Warm Southern Breeze

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Posts Tagged ‘departure’

#ALpolitics @GovernorBentley’s CPA & Fundraiser Leaves Over Unethical Request

Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Saturday, September 19, 2015

Mike Echols, CPA, Mike H. Echols is a CPA living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Echols was born on December 22, 1951, has one daughter Christy (LeFon), and is married to Amy Echols (nee Amy Celeste Holt of Montgomery, Alabama). Her son is Christopher Gattozzi. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Kentuck Art Association in Northport, Alabama. She is the marketing director at the Tuscaloosa accounting firm JamisonMoneyFarmer PC. Echols studied at the University of Alabama from 1970-1974, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He belonged to the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Echols is the owner of Michael H Echols & Associates, PC. (aka Echols, Michael H & Associates P.C. and Echols Coogler and Associate PC CPA) Echols is a member of the Alabama Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Echols is also associated with Project Delivery Systems, Llc; Northport Professional Properties, Llc and Victory Ink Company, Inc. Echols belongs to Franklin Resources Group which is a public relations and lobbying firm based in Montgomery, Alabama, that is associated with many state-wide political action funds. Echols is a founding member of Tusco PAC, whose purpose is “to support candidates with a pro-business philosophy.” To support candidates with a pro-business philosophy. – See more at: http://openbama.org/pac/index/778#sthash.cWbsbhOo.dpufHe chaired the T Town PAC II, which was Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s largest source of campaign money in 2010. Echols received the 2003 Advocate of the Year Award from the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce for “his advocacy role on be behalf of his clients, business owners, and the community’s business climate through his counsel, active political involvement on behalf of business issues, consulting and support relationships.” Echols has chaired several statewide PACs, six of which have routinely made contributions in local elections. Alabama Political Reporter’s Beth Clayton reported, “In addition to chairing the T Town PAC II, Echols has been listed as both the chair and treasurer of numerous other PACs: Capital PAC, CMG PAC, GOTV PAC, KAW PAC, Pride PAC, Pride PAC II, T Town PAC, T Town PAC II and Tusco PAC, many of which are dissolved.” Echols was the treasurer for mayoral candidate Sammy Watson in 2005. Commenting in a Tuscaloosa News article by Stephanie Taylor about the Tuscaloosa Firefighters Public Relations Fund having contributed $40,000 to mayoral candidate Walt Maddox and $10,450 to City Council candidates in 2005 Echols said, “I don’t believe you saw any one group of special interests have that much money in a single race. Do people expect anything in return for making contributions? If they don’t, I’m proud of them.” Echols was the chair of Educate Tuscaloosa PAC, as reported by Jamon Smith in The Tuscaloosa News, which supported only non-incumbent school board candidates. The ET PAC’s campaign postcards and website had the same P.O. Box 2663 that was also found on the campaign materials of Lee Garrison, who ran successfully for the chairman of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education. PACs associated with Echols contributed to incumbents in the 2013 Tuscaloosa municipal elections, including Mayor Walt Maddox and Council Members Bobby Howard, Bob Lundell, William Tinker, Harrison Taylor, Cynthia Almond and former Council Member Lee Garrison. Echols was the primary deal maker in 2012 for the proposed lease agreement between the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority, as Laurie Johns explained it, “involving a parcel of property next to Northridge High School which had come to be designated for use as a ‘public school facility’ without the input of the Board of Education.”

Mike Echols, CPA
Mike H. Echols lives in Tuscaloosa, AL, and was born December 22, 1951. He has one daughter Christy (LeFon), and is married to Amy Echols (nee Amy Celeste Holt of Montgomery, Alabama). Her son is Christopher Gattozzi. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Kentuck Art Association in Northport, AL, and is the Marketing Director at the Tuscaloosa accounting firm JamisonMoneyFarmer PC.
Mike studied at the University of Alabama from 1970-1974, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. And as a student, belonged to the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
He owns Michael H Echols & Associates, PC, (aka Echols, Michael H & Associates P.C. and Echols Coogler and Associate PC CPA), is a member of the Alabama Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs, and is associated with Project Delivery Systems, LLC; Northport Professional Properties, LLC and Victory Ink Company, Inc.
He belongs to Franklin Resources Group, a public relations and lobbying firm based in Montgomery, AL, associated with many state-wide political action funds, and is a founding member of Tusco PAC, whose purpose is “to support candidates with a pro-business philosophy.”
Echols has chaired several statewide PACs, six of which have routinely made contributions in local elections. Alabama Political Reporter’s Beth Clayton reported, “In addition to chairing the T Town PAC II, Echols has been listed as both the chair and treasurer of numerous other PACs: Capital PAC, CMG PAC, GOTV PAC, KAW PAC, Pride PAC, Pride PAC II, T Town PAC, T Town PAC II and Tusco PAC, many of which are dissolved.”

Update: Saturday, 20 February 2021
NOTE: TO THE READER: As you read any story mentioning, involving or written by Donald V. Watkins, Sr., it must be borne in mind that he is now a Federal Convict, and along with his son, Donald V. Watkins, Jr., was found guilty of numerous charges. “Donald Watkins Sr. was convicted of seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy. Donald Watkins Jr. was convicted of one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy.” As of the date of this note, he is in Federal Custody at Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center, an administrative security facility, having been relocated away from the minimum security Federal Prison Camp on Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

DONALD V. WATKINS
Register Number: 36223-001
Age: 72
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Located at: Oklahoma City FTC
Release Date: 01/10/2024

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Alabama
FATHER AND SON SENTENCED TO PRISON IN MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEME
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/father-and-son-sentenced-prison-multimillion-dollar-investment-fraud-scheme

Here also is the SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT dated December 2018 entitled as:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA SOUTHERN DIVISION, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DONALD V. WATKINS, SR. and DONALD V. WATKINS, JR. – 2:18-cr-166-KOB-TMP
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1116081/download

See also: Donald Watkins, Son Sentenced For Federal Fraud Convictions
Updated Jul 16, 2019; Posted Jul 16, 2019
https://www.al.com/news/2019/07/donald-watkins-son-to-be-sentenced-for-federal-fraud-convictions.html

See also: Donald Watkins’ $1.5 Billion Question: Was It Ever Real?
Updated Feb 23, 2019; Posted Feb 23, 2019
https://www.al.com/news/2019/02/donald-watkins-15-billion-question-was-it-ever-real.html

EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS—

Mike Echols Splits From Bentley

By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on September 18, 2015
Used with permission

Governor Robert Bentley’s long-time personal CPA and heavy hitting moneyman for the Robert Bentley Campaign Committee, has split from the governor. Echols, who handled the financial books and records for both the Bentleys and the Campaign Committee, resigned his post over a disagreement with Bentley about Rebekah Mason, the governor’s mistress and married paramour.

The precise nature of this dispute, which occurred several weeks ago, is not known at this time.

What is known, however, is that Bentley wanted Echols to do something questionable with the financial records relating to Rebekah Mason. The governor’s request did not sit well with Echols, a respected Tuscaloosa accountant and well-known PAC organizer. During a heated exchange between the two men, Echols refused the governor’s request and turned over the various checkbooks and financial records in his custody to Bentley. With this handover, the professional relationship between Echols and Bentley ended.

Echols has been Bentley’s accountant for many years. He was also the Campaign Committee’s accountant in 2010 and 2014.

In a slick move that is expected to become the focus of First Lady Dianne Bentley’s divorce proceedings, as well as law enforcement agencies in Washington, the governor stashed Read the rest of this entry »

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