ATTN: Everyone, concerning Riley and his position as CFO

[Sorcha Al'Verdan]

Exactly what Val said.

And I'm down with fundraising also.

 

[Enya Tawarwaith]

As am I

I though I'd cross-post from the FB forum:

Upon learning of the situation with our event, Caerwyn has offered to cover our costs so that we can move forward as planned. Though Caerwyn at first wished to remain anonymous in his generosity, he agreed to allow me to publish his name to avoid the mystery of who's helping us and who we can thank.

 

[Jeffan Caliarthan]

As far as I'm concerned, Admin made the right move in banning him, and I do hope that it's a permanent ban. There are very, very few offenses that warrant a permanent ban, and I like to think that this is one of them, no matter how long someone has been a member of the community.

 

[Catt Heckathorne]

What Val a'Shain said. We know the situation. I think the cold shoulder he will get from many here will be more than enough punishment for him. Banning him *is* too easily done. At least allow him to petition the Tower if he feels ready to be part of us again.

 

[Leese Sulan]

Um, no. I will not accept him being allowed back.

I am pretty calm now because I have high trust in the execs who are dealing with this, but I will be EPIC PISSED if he is allowed to stay here after stealing close to 10 grand from us, if not MORE. He handled the funds used for charity, who knows how much he could have skimmed from that too??

 

[Raam Sho'am]

No. Simply no. This a betrayal of the highest order. Not only should the ban remain in place permanently, charges should be pressed in court.

 

[Adolla Ceryia]

As a registered 501(c)7 we may have legal issues if we allow him to remain. We simply don't know all the legal ramifications of this just yet.

 

[Shaerlyn Storna]

What Ariana said. Maybe he can be allowed to petition back into the site after he's pled guilty to embezzlement in court and served his term. Then I could see it.

I can understand the point to not have him removed from the Library, but if this doesn't warrant a ban from the community I can't imagine what would short of outright murder. This is a social site, by law. Our primary purpose is as a community of people who get together for the pleasure of it. To ask an entire community to accept someone who stole from each and every one of them who ever donated to the site is unreasonable, in my opinion. That WOULD split the Tower.

 

[Leora Oldessroth]

Just as a quick reminder, we are less than 24 hours from discovering this. We have a meeting tonight. It is our intention to continue to disclose what we learn, including amounts, how it happened, and what we are doing to fix it. We wanted to disclose this ASAP without all those details because it is so important to each member, whether you have donated money or not. We appreciate your patience as we continue to work. All options are under consideration and nothing has been ruled out. We will update you with details as soon as we can

 

[Jeffan Caliarthan]

I'd like to thank the administration for being so transparent with the community on this issue. I know it adds to the difficulty of what you all are doing, but it is important, and I applaud you for it.

 

[Zashara Sho'am]

The second question that comes to mind is whether or not banning Riley is a good idea. Riley deeply disappointed a lot of people including me. He should be, and probably is, thoroughly ashamed of himself. It is quite obvious that he will not be able to continue in any official position in the tower. In fact, this place is going to be very uncomfortable for him right now. That being said, outright dismissal is very much against the spirit of this place. What Riley has done probably involves a substantial sum but it is money. It is *only* money. We've allowed people (back) on the site who have done the most dreadful things to other members and forgiven them. Liars, cheats, people who would do the most absurd things to get attention, sympathy or money. Surely the site can deal with someone who'd commit fraud as well.

See what you can do to get your money back, demote him, make him do penance in some form but do not dismiss him. In fact, if would grace this community if, once the dust has settled, we would see if there was anything we can do to help him. Riley has been here for more than ten years, he is dedicated to this site, kicking him out is too easy for everybody involved.

Are you serious? He embezzled thousands of dollars and broke the trust of pretty much everyone on the site. What he did was illegal. The Tower is now a non-profit organization, registered with the US Government. The Board is legally liable for this stuff. We've perma-banned people for financial related misdeeds in the past, and those people have not been allowed back.

I don't understand the 'it's only money' line. Yeah, it's only money. It's only something that people need to live properly. Live without money and then give me the 'it's only money' line. People who are upset about the money aren't being self-centered or materialistic, they are being realistic. 'It's only money' is a nice sentiment, but it's completely disconnected from reality.

He committed a felony. He chose to steal money rather than ask for help. I don't feel particularly charitable towards him at this moment. I have no desire to help him. By embezzling Tower funds, it's clear that he isn't dedicated to the site. There are a lot of people in the tower who have financial issues. They have not resorted to breaking the law.

ETA: Agree totally with Jeffan regarding the transparency of the administration. Thanks for your post Leora, and good luck dealing with this situation.

 

[Sa'areah Britthorn]

Understood, Shaerlyn. That is one of the reasons why people who dislike him now are still able to express that anger in the same manner.
This does affect people at different levels, for various reasons. At this point, however, discussing the maths is going to do little but fuel a fire that we're working hard to fix.

Thanks Jeffy

And yes... exactly what Leora said...

 

[Vallah al'Dera]

Admins

The stress you must be under is astounding. Not only is the econamy bad for many of us, add to that the holiday season fast approaching add to that the effects of a natural disaster, add to that the planning and execution of one of our major parties, add to that the normal stress of daily lives and whatever else you have going on in RL, and then add to that the stress of having to deal with this situation...

We owe you all a drink. You all deserve a vacation after all this. Your time and effort is greatly appreciated, and in come cases (Caerwyn) we dont deserve you!

 

[Ivanor Winshaw]

I am so thankful for Eleyan, Viv, Leora, Serenla, and any others on the Board and Exec team for the quick and transparent handling of this situation. Riley has been their friend and confidant for many years, and I know that this breaks their hearts as much as it enrages them. My thoughts and prayers will be with them as they continue on this difficult path to resolve this matter. I trust that they will do what is right for this community.

Taishar Tar Valon

 

[Alyssa Letherio]

Completely agree with Zasha.

Leora, thank you for keeping us up to date! I cannot say how much this is appriciated.

 

[Murasaki al'Aevon]

I guess I'm the only one that's not shocked.

I am surprised only by my own intuition and insight. Call it a Foretelling, I guess.

This sucks though. Sympathies for those who have lost a friend in all this.

Y'all will still have fun at Fall Ball. It is known!

 

[Emerald ní Róhan]

The idea of allowing Riley back hadn't even occurred to me.

For my own selfish reasons I would love to have him back. Perhaps it is easier for me to say this because I haven't been able to donate any money or have money to go to an event. Maybe it seems easier to forgive/understand when I haven't actually had my personal money stolen. I think I would feel the same, though.

I still care about Riley and know that he is miserable over this. I'm still going to be his friend and try to support him through this time.

However, I don't think that the ban was a bad idea at all. I also don't think that allowing him back would be good for the community at large. It breaks my heart to say so, but the "good of the many" and all that.

That said, I really hope disagreements over the situation don't cause us to turn on each other. The situation is frustrating and difficult, but I hope that we can all acknowledge that everyone has a different reaction and try to understand, allowing us to express our thoughts and feelings without stirring each other up.

 

[Aria Kakarot]

Thank you, Leora, for your post.

I definitely think the community deserves to know just how much of our money was stolen. Transparency won't fuel any fires. Keeping our donations and the amount of money lost a big secret will.

 

[Shaerlyn Storna]

That said, I really hope disagreements over the situation don't cause us to turn on each other. The situation is frustrating and difficult, but I hope that we can all acknowledge that everyone has a different reaction and try to understand, allowing us to express our thoughts and feelings without stirring each other up.

Well said. The Admins have an absolute hellish job ahead of them navigating this, and I'm going to try to curb my temper a bit to not make it harder on them, and also to avoid doing exactly what you said. I've said my piece and I meant it, but you're right, we're all feeling very different things and they're all valid, so.. yeah.

Hooray for transparency and dedication from our leaders.
Hooray for generosity of spirit from our members.
And hooray for bedtime.
Love y'all. More than you know, even after such a short time.
:grouphug

 

[Jalen te'Kreg]

Unfortunately we can't treat Riley as a regular member. We have to treat him in the context of his position as CFO/board member. That requires a pretty much instant severing of all those ties.