Pearlasia Gamboa
Encyclopedia
Pearlasia Gamboa is a Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...

 business woman involved in controversial international banking, investment, and financial development
Financial sector development
Financial sector development in developing countries and emerging markets is part of the private sector development strategy to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty....

 transactions, including bank fraud
Bank fraud
Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...

, securities fraud
Securities fraud
Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws....

, and passport fraud
Passport fraud
Possible violations of the following statutes are investigated by the United States Diplomatic Security Service:*18 USC 1541 Issuance Without Authority*18 USC 1542 False Statement in Application and Use of Passport...

, from 1990 through 2010. She was also the president of the micronation
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...

 known as the Dominion of Melchizedek
Dominion of Melchizedek
The Dominion of Melchizedek is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa, wife of vice-president David Korem...

 in the 1990s, with her husband David Korem (Mark Logan Pedley) being vice president.

In August 2010, federal prosecutors for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States...

 (SEC) successfully prosecuted Gamboa for securities fraud involving her “Pearl Asian Mining” and “Znext Mining” in San Mateo County, CA. The federal judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...

 in San Francisco ordered a lifetime ban on her selling securities or operating as Pearl Asian Mining. Gamboa’s husband, Mark Logan Pedley (David Korem), was arrested by the FBI and SEC for securities fraud involving “Znext Mining” and “Pearl Asian Mining” as part of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

’s Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust, the largest investment fraud sweep by the Federal government of the United States, was conducted between August 16 and December 1, 2010. The stated purpose of the operation was to "root out and expose" investment scams within the U.S. and to educate the public...

. Pedley was convicted and sentenced in February 2011.

In 1996, state prosecutors successfully prosecuted Gamboa for bank fraud for operating as “BankAsia AG” in California. The California state judge issued a lifetime ban against Gamboa using the name “BankAsia AG”, or representing herself as a banker. Gamboa stated that she did not recognize the laws of the State of California. According to United States officials, Gamboa operates her bank fraud operations out "in the open", presenting a “façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

 of religious respectability”. In 2011, an arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....

 was issued against Gamboa in the Philippines for illegal use of alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

es.

Banks and companies

Gamboa claimed to own bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...

s, gold mining companies, biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....

 plantations and refineries, and other companies in the United States, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, and around the world, which the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) called empty shells in 2009.

According to media reports and those by state officials, Gamboa’s method of operation in her banks and companies is to claim that she is highly religious, to display wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...

 and provide luxury
Luxury good
Luxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...

, to create associations with international achievement and celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

, to use numerous variations of her names and alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

es, and to use fictitious business names similar to existing businesses in order create the impression of being companies that they are not. In 1995, after being investigated for representing herself as a bank, Gamboa claimed a “religious freedom” by which she did not recognize the laws of the State of California, as the Dominion was set up as a religious theocracy
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....

, and she declared spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...

 on California’s Deputy Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

. In 2002, the address Gamboa listed with the SEC as an address for two of her businesses was the largest private residence in Beverly Hills, used as the fictitious residence of a wealthy film producer in the 90210 television series
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...

. In 2009, Gamboa’s name was listed as one of the authors of a local newspaper claiming that her son, Hazemach, won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 in a national Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 competition. Gamboa has used hundreds or aliases and fictitious names; according to the SEC one of her business itself had 59 different names. Gamboa’s victims include people in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, southern Italy, Europe, Fiji, China, and in America. The anti-Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

 Directorate in Rome has investigated Gamboa for her activities in Italy. Gamboa has been sought by police worldwide.

Banks

A United States law enforcement official said Gamboa's banks were involved in serious fraud and were being closely watched by law enforcement. Banking regulators in California and Indiana said Gamboa represented herself as BankAsia AG, and California state officials sued her to stop her from representing herself as a banker, receiving a default judgment against her in 1995. In 1994, the counsel for California State banking authorities describe Gamboa as having tried to get loans representing herself as BankAsia AG, causing the lender to alert state authorities, and local authorities sued her to stop her from doing business as a bank. Gamboa claimed net banking assets of $25 Billion, and the California State Banking Department sued Gamboa to prevent her from representing herself as a banker. She and her husband, David Korem (various aliases), continued to represent her as being in banking after the judgment. In America, state regulators described claims made in her business applications as “invalid”, and a Special Assistant to the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a US federal agency established by the National Currency Act of 1863 and serves to charter, regulate, and supervise all national banks and the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks in the United States...

 said "this phony bank... it's a phantom bank" and "It's a con artists' operation through and through… It's a phony bank… the whole thing's a phony."

The anti-Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

 Directorate in Rome investigated Gamboa’s International Monetary Reserve banking scheme for fraud by her method of operation being to display vast wealth to convince customers of her many banks around the world, when in fact they did not exist. The First Canadian American Holding Corp and the International Monetary Reserve (IMR) were headquartered at 1156 Shadow Hill Way, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210, used as the fictitious residence of a wealthy film producer in the 90210 television series
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...

, and the largest private residence in Beverly Hills at the time, according to Bruce Nelson Real Estate of Beverly Hills. The United States Office of Comptroller General said about Gamboa’s bank, "It's a con artists' operation through and through… It's a phony bank… the whole thing's a phony".

Banking micronation

Gamboa was the president of the defunct micronation
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...

 known as the Dominion of Melchizedek
Dominion of Melchizedek
The Dominion of Melchizedek is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa, wife of vice-president David Korem...

 during the 1990s. She and her husband, vice president David Korem, (a.k.a. Mark Pedley, Mark Wellington, David KorMAN “Branch Vinedresser”), conceived of the Dominion of Melchizedek international bank fraud scheme shortly after Mark Pedley’s release on parole from Walla Walla
Washington State Penitentiary
Washington State Penitentiary is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Walla Walla, Washington...

 prison in the early 1990s. Gamboa used the Melchizedek scheme by defrauding small farmers and investors in southern Italy, buying time until the victims found out they had been cheated, when it was too late.

Among Gambo's Melchizedek schemes was to defraud hundreds of Filipinos
Filipinos
Filipinos is the brand name for a series of biscuit snacks made by Kraft Foods. In Spain and Portugal they are produced and sold under the Artiach brand name. Under license to United Biscuits, in the Netherlands they are sold and produced locally under the Verkade brand...

, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

, and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

is to pay as much as $35,000 for useless Melchizedek passports which purchasers were told were internationally recognized. State of California and United States officials alleged her micronation was a front for criminal activity, a front for international fraud since 1990, and only existed in the mind. Gamboa stated that she did not recognize the State of California, and ran afoul of its laws. As president of the Dominion of Melchizedek
Dominion of Melchizedek
The Dominion of Melchizedek is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa, wife of vice-president David Korem...

, she declared spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...

 on California’s Deputy Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

. The Washington Post wrote that “getting to the truth requires a walk down a bizarre labyrinth that includes a home-brew religion…it appears to exist mainly so that money can be whisked through shell banks”.

Companies

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Gamboa of selling securities in empty shell corporations from 2007 to 2009, using falsified financial information to make them look real, and in August 2010 a court ordered her to stop selling securities in the United States and to reimburse her victims.The SEC alleged that from 2007 to 2009, Gamboa had sold nearly 2 billion shares in what she claimed were Philippine gold mines but the companies were in fact only empty shells with falsified accounting, and only had names that were similar to real gold mines. According to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), between 2007 and 2009, Gamboa sold nearly 2 billion shares in what says are phony gold mining companies in the Philippines. In 2009, the SEC alleged that Pearl Asian Mining was not a real gold mine, but just an empty shell corporation which Gamboa was selling shares in as a real Philippine gold mine. Pearl Asian Mining, ZNext, and First Canadian American Holding Corporation are empty shells according to the SEC. In 2009, The United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed against Gamboa to stop her from selling securities of any kind again, and to reimburse victims of her fraudulent activities.

Operation Broken Trust

Gamboa's Znext mining fka Pearl Asian Mining was the target of this SEC action, as well one of the targets of United States president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust, the largest investment fraud sweep by the Federal government of the United States, was conducted between August 16 and December 1, 2010. The stated purpose of the operation was to "root out and expose" investment scams within the U.S. and to educate the public...

, involving Homeland Security, the FBI, the SEC, the Secret Service, and numerous other government agencies, in which her husband, David Korem, was convicted and imprisoned in August 2010. Operation Broken Trust was the largest investment fraud sweep by the Federal government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

, conducted between August 16 and December 1, 2010. The stated purpose of the operation was to "root out and expose" investment scams within the U.S. and to educate the public. The operation involved 343 criminal cases with damages of $8.3 billion and 189 civil cases with damages of $2.1 billion; more than 120,000 victims were affected. The operation included arresting Gamboa's husband, David Korem, involving her ZNext Mining fka Pearl Asian Mining. According to the December 6, 2010 joint press release by the United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...

 Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....

, the Office of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 (FBI), the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...

 (IRS), the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 (USSS), the Postal Inspector
Postal Inspector
Postal Inspector is a 1936 American film directed by Otto Brower.- Cast :*Ricardo Cortez as Inspector Bill Davis*Patricia Ellis as Connie Larrimore*Michael Loring as Charlie Davis*Bela Lugosi as Gregory Benez*Wallis Clark as Inspector Gil Pottle...

 of the United States Postal Inspection Service
United States Postal Inspection Service
The United States Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. Its jurisdiction is defined as "crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S...

, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...

 Southeast Region (FTC), the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates futures and option markets....

 (CFTC), the State of Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, and the Miami Police Department
Miami Police Department
The Miami Police Department or MPD, often referred to as the City of Miami Police, is the chief police department of the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. Their jurisdiction lies within the actual city limits of Miami, but have mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments. The current...

, their nationwide investment fraud investigation involving Znext Mining aka Pearl Asian Mining, Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust
Operation Broken Trust, the largest investment fraud sweep by the Federal government of the United States, was conducted between August 16 and December 1, 2010. The stated purpose of the operation was to "root out and expose" investment scams within the U.S. and to educate the public...

 is the first nationwide operation of its kind to target a broad array of investment fraud schemes that directly prey upon the investing public.”
In the joint press release involving Znext Mining fka Peral Asian Mining, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer said that some investors "lose their entire lives’ savings. While the victims of fraud are financially ruined, the fraudsters live a life of luxury."

Banking and corporate methods

According to a Special Agent for the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a US federal agency established by the National Currency Act of 1863 and serves to charter, regulate, and supervise all national banks and the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks in the United States...

, Gamboa works in the open, presenting a “façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

 of religious respectability”, including to victim
Victimisation
Victimisation is the process of being victimised or becoming a victim. Research that studies the process, rates, incidence, and prevalence of victimization falls under the body of victimology.-Peer victimisation:...

s in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 who were “con
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...

ned out of in excess of $1 million”, saying "Everything that comes out of this so-called religious organization is phony." Gamboa listed a residential address with the Securities and Exchange Commission as being 1156 Shadow Hill Way, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210, at the time, the largest private residence in Beverly Hills according to John Bruce Nelson Real Estate of Beverly Hills. Among Gambo's schemes was to defraud hundreds of Filipinos
Filipinos
Filipinos is the brand name for a series of biscuit snacks made by Kraft Foods. In Spain and Portugal they are produced and sold under the Artiach brand name. Under license to United Biscuits, in the Netherlands they are sold and produced locally under the Verkade brand...

, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

, and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

is. under her "Bae Katiguman" alias, Gamboa is listed as Chairman and Director of Royal Oil & Alternative Energy Co., Inc. (PROL), using the honorific "Princess" in her emblem, in her corporate filings published by the Penny Stock News and her company website. The same filing lists a "Brother
Brother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...

" as both corporate executive and head of the Missionaries in Action outreach to local Catholics program, Operation Reach Out, who is also stated to be the "former regional director of the Philippine Anti-Graft
Graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:*Grafting, where the tissues of one plant are affixed to the tissues of another*Medical grafting, a surgical procedure to transplant tissue without a blood supply**Bone grafting**Skin grafting...

 Center".

International scope

Gamboa is from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, and has operated internationally and in numerous states, including Redwood City California, Los Altos California, Portola Valley California
Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2010 census. It was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula, in 1769.Portola Valley is one of the...

, Palo Alto California, Woodside California
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....

, San Francisco California, Sacramento California, Las Vegas Nevada, the State of Oregon, the State of Washington, Las Vegas Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, the State of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, the State of Delaware, and other countries and cities such as Canada, Germany, Venice Italy, London, Mexico, Tahiti, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, and Fiji.

In 1994-1995, Shasta County, California
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...

, and the State of Indiana were used for BankAsia AG. In 2002, Gamboa listed Beverly Hills California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 as the corporate contact address for her International Monetary Reserve (IMR, different from International Money reserves - IMR's). She operates as Gamboa Properties and owns land in Hawaii. Anti-Mafia law enforcement has been monitoring her activities in Italy. The SEC alleged that from 2007 to 2009, operated using the alias "Elivra Katiguman" and "Pearl Asian", and lived in Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...

. In 2009, she wrote newspaper articles about her son "Hazemach" under her "Pearl Asian" alias in Moraga California
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...

, in 2009. In her various corporate filings in 2009-2010 for her Philippines Royal Oil & Alternative Energy Co., Inc. (pinksheets PROL, different from Phillips Oil, Inc.) alternative energy and Missionary outreach company, and its subsidiaries such as Greengold Ray, she listed Corpus Christi Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...

 as one corporate address and location of biodiesel refineries, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 as the location of land and Jatropha
Jatropha
Jatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees , from the family Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός , meaning "physician," and τροφή , meaning "nutrition," hence the common name physic nut. Mature plants produce separate male and female...

plantations, and used multiple aliases in the filings.

Use of aliases and corporate names

Gamboa has operated under various aliases
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 and fictitious business names, described by the Securities and Exchange Commission as being a “woman with multiple aliases”, and by the Washington Post newspaper, “names that change with kaleidoscopic ease”. Aliases include Bae Catiguman, Bae Katiguman, Princess Bae Katigumen, Bae Cat, B. Cat, pbc, Rebekah Mesaleah, Elvira Katiguman, Elvira Catiguman, Bae Elvira Gamboa, Pearlasia Gamboa, Ming Zhu, Pearlasia Korem, Pearlasia Grace Gamboa, Grace (Pearlasia Gamboa), E. Pearl Asian, Elvie G Gamboa, Elvira G, Elvira Gamboa, Elvie Austin Gamboa, Elvira G. Austin, and Maria Gamboa.

Gamboa uses numerous business names in her activities. Gamboa’s business names have aliases; in 2009, The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit against her under multiple alias names, alleging 59 subsidiary names for one Canadian “company” alone. Names include “BankAsia AG”, "BankAsia", “Pearl Asian Mining” (“Pearl Asia Mines”), “ZNext Mining”, "BIO-Genex Laboratories", “Gamboa Properties”, “Banco de Asia”, “BUB Microfinance Bank”, "Bae Rural Bank", “First Canadian American Holding Corp”, “Greengold Ray”, “GreenGold Ray Energies, Inc.”, “GRYE”, “International Monetary Reserve”, “IMR”, “ Guardian Savings & Guaranty”, “Express Bank”, “Consortium Finance Corporation”, and “Dominion of Melchizedek”.

Media characterizations

The activities of Peralasia Gamboa have received unusually strong descriptions in the mainstream media, as well as in her own media promotion. In 1994, the Indiana Star newspaper described her activities as being “like a novel full of global intrigue and biblical ties." In 1995, the Washington Post newspaper describes Gamboa’s numerous aliases, company names, and the complexity of her activities as “names that change with kaleidoscopic ease and a history of more legal proceedings than 'Melchizedek' has syllables… getting to the truth requires a walk down a bizarre labyrinth that includes a home-brew religion…it appears to exist mainly so that money can be whisked through shell banks”. In 2000, the Asia Times described Gamboa’s operations as “an astonishing series of worldwide swindles”. In 2002, the Italian newspaper La Republica described her international banking scheme as “A trap of luxury for the victims of one of the most diabolical international scams ever devised in recent years”. In the corporate filings published by the Penny Stock News and the Philippines Royal Oil & Alternative Energy Co., Inc. (PROL) website listing Gamboa as Chairman and Director, Gamboa (Bae Katiguman) is described as "spiritual and a true visionary" with a "passion to aid humanity", and as having as her company executive Brother
Brother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...

 Manny Tecson, the former regional director of the Philippine Anti-Graft
Graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:*Grafting, where the tissues of one plant are affixed to the tissues of another*Medical grafting, a surgical procedure to transplant tissue without a blood supply**Bone grafting**Skin grafting...

 Center, working on her Missionaries in Action program, Operation Reach Out.

Personal life

Gamboa’s previous husband was Roque Austin (also "Rocky Austin", "Roque Lallanas"), with whom she had daughter Bernadette Austin (Bernadette Austin-Bower) and son Raymond Austin ("Greengold Ray", Ray Austin, Raymond James Austin). Bernadette Austin is employed at California Capital in the same area as Gamboa, financial development
Financial sector development
Financial sector development in developing countries and emerging markets is part of the private sector development strategy to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty....

. Bernadette Austin, a graduate of Woodside Priory School
Woodside Priory School
The Woodside Priory School, sometimes known as The Priory, is an independent, coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Benedictine tradition located in Portola Valley, California in the United States...

 and St. Mary's College, entered UC Davis for Master's degree in Community Development
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....

. Her husband Michael Bower is the son of Peggy Bower and John Bower of Gualala, California
Gualala, California
Gualala is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County in the U.S. state of California. It is located southwest of Hopland, at an elevation of 49 feet . It is located on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Gualala River, on State Route 1. It serves as a commercial center for the...

. At Woodside Priory School
Woodside Priory School
The Woodside Priory School, sometimes known as The Priory, is an independent, coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Benedictine tradition located in Portola Valley, California in the United States...

, Austin was salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...

, and Bower was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

.

Gamboa had a second son Hazemach (“Hazemach” with no last name, “Haze Mach”, “Hazemach Hazemach”, "Hazemach Korem", “Hazemach Gamboa”, “Hazemach Pedley-Gamboa”, "Hazemach Pearlasia", “Z”, “Branch”,) with her husband “TZMach David Korem”, (“David Korem”, “Mark Pedley”, “Mark Logan Pedley”, “TZMach”, “Branch Vinedresser”, “David Korman”, “Jack Williams”, “Mark Wellington”, “TZMach David Netzer Korem”), the son of David Wellington who was convicted of bank fraud in Mexico, and who disappeared as he was transferred from a Mexican jail to the United States for prosecution. Hazemach Korem won the Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...

 American Mathematics Competition School Certificate of Merit in 2008.

Gamboa, as “Pearl Asian”, wrote an article for a local newspaper with Thomas Westernoff. The article was about Westernoff as “Sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...

”, naming his business “Karate & Fitness Place USA”, and about her son, referring to him as both “Hazemach” and "the local product", then Westernoff wrote a subsequent article naming the son “Haze Mach”. According to the first article "Hazemach" was a student at Woodside Priory School
Woodside Priory School
The Woodside Priory School, sometimes known as The Priory, is an independent, coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Benedictine tradition located in Portola Valley, California in the United States...

 in 2010 and won two Karate gold medals in Kobuto (weapon) and Kata
Kata
is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....

 (form) at the 2009 Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 to represent the United States on the Junior World Karate Team at the World Karate Competition. The second article states that "Haze Mach" won a silver and bronze medal at the World Karate Confederation's World Karate Championships held in Venice, Italy in December 2010.

See also

  • Operation Broken Trust
    Operation Broken Trust
    Operation Broken Trust, the largest investment fraud sweep by the Federal government of the United States, was conducted between August 16 and December 1, 2010. The stated purpose of the operation was to "root out and expose" investment scams within the U.S. and to educate the public...

  • Corporate shell
  • Securities fraud
    Securities fraud
    Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws....

  • Pump and dump
    Pump and dump
    "Pump and dump" is a form of microcap stock fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price....

  • Dummy corporation
  • Aliases
  • Fictitious business name
  • Bank fraud
    Bank fraud
    Bank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...

  • Crime against international law

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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