Mike Paul's Blog - September 2006

Father Flim-Flam, Who Stole Close to $1 Million Dollars, Finally Goes to Prison Putting the Catholic Church’s Reputation in Crisis Again!

“I am just truly, truly sorry that I used money for my own purpose that I had no right to do.”

Monsignor John Woolsey said before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bruce Allen.

The Manhattan monsignor known as "Father Flim-Flam" was contrite for his sins yesterday - but he'll still have to serve his penance in prison. Previously Woolsey commented in the press that, “everyone does it.” His assumption that every priest steals like he did caught many off guard.

Msgr. John Woolsey was led off in handcuffs to start his 1-to-4-year prison term, prompting several of his supporters to weep in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The 69-year-old priest, who pleaded guilty to raiding the St. John the Martyr's coffers of more than $50,000 so he could splurge on Rolex watches and European golfing trips, also must finish paying back $200,000 to his former parish.

"I am just truly, truly sorry that I used money for my own purpose that I had no right to do," Woolsey said before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bruce Allen.

Woolsey arrived in Allen's courtroom with a check for $100,000, a few friends from the priesthood and dozens of supporters, several of whom had written to the judge pleading for mercy for him.

Allen received more than 140 letters in support of Woolsey - including one from Edward Cardinal Egan - that recounted the priest's good works and years of service.

But the judge told the monsignor, who prosecutors contend stole more than $1 million, that he was shipping him to prison.

"You should know that across the street in Criminal Court, people who have stolen cans of tuna fish wind up going to jail for 30 days or 60 days," Allen said.

Prosecutors had pushed to have Woolsey serve a 2-to-6-year sentence and to pay back $800,000, charging that he transferred nearly $837,000 in church funds to his own checking account so he could pay his credit card bill.

An additional $270,000 that had been in the church's possession also could not be accounted for, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Amatruda said.

"It's time to end the jockeying . . . and send this man to prison," Amatruda said.

The prosecutor used Woolsey's own words against him when he produced a letter to parishioners in which the pastor lamented how modern life is built on "sands of self-gratification, sands of materialism and sands of relative morality."

"The taint for his actions is going to be difficult to erase . . . and land on the shoulders of people who selflessly performed charitable acts," Amatruda said.

Defense attorney Nicholas DeFeis chalked up Woolsey's crimes as irrational acts committed by a priest who "is not the caricature that is made out in the press."

He added that although Woolsey did purchase more than 50 high-priced watches, he kept only one at a time.

"The purchases in this case were compulsive, competitive and irrational," DeFeis said.

Woolsey said several supporters have offered him jobs once he completes his prison sentence - which will last at least 6 months before the deeply tanned monsignor is eligible for a work-release program. The unyielding support from his flock of followers has been his biggest blessing, he said.

"Those words are keeping me standing," Woolsey said. "It's what is holding me up."

Thou shalt not steal!
This is the eighth commandment of the important Ten Commandments in the Bible. As a priest, Monsignor John Woolsey knew all of the commandments in the Bible very well. These laws set a new standard of morality thousands of years ago and have been forgotten by many today. The Monsignor studied them and even memorized them for many years, but did he live them? The answer is surely no. As a result he has a reputation in crisis.

The Bible is the origin of accountability.
The Bible urges accountability in many areas. Christian leaders were given a pattern to follow as to how they were to relate and function, and they were called to model this pattern to others. The manner in which they were to exercise their leadership was not something they were to decide on their own. They knew that God would ultimately hold them accountable for how well they fulfilled their leadership responsibilities. Each person needs other good people with whom they can be honest and accountable (Ephesians 4:25; James 5:16).

Practice what you preach or your reputation too will be damaged.
Monsignor Woolsey is now known globally as Father Flim-Flam. Sadly, this new name is part of the consequences of his actions. Woolsey should have also remembered the old saying practice what you preach. Sadly this priest thought he would never get caught. His arrogance will not only be paid for on earth with his damaged reputation, but he will also be judged again, more severely by God. However, he has an opportunity to fully repent not just in words, but in his heart with God and those he has harmed. Do you practice what you preach? Be careful. Think of areas where you fall short today and create a reputation management plan to correct them now. Full transparency and accountability are two important tools to help you on your journey to an excellent reputation.

Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™

Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.

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Comment from: Mike [Visitor]

Yeah the Manhattan monsignor known as "Father Flim-Flam" was contrite for his sins yesterday - but he'll still have to save his reparation in prison. Msgr. John Woolsey was led off in manacles to start his 1-to-4-year prison term, punctually some of his followers to suppurate in Manhattan Supreme Court. 642-164 exam , 642-061 exam , HP2-T11 exam

Jul 31, 2009, 12:38 am

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Anna Nicole Smith’s Reputation in Crisis Again with Son’s Death and New Baby Drama

“Smith ordered the follow-up autopsy to end "media speculation surrounding the matter.”

Anna Nicole Smith's son was on prescription anti-depression medication when he died at the hospital bedside of the former reality TV star, a pathologist who did a second autopsy on the 20-year-old said Monday.

Daniel Smith began taking a ''quite low'' dosage of prescription antidepressants four to six weeks ago, said forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. He said he did not know whether the medication played any role in the death. He is still awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.

Daniel was found last Sunday morning slumped in a chair, covered in blood and vomit. The cause of death has not been determined.

Smith ordered the follow-up autopsy to end "media speculation surrounding the matter," said her Bahamian lawyer, Michael Scott.

Wecht, who ordered drug and chemical analyses that could take weeks, said he learned about the prescription medication after the autopsy from Daniel Smith's psychiatrist in the United States. The depression apparently "had to do with a girlfriend," he said.
He said he and the Bahamian coroner who did the first autopsy agreed there was no evidence Daniel Smith died from a "suicidal overdose."

Smith died Sept. 10 at a hospital room in the Bahamas where the former Playboy model was recuperating from childbirth. Witnesses including Anna Nicole's lawyer Howard Stern, who was in the room with the family at the time, said Daniel Smith had arrived on the island chain the previous day in good spirits, according to Wecht.

Bahamian pathologists performed an autopsy Sept. 12 and were expecting toxicology results this week, but the coroner's office has said the findings will not be released before a jury inquest scheduled for Oct. 23.

"He got off the plane and he was delighted. He was happy to be there with his mother and his sister," Wecht told The Associated Press.

A funeral home embalmed Daniel's remains on Monday and was awaiting further instructions from the family.

Anna Nicole Smith, who came to the Bahamas during her pregnancy to avoid media scrutiny, was making the arrangements with the help of a lawyer.

"To protect her privacy, you have to be very creative in the ways we communicate with her," said Loretta Butler-Turner, the director of the funeral home hired by the family.

The 38-year-old celebrity has not indicated whether she will return to the United States with the body, Butler-Turner said.

The man who claims to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's newborn daughter says the blond bombshell ran off to the Bahamas to give birth to keep their child away from him.

Larry Birkhead, a celebrity photographer and journalist who dated the reality-TV star on and off for two years, says Smith, 38, tried to cut him out of the baby's life, forcing him to keep his paternal status a secret and running away to the Caribbean.

Wecht, 75, is known as a critic of the Warren Commission's single-gunman theory of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
He is facing trial on charges he used his staff when he was the coroner in Allegheny County, Pa., to do work for his multimillion-dollar private pathology practice. He resigned from office in January and contends he did nothing wrong.

Never order a second autopsy because of media speculation, order a second autopsy to gain the truth and nothing but the truth about the death of your son!
Anna, your son is dead. It is tragic and it is very sad. Isn’t it about time you did the right thing? Don’t try to cover the truth. It will bubble to the top with or without you. If your son was depressed about his girlfriend, upset about his own life in general and/or worried about the birth of his new sister who he also probably feared would now gain all of your attention, it is time to tell it all, fully and completely. If your attorney, manager or others are counseling you to do otherwise, that is a big mistake.

Your new daughter needs her father and Daniel’s problems probably have roots in not having a loving father in his day-to-day life. All children need their father and without them, they will have problems in life.
If there is one lesson Anna can learn from the tragedy of her son, it is that her new daughter also needs her father tremendously. Running to the Bahamas will not stop solve her problems. Do the right thing, in Daniel’s name, and allow the baby’s father to be in her life as soon as possible. This is not about you. This is about what is best for your daughter.

Your reputation is in crisis because of all the personal choices and decisions you made. You must now live with the consequences and/or make lasting change.
This lesson is direct, blunt and to the point because some lessons have to knock us upside-the-head before we get it. Personal responsibility, transparency and accountability are desperately needed in Anna Nicole Smith’s life and, quite frankly, all of our lives. How are you doing in these areas yourself? Are you being honest with yourself or are you too avoiding the obvious problems in your reputation due to fear? It’s time for a reputation audit to find out the truth.

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Oct 20, 2009, 3:51 pm

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“We had a wonderful time. It is time for me to move on. We remain friends.”

Commented Carolyn Kepcher, formerly a star on NBC’s The Apprentice and formerly executive vice president in the Trump organization, on ABC’s Good Morning America after being fired by Donald Trump due to excessive self promotion as her full-time job suffered.

According to A.P., Carolyn Kepcher, who sat by while her boss Donald Trump dismissed one would-be apprentice after another on TV, has now felt the full force of his iconic phrase: "You're fired."

Kepcher, a co-star with Trump from the start of "The Apprentice" in 2004 and a long-time employee of the Trump Organization, has been let go.

"Mr. Trump wishes her the best," said Trump spokesman Jim Dowd, who confirmed she is no longer with the company. She had been chief operating officer of two of Trump's golf courses.

Her leave-taking will have no impact on the upcoming sixth season of "The Apprentice," originating for the first time from Los Angeles. Though production is completed, she was not part of the cast.

The slender, striking blonde had become familiar to viewers as one of Trump's two sidekicks on the NBC series. She was an adviser to one of the rival teams and was often seated beside Trump for boardroom sessions where one or more competitors would hear Trump declare, "You're fired."

The Post story attributed Kepcher's firing to excessive self-promotion as a star at the expense of her performance at her day job, an account echoed for The Associated Press by a person close to the situation. The person insisted on anonymity because it was a personnel matter.

"We had a wonderful time," Kepcher said of her time on the show. "We remain friends."

However, "Apprentice" co-star George Ross publicly criticized her, saying that her obsession with fame had interfered with her work.

"I love George. I respect George," Kepcher said in response to his comments. "I disagree with everything he just said."

Trump's daughter Ivanka, who Kepcher called "incredibly brilliant," will replace Kepcher on the show.

"Hey, Donald Trump fired Carolyn. Did you hear about this? You know, the blonde one on 'The Apprentice'? Replaced her with his daughter," Jay Leno said on "The Tonight Show."

"That's good business sense. Nepotism, always smart. Fire the competent people. Replace them with your children. Hey, it worked for Saddam."

Kepcher plans on spending more time with her children before pursuing any new opportunities, she said.

"He's a great success story in business," Kepcher said. "Eleven years is a long time."

Since TV fame beckoned, Kepcher has been active with speaking engagements, made a number of talk-show appearances and two years ago wrote a book, "Carolyn 101," which promised to reveal the secrets of her success and give readers’ guidance for their professional lives.

When your goal is to create a national or global reputation under the wing of your boss and he or she doesn’t agree, you will be fired.
Carolyn knew Donald Trump had a big ego, was taught by him that his reputation was everything and thought it would be O.K. to share the spotlight with his ego? Hello…that was a big mistake! She didn't think very carefully from the perspective of the other person: her boss! Reputation management 101.

I hope Carolyn 101 has a chapter on how to repair a reputation in crisis.
Carolyn still has not admitted she was fired and that is a big mistake. Using the tool of humility, she could actually position herself as having more integrity than Trump by truthfully admitting she was fired and explaining what she learned from the experience and how it can be of value to others. Do you think Carolyn is the only person in the world who has been fired? There are millions who have been fired or are worried about being fired today who could learn from her experience. She could then focus on her knowledge and expertise of golf and business and become a big hit with both men and women interested in both critical areas. Will she do so? We’ll have to wait and see if she takes the Reputation Doctor’s advice.

Being in the celebrity spotlight is a drug and if you don’t realize that you will become addicted.
Carolyn has become addicted to fame and celebrity. And who could blame her? She was on a top television show and she wanted to take advantage of it. The big mistake was thinking she could continue working for the Donald and build her own image at the same time. I think that might be the problem - thinking image instead of reputation. Well, it didn’t work out the way she had planned. Trump is the type of boss that always wants you to know he comes first, not you. Carolyn forgot that and paid the price for it. What’s next for Carolyn? If Trump doesn’t support any of her future opportunities external to his organization, in Hollywood or in business, she will have a tough time. Look for Carolyn to try to mend fences and make sure Trump is on her side in the future. Also look for his ego to put her in her place from time to time. Remember, in his mind, he always comes first and know image will ever supersede his. Maybe he needs to be taught the difference between an image (fake like Hollywood) and a reputation (built with truth)?

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