Saturday, August 29, 2009

How is MAS getting paid?

Assuming that the MAS Group is conducting work for the city....how are they getting paid?

I am speculating but I would bet it's through one of two city IT contractors....Ciber or VisionIT. Hell, maybe both.

It's interesting that Nagin just stroked a 6 million dollar check to Ciber. When the TP asked the administration what it was for....they basically told them to fuck off.

Maybe that was for Muppet and St. Pierre's lawyer fees.

However, in this case....I have a hunch the conduit may be VisionIT.

UPDATE: My hunch has now turned into pretty, damn sure that VisionIT is paying MAS as a sub. Also, I am getting a larger picture of MAS and the services they're performing. I was painting with a broad brush and I want to refine the story....stay tuned....it's going to get better.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zombie, thank you. Thank you for your tremendous work, and thank you to everyone who is helping you.

Some fellow calling himself DaddyEarl over at the nola.com site speculated that Nagin might be getting all these high priced attorneys to do a tonne of work for him on the city dime...and that when he had to peel himself away from this teat and hire his own lawyers, they would supoena the work done by the lawyers the citizens paid for, thus saving C-Ray some C-spots.

It would not surprise me at all to learn that DaddyEarl had pegged it, nor would it if your theory about how these bad actors were using city money for their defenses proved true, too.

At this point, I'd like to see the entire City Attorney's ofice led out of the building in handcuffs. You know they had to know about this.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jason Brad Berry said...

Anon 2,

So you're way over my head in terms of connecting the dots. Not that I don't appreciate it. But, two things I'm pretty sure of:

1. The MAS contract is being sub'd through VisionIT. Why they would do this is unknown to me. Technically, I suppose there is nothing illegal about it...Meffert has not been charged with anything....YET. Even if he is charged is VisionIT at risk? Perhaps under RICO, but I'm no lawyer and I can't tell. It would be interesting to get VisionIT heads on the stand under oath and ask them why the hired MAS, though.

2. I am pretty damn sure that MAS is incorporated in Plano, Texas. There are many reasons to be suspicious of this...but I haven't confirmed the main ones yet. Until I can confirm that...I'll have to leave you with that info.

Please keep digging and speculating...Good Job.

Anonymous said...

Dambala, why is Plano, Texas such a red flag for you? (Anon 2 again)

Puddinhead said...

Is Plano the site of Da Mayor's post-Katrina digs that he had to rescue before the house went to a tax auction?

I think it is.....

civitch said...

FYI the architecture firm that the city hired to redesign Armstrong Park for the statue boondoggle is also from Detroit.

Anonymous said...

Bob Ellis's Texas law firm is not in Plano. It's in Conroe, Texas, or "The Woodlands" Texas depending on who's asking.

http://www.texasbar.com

Robert Joseph Ellis Jr.
#24049914
joined up with the Texas bar 09/23/2005 (that's just after K)

Says he does bankrupcy, personal injury, taxation.

His NOLA City Hall number is listed as his business phone (shameless), but "The Woodlands" listed as his Texas city.

Over to http://www.avvo.com

The distribution of Ellis's practice given as:

34% tax
33% bankrupcy/debt
33% personal injury

On that site, he's listed as a lawyer in Conroe, Texas.

Wikipedia tells me that "The Woodlands" is a planned community 28 miles out of downtown Houston, and part of it is over the line into Conroe.

Both Conroe and The Woodlands are Montgomery County, and Conroe is the county seat.

The City Counsel and City Administration in Conroe are listed as having 300 Davis Ste., Conroe, Texas, 77301 as their home base.

Interestingly, this is ALSO the street address for Robert Ellis as a Conroe Lawyer, and for:

Richard Martin P. Canlas, ESQ
www.canlasdefense.com

Canlas and Ellis share the same suite number, 560, though I didn't find them listed as a firm.

I wonder what IT firms the city of Conroe uses.

I hope this sleuthing is helpful; over to someone else.

Anonymous said...

Detroit is ugly. Why pick a firm from Detroit?

Anonymous said...

Check out "The Woodlands", Texas; it is owned by General Growth Properties, Inc.. GGP is the company that did the Riverwalk Marketplace.

What also comes up is a book called "Heterotopia and the City: public space in a post-civil society". An Ellis associated with "The Woodlands" is quoted in an essay called "Heterotopia of the theme park street".

I don't know what this means, but I don't like it.

Anonymous said...

First, thanks for the mention, Anon 1. Next, Plano Texas... hmmm... Doesn't Nagin own a townhouse in that area? And oddly enough, one of Scott Domke's brothers lives there. Even more odd is that Scott brought this brother to New Orleans to "help" with some of the ongoing ventures with Meffert, et al, and to work with the Mayor. There's no doubt in my mind that there is a Plano connection.

DaddyEarl

Anonymous said...

Dambala, We Could Be Famous said Ellis-Naef showed up at Rising Tide and now nola.com says you might get sued for libel. Are you alright?

Anonymous said...

Another nearly $1.9 million contract handed out by the City's tech department? REALLY?

http://egov.cityofno.com/ECRS_ConView/DisplayContract.aspx?FID=0000000000000000000000000003784

Even better: The company that got this latest contract, MSF Global Solutions, was formerly known as "Imagine GIS, LLC." Seriously.

http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov/cgibin?rqstyp=crpdtlC&rqsdta=35568267K

Nagin must have the biggest balls in the world to keep signing these contracts.

Dambala, please keep fighting this machine. You're our best hope.

Anonymous said...

Careful, Anon 5, or the city of Detroit is going to sue you for libel!

Anonymous said...

Let's keep the facts staright Imagine GIS LLC is not the smae Imagine that is owned by Mark St. Pierre and Greg Meffert/Scott Domke. However you will find that Meffert and his buddies are listed as registered agents of MAS. I guess they will try to hold the new contractor hostage and have the Mayor force him to hire them as a sub so they can rob the City of funds they don't have after the current TP article about being 40mil in the hole.

Can someone tell me what the Mayor's problem is with GM and his buddies what do they have on the Mayor.

Can we investigate Vision and see just how much MAS was actually paid I heard they were just a pass through. If so why is it that MAS hides behind other companies when it is cleared that they are controlling the money.

Hince the Onyx/MAS partner to bid on the latest GIS/Web RFP. MAS why not just go after the deal yourself it is clear you want all the money and apparently it is said that you get it. How much of the 5mil contract did you get in he past year. Happy to see you go hope you can't sweendle your way back in.