors working with her now to buy horses from Europe and here and that is being finalized.

She claims she bought a part of a horse for $20,000 in November. (Where did that money go?). Oh yeah, she admitted she does not keep all her money in the bank and had $85,000 available in February 2007 at her disposal......

She admitted she never paid the vet for care in August 2006 (as I understood it, she was going to take the prepurchase money she charged me and apply it to the August/September bills). She admits she failed to do that, and that vet is still owed!!! She admits she took my money and never paid it out!

By the way everyone, remember "Innocent Bystander" on the WEF thread (see above to recall what that person said). My lawyer read directly from Innocent Bystanders postings and Heather claimed she had not provided anyone that information NOR did she show documents, so that means Innocent Bystander (despite having pretty accurate facts) is someone that does not exist. So was it Heather? Well you decide!!! Will the REAL Innocent Bystander please stand up.

She even claimed a particular well known and very strict professional (name being withheld for that person) was willing to perpetuate a fraud on the USEF and allow Heather to show in the amatuers with horses not owned by her!!!

She claimed she is one of the elite in the industry and other elite people like Leslie Howard, Peter Pletcher, Todd Minikus come to her to see her horses.....she then admitted she never sold any of them a horse! Did they really go? Supposedly Todd Minikus brought Peter Pletcher......

She claims Jacob Williams the invisible boyfriend/husband exists but refused to provide his Texas contact and claims they split two weeks ago over this mess and they will get back together AFTER the trial......guys, does he really exist?

She claims Tim Ober the World Cup vet is coming to work on her horse this week and yes, she admits her prior partner owes him money.

Here is a sad one, she admitted to taking $10,000 from Peter Erdos as an investment on four horses from Canada andthen readily admits she never secured four horses from Canada and dismissed it when the lawyer asked her why she deviated from the agreement. She admits that Mr. Erdos literally jumped on the hood of her truck hanging on to get her to pull over and pay him. She has made him a $1,000 payment and claims she really owes him nothing because it ended in a bad investment!! Then she admitted that she never had a good investment even up to my getting involved.

She claims she owed Alex Gerding $32,000 and she paid him $15,000 and owes him more but that she just doesn't have the money and yet she ADMITS she received $62,000 when the horse was sold in 2005 and paid three commissions and NEVER paid the guy what he was owed in full.........

Are you guys sensing the pattern?
It just goes on and on and the web just spins and spins........

That is all I can say for now, nothing more..... I would defer to the actual transcript coming soon because I could not keep up with everything as it was going real fast. This gives you a general idea. By the way, we moved for sanctions and the hearing is next week!

Posted on:   Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:38 PM   Edit Update

Hi all:
Yesterday, I ran across a Yahoo Group called romance scams where ton of people are victims of Nigerian scammers, posing as Americans, and targeting singles on dating sites and community sites such as Mysapce, Craigslist.... They steal photos of attractive men or women models from modeling sites, create bogust profiles, and swindle unsuspecting Americans out of $Thousands$ of $$$ everyday. The post below was a message that caught my eye. And eventhough I did not fall for a romance scam, I'm still very offended by the many insensitive, ridicules & remarks that I read on COTH and on WEF. I find the 12 steps appropriate and somewhat comforting. I thought I'd share them with anyone who has lost to Heather Hargett/Williams or any other Con Artist.

From FRAUD AID http://www.fraudaid.com
HOW TO HANDLE THE AFTERMATH OF A FRAUD:
12 STEPS TO GETTING YOUR LIFE BACK ON TRACK

The Toughest: STOP BLAMING YOURSELF AND PUT THE BLAME WHERE
IT BELONGS - ON THE PERSON WHO CONNED YOU!

Don't beat yourself up. Say this out loud as many times a day and for as many days as it takes to stop feeling miserable: "Okay, I made a mistake. Now, let's move on." Yes, this really does work.

Do not allow yourself to be casually judged. If anyone tries to make you feel guilty or foolish (as if you don't feel bad enough), either walk away or tell them flat out that they are in no position to judge you. If the person who has been assigned to your case tries to make you feel stupid, ask to speak with someone else or ask to speak to a supervisor. Remember this: swindlers hit everyone including heads of state, corporate giants, pension fund trustees, finance managers, corporate attorneys, investment companies, all to the tune of thousands and millions of dollars. They even swindle cops. Back to top

Give yourself time to grieve. It's your right - you have been robbed of more than money or possessions, you have been robbed of your self-confidence and your self-esteem. That kind of loss is not to be taken lightly.

Remember this at all times: YOU ARE A VICTIM. The swindlers who involved you in their schemes are professionals. It is their life's work and they study their craft day and night. Their sole purpose is to transfer money from your pocket to theirs, and they are very, very good at it. They are intelligent and as well- educated in their line of work as any doctor or lawyer is in his or her respective profession. They are often under-estimated and like it that way because it makes their job easier.

Get on with your life! No easy thing, but make some headway each day. Give yourself a goal and head for it ruthlessly. Find someone to talk to who has no ax to grind. When you do open up, be completely honest. If you continue to hide this or that, it will all haunt you. If you did something stupid, admit it. Go through all the "if only's." IT'S OKAY!

There is no such thing as a little con. All swindles hurt, some more than others. It is not for anyone else to judge how much a swindle has hurt you. Do not allow yourself to be belittled. You were the one on the front lines, and absolutely no one can judge how they would have reacted under the same conditions.

Don't rack your brain trying to figure out why your "friend" did this to you - he or she did it because that's what swindlers do. Their minds do not operate in the same way yours and mine do. You can't peek in there and try to make sense of their behavior because you are trying to analyze the behavior of a criminal mind using a sane, moral mind as a base platform. You might as well try to psych out a Martian.

Never live in the Past. Flashbacks happen. Nothing you can do about it. But the more time you spend re-living the events of the scam, the more you will find yourself stuck there. This doesn't do you any good at all. As a matter of fact, it prevents you from realizing what life is offering you NOW. Live in the Present, do not anticipate the Future. Plan for it, yes. But that's all. The Present is happening now, deal with it.

TIME takes time. Understand that a case file can remain open for years and years before the criminal is caught or the case may finally end up in the dead case file. This is especially true if there is a lack of information or if the grounds for indictment are very weak. If you depend on the authorities to put an end to the criminal's career before you feel vindicated, you may very well end up with an emotional door hanging open, banging in the wind. Forget it. Once you have given all the information you have to the authorities, that's your vindication, that's your closure.. It has to be. If the crook is caught, that's just icing on the cake.

Learn to laugh again, with yourself but not at yourself! The sooner you do this, the sooner you will heal. Avoid rehashing the stupid mistakes to make them laughable. If you do, you will reinforce the shame, the humiliation you are feeling. You will only prolong the healing period. People always listen to their own voices before they listen to the voices of others. Tell yourself often enough that you are a stupid dolt, and you will sincerely believe it no matter what anyone says to the contrary. There is no need to prolong your misery beyond what is reasonable.

None of the these steps is easy. I ought to know. It took me years to get over having been the target of a swindle, and it shouldn't have. I still think nasty words when I remember the impact my belief in the swindlers had on other innocent people who trusted my word enough to invest their hard-earned dollars, but now it's in the proper perspective. Life does go on. Decide now: where are you going from here? What is the first thing you have to do to get there? What are you waiting for? DO IT!
Posted by: Topbodz on Thu Apr 19, 11:50 AM   Edit / Delete Comment

The greatest new I heard recently was that Heather had been booked. It's not much, as she made bail, but it's a start. I don't know what the outcome of her trial was, but surely hope she got some time. Anyway, here is her mug shot.



I just couldn't resist.

I had the deposition video clips on youtube but she managed to get google to pull them off citing that I was infringing on copyrights. So, SCREW youtube, I have them hosted somewhere else and the links are now working. I am also offering copies of the original video CDs so you can watch the entire deposition as one clip.

and, finally, I am getting ready to give everyone my conclusion to this chapter in my life. I have a whole lot to tell and will "Tell it like it is" Please keep checking back.

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