Auburn University President Inserts Infected Foot in Mouth ; Feds Briefed on Alleged Southern Company Money Laundering Scheme
Another bombshell investigative report by Lagniappe has created a stir and put Auburn University President Chris Roberts in boiling, hot water.🔥
The bottom line is that Alabama Power appears to be laundering money through the university to pay a controversial consultant and allegedly a number of other individuals and entities tied to the Southern Company Criminal Enterprise.
Grilled by faculty at a Faculty Senate meeting, Roberts defended the $1 million a year contract with the obscure political consulting firm Matrix, LLC, founded by the Oompa Loompa of Alabama politics, Joe Perkins.
Lagniappe reports:
“I’d be happy to make a couple of comments. As you know we have a lot of different vendors that serve campus, and my understanding is that our relationship with the Matrix firm has been nothing but professional,” Roberts said. “I can not speak to the credibility of articles that address Matrix’s relationship with other clients, but I can speak to the quality of the work that they’re doing for us.”
Roberts did provide a bit more specificity as to some of the work Matrix is doing for Auburn.
“For example, the most recent contract that they have with our McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure is progressing very nicely, very rapidly. And it’s helping us to conduct our externally funded projects in this important area of national security, and to communicate that work from the McCrary Institute to broad audiences that include policymakers in Washington,” Roberts said. “The McCrary Institute was initially funded based on a $10 million gift [from Alabama Power Foundation] and it’s worked to secure external projects to address cybersecurity policy and practice to include work that we undertake in Washington, DC, Huntsville and here in Auburn. I find this cybersecurity area to be an extremely important area for Auburn, especially as we try to make key contributions to our nation, and I’m pleased that this institution has established itself as a leader in this area. That’s some of the work that I know they’re undertaking with the newest contract.”
The initial $10 million Roberts referenced was provided by the Alabama Power Foundation, and several of those working with the institute have connections with Alabama Power, including its namesake, COO and advisory board members. McCrary’s “team,” listed on its website, also includes several members with a Matrix affiliation.
Some members of the McCrary team also do not appear to be drawing an Auburn paycheck. Lagniappe asked Auburn officials if those individuals are still Matrix employees, but received no response.
Cybersecurity? Matrix?
Like many observers, we, too, believe Auburn President Roberts appears to be full of bullshit.đź’©
One of our first-ever posts about Matrix and Perkins back in January of 2022, nick-named Perkins “Sloppy Joe” because of the apparent utter lack of cybersecurity, encryption, and basic computer protection at Matrix, LLC.
We wrote:
Is Joe Perkins’ ego really that bruised? Or is Alabama Power or Crosswhite demanding Perkins clean up his sloppy mess?
The sloppiness was revealed a month after Perkins won a $1.5 million defamation case against Donald V. Watkins.
Handwritten notes allegedly written by Perkins related to an alleged smear campaign that targeted Donald Watkins were released on donaldwatkins.com.
The document shed light on the alleged “dirty tricks” and smear tactics, including branding Watkins as “Desperate, Deranged Donald” or “Donald the Dodger.”
Now Perkins most important client, Alabama Power, has been exposed with the publication of the two “non-existent” contracts.
How in the hell do handwritten notes and never-to-be-revealed contracts land in the hands of an adversary?
Sloppy Joe appears to not have had strong internal controls or high-end security to protect himself or his clients even though he was paid millions.
Encryption, Sloppy Joe, encryption!
We have briefed federal investigators about the alleged money laundering and the $10 million “gift” to grease many more wheels than has been publicly acknowledged.
Alabama Power is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company.
