I started investing with Carolina Investors about the early 1980s, I'm to tired of it all to look the details up in my records. I had about $40,000 by 1991, I quite work about that time too, wanted to take a few years off and do stuff. About the same time Mr Holder sold his company to the people at Homegold, at least it eventually ended up being part of Homegold. It seems like someone told me then that Sheppard had broke another of his companies.

So I moved my money out of Carolina Investors and into a savings account at SCN. I didn't like the idea of Mr Holder not being involved anymore. Went on to have about 8 years of my so-called temporary retirement years. It was mostly good but then again I didn't get to do everything I really wanted to. Always had to think about running out of money, maybe not getting a good paying job ever again too.

In 2000 I started working again and making good money, saving most of it. Began to look at investments again, Carolina Investors was offering 6 and 7 per cent. There may have been rumours about Carolina Investors even then but I figured that kind of talk had been around a long time and nothing ever happened. I had already missed out on 8 years of their higher than savings account interest. So that's where I started putting my money again. I knew lots of people had lots more money than I ever would with Carolina Investors. I figured they knew what they were doing.

I had looked around for other places to put money and even started an account with the stock broker across the street from Carolina Investors. But that terrorist attack and other things had keep the market down and it didn't feel right putting more money there. In December 2002 I was up there making another deposit and just sitting there in the chair next to a desk waiting for the lady teller to do the paper work. Larry Owens was in his office talking on the phone, not that I could hear anything, it's just what I saw though the office window. It didn't feel right putting more money there either but I did anyway. I'm kind of paranoid about big decisions and just figured it was that. It just felt worst that time. I knew I could have walked out and done nothing but I didn't. After a few days everything seemed like normal again.

Then Friday March 23, 2003 happened. I was at work and someone had heard rumors and said people were outside the Carolina Investors building. I think an uncle called to asking if I had money up there. I didn't do much of anything except wait for quiting time, then drove through town and down by the building. There were people still there. I just slowed down and looked and then went on home. Watched the news that night and heard what Mr Morris had said. I was still trying to be optimistic and hope it wasn't as bad as it appeared. Maybe they closed when the books just barely went un-balanced and there was most of everybody's money still there. But as the days and first weeks went by I came to realize it was bad.

Don't remember many details about that Summer 2003 except watch and read the news. Never did seem to learn much of anything really useful. The first reports of getting anything back were about two or three per cent of your investment. I did start to learn more about the Homegold connection, but most of that was on my own. The news people were talking about Carolina this and Carolina that. It does seem like the first reports talked about 8,000 investors. The really curious thing is that as the months went by the number of investors filing claims went up to about 12,000. Having learned the hard way how many crooks they are in this country of opportunity I'd wager those extra 4,000 belong to that segment of society.

Sometime during that Summer I got one of those letters from some business up North. They wanted to buy my account for 6 or 7 per cent. My first thoughts after reading the letter was, "Oh great, some vulture types want to pick what's left of my flesh off my bones." After I got over that I at least knew then we'd be getting back more than 7 per cent. I knew they would be wanting to double or triple their investment off of my bad luck. The thought crossed my mind more than once about who own that company up north and that it might be some of the Homegold executives trying to get even more of my money.

For a brief time, a week or two, and shortly after March, there was some new bond investment company advertising on the television. Regeany something or other. They were offering 9 per cent interest. Didn't know what quite to make of that, them doing those ads so soon after the Homegold collapse. But they did take their commercials off the air in a hurry.

Whenever it was the legal officials had that first public meeting over at the exibition center, I went to that. Told my boss I was taking the rest of the day off to go there to see what I could learn. He said he understood that. There's just a few things worth mentioning.

Most everything was going as expected, I guess. A lot of people up on the stage talking about one legal thing or another. I thought when Mr Owens started we would learn something about what happened and where the money went. That turned into a history lesson about Carolina Investors and the connection to Homegold. It was getting tiresome waiting for some meaningful to come out. And I was hoping to hear what Sheppard and Sterling had to say, but I really don't remember them being there.

One lady was sitting near by and at some short break time she came over and started to talk a little. Said something about Owens already lying about one thing or another. I told her the real people who ended up with the money weren't even there. See didn't seem to like the truth so went of to find someone whose thinking was more like her own.

During some questioning after Owens had finished one of the legal people asked how much he made. He told something like $120,000 a year. The crowd made those booing and hissing sounds. I suppose that's when I begin to realize the general public was clueless about who did what. I had already learned Sheppard was getting almost $2,000,000 a year.

There was a longer break later and went outside to smoke. One young man came over and started talking, the usual stuff about where you from, how much did you loose. I don't remember what he said about Owens or Carolina Investors if he said anything. I did tell him that Homegold owned CI and the parent company ended up with the money and that Sheppard and Sterling should be here answering questions.

I didn't go back in. Sat out in the truck for a while, smoking. Then I left.

There was one other meeting up at Pickens High School. I think it was after the one over in Greenville but I'm not sure. It had something to do with the trustees being divided about what to do. Or maybe it was some group wanting to do things differently. Sat up there and listened to one long speech and then there was a bunch of people getting up and telling how they've been really hurt, how much they lost, and otherwise their life's story. That channel 21 news people were at that one. At some point I got up to walk around some. One of them asked if I wanted to be on TV. Told him NO and just kept on walking. I was getting tired of the news media feeding off other people's misery. Probably should have told him that too but didn't.

For most of the rest of that first year the news was about that road named for Earle Morris. I don't know why they latched on this and keep running with it. Mr Morris earned that honor for his service to the state. Now he gets caught up in someone else's bad doings and the media wants the people to make him the scapgoat. He didn't misuse the money, in fact he lost money like the rest of us. He along with the other Carolina Investor board members didn't have much of say how Homegold did its business. But he had the familar Morris name and was a former Comptroller General for the state. And that's the only reason the media focused on him.

And again the general public took it all in hook, line and sinker. Me, I'm wondering why the new media people seldom every mentioned Homegold or the Homegold executives last names. It was almost like the media was providing get away cover for the people who ended up with most of the money and benefits.

I got that big package from the Bankruptcy Trustee one day. Looked at it enough the first time through to see the really long list of names. All of us investors I guess. Some days or weeks later I looked though it again finding one name or another who I knew. Found the Greenville News name there. Decided then GN had a personal grudge to settle against one of the CI principles and that's why they weren't focusing on the Homegold connection and people.

It may have been that big package or maybe this had to do with getting the first check from the Trustee. I'm not sure how this went down. But anyway there was some implication that we investors had to agree not to sue the Trustee or Carolina Investor boardmember or Homegold executives. That felt worst than when that company up North picking over my bones.

The Trustee had negotiated some settlement with the Homegold executives and got a big chuck of the money back. That was kind of like cutting a deal with theives who took the money. Get about half the loot back but we have to get sued for an agreement not to sue them later on.

Again about first of 2003, I had money saved up, a good paying job and that Spring I was thinking about spending more and doing things I wanted to do and go places where I wanted to go. But the Homegold ended up wasting away my money and I couldn't do any of those things. Had to start saving even more to make up the lost. Took me almost two years but it still feels like a loss and missing something.

One other thing I was thinking of doing was to give money to a church where I know the pastor. I was thinking of that again about December 2003.

Decided that's what I should do anyway. Happpened to meet him one day down at the SCN office by the creek. Talked to him about it, it was something like I had done once before years ago. Helped a couple get to Germany where their son had had a serious illness. Later he offered to pay me back but I told him to give it the church or someone else in need. That's the way it's suppose to work. But anyway I asked if his church would manage the money and see that it gets to people who need it. Sent him a check a few days later after the deacons agreed.

It was a year later in 2004 and after we got the first big check from the Trustee. Turned it around and sent that pastor another check for an equal amount. Included a note that told him I had promised myself sometime the previous year to give whatever money I get back from this bad experience to the church ... before some other theives get a chance to steal it again. I think there's some verse in the Bible about keep money hid away and some thief getting it instead of just go ahead and giving it to the poor.

I got to write off all my loss on the 2005 income tax. So I got me about three more thousand back too. Between the two gifts to the church and what I got back from the Trustee and taxes it all balanced out.

The attorney general .... what can I say ... not much of anything that's good. Between him and the news media they've made a mockery of justice. All during 2004 and 2005 it was Carolina Investors, Earl Morris, Larry Owens, Mrs Owens and their indictment and trials. I felt sorry for them. It was like watching the judge and prosecutor try the bank tellers for the robbery while the real bank thieves get away with most all the money.

I don't know and will never know how much if anything Morris, Owens or even Bobo knew about the real situation. If they did it must have been like being caught be a rock and hard place. What could have they done? Start telling the people not to put their money with Carolina Investors, actually it was with Homegold the parent company. What proof would they have had it was a bad investment? They would have been fired or sued for causing a run on the bank back in 1997 or 1998. But none of this thinking ever made its way into the news media.

I suppose the worse part is that the general public believes justice has been done. The new media kept Carolina Investors and those names in everyone's mind and I still doubt if they realize it was all Homegold and those executives who misused the money.

I shouldn't talk about Morris' or Owen's personal lives but I understand and know it's been extra difficult for them. Owen's first parole hearing didn't go well for him. But that was mostly expected anyway. The attorney general made a speech about justice being served and other individual investors saying how hard and difficult it had been on them. There were some number who were for his parole. But the AG and the news media had to have it their way.

Late in 2005 the attorney general finally got around to indicting Shepard and Sterling. By this time I made an effort to get copies of the indictments off the internet and reading them. The AG made special reference to them keeping the real situation of Homegold and Carolina Investors from two of the CI boardmembers. He had already accused and convicted Morris and Owen of knowing but he had to make an exception for the other two boardmembers. As if the chief thief would trust two of four local people who had known and worked with each other for decades but not the other two. It just doesn't make any sense.

Basically the attorney general dug himself into a big hole at the beginning and now he has to shore up the walls before they collapse onto him.

About late Spring 2006 the AG closed the investigation. The Greenville News editoral had a write up a day or so later bragging about how well the investigation had been done. I wouldn't had read it except the neighbor was on vacation that week and I was picking up the newspaper for her. I don't want anyone to get the impression I actually subscribe to that paper. It's a big city newspaper and they only care about their own. And they don't care who they have to put down to make themselves feel better.

But anyway, the editorial had one line in it about how the attorney general said Carolina Investors and/or Homegold was using us "unsuffisticated" investors to make themselves wealthy. As far as I know the Greenville News has never admitted that they were one of them kind of investors.

So here it is three years and four months after March 2003. The accused chief theives have only recently been indicted and still haven't had their trial yet. Sheppard's isn't till January 2007. The attorney general and the greenville news are making themselve feel good. I wonder what it will be like after the next trials and the attorney general doesn't get any convictions? None that matters anyway. They will probably still think well of themselves. They'll never admit they helped them get away with it by providing distracting headlines over road names and coverage of Pickens connected names.