South Salem resident Frank DeGrasse faces jail time after being handed a 31-count indictment for fraud — charges for which he claims he was wrongfully accused.

A Lewisboro resident since 1992, Mr. DeGrasse was arraigned Monday in Westchester County Court in White Plains after allegedly defrauding 10 people between Nov. 4, 2008 and Jan. 7, 2009, according to a press release from the Westchester County district attorney.

He is accused of depositing more than $250,000 in counterfeit checks into five different bank accounts he opened, three of which were opened in his name or his corporation’s name and the stolen identity of another person, according to the release.

Mr. DeGrasse, 50, also allegedly transferred approximately $75,000 from the equity credit line of one of the victims, without their knowledge and permission, into one of the joint bank accounts.

A disbarred attorney and a former New York City Police Detective, Mr. DeGrasse is charged with second-degree grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree identity theft, third-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree scheme to defraud.

Mr. DeGrasse was indicted five years ago in Suffolk County, along with five other suspects, for allegedly stealing from illegitimate mortgages, devising phony real estate deals and conning lender banks into issuing loans.

In March 2007, he pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny but served no jail time, and was disbarred four months later, according to The Journal News.

In a letter to The Ledger this week, Mr. DeGrasse said the $250,000 incident “involved the sale of established (aged) corporations to a third party. The buyer was added to the corporation and its banking accounts pending payment. Several checks were deposited (not by me) for payment and funds were wired INTO the account. Weeks later it became apparent these checks were not authentic. It also turned out that the driver’s license and other ID given to me by the buyer was counterfeit.”

“I have cooperated fully with the DA’s office and have steadfastly refused to enter into plea negotiations,” he said. “I was a victim in this incident and did not have any idea where the buyers [sic] funds were originating.”

Mr. DeGrasse faces a maximum of 15 years in state prison. He was released on $10,000 bail and is due back in court on May 10.

via acorn-online.com

The first is when you talk about yourself. Directly to people who care to hear you out.

The second is when you pay someone to carry your message. Media for hire, we call it advertising.

The third is when you cajole the 'editorial' side to talk about you, with authority. Publicity is often worth more than advertising, but it's pesky in that it doesn't perform on demand.

The fourth, the fourth is all the rage right now. That's when unanointed kings of tiny media, when bloggers and tweeters and others talk about you.

Why do we persist in believing that these four have much in common? They don't. Being confused about how to classify them is expensive, or worse.

You know you're in trouble if someone on your team says anything like, "But how do we do this quickly? And at scale? Is there a way interns can churn through names? We have money to spend, hurry!"

There are some that would be delighted if PR and social media would just own up and start playing by the rules of advertising. In other words, you ought to be able to buy this sort of buzz. It's more efficient, more convenient and more predictable.

Of course, it doesn't work that way. Buying your way into the fourth horseman doesn't work. Professionalizing it doesn't work so well either. What works is making something worth talking about.

As it should be.

If you're hoping that this now important form of media is going to sit there and promote your average stuff for average people made in bulk but pretty cheap product merely because you're used to paying media companies to run ads… I think you're wasting a lot of time and money.

This goes deeper than that. You'll need to take that money and change the product and the service instead.