emoji that
WEEK IN REVIEW DECEMBER 11-18, 2019 COMPILED BY GILLIAN ENGLISH, SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY FILE: THOMAS JAMES
UPROOTED
The man who dealt weed out of a Church Street head shop got 29 months in prison. Derek Spilman’s former store is now a tattoo parlor.
LIGHT SHOW
A pilot flying over Charlotte reported that someone on the ground aimed a laser pointer at the plane. That’s a federal crime.
HOEHL IN THEIR POCKET A prominent Vermont family’s foundation has accused a longtime financial adviser of secretly funneling its funds into a failing business, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court last week. The Hoehl Family Foundation, which is controlled by relatives of the late IDX Systems cofounder Robert Hoehl, filed the suit in Burlington. It claims that Ronald L. Roberts siphoned more than $20 million in secret loans and investments from the Hoehl family’s business empire to help prop up a struggling sports equipment company, G-Form, to which he was financially connected. The payments included a $1 million investment from the Hoehl Family Foundation, which filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court of Vermont. “Mr. Roberts invested the Foundation’s money in G-Form because he had already loaned or invested tens of millions of dollars of his personal assets and his other clients’ assets into G-Form, which was having significant cash flow shortfalls,” the complaint says. Roberts, who was the foundation’s treasurer, allegedly hid the financial moves for years, running the foundation afoul of federal tax laws and exposing it to potentially hefty penalties, according to the suit. The family says it cut ties with Roberts and his New Hampshire firm, Eideard Group, after the dealings came to light earlier this year.
?? ? ?? ? ??
802much
THIS LITTLE PIGGY Sock maker Darn Tough will lease space in downtown Waterbury buildings that were once home to Keurig Dr Pepper. Good fit.
FOLLOW YOUR NOSE
A Burlington business has created scent cartridges that pair with virtual reality headsets. The sweet smell of success.
That’s how much two Brooklyn brothers are suing the NYPD for after cops seized their 106-pound shipment of legal Vermont hemp and arrested one of them.
TOPFIVE
MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM
1. “Burlington Police Chief Admits He Used an Anonymous Twitter Account to Taunt a Critic” by Courtney Lamdin. Burlington police chief Brandon del Pozo created the profile to mock a Burlington activist — and lied when Seven Days asked about it. 2. “Complaints Build Against Modular Home Maker Vermod” by Molly Walsh. Owners complain about sagging floors, cracking drywall and moisture. 3. “Hooked: A Love Story From Vermont’s Opioid Crisis” by Kate O’Neill. In the final installment of her yearlong series, O’Neill reflects on what she’s learned. 4. “Acting Chief Had Her Own Fake Social Media Account — and Has Been Replaced” by Matthew Roy. The woman named acting chief of the Burlington Police Department was replaced within hours — for operating a social media account under a fake name. 5. “Lawsuit Claims Adviser Diverted Millions From a Vermont Family Foundation” by Colin Flanders. A longtime financial adviser to the Hoehl Family Foundation has been accused of secretly funneling funds into a failing business.
tweet of the week @Ian_Lord Wait until you find out whose burner account THIS is! FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSVT OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER
WHAT’S WEIRD IN VERMONT COURTESY OF ASGARDIA
Lembit Öpik
The foundation’s interest in G-Form, meanwhile, has since been valued at zero dollars, making the investment a “total loss,” the complaint says. The foundation is now seeking more than $2 million in damages, including a reimbursement of the investment and $660,000 in fees paid to Roberts’ firm. Tom Moody, an attorney representing Eideard Group, said the firm disputes the allegations. He declined further comment, and Roberts did not return a voicemail left at his office. The Hoehl Family Foundation was established by Robert and Cynthia Hoehl in 1993 and has donated millions to Vermont organizations since; the nonprofit’s tax filings show $3.3 million in donations in 2017 alone. The family’s patriarch, who died in 2010, is best known for cofounding IDX Systems, the South Burlington tech company sold to GE Healthcare in 2005 for a whopping $1.2 billion. Cynthia Hoehl, who died six years after her husband, made headlines in 2014 when she summoned executives from five Burlington nonprofits and awarded each of their organizations $1 million from her personal estate. Read Colin Flanders’ full story, and the lawsuit, at sevendaysvt.com.
$10 million
OUTWARD BOUND A former member of British Parliament wants Vermonters to join him — in space. Lembit Öpik is recruiting new followers and residents for Asgardia, a self-proclaimed space nation that’s got its sights set on leaving Earth behind. The group has already launched a small satellite to mark its territory. And it boasts a million followers from around the world — including roughly 1,000 in Vermont — and “residents” who pay an annual fee for the honor. Asgardians in Vermont are clustered around Essex, Stowe and Burlington, according to the group. Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli founded Asgardia
in 2016 and has funded the venture with millions of his personal fortune. The Russian scientist “was dissatisfied with the way Earth affairs are run by humanity,” according to Öpik. “He was in Canada when he came up with the idea that we could do the whole human community thing better if we started again, and took the best of what we do and leave the worst behind,” Öpik said in a phone interview from London. “And do it in space.” Öpik said the group is aiming for permanent space habitation by 2043. And he thinks Vermonters are inclined to join up. In a press release issued earlier this month, the Asgardians stated that Vermont is ranks third per capita among all U.S. states in sightings of unidentified flying objects. And
they wrote that 13,000 people work in the state’s aerospace industry, which the group valued at $2 billion. It’s unclear where those figures come from. With a rapidly changing climate and a divisive political climate at home, who among us wouldn’t yearn for space travel? “Eventually, we have to carry on reaching out as species,” Öpik said. “Otherwise, we end up trapped on Earth.” Öpik said Asgardians will eventually push for recognition from the United Nations. “Aside from the Northern Ireland peace process, which I was involved in, this is probably the most important thing I’ve ever done,” Öpik said. SASHA GOLDSTEIN SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 18-25, 2019
5