In November 1986 Larry made the decision to travel to Colorado with the intent to visit and spend time with his mother as well as make effort to mend a relationship with a former friend who in 1985 (at the time Larry was arrested for the theft in Broward County Florida) had out of misplaced hurt & anger made a false claim to Jefferson County Colorado Sheriffs dept (after being notified by Broward County Florida authorities they had arrested Larry and had recovered a vehicle which was registered to her as well) accusing Larry of having stole the vehicle a 1985 Pontiac Fiero he was driving, from her. She claimed the vehicle was hers and that Larry had without her knowledge or authorization taken the vehicle. Because of that false claim when Larry was arrested in the Broward County case April 6, 1985 Broward County Sheriffs dept had initially listed a charge of receiving stolen property/auto rather than straight out auto theft. Initially Jefferson County Colorado sheriffs dept confirmed the charge stating Larry’s friend had contacted them making the accusation but had not yet filed an actual report. Despite the Broward County Florida arrest report listing the charge out of Colorado, Larry was never charged with receiving stolen property/auto or auto theft because the friend realized once she filed and signed a false police report she would be criminally liable for doing so. The vehicle in question was Larry’s, was bought with his friend who did co-sign, but Larry paid the downpayment and made the monthly payments on the vehicle. Larry traveled from Miami to Denver Colorado after a friend who managed the Miami Beach Motel The Ankara arranged for his plane ticket as well as his hotel stay. The motel manager had along with other staff for some time been establishing a list of former guests which included their names, their identification type, issuing agency, number and expiration dates, address, phone numbers and their credit card information used during their stay at the Ankara. Included in this list maintained by the Ankara staff were a number of Corporate Credit card accounts issued to employees across the US as well as Canada and other areas. Larry’s friend had arranged for his plane ticket using a Corporate Credit card account belonging to a Canadian company which according to his friend, they had discovered had no limit. When Larry had made the decision as where he wanted to stay after arriving based on being close to where he wanted to be the manager called the hotel in Lakewood, Colorado making a reservation for Larry. At the time he made the reservation he informed the Hotel that he would be authorizing all hotel charges incurred by Larry during his stay to be placed on his Corporate credit card which was being used to make the reservation. He even faxed to the Hotel a copy of the card holders ID, a written authorization for the hotel to charge all Larry’s charges to the card, even if the Hotel needed to seek additional authorizations during the course of Larry’s stay for charges incurred. Larry flew to Denver and checked into the Lakewood Sheraton Hotel on Union Blvd by informing the front desk of his reservation as well as the name of the person making & securing it. Larry was checked in, filled out his own personal information of the registration form and signed his own name to it. After filling out the registration form the front desk agent informed Larry that the Hotel had been authorized and directed to bill all hotel charges incurred during his stay to the credit card provided the Hotel. They continued by asking Larry if he planned on charging any hotel services such as food, bar, entertainment or any in hotel shop purchases to his room, saying they were asking to get an idea of an appropriate which to obtain a pre-authorization for on the credit card. Larry at no time presented himself as anyone other than himself to hotel ever.
Larry had no idea as to what amounts the hotel sought and received authorizations for on the credit card provided them for his stay. Nor did he ever ask. Larry only knows that on the 3rd day of his stay the front desk notified him that they would be seeking another authorization on the credit card because the authorization they had obtained had already been reached. At that time the hotel asked Larry if he had any thing planned which would result in hotel charges outside his own meals, room charges etc. Larry informed the hotel that he expected to have several friends join him for dinner that evening as well as his mother traveling from Pueblo the following day to have dinner with him. With that information the hotel sought and obtained an additional authorization on the card provided them for Larry’s stay. At all times every authorization to have anything charged directly to Larry’s room was always signed by Larry with his OWN name. It was the day after Larry’s mom and step father had traveled from Pueblo to Lakewood to visit and have dinner with him, the night auditor of the Hotel had mistakenly thought the authorizations obtained by the hotel for Larry’s hotel charges had been exceeded. It turned out that the last authorization obtained by the Hotel was for a somewhat higher amount than one would think, but the night auditor had mistakenly taken the authorized credit amount granted the hotel was actually Larry’s current room charges balance owed. Because of the auditors mistake he sought an additional authorization on the credit card on file and mistaking the last authorized credit amount as being the actual room bill balance the auditor intended to seek an authorization for one amount but had inadvertently entered a requested authorization amount of $100,000.00 which immediately sent red flags to the company whose card it was even though initially the auditors request was in fact approved. Shortly after the auditors request he received phone calls from Canada informing him they were calling on behalf of the company and due to concerns ‘about a Corporate issued credit card the hotel had just obtained an authorization on for $100,000.00.
As the company investigators spoke with the hotel night auditor explaining what got their attention the auditor discovered he had mistaken a credit authorization for room charges owed. But the mistake would be what made the company aware their card had been being used without authorization. The following day in the early afternoon Larry was in his room when detectives from the lakewood Colorado Police Department knocked on the door asking to speak with him. Larry agreed at which time the detectives informed Larry he was being placed under arrest and they would speak at the Lakewood Police Department. After arriving at the Lakewood Police Department Larry freely spoke to detectives, answering their questions and openly explaining that he traveled to Colorado from Miami, his airfare and hotel stay had been arranged for by a friend who worked as the manager of the Ankara Motel/Hotel in Miami Beach, that Larry at no time ever represented himself to be anyone other than himself, never signed anything at the hotel with any name other than his own, at no time had ever represented to the hotel or anyone else that he was in anyway authorized in any capacity to use or benefit from the account which had been provided the hotel for his hotel charges. Larry was completely honest in saying he did not know the account number, the name on the account or even the company which was the owner of the account. Larry also honestly acknowledged that even with that fact he could not honestly say he did not have a suspicion that the account information provided the hotel was done so unlawfully and without authorization for the person who provided it.
Despite what you will see later in future posts, the repeated lies claiming Larry has been charged and convicted of multiple counts of credit card fraud, fraud, illegal use of credit cards, and the repeated attempts to claim this incident to be one, Larry was not charged with credit card fraud, fraudulent use of credit cards, nor illegal use of credit cards. Truth is in order to have charged Larry with any such crimes would require Larry to have himself possessed, presented, offered the credit card or credit card information including name, number etc; presented the credit card information card, card number, name on card, to the Hotel representing he was legally authorized to do so. NONE of which Larry did nor could he have done because he never had any of that information. Larry was charged under Colorado statute with “Unauthorized use of a financial transaction device,” which under the definition of that statute, the fact Larry did receive a personal financial benefit, and Larry himself telling detectives he had even the slightest suspicions the information was stolen did in fact make Larry guilty of that criminal charge. In addition (which only because of time to challenge before the Court of Appeals had passed) Larry was charged with Forgery. The forgery charge even though Larry had at his first appearance informed the Judge, at the time was Judge Shanon, Larry did not need counsel appointed and that it was Larry’s position he was entering a plea of guilty to both charges at that time and requested the court to immediately impose sentence of the maximum of 32 years and to run them consecutive to each other (which because Larry was on probation out of Florida would be 32 years on each charge). Larry then then pose one question to Judge Shanon where he asked for some clarification as to what he was accused of forging, given the fact that Larry had not signed any thing at the Hotel with any name other than his own name. Judge Shanon was completely taken off guard by Larry’s statement to the Court and the District Attorney was shocked he had no objections to Larry’s wishes. Judge Shanon decided to take a short break, direct a Public Defender to meet with Larry and inform the court when it reconvened if they had any reason to believe Larry was incapable of making an informed decision & if they were of the opinion Larry’s position was reached of his own free will. After Court reconvened the Public Defender informed Judge Shanon they were of the opinion that Larry was very capable of making his own informed decisions, that it was their opinion Larry had taken time before his appearing in court to form his position as to the charges before him and his wishes expressed to the court were in the Public Defenders professional opinion made freely and with due consideration by Larry himself. Judge Shanon then accepted Larry’s pleas of guilty at which time the district attorney of their own choosing moved to dismiss a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, and Judge Shanon at that time decided he would not impose sentence then and there but instead wanted a presentence report prepared. Sentence was eventually imposed in 1987 with Larry sentenced to 16 yrs on each count running together. After sentence was imposed and Larry had been transferred to Colorado Dept of Corrections Judge Shanon had left the bench and Judge Barnhill had replaced him. Larry had filed for Post Conviction relief as to the Forgery charge and plea after despite constantly trying to determine what was being alleged to have been forge failed to come up with anything even remotely possible to constitute forgery. Judge Barnhill denied the requests despite neither the court of the District Attorney ever being able to produce any act which would come close to being seen as forgery. Sadly Larry waited far too long to seek help in appealing the Forgery charge to the Colorado Court of Appeals who in 1996 ruled the Appeal was time barred for failing to file timely even though in 1995 having been shown there was no Factual Basis as required under Colorado law ever entered in the Court for Larry’s guilty plea to forgery.
The below images are Colorado Court Docket files showing every event with the last document being the May 5, 2000 Colorado Department of Corrections Parole Board Discharge of Larry.
