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RICO: Southern Company and the Corruption of the Alabama Judicial Branch

A simple case of breach of contract and misrepresention was sealed in its entirety. No minors, or victims of sexual assault or domestic violence were involved.

So why was the case sealed then?

Because the case was tied to Southern Company, its subsidiary Alabama Power, and/or sister-wife Balch & Bingham.

Observers have been stunned by the sheer control that Southern Company has over judges and the judicial branch in Alabama.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

With the numerous documents, financial records, and insurmountable evidence of Southern Company’s criminal enterprise, now the greasing and corruption of the judicial branch of Alabama is under scrutiny.

The simple case of breach of contract and misrepresention is ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit against Drummond Company and Balch & Bingham.

No developments in the case are currently available because of the gag order, sealing of the case.

And the motions to seal the case were made shortly after disgraced ex-Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite was subpoenaed to testify.

Known as the rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, the case caused uncontrolled panic by Alabama Power, Drummond, and Balch before it was sealed.

And why does Southern Company seal a case?

So they can cheat and hide high crimes and misdemeanors.

Look at the Newsome Conspiracy Case where Southern Company’s attorneys at Balch & Bingham sealed the case in its entirety, known as a secret Star Chamber.

The entire case was “won” on a counterfeit order that even Balch admitted was counterfeit.

The counterfeit order was embarrassingly affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court after contradicting an earlier, split-decision.

Judge Smitherman

Judge Carole Smitherman, who presided over the Newsome Conspiracy Case, was completely bias, calling Newsome’s pleadings an attack on her family.

Why would she allude to her family?

Because her husband, Alabama State Senator Roger Smitherman received over $30,000 in legal bribes contributions from Southern Company linked PACs and donors at critical junctures during the case. Senator Smitherman even sat in on the secret Star Chamber hearings of the Newsome case when no one outside of the case was supposed to be in the courtroom.

Crosswhite’s inappropriate relationship with disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town helped Alabama Power to be “unmentionable” during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial and allegedly prevented a broader investigation after the convictions, that could have led to indictments of Southern Company employees.

Except for Regions Bank in Birmingham, Alabama has no Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state.

Why?

Because of the high risk of a failed and compromised legal system.

What company CEO would want to deal with a corrupt and bias “system of justice” controlled and manipulated by a corrupt few in Jefferson County and Montgomery?

The rule of law and the people’s court sadly does not exist, but RICO actions against Southern Company and its criminal enterprise can bring an end of an era of uncontrolled corruption and flagrant miscarriages of justice.

Hear, hear!

Massive Corruption: Southern Company Launches Deep, Internal Criminal Probe

King & Spalding is heavily looking at the corruption involving disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town.

As Southern Company ousted Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite in late November, the utility hired King & Spalding to conduct a deep, internal criminal probe of the “massive corruption” surrounding the known and reported misconduct by Alabama Power, Matrix, and embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, the CDLU has exclusively learned.

Paul B. Murphy, (above, left) a former Chief of Staff at the FBI, leads the investigation while David L. Balser, (above, right) who handles the “most sensitive, complex, and enterprise-threatening matters” at King & Spalding, is assisting.

To keep potential bias out of the investigation, Southern Company Chairman and CEO Tom Fanning is not involved with the independent investigation since he was a victim of the alleged misconduct.

Crosswhite (L) sought evidence that Fanning (R) was bisexual. He isn’t.

Like a Peeping Tom, Crosswhite authorized the surveillance of Fanning and his then-girlfriend apparently to obtain photographic evidence that Fanning was in a bisexual tryst.

The criminal investigation comes as Southern Company faces potential civil RICO lawsuits for the criminal enterprise that targeted perceived enemies, and innocent parties, including terrorizing children as young as six years of age, whose parents were enemies of friends or acquaintances of Alabama Power executives.

Authorized by Crosswhite, Alabama Power paid over $2 million a year to Matrix, LLC, and its founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins which engaged in nefarious misconduct.

No invoicing was required thereby increasing third-party risk and financial liability to Southern Company.

Perkins was in a nasty lawsuit with his former protégé “Jittery Jeff” Pitts that exposed a web of misconduct including the laundering of $50 million through 18 tax-exempt entities.

Internal documents, financial records, and contracts were delivered anonymously to media outlets, journalists, and us, the CDLU confirming and documenting Southern Company’s criminal enterprise.

Jittery Jeff, Sloppy Joe, and Peeping Crosswhite

The utility also spent millions in fees to embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, which appears to have used its web of political connections and stooges in the judicial branch to assist and protect Alabama Power with slam-dunk decisions, orders, and verdicts.

Sources tell us that King & Spalding is heavily looking at the corruption involving disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town.

King & Spalding is looking at Crosswhite’s inappropriate contact and relationship with Town that prevented a broader investigation after the North Birmingham convictions in 2018, and protected Alabama Power operatives from being indicted.

Beyond probing how Alabama Power was “unmentionable” and protected during the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, invesigators are scrutinizing a half-baked deposition using an actor during the Newsome Conspiracy Case that was orchestrated by Alabama Power’s criminal enterprise and Town.

The actor impersonated Verizon employee Jason Forman.

The real Jason Forman

As we wrote in 2020, unless he grew five inches in height, gained 150 pounds, suffered dramatic hair loss, and saw his skull double in size, the telephony expert in the Balch’s half-baked deposition in 2017 during the height of the Newsome Conspiracy Case was an actor, a fake, an imposter.

Town resigned and fled in the middle of the night in 2020, but an alleged ongoing U.S. Department of Justice probe of obstruction of justice appears to have forced Federal Judge Abdul K. Kallon, who presided over the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, to resign last April, while two Assistant U.S. Attorneys allegedly submitted their resignations a day later.

King & Spalding is conducting the investigation to rid Southern Company of any and all accomplices.

Plausible deniability simply won’t work. Just ask Peeping Crosswhite who denied involvement in August but was ousted three months later.

2023 marks the deep cleaning of Southern Company’s septic tank and sources tell us that heads will roll.

What else can we say?

Happy New Year! 🥳

Merry Christmas! Holiday Hiatus Until 2023

We will take a brief holiday hiatus and return after the New Year with more documents and more news.

The last three weeks have been overwhelming but indicative that inherent goodness and justice shall prevail.

We wish you, our dear readers, a blessed and Merry Christmas and all the best for you and your loved ones in 2023.

Part 9: Alabama Power/Southern Company’s Zeke Smith Allegedly Supervised Campaign of Terror; Hackers Attacking BanBalch.com

Just a few minutes ago we were alerted that there were 101 login attempts against this blog BanBalch.com this morning and the number is climbing as hackers attempt to breach our security and firewall.

We have struck a raw nerve, or maybe an inflamed brain.

With the numerous documents we have received anonymously, we have now been able to confirm that the anonymous financial documents we received show Excel spreadsheet meta data that exposes the fact that “special” expenditures by Alabama Power against us, the CDLU, appear to have been authorized and allegedly supervised by Zeke Smith, Alabama Power Executive Vice President of External Affairs.

The Excel workbook titled APC CDLU SPECIAL, lists the report for “Zeke 82520” or in other words, a financial report dated August 25, 2020 for Zeke Smith. The report was allegedly generated by “Sloppy Joe” Perkin’s obscure political consulting firm, Matrix, for their top client, Alabama Power.

The data on the spreadsheets shows numerous line items that were heavy expenditures in the hundreds of thousands to terrorize the Forbes Family and their two young daughters, and to smear Burt Newsome falsely as a rapist.

The data line up chronologically to independent sources and events.

Documents also appear to show that Zeke’s colleague, Jeff Peoples, authorized a five-figure contract with Sloppy Joe to allegedly terrorize the Newsome Family and their four young children.

Jeff Peoples

This allegedly included shipping travel bags and outfits for Newsome’s wife and four children, an act implying that Newsome or his family would be headed on a “permanent vacation.”

Two weeks after the Excel workbook was allegedly published for Zeke Smith, Newsome was hit head on in a car accident, gravely injured, and almost murdered, assassinated killed.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Part 8: $400 Million More – “Worshipping” Public Service Commission Rubber Stamped Alabama Power’s Rate Increases

This is our eigth installment on the controversies surrounding why Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite was ousted, sugar-coated as a retirement, in late November.

Pulitzer-winning columnist John Archibald on Monday wrote a powerful column on how Alabama’s Public Service Commission worships Alabama Power. He described the situation:

It was Alabama Power’s third rate hike of the year, the second in as many months, and it passed without discussion or debate or even the sign of the cross. It took a press release from Alabama Power itself later that day to translate the events of that meeting, to acknowledge the rate increase, effective in January, would add about $6.81 per month for the typical residential customer. After rate increases in July and November, the average customer will pay about $22.81 more per month than at the start of this year. That’s $273.72 more a year.

The Public Service Commission has rubber stamped the Alabama Power rate increases with no debate, no thought whatsoever.

And who are the commissioners? Three of them, all elected. Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, Chip Beeker, and Jeremy Oden (pictured above).

All three commissioner have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in election support in a web of PACs and independent committees affiliated with or allies of Alabama Power.

Sources claim that Alabama Power was allegedly involved in extensive corruption utilizing a web of shady operatives, obscure consulting firms, and a network of pay-through entities to allegedly compromise elected officials.

Robinson: Bought and paid for by the AJE

Just like the corrupt Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE), the entity that funneled $360,000 in bribes to convicted felon and ex-State Representative Oliver Robinson, how many other front groups and entities were used to compromise elected officials on behalf of Alabama Power?

The financial documents we received anonymously show that several unknown or obscure entities in Birmingham, Montgomery and Auburn were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Alabama Power through Matrix.

For what purpose? To what end?

Were they pay throughs? Were they entities set up to help launder money to elected officials?

Were they part of an organized criminal effort to attack perceived enemies and innocent families and their children? Or were they set up to buy a politician or three?

The bottom line is with the three rate increases, Alabama Power will generate $400 million in additional revenue.

Vogtle Nuclear Plant in Georgia

These rate increases were key to help pay down the billion-dollar cost-overruns of the boondoggle Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant.

Crosswhite, we are told, allegedly demanded these rate increases so he could be the “knight in shining armor” that saved Southern Company financially and would be easily promoted to CEO and Chairman of Southern Company.

Instead, Crosswhite is leaving like “a donkey with his tail between his legs.”

The irony is the Vogtle Power plant is named after former Alabama Power and Southern Company Chairman Alvin Vogtle. After 31 years, Vogtle’s grandson Jesse S. Vogtle, Jr. left Alabama Power’s sister-wife Balch & Bingham during an exodus in 2020. Vogtle exit appears to have tarnished Balch’s relationship with the utility and hurt Vogtle’s former colleague Crosswhite, who had previously worked at Balch for 17 years.

Vogtle’s exit ended some of the worshipping, and Crosswhite’s reputation has tumbled ever since.

Part 7: As Alabama Power Increases Rates Again, Utility Wasted Millions on AstroTurf Groups and Alleged Criminal Enterprise

Outrageous!

Last week, Alabama Power announced its third rate increase this year to go in effect in January.

According to NBC15:

This one will begin on your January bill and -with the previous two increases- amounts to a roughly $22/month increase in your bill over the last 6 months.

Zeke Smith

Now the anonymous documents we, the CDLU, received show that the utility wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on AstroTurf groups allegedly paid through Matrix and allegedly authorized by Zeke Smith, Alabama Power Executive Vice President of External Affairs.

This is apparently on top of the more than $2 million a year the utility funneled to the obscure political consulting firm Matrix and its founder Sloppy Joe Perkins.

Kim Adams of the AstroTurf entity Job Keepers Alliance allegedly was paid $4,500 a month through December of 2020 while another front group named PURE was allegedly paid an additional $3,500 a month.

As previously reported, the discredited Alabama Political Reporter (APR) publication received $10,000 a month to allegedly write smear pieces against us, the CDLU, our Chief Executive Officer, K.B. Forbes, and this blog. Alabama Power also allegedly boosted and promoted APR’s Facebook posts on the smear pieces.

Millions generated with three rate hikes in one year, yet Alabama Power/Southern Company has also wasted millions on an alleged criminal enterprise that was used to allegedly intimidate, harass, threaten, and smear perceived enemies, their families, and their children.

In some cases, Alabama Power allegedly targeted individuals who had no business, no function, no relationship with the utility.

Friends of friends and distant acquaintances of Alabama Power executives appear to have been able to waste the utility’s resources on despicable acts that had no legitimate business purpose whatsoever.

According to the anonymous documentation, several entities received generous monthly payments above their original contract.

Above and beyond?

Millions wasted for such foolishness!

No wonder disgraced Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite was forced to resign, sugar-coated as a retirement. More heads need to roll, swiftly and with no remorse.

Balch Collapse Continues: Gilbert Disbarred; Espy Now Registered Sex Offender; Alleged Tokenism Affirmed

The collapse of embattled law firm Balch & Bingham, the sister-wife of Alabama Power, continues.

The Alabama Supreme Court has disbarred ex-Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert based on his federal conviction in the North Birmingham Bribery Trial on six criminal charges including money laundering and bribery.

Last week, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) requested a certified copy of the indictment, petition/complaint, and disposition of the state case against ex-Balch partner Chase T. Espy for their Sex Offender Registry.

Espy pled guilty to federal charges of possession of kiddie porn in October. The state case involved the online solicitation of a child for sex.

Balch, an alleged racist law firm involved in tokenism, has tried to rehabilitate its image by hiring people of color. Unfortunately, some of them have left the embattled firm only months after being hired.

According to a recent review of Balch’s website, people of color account for less than 7 percent of their professionals and only 2 percent of their partners.

In the meanwhile, Managing Partner Stan Blanton is patting himself on the back with make-believe awards for “diversity and inclusion. “

The only diversity and inclusion the firm appears to have are prisoners, pimps, prostitutes, and pedophiles.

Good Lord!

Part 6: Signed Docs Affirm Alabama Power’s Alleged Criminal Enterprise; Will Southern Company Fire “Sloppy Joe” Perkins?

The signed documents we have received anonymously, on top of the financial records, are truly earth-shattering. They appear to confirm Alabama Power/Southern Company’s alleged criminal enterprise.

In September we wrote:

Crosswhite more than ever is unfit to serve. He appears to show unwavering loyalty to Balch, Matrix, Mark White, and a web of non-disclosure agreements, blank checks, front groups, pay throughs, and secret contracts instead of Fanning or Southern Company.

Southern Company must cut the ropes with this alleged posse of deplorable and disloyal actors, who appear to be bald-face liars. Terminate Balch. Terminate Matrix. Terminate Sloppy Joe. Terminate White. Fire Crosswhite!

Now that Crosswhite has been ousted, Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning needs to clean house starting with “Sloppy Joe” Perkins and his obscure political consulting firm, Matrix.

Peoples

Perkins’ signature is on documents in which Jeff Peoples of Alabama Power paid him mid-five figures to allegedly terrorize Burt Newsome, his young twins, his entire family.

Why would Peoples, Alabama Power Executive Vice President of Customer and Employee Services, be involved in such alleged acts? Why would a utility company entangle themselves in an alleged criminal enterprise including terrorizing innocent children and families?

The mid five-figures given to Sloppy Joe is on top of the over $2 million paid to Perkins and his entities yearly allegedly without the need for an invoice.

Although described as involving “transportation,” the obscure and vague contract appears to affirm the alleged dirty-deeds tied to Matrix.

Transportation services and trade secrets seem to be synonymous with high crimes, dirty-deeds, and acts of terror.

With Alabama Power allegedly spending hundreds of thousands through Matrix to allegedly smear Newsome falsely on a website as a rapist in July and August of 2020,  there is not much left to stretch when looking at the alleged crime of attempted murder against Burt Newsome that occurred on September 11, 2020.

Newsome was injured in a head-on accident two weeks after the smear website went live.

He was gravely injured and nearly killed. Some even claimed the act was an alleged intentional act to silence Newsome, who is the lead attorney in ex-Drummond executive David Roberson’s $75 million civil lawsuit against Alabama Power’s sister-wife Balch  & Bingham, and Drummond Company.

The other driver allegedly works for Norfolk Southern, a long-time business partner of Alabama Power and Drummond.

The photo appears to show oddly that the other driver in the green Ford Explorer, who made a left turn in front of Newsome,  turned right when Newsome attempted to swerve around him.

Currently, the Roberson case is under seal in a secret Star Chamber. The sealed proceedings could be hiding, obscurring, and consealing high crimes and criminal misconduct.

Ironically, one of the highest campaign contributors to the judge presiding over the Roberson case is the illustrious Andrew “Andy2K” Campbell, who incredibly represents Sloppy Joe, Matrix and Balch.  (Campbell donated $3,000. Maybe he should now be called Andy3K.)

Before the case was sealed,  Alabama Power and Crosswhite were in sheer panic and vigorously fought to have protective orders approved.

The rebirth of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial appears to be a grave threat to Alabama Power.

Before the case was sealed in 2021, was Alabama Power trying to intimidate Newsome?

Everything we, the CDLU, have received is being turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including “Sloppy Joe’s” trade secrets.

Fanning must terminate the Oompa Loompa of Alabama politics, Sloppy Joe, and clean house.

The Crosswhite era is over, and the posse loyal to him needs to be removed like a bad cancer.

Terminate Matrix. Terminate Sloppy Joe. Terminate White. Terminate Balch.

Part 5: Alabama Power’s Brain Amputee Josh Moon Allegedly Stalked Hispanic Advocacy Group

Josh Moon, who we, in 2020, originally thought had amputated his brain for Balch & Bingham, appears to have foolishly made the ultimate sacrifice for Alabama Power possibly through their paid stooges at the obscure political consulting firm Matrix.

Moon, who was dumped as a regular columnist at the Montgomery Advertiser in 2016, has worked at the discredited Alabama Political Reporter (APR) ever since.

The anonymous financial documents we received show that APR allegedly received $120,000 plus other pay-throughs from Alabama Power in 2020 to allegedly publish smear pieces on us, the CDLU.

But Moon went one step deeper in the rancid manure: he allegedly stalked and harassed the CDLU.

Now photographic and video evidence from August 2020, shows Moon showing up to our then-corparate headquarters, demanding from the receptionist at the office copies of CDLU’s 990 tax filings.

Problem was it was the receptionist for the business next door. CDLU had shut down our offices in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moon builds up courage in his black pick up in CDLU’S parking lot

Possibly so ashamed of acting like a Bangkok whore for Alabama Power, Moon waited about 15 minutes in the parking lot before building enough courage to enter the building.

Moon left a fake name (Bill) and a phone number that was one digit off from his real cellular phone number when the receptionist offered to get his request to us.

What an idiot!

In 2014, while at the Montgomery Advertiser, Moon wrote about the controversies surrounding reducing coal-burning emissions, stating at the time:

I am almost convinced that our state leaders could hear a business proposal for dumping toxic waste directly on the Gulf beaches and their first question would be: “Uh, yeah, what’s the earning potential on that?”

Moon also ironically discusses the paid, partisan websites bought by power companies similar to how APR was allegedly “bought” with a generous six-figure “advertising” budget:

That’s why every time this issue is discussed on the partisan websites, which also are bought by power companies, there’s always an image of the black-faced coal miners pausing momentarily from the day’s work. 

But by the fall of 2020, Moon appeared to have bent down on his knees for Alabama Power. Discussing the enormous controversies concerning toxic coal ash ponds, Moon states:

However, when you look at the actual, real-life options for this stuff — and I can’t believe I’m going to say this — but the plan from Alabama Power seems to be a fairly good one. 

Dumping toxic waste 750 yards from the Mobile River is part of Alabama Power’s plan, and Moon can’t even believe his own words of support.

What a sell-out!

So what caused the 180° change? Money? Financial stress? Economic needs?

Journalism in general has seen massive layoffs, liquidations, consolidations, and buy outs. Many former journalists have gone to the private sector and left journalism behind.

In 2019,  Moon attempted to become a real estate agent. 

When he began allegedly stalking us, the CDLU, we found that he had no listings at Next Move Realtors and by September of 2020 Moon had let his real estate license lapse, according to state records.

Moon appears to have failed as a realtor.

The Google Maps image of the real estate office in 2020 cleary captured what appears to be Moon’s black crew-cab pick up truck in front of their offices. The truck looks identical to the one parked in our parking lot, where Moon waited for about 15 minutes.

Same crew-cab truck?

Not only was Moon allegedly stalking our corporate headquarters, he appears to have driven in front of the home of our Chief Executive Officer, K.B. Forbes, according to an image captured by security cameras. Although blurred by movement, the vehicle, a black crew-cab pickup, looks like Moon’s pickup truck. Because of threats, Forbes and his family were at a secure location in Mexico at the time.

Moon’ s alleged stalking and harassment was a futile exercise.

All of CDLU’s 990 tax returns are available at guidestar.org or the Nonprofit Explorer at Propublica.org. And the public can request a copy and the CDLU is required by law to provide a copy within 30 days.

Moon must have known this.

Moon as a teenager with a thick mullet and a functioning brain.

Even just a few days ago, we got our third request in three years from a woman, originally from Alabama, who now lives in California, requesting a copy of our 990. She has been the only one to do so in the past decade. No one else has.

Moon appears to be too arrogant to ask for the 990 himself.

So why in heaven’s name did Moon appear at our offices in 2020?

To provoke fear? To intimidate? To harass? To stroke his ego?

Or was he performing a failed “happy ending” during his dismal career as an alleged Bangkok whore for Alabama Power?

And he dare calls himself an “investigative journalist.”

What a disgrace!

Part 4: Alabama Power Paid Media Hacks and Boosted Smear Attacks; Six-Figures to Discredited “Journalists”

“Where there is money, there are whores.”

The bombshell financial records we, the CDLU, received anonymously, show that Alabama Power/Southern Company allegedly paid Alabama Political Reporter (APR) $120,000 and allegedly spent thousands of dollars boosting Facebook posts by the discredited publication.

The payments, made in 2020, all appear to have been approved by Zeke Smith, Alabama Power Executive Vice President of External Affairs, and allegedly paid through the obscure political consulting firm Matrix.

Rob Holbert of Lagniappe Mobile was the first to report about the alleged unethical relationship between Alabama Power and media outlets, writing in August:

Similar involvement by utilities in some Alabama-based news websites has also been questioned over the past few years, particularly as it relates to the publication of news articles created by Alabama Power that subsequently wind up being run on APR’s site and that of Yellowhammer News. Both new sites have run stories that first appeared on Alabama Power’s Alabama News Center website, sometimes listing them as staff reports or otherwise obscuring Alabama Power’s involvement in the creation of the story.

In July of 2020, APR wrote three smear attacks against us, the CDLU, this blog, BanBalch.com, and our Chief Executive Officer, K.B. Forbes.

The orchestrated attacks were a dramatic shift allegedly caused by the $120,000 infusion of funds. Alabama Power allegedly funneled the resources through Matrix possibly as “monthly advertising.”

In 2017, APR Editor-in-Chief Bill Britt wrote a straight piece on BanBalch.com writing at the time, “Material meticulously crafted into a damning narrative chronicles some of the firms most questioned activities, including the Oliver Robinson bribery scandal and alleged subcontract problems in Mississippi.”

Britt even contacted K.B. Forbes at the time to confirm the CDLU was involved in the blog.

Three years and $120,000 later, Britt wrote a 1,500 word defense of Alabama Power’s sister-wife Balch & Bingham while engaging in a blatant attack on the CDLU on July 8, 2020. He never bothered to contact us, showing no journalistic integrity.

What a shameful hack!

According to the anonymous financial documents, Alabama Power allegedly spent $1,000 on July 9, 2020 to have APR’s post on Britt’s smear piece boosted on Facebook.

Backfired on Alabama Power

The move completely and utterly backfired.

As we wrote at the time:

We never, ever thought it was this bad for Balch.

The orchestrated public relations strategy of defending embattled law firm Balch & Bingham has backfired miserably and the public is ripping the idiotic defense of Balch. But reaction by the public on social media has been unanimously against Balch.

That’s bad; real bad.

On July 16, 2020, a second APR hit piece was written by brain amputee Josh Moon, a once- respected journalist who appears to have sold himself to Alabama Power and Matrix like a Bangkok whore.

When Moon sent us five questions before his column appeared, we replied with details. Moon, like an arrogant, two-faced hypocrite, sent us a final email, and he wrote:

Here’s the problem I have: I don’t believe you. Now, I don’t much care about Balch, because I think they’re more crooked than even you have alleged….

What a brainless whore!

Again, according to the anonymous financial records, Alabama Power allegedly spent another $1,000 on July 16, 2020 to boost APR’s Facebook post on Moon’s column.

A third and final APR hit piece for 2020, appeared on July 23, 2020.

Bill Britt: Feebly drank the Kool-aid

Britt, who feebly wrote about a public tax filing from nearly 20 years ago, and tried to smear our association with Civil Rights champion J. Patrick Rooney, who has been dead for 14 years.

Outdated and out of gas.

What pathetic losers!

According to the anonymous financial documents, Alabama Power allegedly approved three payments totaling $16,400 on or near the three publication dates to True Targeted Digital Solutions. In 2020, the entity did not have a live website, according to the Internet archive.

We, the CDLU, do not know if this was to boost posts, provide digital advertising, create a geo-fencing digital campaign, or funnel a pay-through to the hacks.

Being paid lavishly in “advertising” budgets is diplomatic corruption of the media.

As Rob Holbert reported in August:

Lagniappe has received dozens of pages of documents purported to be leaked from inside Matrix. One of those listed as being created by Matrix employee Kim Hines is titled “Special Work Budget Dated April 2013 Properties,” that includes APR on a list of organizations receiving money from Matrix, C4 and JK.

On the spreadsheet next to “Al Political Reporter,” the row marked “Costs” lists $8,000. The next column under “Notes” says, “This is a per month cost. John will handle once he has approval from Zeke.” The “Funding Source” is listed as “Special Work Order/MTX” and “Total Costs” are listed as $96,000.

Sent the documents alleging payment from Matrix to APR, Britt stuck by his original statement. “I have no idea what those documents are or their origin,” he wrote. “As I said before, we only received advertising from Matrix.”

But Britt’s excuse appears to be as hollow as Moon’s skull.

Everyone knows that Matrix, like Balch & Bingham, is practically a wholly owned subsidiary of Alabama Power. Matrix was founded by “Sloppy Joe” Perkins, the Oompa Loompa of Alabama politics.

For almost a decade, APR appears to have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Alabama Power via Matrix.

As we wrote in 2020, in Mexico, they have a saying that translates, “Where there is money, there are whores.”

How many more whores will sell themselves to Balch or Alabama Power or one of their related entities for a few thousand dollars, a campaign contribution, or a generous digital advertising campaign?

How many more?

Part 3: Alabama Power/Southern Company Paid for Website Falsely Accusing Attorney of Rape

When disgraced Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite was appointed CEO nearly a decade ago, a feature article noted that his favorite movie was The Godfather.

Sources claim Crosswhite saw himself like Vito Corleone, the Godfather, and ran Alabama Power with an iron fist, and who expected fierce loyalty, absolute respect, and a dash of fear from his underlings.

The alleged Alabama Power/Southern Company criminal enterprise was not only involved in intimidating, smearing, and destroying perceived enemies of Alabama Power, but also to allegedly help friends of friends or distant acquaintances retaliate or seek revenge that had no corporate purpose whatsoever.

In the very beginning of The Godfather movie, Italian immigrant Bonasera asks for a vengeful favor from Don Corleone after Bonasera’s daughter was assaulted by her boyfriend. After kissing Don Corleone’s hand, Corleone agrees to help Bonasera.

How many friends of friends or distant acquaintances kissed Crosswhite’s hand?

Who kissed Crosswhite’s hand so that Alabama Power would allegedly use all its resources at his command to target an innocent man, Burt Newsome, his young twins, and his entire family?

The expenditures against Newsome make no sense and have no fiduciary purpose for the wholly owned subsidiary of a publicly traded company, Southern Company. We believe the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission and federal investigators will agree.

Newsome

Newsome’s legal career has been one of actively supporting the business community in Alabama and west Georgia, representing banks and small businesses. Besides paying his monthly electric bill, Newsome has had no interaction whatsoever with Alabama Power.

Newsome is not an environmentalist or tree-hugging green activist. He’s a traditional Southerner.

Newsome grew up in Columbus, Georgia where his father was Chairman of the Board and Lay Leader of St. Luke United Methodist Church – one of the largest Methodist churches in the State of Georgia. Newsome’s Sunday School Teacher was former President Pro-Tem of the Georgia Senate and founding Chairman of Troutman Pepper Strategies, the late Pete Robinson.

Newsome, in his legal profession, may have sued an entity or individual who was a friend of a friend or acquaintance that went running to kiss “Don Crosswhite’s” hand like Bonasera and asked for a vengeful favor.

The documents that we received anonymously show an alleged criminal enterprise that was entrenched and well-funded by Alabama Power/Southern Company, confirming the tenacles that have seeped throughout the highest levels of government, the legal system, and corporate world of Alabama.

Now the alleged criminal enterprise has been stripped naked and so has the Godfather.

According to the financial documents that we received anonymously, Alabama Power/Southern Company not only targeted the Newsome and Forbes Families, the company also allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to smear Newsome and Forbes.

Zeke Smith

Alabama Power Executive Vice President of External Affiars Zeke Smith allegedly approved expenditures from the obscure political consulting firm Matrix to Go Daddy and A2 Solutions to reserve domain names and create two websites, one that went live, and the other that never did and remains under construction. The dates in the documents match ICANN data, the global registry of domain names. The websites have been confirmed by ICANN to be hosted by A2 Solutions.

Unbelievable, the website that went live was way over the top filled with slander, falsehoods, and defamation.

The website falsely called and defamed Newsome as “a rapist” and falsely claimed that K.B. Forbes, our Chief Executive Officer, was defending a rapist.

100% False

Newsome had never, ever been arrested until the cop-son of an Alabama Power executive arrested Newsome in a “staged arrest” on a false misdemeanor menacing charge that was eventually dropped and expunged.

Incredibly foolish and putting enormous liability on the company, Alabama Power/Southern Company used the mugshot from the “staged arrest” from the Newsome Conspiracy Case to act as if Newsome had been arrested for rape: 100% false, a lie.

On August 27, 2020, Alabama Power/Southern Company paid to have hundreds of signs posted throughout downtown Birmingham promoting the defamatory website, and the documents confirm the expenditure.

The sheer audacity for Alabama Power/Southern Company to allegedly approve this enormous expenditure to defame Newsome, Forbes, and the CDLU, through Matrix and its founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins is stunning and jaw-dropping.

This comes as Matrix and Perkins have been accused of allegedly targeting the family of a rape victim, Meagan Rondini, who committed suicide after law enforcement and others allegedly dismissed or ignored her accusations against the son of a prominent family in Alabama.

Megan Rondini

The suicide garnered national headlines in 2017 when Buzzfeed wrote a detailed and lengthy story of the young woman’s plight and eventual suicide.

In August, court filings in the Matrix Meltdown between Matrix founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins and his once-protégé Jeff Pitts exposed Perkins’ alleged misconduct.

“Defendant Pitts was compelled to resign because of Perkins’ inappropriate and unethical business practices, including, but not limited to, initiating and directing the creation of an explicit video used in an attempt to intimidate the family of Megan Rondini, a rape victim who had committed suicide, to settle a civil claim….”.

On top of that, we, the CDLU, have defended rape victims from sexual predators. The alleged defamation by Alabama Power/Southern Company is monumental.

We championed the victims of sexual assault at an adult day care center in California known as Healthy Start.

These developmentally disabled adult children were raped and sodomized by Juan Fernando Flores while inept government agencies did nothing. Because of CDLU’s loud voice, the facility was permanently shut down. The civil case, independent of us, was settled out of court.

But Alabama Power/Southern Company didn’t care. They wanted to defame Newsome, probably for a friend of a friend. They wanted to slander us, the CDLU, probably on behalf of their sister-wife Balch & Bingham. They wanted to smear Forbes maybe because of our reporting.

Without a doubt, massive civil lawsuits and RICO actions (plus federal probes) against Alabama Power/Southern Company and “Sloppy Joe” Perkins will be Crosswhite’s legacy.

Part 2: Alabama Power Wasted Hundreds of Thousands to Allegedly Terrorize Hispanic Family

Yesterday, sources claim new developments in the alleged federal probe of criminal obstruction of justice and other alleged crimes helped force the ouster of Alabama Power’s disgraced CEO Mark A. Crosswhite.

Sources add that the abrupt resignation caught Alabama Power/Southern Company off guard, where no succession plan had begun and no potential replacement candidates had been vetted.

The alleged criminal misconduct has engulfed the utility and confirms what a respected investigator of the U.S. Department of Justice told us in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2019: With its bottomless pit of financial resources, Alabama Power is the problem, not Balch & Bingham.

Now financial documents in our possession give a graphic snapshot of that bottomless pit and demonstrate the stunning depth the alleged criminal enterprise led by Alabama Power/Southern Company went to, to instill fear, terrorize, and intimidate an innocent Hispanic family, including two young girls. The Hispanic family was forced to flee Alabama because of threats to their safety.

After the murder of George Floyd, the summer of 2020 was a summer of racial reckoning and stunning setbacks for the alleged criminal enterprise.

The alleged racist law firm (and sister-wife of Alabama Power) Balch & Bingham lost their 18th of 18 major lobbying clients in Washington, D.C. Crosswhite’s drinking buddy U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town resigned in disgrace, while Southern Company was hit hard for foolishly calling the suppression of African Americans in North Birmingham a “hypothesis.” On top of that an elderly exploitation scandal erupted creating headlines and headaches.

According to the financial records, Zeke Smith, Alabama Power Executive Vice President of External Affairs , authorized hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures through Matrix, the obscure political consulting firm founded by “Sloppy Joe” Perkins, the Oompa Loompa of Alabama politics.

In the summer of 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Alabama Power/Southern Company allegedly and foolishly decided to target, harass, intimidate, and terrorize the Hispanic family, spending big bucks to do so, and gathering intelligence and detailed personal information about the family.

The effort against the Hispanic family was over the top and at times extremely invasive and threatening.

The terror and harassment included phone calls to the Hispanic mother demanding to know her location, asking if she was at home, and offering to “drop off a package.”

Zeke Smith

Here, now, is a stunning example of the incredible reach that the alleged Alabama Power/Southern Company criminal enterprise engaged in that will give you, our dear reader, goosebumps.

According to the documents that we received anonymously, Zeke Smith approved an expenditure on June 11, 2020 for software called Import Genius that tracks exports, imports, and the bill of lading associated with those transactions.

Alabama Power/Southern Company appear to have been digging into an export made by the Hispanic family to Mexico. It was the first and only export they had ever made.

And what were they exporting?

The princess castle bed Zeke Smith allegedly wanted to know about

A Pottery Barn princess castle bed for their three-year-old daughter to a family home in Mexico.

The Hispanic family had received a Bill of Lading on June 11, 2020 and the alleged criminal enterprise appears to have known and learned about it that same day.

Were they illegally capturing private emails?

Scary and truly unnerving.

And what Hispanic family did Alabama Power/Southern Company allegedly terrorize?

The Forbes Family, the family of CDLU’s Chief Executive Officer, K.B. Forbes. Forbes is the son of a Hispanic immigrant from Chile and his wife was born and raised in Mexico.

As readers may recall, that summer an orchestrated campaign against Forbes was launched. With the anonymously received financial documents, we now know that Alabama Power/Southern Company funded the campaign.

Paid actor couldn’t spell Forbes

This included the buffoons who sent fake protesters and paid actors to the wrong address, adjacent to and across the street from the home of the Forbes Family.

The buffoons terrorized the neighbor, who was washing dishes, and her teenage daughter. So petrified and traumatized, the neighbors moved from the community after living there for 14 years. She made a deposit on a new home six-days after the incident.

The buffoons also terrorized and traumatized Forbes’ then-eight-year old daughter who saw the protesters outside the window.

Thinking someone was dying like George Floyd, she ran and hid, crying.

Less than twenty-four hours after learning from a Facebook video that Forbes indeed was the target, his wife and two young daughters (pictured above) packed and fled Alabama to Mexico for their own safety.

Jeff Peoples

Yesterday, we reported how another Alabama Power executive, Jeff Peoples, allegedly authorized a contract that allegedly was used to terrorize the Newsome Family and their four young children. Now Zeke Smith allegedly approved these expenditures allegedly to terrorize the Forbes Family and their two young daughters, making them flee out of the country.

With massive civil lawsuits and potential RICO actions, the foolish acts against innocent children allegedly paid for by Alabama Power/Southern Company, and allegedly authorized by Crosswhite and his posse, should cause more heads to roll.

Eventually, during the summer of 2020, K.B. Forbes joined his family in Mexico.

He received an email from the FBI stating that they were “glad to hear” that he was safe with his family in Mexico.

Forbes looked over at his wife and quipped, “Well, the FBI is saying that the Mexican cartel is safer than the clowns in Birmingham.”

Zeke Smith, Jeff Peoples, and Mark A. Crosswhite conferring.

Crosswhite Ouster Part 1: Alabama Power’s Alleged Criminal Enterprise Targets Young Twins

Targeting and terrorizing young children is disgusting and revolting; and appears to be a cornerstone of the alleged Southern Company/Alabama Power criminal enterprise.

Today marks five years ago in which Southern Company CEO and Chairman Tom Fanning called us, the CDLU, directly and had us meet with Southern Company Chief Compliance Officer Jim Kerr about our concerns about the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal and the Newsome Conspiracy Case.

Two months later, Jim Kerr, acting like a “Baghdad Bob,” told us that Alabama Power was not involved in the Newsome Conspiracy Case and dismissed the alleged racist targeting of African Americans in North Birmingham as a “hypothesis.”

Baghdad Kerr

Now, today, this very moment, we, the CDLU, have received and are in possession of hard copies, hard evidence that Alabama Power/Southern Company was indeed involved in the Newsome Conspiracy Case and other alleged high crimes and misdemeanors.

Like “Baghdad Bob,” Jim Kerr appears to have consistently lied to us.

The documents we have received anonymously are just the tip of the iceberg. In the coming weeks, as we report more details, the depth of this alleged criminal enterprise led by Southern Company/Alabama Power will absolutely and unequivocally need to be probed by the U.S. Department of Justice. We also anticipate massive civil lawsuits against Southern Company, Alabama Power, Matrix and others as these bombshell revelations are being investigated.

For years, Kerr and others at Southern Company have looked the other way and let their most profitable subsidiary Alabama Power run like the Wild West.

Crosswhite playing I-Spy

All the blind-eye protection came crashing down when it was revealed this summer that ex-Balch partner and Alabama Power Chairman and CEO Mark A. Crosswhite allegedly directed a surveillance effort in 2017 against his boss and parent company CEO, Tom Fanning, and Fanning’s then-girlfriend. Crosswhite was allegedly seeking photographic evidence to find out if Fanning was bisexual and if Fanning had a boy toy.

The ultimate goal, we were told, was to allegedly blackmail Fanning out of office and have Crosswhite abruptly jump in.

Ironically, years later after the spying, Crosswhite was ousted abruptly last week, on the eve of Thanksgiving.

But now, more heads need to roll, according to the documents we have.

Jeff Peoples, Executive Vice President of Customer and Employee Services at Alabama Power, signed off on paying the obscure political consulting firm Matrix an additional mid-five figures on top of the secret multi-million-dollar annual contracts the firm and its founder, “Sloppy Joe” Perkins, received.

And what was the mid-five figures allegedly for?

Targeting a set of young twins (pictured above).

And who are these twins? They are the children of Burt Newsome, an attorney who represents banks and financial institutions, whose wife and four young children were sent a threatening package allegedly tied to the five-figure contract.

As we wrote in August of 2018:

But now come the real sick idiots who sent the Newsome family a threatening package: Five pieces of luggage and numerous clothing outfits. 

The message was crystal clear: get ready to pack and leave town.

Were they threatening the family? The father, Burt Newsome? Was he going to be injured, killed or murdered?  Or were the wife and children going to “disappear” on a permanent vacation?

All done through an online retailer, the purchase can be tracked using IP addresses and metadata. Even a hacker’s digital trail can be traced.

Local law enforcement dismissed the threat and alleged that the young twins must have selected and purchased the travel bags, the ten outfits (two for each child and mom), and processed the order when the twins couldn’t even read!

But we are not stunned that local law enforcement appears to be in Alabama Power’s pockets.

Newsome was pulled over and falsely arrested in 2013 by a Columbiana, Alabama police officer.

The Columbiana police officer who pulled Burt Newsome over in May of 2013 in an alleged “staged arrest” was none other than Jeffrey Bowers, the son of Willard L. Bowers, the retired, long-time executive at Alabama Power, who last served as Vice President of Environmental Affairs for the utility.

Hours after Burt Newsome’s “staged arrest,” and possibly under Alabama Power’s orders, a Balch & Bingham partner allegedly emailed and distributed copies of Newsome’s mug shot on a Saturday afternoon to banking and financial services executives, allegedly smearing Newsome.

While we, the CDLU, respect the men and women in blue, Jeffrey Bowers appears to have dishonored the code of ethical conduct. Bowers also posted a social media post on Facebook that blatantly attacks Muslims as goat fornicators and appears to be a revolting display of sheer stupidity,  disgusting vulgarity, and alleged discrimination that we believe is conduct unbecoming of a law enforcement official.

In 2021, Bowers was given a reward for his years of service (to Alabama Power?) and named Chief of Police.

While massive civil lawsuits and a federal probe are launched and litigated, Southern Company needs to seriously look at the expenditures made to target the Newsome twins, their family, and their father.

Burt Newsome has no business whatsoever with Alabama Power, except paying his electric bill month-to-month.

The alleged criminal enterprise at Southern Company/Alabama Power appears to have been used to target, threaten, and intimidate people when friends of friends of Alabama Power executives called for retaliation or revenge, even though it was of no interest or benefit to Southern Company/Alabama Power.

Jeff Peoples appears to have authorized a mid-five-figure contract that allegedly was used to target children, young children and a family that has no business with Alabama Power whatsoever.

Targeting and terrorizing young children is disgusting and revolting; and appears to be a cornerstone of the alleged Southern Company/Alabama Power criminal enterprise.

While the bombshell documents also expose the enormous amount of money spent to harass the innocent, the young, and perceived opponents of Alabama Power, they also show who was on the take and disclose pay-through entities.

More to come. And more. And more.

Burnt Turkey: Crosswhite Ouster Rocks Balch; Bombshells Coming Next Week

Using the stock-in-trade excuse like his drinking buddy, ousted Alabama Power CEO and ex-Balch partner Mark A. Crosswhite claims he needs to “spend more time with his family,” echoing disgraced ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town’s same line of bull.

Over a year ago, we reported that Crosswhite was “allegedly telling bourgeois insiders that he has the lock and key to the C-Suite at Southern Company, Alabama Power’s parent company.”

$21 million in 2021

The current CEO of Southern Company Tom Fanning made over $21 million last year.

Crosswhite did not give that opportunity up to spend more time with his family and you, our dear reader, know his excuse is a crock.

As we wrote just last week, Crosswhite’s abrupt demise was caused by his unwavering loyalty to alleged racist law firm Balch & Bingham and absolute confidence in “Sloppy Joe ” Perkins, the founder of obscure political consulting firm Matrix.

So furious at the collapse of his career, sources claim, Crosswhite allegedly refuses to even talk to his ex-law partners at Balch.

Rocked by Crosswhite’s ouster, Balch, sources claim, is allegedly in utter turmoil, near collapse as Balch’s lifeline may come to an end this year.

Just like Balch arrogantly thought they could make millions when their stooge ex-U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions was made U.S. Attorney General in 2017, Balch appears to have bet the farm on Crosswhite’s eventual coronation as CEO of Southern Company.

The anticipated coronation instead became a resounding condemnation.

A fluff piece on Crosswhite’s ouster in Yellowhammer News affirms Crosswhite’s alleged anger at Balch & Bingham, by omitting Balch’s name, writing, “Crosswhite represented the company in private practice for 17 years before serving Southern Company in an official capacity.”

17 years at Balch as a partner forgotten down an Orwellian memory hole!

No wonder Balch celebrated their centennial anniversary in secret, hidden on a hilltop, last month.

Current Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning will have more horse stalls to clean up next week as we reveal more bombshells that could lead to possible criminal indictments.

The stench of horse manure is intense and overwhelming.


To our dear readers (including our friends at Balch, Drummond Company, and Alabama Power), we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

The “Most Powerful Man in Alabama” Resigns in Disgrace! Crosswhite Scalped by Scandal

As we, the CDLU, anticipated, Mark A. Crosswhite, the embattled Chairman and CEO of Alabama Power has announced his resignation today in a corporate filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

As first reported by Daniel Tait of the Energy and Policy Institute, the resignation is tied to an avalanche of scandal including an alleged federal investigation of criminal obstruction of justice in the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, the clandestine surveillance of Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning and his then-girlfriend allegedly under the direct orders of Crosswhite, and the alleged criminal acts and misconduct surrounding the Matrix Meltdown and Alabama Power’s multi-million-dollar secret contracts to Matrix founder “Sloppy Joe” Perkins.

Prophetic rats

Two years ago tomorrow, we prophetically wrote that Crosswhite would have to retire or resign. It was in the wake of jaw-dropping photos we published of disgraced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town chugging cocktails with Crosswhite allegedly at the height of the North Birmingham Bribery Trial. The photos and our correspondence to the highest levels of the U.S. Department of Justice led to Town’s abrupt resignation in July of 2020, where he fled in the middle of the night.

We wrote at the time:

Did Crosswhite or [Alabama Power’s outside criminal attorney Mark] White strike the secret deal with Town to keep Alabama Power “unmentionable” during the criminal trial? Did Crosswhite mislead parent company Southern Company about Alabama Power’s involvement in the North Birmingham Bribery Scandal or the Newsome Conspiracy Case? What truly was Alabama Power’s role with the money laundering entity Alliance for Jobs and the Economy (AJE)? Was Alabama Power in anyway involved in the idiotic orchestrated campaign this past summer in which an innocent family was terrorized by paid buffoons?

Unlike other Southern Company wholly-owned subsidiaries, Alabama Power appears to operate completely differently, looking more like a vengeful gang of arrogant fraternity members instead of level-headed corporate executives.

When we first met with federal investigators in 2017 about Balch & Bingham, they were more concerned about Alabama Power rather than Balch.

Since 2020, new stunning revelations tied to Alabama Power have come out (some yet unreported).

The unsavory misconduct scalped what Crosswhite’s once adoring fans called “the most powerful man in Alabama.”

Now Crosswhite joins ex-U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and appears as yet another disgraced power-hungry fool.