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<h3 class="title">The Cocoon - No Longer a Place of Refuge!</h3>
<h4 class="titlesmall">UPDATE: December 4, 2007</h4>
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<p>As you know if you have been following the updates on this web site, I seek "justice" at whatever the price may be - be it in the time expended during the past four (4) years (dating back to November 19, 2003) or be it in my expenditure of in excess of $1M during this period.</p>
<p>You have seen our real (conservative) estimates of the dollar cost to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the charade of the past four years - totaling in excess of $3M - not all but the overwhelming majority coming from the budget of the Division of Professional Licensure. (For your information, the current annual budget for George K. Weber's Division of Professional Licensure, which represents all the Professional Boards designated within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is $4,146,986. Mr. Weber will soon be challenged as to the veritable facts (and not those made up by Mrs. Mangsen, Chairman Kazlauskas, and Investigator, Bresnahan) in this case, as the conspiracy and subsequent corruption unfolds as I have described �thusly� and in such a way that the most ill informed, ill educated, and �tom-doubter� can understand.</p>
<p>There is so much more additional information to be shared with you - informational correspondence well documented as you have come to know as it is shared with you in this web site. I shall hold back on several issues until I have all the facts as I await responses from the Division of Professional Licensure - responses that are lacking in timeliness, and up to this point - lacking in content.</p>
<p>As you will soon be aware (if you are not already), there exists a pattern of activity within the State Board of Registration of Funeral Directors and Embalmers and the Division of Professional whereby decisions are made and positions taken without veritable facts, as we have found this to be the policy of the State Board at least in this matter. Is this not so, Ms. Peveri? (Ms. Peveri is the Executive Director for the State Board and Division of Professional Licensure). At the appropriate time, I shall call a witness to validate and elaborate upon this statement.</p>
<p>Suffice it to say (and to be on the Record), Mr. Weber and his competent (or in some cases - incompetent) staff will no longer be able to retreat (fall back) into their once protected cocoon and hide from the truth and their accountability in matters that are directly reflective of their actions or lack thereof. That brightness that now blurs their vision is the "Light of the Truth" - that may soon see careers once guaranteed - now in a state of peril! <em>Run as you will! But you cannot hide any longer!</em></p>
<p>You will recall I asked the Massachusetts Funeral Director's Association (MFDA) - {the same Massachusetts Funeral Director's Association (MFDA) that volunteered its Secretary to be an expert witness in the Division of Professional Licensure's prosecution of me) to participate in a review of all documents, all facts, and all correspondence in this matter. The MFDA' s Ann Roan declined my invitation to have a representative from the MFDA participate in the review. The question has surfaced on several occasions as to whether or not Mr. Tracy Mitchell was singled out by the State Board and its investigator, Bresnahan to be the expert witness in this case or was it a referral (recommendation) by the MFDA. In cross examination of Mr. Bresnahan by me on May 2, 2006 during the Administrative Hearing, I asked Mr. Bresnahan if he had ever inspected Mr. Mitchell�s files at either of his funeral homes. Mr. Bresnahan responded, �I have attempted to do so, but each time I visited his funeral homes there was no one present�. One would think the expert witness in pre-need funerals would have at least had his pre-need funeral files inspected before he testified as an expert witness in this area. One could then surmise that since Mr. Mitchell was quick to state in his list of qualifications and offices held that he was secretary for the Massachusetts Funeral Director�s Association, that the MFDA appointed (or at least encouraged) Mr. Mitchell to participate in the process.</p>
<p>To surmise without expending every effort to validate a theory or perception by turning over every stone possible in the process, is not the way I do business today or ever have done business. As such, I shall this date be forwarding correspondence to both Mr. Mitchell as well as the MFDA seeking a response to questions I shall posed to them on this subject. I shall present the questions and their responses thereto in a subsequent update. Stay Tuned!</p>
<p>I have in my possession the first complete analysis (review) of the thousands of pages of documents that make up the file in this matter. It is lengthy. It is comprehensive. And it is telling, to say the least. I have been debating just how best to present the findings and comments in reference thereto on this web site, while at the same time not influencing other reviews presently underway. I have asked those conducting assessments (reviews) to reframe from reading this and future updates until they have submitted their assessments. (As an aside, my staff has copied more than 20,000 pages of documents, records, and correspondences in support of the issues before us and the assessments and reviews underway).</p>
<p>For the purposes of this process; statements, remarks, findings, questions, etc. from the reviewer will be italicized. All other statements, observations, etc. will NOT be italicized and may be credited to and supported by the veritable facts in my possession.</p>
<p><strong>OPENING REMARKS</strong></p>
<p><em>Mr. Haddad, I agreed to review all documents, correspondence, records, and findings of fact as presented by all parties in this process. I stated clearly from the outset that I would be objective at all times, and that I would expect your full and complete cooperation as I found or had questions. I had little knowledge of the case or issues prior to agreeing to this review, and had no position one way or another in accepting this task. In so doing, I entered the process seeking intentional or unintentional violations of rules, regulations, orders, and law that would have had to be present in the findings of fact as a result of the initial complaints filed by Mrs. Katherine Mangsen.</em></p>
<p>For the purposes of this Update, the following presentation of the review will focus ONLY on what the situation was at Nordgren Memorial Chapel just prior to and through the inspection conducted by Inspector Bresnahan on November 19, 2003. (The information gathered came from testimony of Mr. Kurt Mangsen, Mrs. Katherine Mangsen, Mr. Ronald Johnson, and Mr. Bresnahan along with statements made concerning this period at the December 9, 2003 Meeting of the State Board).</p>
<p><strong>VERITABLE FACTS</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Haddad became a minority owner of Nordgren Memorial Chapel in 2002- an owner of Class A shares. (This means of ownership is "real" as compared to the made up ownership of the 10% rule which allows funeral homes to advertise a director's name without an actual dollar purchase of shares equivalent to the 10% value of the funeral home establishment).</li>
<li>Haddad became a director, (along with Kurt and Katherine Mangsen) serving on the Board of Directors, Nordgren Memorial Chapel in the summer of 2002.</li>
<li>Haddad was voted off the Board of Directors by Kurt and Katherine Mangsen one year later (summer of 2003) and replaced by Ronald E. Johnson.</li>
<li>Katherine Mangsen, in the company of Ronald Johnson, attempted to recalculate Haddad's employment agreement in late September 2003 - a proposal rejected by Haddad.</li>
<li>In early November 2003, without notice Mrs. Mangsen discontinued Haddad's family dental insurance and terminated Haddad's cell phone.</li>
<li>On November 19, 2003, John Bresnahan, inspector for the State Board and the Division of Professional Licensure, performed what is alleged to be an unannounced inspection of the premises and pre-need funeral arrangements of the funeral home at Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA</li>
<li>After inspecting the premises, Inspector Bresnahan asked the secretary, Gail Wiles, for six (6) pre-need funeral arrangements to review.</li>
<li>Two (2) of the files presented to Inspector Bresnahan were prepared by Haddad, but only one (1) was a pre-need file - the other being a completed funeral file.</li>
<li>In reviewing testimony from both prosecution and defense witnesses, it is Nordgren Memorial Chapel's policy to file pre-need funeral arrangements in a separate file in the office, and completed funeral files either in a secured closet file awaiting payment or in another file adjacent to the reception area once payment had been received.</li>
<li>Of the six (6) files inspected by Bresnahan, three (3) files were found to be missing documents or documents were present but unsigned.</li>
<li>One such file was prepared by Ronald Johnson while employed at Caswell-King Funeral Home. Mr. Johnson explained that the file moved to Nordgren Memorial Chapel at the sole discretion of the family was complete at the time, but not to worry the family had copies of the missing documents. This satisfied Inspector Bresnahan.</li>
<li>The two (2) files prepared by Haddad (only one being pre-need as requested of Ms. Wiles by Inspector Bresnahan at the time of the inspection) were for Cynthia Eliopoulos (pre-need) and Gianoula Bahaviolos (completed funeral file).</li>
<li>Cynthia Eliopoulos's file was complete with the exception of a signed Cost of Goods and Services Form. The funding was complete and fully accounted for with all appropriate paperwork forwarded to Columbian Life Insurance Company in Binghamton, NY. <strong>(As of this date, Cynthia Eliopoulos's arrangements remain at Nordgren Memorial Chapel and funding remains with Columbian Life Insurance Company).</strong></li>
<li>Gianoula Bahaviolos's file (a completed funeral file) was found to be missing the Cost of Goods and Services Form - although the funeral had been completed. Further review of the documentation on behalf of the family to include correspondence from Mrs. Bahaviolos's daughter to Nordgren Memorial Chapel; Mrs. Mangsen's responses thereto; correspondence from Mrs. Bahaviolos's daughter to the Better Business Bureau of Central Massachusetts; and testimony by Mrs. Bahaviolos's daughter at the Administrative Hearing in Boston; - it is apparent that Nordgren Memorial Chapel was attempting to withhold a balance due the Bahaviolos Family after payment of the full funeral invoice at current prices of an amount in excess of $800.00.</li>
<li>During the inspection on November 19, 2003, Mrs. Mangsen stated to Inspector Bresnahan that they (Nordgren Memorial Chapel) were in the process of terminating him (Haddad), but were advised by legal counsel to be careful and that termination had to be initiated for cause.</li>
<li>Haddad was terminated without notice within hours of the inspection by Bresnahan - termination notice delivered by constable William George.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Nordgren Memorial Chapel in the person(s) of the Mangsens wished to terminate Haddad.</li>
<li>Every effort was being made by the Mangsens to have Haddad leave on his own as a result of recalculating his employment agreement after more than nine (9) years with the funeral home. Discontinuing Haddad's family dental coverage and his cell phone clearly demonstrate this.</li>
<li>Inadvertently providing a completed funeral arrangement file to an inspector for the State Board, when in fact the inspector asked for samples of pre-need funeral arrangements - a file that would have had to come from a completely separate file cabinet - is suspect and should have "flown in the face" and sent up "red flags" to any inspector. </li>
<li>If inconsistencies were noted in arrangements prepared by Haddad, an inspector is obligated (or at least one would presume so) to review additional samples of pre-arranged funerals by Haddad. This was not done at the time, nor at anytime in the future by Inspector Bresnahan.</li>
<li>I am troubled by the conclusions listed above, and even more troubled by the fact that the Mangsens and their attorney initiated termination proceedings against Haddad the very same day and within hours of the inspection without providing Haddad as an owner of Nordgren Memorial Chapel and an employee of the funeral home for more than nine (9) years with the opportunity to respond to concerns of the inspector.</li>
</ul>
<p>In the next Update, I shall continue to present the content of the initial review commencing with the request of Inspector Bresnahan that I attend a Meeting of the State Board on December 9, 2003.</p>
<h3 class="title">NEXT UPDATE-December 19, 2007
<br />Subject - There is NO escape from - "Truth, Justice, and Accountability"</h3>
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