Caution

[Oddly Bent]

A book and CD seller at the Café is having problems shipping what he is selling.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... &start=0#8

[Kevin Connolly]

It looks-like many are going to get humped if they don't contact Paypal quickly.

[Leonard Hevia]

For those who don't have access to this part of the Cafe:

The perpetrator goes by the name of Donald Ervin? He sold a copy of the Taschen Magic 1400s to 1950s for $225.00. The buyer never received it. He also sold a copy of Caveney's St. Georges Hall to another buyer who did not receive his copy either.

A third buyer purchased a set of the Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic volumes from this grifter and...well...you can guess how that ended.

[Oddly Bent]

Sorry, I forgot you have to be a member of the Café with at least 50 posts to access the Marketplace buy and sell area. Anyway, the alleged culprit has been named.

[Leonard Hevia]

Another buyer also claims to have purchased the Rice books from The Grifter. It appears that he has spiraled out of control by pretending to sell the same books to different people. The angry mob at the Cafe is closing in on him.

Oh, he appears to be from West Virginia.

[Richard Kaufman]

If anyone has gets a whiff of the cockroach on this Forum, please alert us immediately.

[Oddly Bent]

"If anyone has gets a whiff of the [censored] on this Forum, please alert us immediately."

The reason for my post. Watch out for newbies selling expensive books. You can make up all sorts of stage names and do this over and over. Lucky for the buyers, they bought through PayPal and, hopefully, will get their money back. Maybe its time for verified user names and addresses.

[Oddly Bent]

A post on todays thread at MC says the guy was a member there since 2008. So disregard the warning about newbies selling. Also, someone suggested he is moving around so he may have more than one account at the Café - and still selling.

[Jim Dahl]

This crook burned me! I bought a dozen Split Spade decks from him on March 14 for $75.00. I sent him the money, he said he shipped them, I never received them, and now he won't respond. I already opened a claim with Paypal as did several other people. I really hope he gets prosecuted. This is a black eye for the magic community as we all usually try to look out for each other.

[Martin Joyal]

I bought some books from Donald Ervin (aka Don Ervin, London Ervin) on July 6, 2003. I sent him a legal notice on August 1st of that same year. The books finally came in on September 30. Not sure if it's the same guy, but it certainly looks like it.

Martin

[Oddly Bent]

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... forum=78&0

[Leonard Hevia]

He apologizes for his disappearance and claims to have lost everything, including his dog, in a house fire. He will make every effort to repay those who wired him money. As the late Kees Schoonenberg used to say:

Hmmmm.........

[Jim Dahl]

I can certainly understand someones loss. Especially since I am such a huge animal lover and have two dogs myself that I love dearly. What i find odd is that I was also told in a PM from Donald Ervin aka
Ohiomagic that my Split Spade decks were shipped and on their way. Maybe the house fire spread all the way to the post office and burned my package? Hmmm..

[Leonard Hevia]

His victims are not buying this story. He assured one mark that his package was on its way before tragedy struck. This fire could not have affected its delivery...unless the flames reached the post office?

Paypal must have put the sword to his neck.

[hugmagic]

The gentleman in question was one of the guys involved with posters stolen from Bill Brewe and sold to Norm Neilsen. Some the principles in this affair spent time in jail. This person did not. Bill actually forgave this guy and left his sizeable estate to him.
I have bought things off him without any problem but I also play it very close to the vest using paypal.
Several things about how Bill was taken care of and this person took over the life of such a kind, caring and generous man, upset a lot of his friends and Cincinatti magicians. When he passed, there was no calling hours or local services of any kind. As result, many of use wrote articles on bill that were used in the April of MUM.
Just a little of the back story,

[Bill Marquardt]

@hugmagic: May we assume that you know this person's true identity? I believe there are anumber of people who would like to file a police report, or a postal fraud complaint.

[hugmagic]

I am not absolutely sure who this person is. I have given several leads to the parties that should be able to follow up very easily if need be through probate records, deed transfers, etc.

As I said, I had no trouble with this person (if it is the same which I suspect), but I did always watch things very closely and use paypal because of the situation with Bill Brewe that I was aware of.

I will leave the tracking down to others.

[Tom Gilbert]

''He'' keeps sounding nicer and nicer.

[Oddly Bent]

There are leads aplenty for those here on the Genii forum who have been burned, names, addresses and a whole boatload of theories and conjectures.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... rum=78&111

Read it quick before it magically disappears.....

[Oddly Bent]

New updates here, with names and email addresses:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... tart=180#8

[Doug Conn]

The gentleman in question was one of the guys involved with posters stolen from Bill Brewe and sold to Norm Neilsen. Some the principles in this affair spent time in jail. This person did not. Bill actually forgave this guy and left his sizeable estate to him.
I have bought things off him without any problem but I also play it very close to the vest using paypal.
Several things about how Bill was taken care of and this person took over the life of such a kind, caring and generous man, upset a lot of his friends and Cincinatti magicians. When he passed, there was no calling hours or local services of any kind. As result, many of use wrote articles on bill that were used in the April of MUM.
Just a little of the back story,

Oh man... That's just sad
Bill Brewe was one of the most caring souls in the Cincinatti magic community.
His love for the art & his efforts at keeping it alive via his youth program are unparralelled. I spent many days and nights learning our art @ his incredible shop. <perhaps the most elegant shop I've ever entered.

So sad that his legacy ends up in the hands of a thief?
What'd this lameo do? Run out of "stolen" Merch to sell?
Shame shame shame

Times like these that firm my belief in god & hope there is a hell.
Burn in it bucko.

In the meantime... Go get em fellas

[Oddly Bent]

Big update

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... tart=90#15

[Bill Mullins]

Big update

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... tart=90#15

The link goes to a closed forum. What did it say?

[Oddly Bent]

D**n, I keep forgetting that. Don Ervin was arrested for arson.

http://www.wect.com/story/21988347/poli ... erty-owner

[hugmagic]

Basically he set fire to a garage that is next to one of the three houses that he inherited from Bill Brewe.
Bill was one of the most caring, gentle and honest men, who helped to mentor many young men who later became pros out of Cincinatti.
This whole thing makes me sick.
Richard

[Tom Gilbert]

Is this the same "London" who got all upset on the Cafe and said the guy that ripped off people with the books, was a different family member?

[Leonard Hevia]

Ervin's mugshot is a close match to London's Avatar photo on the Cafe:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/sear ... st=7916780

[Tom Gilbert]

Has anyone figured if Genii's Chadkid is the same as the Café's Ohiomagic. AKA Ervin?
Did the people ripped by Chadkid have any luck with Paypal refunds. Seems like most on
the Café did.

[Oddly Bent]

I doubt if Chaddkid is the same as Donald Ervin (London). Might be s copy cat though.

[Chris Aguilar]

Has anyone figured if Genii's Chadkid is the same as the Café's Ohiomagic. AKA Ervin?
Did the people ripped by Chadkid have any luck with Paypal refunds. Seems like most on
the Café did.

I have to wait until at least 4/22 for paypal to consider my request to get my money back from scam artist Chad Kidd.

[Oddly Bent]

Ohio Magic returns in a London Ervin thread.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... &start=0#6

[Kevin Connolly]

Well, it looks-like it's been a clean sweep over at the cafe. All links and posts have been deleted. What BS.