Co-Chair of MLPA Initiative Science Advisory Team Arrested

http://noyonews.net/?p=4913

Co-Chair of MLPA Initiative "Science Advisory Team" Arrested

by David Gurney

Ron LeValley, Co-Chair of the North Coast Marine Life Protection Act Initiative's "Science Advisory Team" (SAT), was arrested Thursday evening as one of three co-conspirators in an elaborate three-year scam involving the theft of close to a million dollars from the Northern California Yurok Tribe.

According to an "exhaustive investigation" that began last October, Del Norte County District Attorney Jon Alexander has alleged that LeValley, along with "Mad River Biologists" business partner Sean McAllister, and former Yurok Tribe forestry director Roland Raymond, conspired to falsify invoices for spotted owl research, and embezzle funds for their personal use.

Mr. LeValley was a key figure in the cover-up of a whale-strike incident in October, 2009 involving an MLPA "Initiative" sonar mapping vessel off Fort Bragg, California.

The arrest will undoubtably bring up more questions as to the integrity of the science, financial practices, and public policy procedures of the totally corrupt MLPAI "Initiative" to create so-called "marine protected areas" on the California coast.

The investigation of the intricate financial fraud is continuing, and the Yurok Tribe is expected to release a detailed statement on the case on Monday, Feb. 27. Stay tuned.

While LeValley and McAllister were taken into custody Thursday, Raymond is still at large.

"Court documents outline how three biologists allegedly used an elaborate system of fake invoices, false purchase requests and electronic bank transfers to embezzle more than $900,000 from the Yurok Tribe during a three-year period," according to the Eureka Times Standard (http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_20043580). "The documents state that 75 tribal checks were deposited into a Mad River Biologists account from February 2008 to December 2010. The checks totaled $870,064.91."

A You Tube of the introductions of the SAT co-chairs may be viewed at: http://noyonews.net/?p=4913