Theft
frvm page AI
ments, Steven Epperson
was legally determined to
be incompetent in July
1982 and his father, John
W. Epperson, was then
appointed guardian of his
person, managing whatev
er personal areas involving
health and well-being.
By February 2004,
according to an April 15,
2010 court order, John
Epperson had died, so
Steven's sister, Susan, was
appointed his guardian of
person. A few months later
in June 2004, Susan was
then also appointed
guardian of Steven's estate,
thus allowing her to man
age his financial affairs.
Reportedly, Steven had
a l/14th interest in the sale
of real estate that his
deceased father apparently
owned, and was "... due
about $44,000.00 in distri
bution ..."
For reasons the court
order does not detail,
Susan was "... discharged"
as estate guardian on Nov.
2, 2004, and there was no
"supporting documentation
... found in the court file"
confirming it or explaining
why, according to the new
motion.
In fact, almost five
years later, when asst. clerk
Paula Todd sent a "Notice
of Hearing" to Steven
Epperson's family mem
bers regarding their
father's estate on Sept. 16,
2009, she addressed one of
the notices to "Steve
Epperson, c/o Susan
Epperson,Guardian ..."
If Susan Epperson had
indeed been removed as
estate guardian almost five
years earlier, then how
could that happen, the new
motion inherently asks.
But the alleged fraud goes
even deeper.
A "Final Receipt" from
the Forsyth Clerk's office
dated Nov. 15, 2009 - just
two months later - for
"cash" in the value of
$44,180.68 listed as the
"personal
representative/trustee" for
John W. Epperson's estate
responsible for distributing
the funds as "Bryan C.
Thompson."
And the "undersigned
beneficiary" receiving that
money was also "Bryan C.
Thompson, Guardian of
Steven W. Epperson," the
document The Chronicle
reviewed showed.
Attorney Thompson
listed himself as both the
one authorizing the funds
as the alleged legal repre
sentative of the father's
estate, and the person
receiving it as the alleged
legal estate guardian for
the son, Steven, even
though there was no court
documentation proving
that status.
Thompson's signature
is not on the court receipt
from the Clerk's Office,
but a signature next to the
typewritten name of wit
ness "Amanda H. Jones"
is.
That Clerk's office
receipt was not file
stamped, meaning legally,
according to previously
noted state appellate court
opinion, it was invalid and
not properly entered into
the court record.
It is not until April 15,
2010, court documents
show, that attorney Bryan
Thompson was allegedly
appointed by the assistant
clerk Todd as "Successor
Guardian of the Estate" for
Steven Epperson.
The Epperson siblings'
motion alleges that attor
ney Thompson "...
committed a felony theft
by fraud in withdrawing in
excess of $44,000 from an
estate in which he is acting
as fiduciary and without
legal authority taking pos
session of that money,
based upon the fraudulent
assertion of guardianship
of Steve Epperson at least
six months prior to his
appointment."
The motion also alleges
that assistant clerk Todd
did not give the family "...
proper notice ... prior to
issuing an order appointing
..." Thompson as estate
guardian, and that "failure
to notify [the family] ...
was intentional and an
effort to cover up Bryan
Thompson's felony theft."
Attorney Thompson,
through his attorney, has
consistently maintained
that in his role as estate
guardian in various cases,
he did nothing wrong, and
followed the directives of ?
the Clerk's office.
At press time Tuesday,
no hearing date had been
assigned for the motion.
Trump
from page AT
the black ministers meeting
that there was "great love"
in the room, and he'll con
tinue to talk tough because
that's what has sustained
him at the top of GOP pres
idential candidate polls
since the summer.
Indeed, instead of
softening his hard right
tone or apologizing for his
over-the-top statements,
Trump has doubled-down
on his divisive rhetoric to
the delight of predominate
ly white, right-wing audi
ences at his many rallies
throughout the early 2016
primary states, and the
South.
Last Friday
evening, Trump appeared
at Raleigh's Dorton Arena,
and while he filled the
horse show headquarters
with a capacity 8,000
crowd , there were also
protesters both out outside
the facility, and inside. The
demonstrators inside inter
rupted Trump's 45-minute
address at least ten times,
forcing law enforcement to
remove at least 25 protest
ers.
This week. Trump
caused universal outrage
when he said he wanted "a
complete and total shut
down" of Muslims coming
to the United States until
national leaders "get a han
dle" on terrorism. Even
members of the Republican
Party, embarrassed that
Trump's lead is growing in
most major GOP polls,
excoriated Trump for being
divisive, if not racist.
"That is sheer
ignorance that he is putting
out," said Bishop Todd
Fulton, president of the
Ministers' Conference of
Winston-Salem and
Vicinity, on Tuesday. "He
is creating more racism
throughout the country and
the world. Although the
Ministers' Conference does
not plan to hold a rally
against Trump because he
hasn't planned to visit
Winston-Salem, the con
ference will educate the
community on how Trump
is dividing the nation in the
coming months as well as
protest the ministers who
support Trump."
"Trump is
unhinged," blasted rival
Republican presidential
hopeful Jeb Bush.
Republican Sen. Lindsay
Graham of South Carolina
called Trump a "race
baiter" on CNN. Even
GOP US House Speaker
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
said Tuesday that Trump's
remarks about Muslims
"are not who we are as a
party."
Without question,
Donald Trump's record of
racial intolerance is a long
one, dating back to the
1970s when he was under
U.S. Justice Department
investigation for discrimi
nating against blacks trying
to rent apartments in his
buildings. Trump later set
tled that case.
In 1989, Trump
took out a full-page ad in
the New York Tunes, call
ing the alleged Central
Park Five, accused of bru
tally raping and beating a
white female jogger, a band
of "roving ... wild crimi
nals." It was later discov
ered that N.Y. police had
framed the five black
teenagers for the crime
they didn't commit.
And of course,
several years ago Trump
challenged President
Obama to prove that he
wasn't born in Kenya,
charging that the presi
dent's birth certificate was
a fraud, he was not an
American citizen and
Obama was not worthy of
the office. The president
responded by getting the
original birth document
from Hawaii, where he was
bom, and called Tramp a
"carnival barker" in the
process.
It is no secret that
the Republican establish
ment can't stand Trump,
and would like to derail his
candidacy if it could.
Trump is averaging 24 per
cent of
GOP
voters
polled,
consis
tently
lead
i n g
estab
1 i s h -
ment
candi
dates
like
Trump
former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio
and New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie.
Here in North
Carolina, where
Republicans hope to tight
en their grip on majorities
in the state Legislature and
congressional delegation,
as well as the Governor's
Mansion, there is concern
that if Trump.remains pop
ular and seemingly invinci
ble going into the Iowa
caucuses and New
Hampshire primaries come
January, he could possibly
sweep the South straight
through to North
Carolina's primary on
March 15.
Trump is very
popular with Southern
whites, given his distinctly
blue-collar blunt way of
assuring that he'll defeat
ISIS, improve the economy
and return America to
"winning."
Establishment
Republicans don't want an
uncontrollable presidential
nominee going into the
November 2016 fall elec
tions, but more important
ly, they're deeply con
cerned that Trump is so
polarizing, his very pres
ence on the top of the ticket
could hurt down ballot
statewide and local GOP
candidates, especially if the
Democratic presidential
nominee is Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton is
currently polling very
strong with African
Americans nationally, and
especially in the South,
though not nearly as strong
as President Obama did
when he first ran in 2008.
Still, part of the Trump and
the GOP strategy is to start
early in softening Clinton's
massive black support (her
Democratic opponent, Sen.
Bernie Sanders, is only
polling in single digits in
the black community).
Trump's motive is
obvious - he doesn't want
to be branded an out-and
out racist because then he
can't expand his support
base if he wins GOP nomi
nation. The Republican
Party's motive is just as
transparent - grab at least
10 or more percent of the
black vote in the general
election next fall, plus con
tinue to batter the former
U.S. Secretary of State for
alleged failures in
American foreign policy.
Either way,
observers say expect
Donald Trump to make
more overtures to conser
vative and Republican
black leaders, especially
when his campaign contin
ues to focus on Southern
primary states like South
Carolina and North
Carolina.
Trump's goal - to cre
ate as much confusion as
possible in the black com
munity so that he can grab
more black support than
any other GOP candidate.
According to Trump, if
he could do that, it would
make his campaign "huge."
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^SATURDAY!
"Enchants and enthralls...
The Nutcracker sweeps us up in a spell..."
- Winston-Salem Journal
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