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Bad Guy Ken Marino of Phoenix is a thief and scammer, beware!!

I hate seeing people get taken by these A-holes.It has happened to me on ebay, I know how it feels.I'ld hunt the SOB down, and stop at nothing to see him get what he deserves.I wish I could help ya out Ken, but all I can do is wish you the best at finding the A-hole.
 
Jack of all trades.
Posted : 02/20/2009 06:11AM CDT
Type : I am offering
Price : $0.00

WEED SEASON IS HERE! DONT WAIT. LET US PUT DOWN A PRE-EMERGENT. NO WEEDS FOR OVER ONE YEAR. GENERAL LANSCAPE AND MONTHLYS WELCOME. WE ARE LICENSED AND INSURED. LOWEST PRICE IN TOWN CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE QUOTE. KEN 602-909-5767

Channel: Craigslist
Click to expand...
 
fauxsanity said:
let me nip this in the bud...Randal..(sorry for misspelling before Randal) knew about this guy's rep beforehand so apparently there's threads started about him already out there...Ken has friends and colleges that had this happen to, from the same guy..he should have known or could have if he did some research.

IF Ken knew of this guys rep before hand and decided to take a risk..if he knew and bought because the profit margin would be greater for his business, he lost.

expensive lesson?..for sure..timely?..you bet..cost of doing business?..sometimes..but you have to use legal channels to recoup you losses.

Ken the best thing to do at this point is to say, "I could have used to BOI and save alot of headache, so I'm posting for others, my lesson is learned"..and keep everyone informed on the outcome.*
Click to expand...


So you say that if you end up in a deal with a known scammer and they take you through the cleaners it is your own fault and you should not make any effort to recover your loss? WTF?

The way I see it a history of ripping other people off is not a free pass for the next one to come along and get taken. How can you even start to defend a crook by saying "well didn't you know he would screw you over before you started?"... not no, but hell no... And from everybody I know that has been screwed over, they did not see it as taking a risk, they got smooth talked and left out to dry.

simply put you must have just given up on giving a :censored:

Lance
 
Just some thing to think about.

I have ran in to a few people in that area that open pest business to obtain free gila monsters. Thet go to construction sites, oil rigs , ect. and say they will dispose of said pest and will even offer to pay $50 or so if they call them first. Just found that funny.
 
Hey Ken, sorry for your loss. Have you tried contacting the AHA? (Arizona herp association) letting them know about this guy? I would for you, but I don't post over there anymore due to someone I dislike and can't stand... I hate people that pretend to be know it alls when they actually don't know shit! And I would also post in the pet section on phx CL. I believe I had this loser contact me once about my boas years back when I was selling my collection, cause they weren't snake enough for me, and I wanted retics. I didn't sell to him because he just didn't seem experienced enough. Anyways. I DO go to all the reptile related shows out here. And can help if you send me a photo. I would also go on to contact pets inc here in AZ, predators, reptiles and reefs, and other reptile stores here in the valley. Christian, from predators, should be very helpful. He has a few shows here in AZ. Also Jared from reptiles and reefs is a real nice guy! And the AHA will look out for you. They don't tolerate this crap, even if they do let stupid "know it all" bitches on their forum. Good luck! Any assistance I can give you let me know!! The reptile community out here is small (especially retics, unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if I have the largest collection of retics in the state) but strong.
 
Just updating what's going on with Marino, good stuff

Kenneth George Marino is the fellows full name. I just wanted to relate what's been going on since my last post on this subject. I've filed charges with the Phoenix Police dept. and the FBI. I don't see getting any results with the FBI, but Phoenix PD has found Marino and knows where he is. They are still investigating before making an arrest. We know he does indeed live in Phoenix, although he has denied this, more then likely to throw anyone looking for him off his trail. His kingsnake.com account has been canceled, and all his ads for all his other buisness ventures on Craig's list have been removed by either Craig himself or by Ken to once again try to hide himself. His bank account at Chase bank has been frozen, and they are now looking for him for fraud. This was done by someone else he tried to rip off, and I want to thank them for the action. He's also more then likely to have his two other bank accounts at two other banks he has money in frozen also. I've been conacted by a couple others who almost sent him money, but saw this thread and changed their minds. He attempted to rip off some rather big dealers in our industry as well, the same way he did me recently, and I have a feeling he's going to be sorry he tried that. He lost a $4,500 deal in Texas because of this thread. He actually called me to complain about it, if you can imagine.

I'm not done with him yet, not until justice has been served. The :censored: storm I have unleashed is not even started yet. I'm relating all this now not only to keep you guys posted, but in hopes that Marino will read this too and see what he's gotten himself into. I want him to be watching in his rear view mirror for cops. I want him to feel fear everytime there's a knock on the door or a call on his phones. The end of his world as he knows it is coming, and a lot faster then he can imagine. It makes me smile.

If anyone has any information at all that they'dl like to add, please feel free to post it here or to contact me directly. To all my friends in Phoenix that are on the lookout for him, keep it up. He can't hide for long. (the police won't give his address for fear harm wil befall him). Take care.
 
Well, let's see. Lots of stuff has happened, except for the most important thing, my money back. But in the meantime, here's what we got:

All his ads and accounts have been canceled with Kingsnake.com, so he can't scam anyone there anymore.
All his ads for his many other ventures listed on Craig's list have been canceled, so he can't scam anyone there anymore.
His bank account at Chase Bank has been frozen and Chase is in the process of filing fraud and theft charges against him in New Mexico and Arizona
All other bank accounts and assets are being searched for and frozen as they are located.
A warrant for his arrest has been issued by the Phoenix Police Dept., and they are attempting to locate his exact address. It's only a matter of time.
I've been contacted by many people that were planning on purchasing from him, and all have backed out of the deals after having spoken to me or from reading this thread here.

I was going to hire a private investigator to find him myself, but the police have asked to allow them to handle it since he is assumed to be armed. He'll be arrested if he's pulled over for a traffic violation, or if any officer in any state notices his license plate number.
So, in a nutshell he's a wanted man, a fugitive with the law. There's a warrant out for his arrest, and it's only a matter of time. I hope that all his looking over his shoulder is making a nightmare of his life. He's mine, he just doesn't know it yet. Or he does, and he knows it's just a matter of time, which is even better for me.

That's about it so far. If anything changes I'll be sure to let you know.
 
Update and Request

This is just an update on my battle for justice and a request to any and all effected parties.

It appears that law enforcement could care less about people being ripped off. After months of phone tag with the detective assigned to my case in the Phoenix police dept., it has finally been said that there's nothing they are going to do. They did contact Marino, and they REQUESTED that he come down and make a statement. He told them to talk to his lawyer. After that the case was for all intents dropped. In the meantime, Marino was able to get a harassment injunction placed on me, even though I have not contacted him since July. He has also emailed 3rd parties with my home address, the name and address of my ex wife, my SS number, phone #s and even my fed ex account #. Not that the fed ex thing is any big deal. He has also claimed that I have broken state and federal laws and that it's in my best interest to back off and leave him alone. This was sent by email to a 3rd party who forwarded the email to me. Marino is doing everything he can think of to scare me off. However, since I know I have not broken any laws, it really has the opposite effect on me.

I have hired an attorney in Phoenix, and he is chomping at the bit to go after Marino. At this time we are planning on suing for the money I spent on the tortoises I never received, and we are also going for damages from loss of profit and mental anguish. Plus we have added another persons losses to try to collect them also. The entire lawsuit could be for up to the sum of $30,000 by the time we are through. My attorney is also proceeding to file criminal charges against Marino of identity theft and whatever else he thinks will hold water for sending out my personal information on the internet. I don't know how all that works, which is why I have a lawyer handling it.

In the meantime, I request that anyone who has been ripped off by Ken Marino of Phoenix or New Mexico contact me, and we'll see about adding your case to mine. We might as well take him down for as much as possible. The lawyer is paid for, so there's nothing for you to lose and everything to gain.

Not much else to tell. I'm plodding along, and in the end I'm sure justice will be served. It just takes time, and money. I've already spent almost as much as I got ripped off for, and I'm sure I'll be spending more money as the case evolves. Not a big deal. To nail this guy is going to worth every penny. I'll post again in the event anything new comes up.
 
Way to stick to your guns.....cops don't want to deal with the hassle, and neither do most people, so these scumbags are allowed to do this. Nail him to the wall!
 
Beats me. I'm sure it happens all the time, and if a crook is good at his job he can figure it out. He has just about every bit of personal info on me that a person can have. He's missing a few things it seems, or he would have bragged about them too. It's easy enough to get my fed ex #, as it's on every package I ship. But to find my other personal stuff, like the ex wife's location took some digging. Hell, even I have to look up her address to mail something to her. So, to answer your question, I really don't have a clue. But when in discovery, or in court, I'll be sure that he's asked the question by my lawyer, myself or a prosecutor.
 
A good example of what he does not have. He has no clue what I look like. In the harassment injunction it asked for my hair color, weight, eye color, etc, and he had to put "unknown" for each question. And that's odd, since there a a few photos of my out on the internet. Of course I have no clue what he looks like either, so I guess we're even.
 
I can tell him what you look like!
Your 5'2", have blonde hair, weigh 123 lbs. and have a prosthetic left arm.

Randal Berry
 
Ha Randall. Would that be a sight or what? I was 123 pounds in high school, but no such luck anymore. Too many pizzas. Seriously, all you have to do is go to my facebook thingy, there's a photo of me there. But you take care anyway, you balding bow legged dwarf. It sure is a good thing you are my friend lol. Take care
 
Ken Marino

As a courtesy to a friend who got screwed by this guy, I had a friend in AZ who is an auto repossessor go by and address that I had. It was a "Postal Annex". He covers his tracks this guy. It's been a few years since I've heard him floating around, but will keep my eyes and ears open. I'm in So. Cal. and have talked to the guy a few years back, but thankfully didn't have any business with him. BEWARE!!

Barry Lambert
 
Well good for you Ken that you had the balls to stand up and take it this far. I just read this whole thread and I'm glad you went after him, too bad the police are too Chicken :censored: to do anything about it. Thats usually the case with this sort of scam, nothing can be proven really. Now you know for the next time, get an investigator to find the guy, and deal with him yourself.

Hope your lawyer is able to get some money back for you, its doubtfull though, but good luck. :thumbsup:


Mike Jones
 
I would have to respectfully and enthusiastically disagree that the police are chickens. There are many factors that come into play when you are dealing with interstate theft. Jurisdictional lines are the primary item of concern. The police have to always be mindful of what will happen when they present this case to the D.A. Good, bad, or indifferent, the police must operate within the powers granted to them. This can be very frustrating both to someone like Ken and also to law enforcement. In my experience, people don't go into law enforcement to not stop bad people (for lack of a better term). Most of the time, their hands are simply tied.

Based upon my knowledge and experience with law enforcement, this is an FBI issue. They have a division that deals exclusively with internet crime. But, they also are limited when it comes to the total dollar amount involved. There are certain thresholds in play. I won't pretend to know why they didn't pursue the case.

The original poster has concluded something that his lawyer should have told him during their first correspondence...this is a matter for small claims court. I feel bad for him, and I wish him the best of luck. And, I too would like to commend him for his fortitude in pursuing this case to the end. People like the alleged scammer thrive upon the fact that going after them is simply too much trouble.
 
I honestly don't expect to get any of my money back. Never did. I also assume that I'm going to spend more money on legal fees then I lost. Does not matter. I don't like getting screwed. Period. I contacted the FBI, nothing doing there. I contacted my local police, nope. I contacted and have had an extensive dialog with Phoenix police, but they just don't seem to care. They found the man, but refused to follow up on that first contact. Marino has been arrested for identity theft, drug trafficing, using drugs, theft by false pretenses, and he also was arrested in Mexico for attempting to smuggle Beaded lizards into the US. Plus dozens of traffic violations. He is no stranger to the Phoenix legal system. He's on probation right now for the drug trafficing charge. He is a known criminal, yet nothing is being done. So I take it in my own hands. In Arizona, small claims is for any amount under $1,000. We will be filing in District court, so we can go before a real judge. It will cost me less if Marino settles during discovery, but I really want him in court. I want to drag him through the system as painfully as I possibly can. If nothing else, it's going to cost him a good deal of money for a lawyer. That's a good thing. I'm suing for the money he took from me, lost profit, lawyer fees and court costs. I'm also suing him on behalf of another party for about $4,000. The more, the better. It will be a stretch to make the lost profit claim stick, but that's ok. The more the better to start. I'd sue him for a million dollars if I could, but $30,000-$40,000 is good enough to get the courts attention. Like I said, I expect no money out of this, but as most of my friends know, I have expensive hobbies. Herps, motorcycles, international travel, and now Marino. Just another expensive hobby that might just be the most satisfying of them all. I don't fault the police at all, but it would have been nice if they would have helped just a bit. However, my lawyer is pursuing criminal charges for me, so we might get something done along those lines anyway. Only time will tell.
 
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