Fay-Penn Exposed Part 2

We follow a paper trail that we say points to insider benefits inside Fayette County’s economic development world, even as the wider county struggles. We push for outside oversight, urge listeners to check the documents themselves, and argue that trust requires transparency and proof. 
• citing nonprofit 990 filings and what they show about loans 
• questioning repayment visibility and record gaps 
• alleging insiders received millions in grants, loans, and contracts 
• arguing the issue is morality and transparency as much as legality 
• calling for an independent forensic audit and possible attorney general involvement 
• discussing whistleblower claims and why locals feel silenced 
• framing a “reset” for Fayette County and broader county politics 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Hey everybody, this is Joel Marion, and I am the Hillbully. And I want to thank everybody for tuning in. Our podcast is growing, growing, growing, growing. And uh I got Harry Cochran here with me today, so let's get started. I'll tell you what, friends, in the words of a hillbully, by their fruits you shall know them. That's Matthew 7, 16. And the fruits of this crowd's dealings is rotten clear down to the core. We're back with part two. And it's time we're in this time we're not just bringing questions, we're bringing evidence, the filings, the paper trail, the records that show how your tax dollars marched through Chinese

Welcome And A Political Endorsement

SPEAKER_02 1:32

development outfits and landed in the laps of insiders and good old boys. While work folks, yes, working folks and property owners were told to tighten their belts. Harry, I'm glad you're with us today. I really appreciate you coming by coming in. Uh, I want to I want to thank you so much. Uh we know you're on the ballot, and uh we want everybody to get out and vote for Harry Cochrane. I am endorsing Harry Cochran. I want him to be there. I want to get him, I want to get him, we need to get him elected, and we're gonna try to show you why we need to get him elected. In the last episode, Harry, we ask if Fayette County is struggling, why is Faye Pen growing?

SPEAKER_03 2:09

Because it serves the few, the inner click, taking care of themselves, and they take what we call the fertilizer is the money, and uh they control it. And it's it's for themselves. I mean uh my my opponent uh he received uh five separate loans in the year 2013 at different dates for a total of $175,946. And these are on the 990 nonprofit tax

Alleged Insider Loans And Missing Payback

SPEAKER_03 2:41

returns. Now um Fay Pen, associated anyway associated with the FAPEN on the Inner Sider Loans took place. The FanLo was part of the uh same leadership that structured the uh over oversaw the uh fake pen grants and loans and expansion at the same time that the county and the 32nd district saw economic decline, and it's it's it's too bad.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

One of the things I do want to bring out here right now, so everybody can understand the documentation that we have and and we went through. Um Harry and I went through it. We've had other people help us, we've had accountants, we've had attorneys looking at it. We've actually even had some congressmen, two two different congressmen, uh looking at these things. Uh, because it's it's time, I feel, that uh federal government might get involved in this, maybe like the DOJ. And uh we're we're asking Dave Sundy to come on down. And uh I I think that there'll be enough of uh of uh uh people to be willing to uh contribute to a hotel room at the Hampton Inn so we can get Dave Sunde and some of his people down here.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

Well, I think Attorney General Sunday owes it to the people of Faye County. We we we elected him, and uh we're in trouble and we need this. And I I want to say one other thing. During Stefano's tenure on the board of Fay Pen, more than 22 million dollars of loans, grants, and contracts were given to insiders. Now, that's not enough to wake people up. I don't know what I don't know what will wake them up, and we need help. And you're right, the attorney general needs to get in here and uh look into this serious.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

What we're what we're finding out, I mean, first thing is that these aren't opinions, and right now there's a there's a graphic that we're where we just took it down, but right now there's a graphic was a graphic up on the screen, and that that that's that's very truthful. We had we had somebody uh develop that for us and it it it it's perfect and it shows exactly what happened. I mean, board members, we're not talking about we're not talking about the guy that wanted to open up a popsicle stand or or sell popcorn along the street or or or start manufacturing something. Board members, board members got 20 over 22 million dollars, 22 and a half million almost. And we we have to think about this. And Pat the one name that keeps popping up over and over and over again in this whole deal is rotten fruit is Pat Stefano, and he owns this. So now we've got a graphic up there that we're showing to everybody to show how things are going. But he's a sentence, he is a sitting senator for the past 12 years, and and it's got progressively worse. You said something we need to go back to, Harry. And I I really want I want everybody to understand this $175,000 worth of loans over two years, and and according to the 990s, we've been able to obtain it the loan the the it just well I have I have that in one year, just in the year 2013.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

It was that 175,990.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

But what I'm saying is the 990 that reported that, what uh what it there was no more you're right, you're right, you're right. There was no more 990s

Calls For Attorney General Audit

SPEAKER_02 6:15

reported uh that that he after that after that that he owed money or that he was there, he received uh that the loans were even paid back.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

True.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

So you got to think about all this. And and the records with these loans are tied to specific businesses that he owned at the time. And that that's the other thing I want to I will we need to talk about. But it but again, we're not making legal claims here. What we're what we're trying to tell everybody is that that there is a definite moral question and a transparency question because the money flowed through Fayette County. It's a trend that just maintains itself. A trend that that that I think I think like we we can make a godfather movie out of this, Harry.

SPEAKER_03 7:06

They really could.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

I mean you think about it. I mean, the I don't I don't know if anybody's ever going to be able to uncover all this or figure it out, but we need somebody in here. That's why we need the attorney general in here to and to do a complete forensic audit of the county. And we we don't need it done by we by insiders. We need to bring somebody in from from far away. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 7:30

Attorney General can over the grand jury. That's what we need. If that that's up to him, not up to me.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Well, what if they started a grand jury, then then it could get maybe get into some other things. And like I like I said, these guys could teach the mob how to how to how to manage money. Amen. There's no doubt about that. Amen. What we're what we're seeing is this isn't just one case, though. There's there's lots of stuff going on. And what we need to do is is uh we're we're seeing that that there's more and more public officials that are involved in this. And one of the things that I gotta I want to bring out right now, and and you've you credited her in the last episode, charity Grimm is is trying to expose this and trying to help expose this. Now we we we've worked on this now. I got a packet in the it was dropped off to me. Uh no no at no return address with all these things on it. There was there's a court case involved in this where someone got fired, and I I don't understand that as much as I do, but um yeah, I guess it was like kind of like a whistleblower type of thing. And but all these 990s, I didn't even have to go research them. All I did was hand them over to somebody and ask me, ask them if this was true. And they said yes. They said all this is.

SPEAKER_03 8:56

It's true, and the saddest part is this is the money that's taxpayers' money that's put in here to forfeit county development, economic development. And it's it's it never gets to the people. It's something like you know, like four and eight never gets to the countries we give it to. It's just it's a sin.

Whistleblower Claims And Public Impact

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Do you realize what what what you could do with 22 and a half million dollars? You I mean, that that went basically insiders, the people that was on the boards.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

Well, there's that's so many, there are so many wonderful things you could do here to help people. These people help themselves. People in this county, they they have it, they just need a little economic stimulus to get going. That's all. That's what that's why these dollars are put in here to help them.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Well, we gotta keep we gotta keep moving forward with this as much as we can. We uh I want everybody, and I said this on the last show, if I'm wrong, I'm willing to be proved wrong on this.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

And then and the people that the people that are looking at these documents that's why to me it's so important that the people can look this up after we're done talking. So let's just not talk.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yeah, and and and we're putting it out there. So you can go to Marietta Broadcasting Network.com or you can go to Cochrane for Senate dot com backslash Bay Penn. I wanna I wanna the big picture needs to be we need a reset. And and and I I I think that that's where we need to get to, Harry. We need to have a reset.

SPEAKER_03 10:27

John, I'm that's why I'm running. I want to do all I can to make this possible. That's really what I'm pledging to do. That's it. We need help.

Where To Check Documents And Reset

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Someone has to step up. That's what I want to do. That's why I'm here.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

Well, uh one of the things I do want to say about this, I'm I'm this isn't specific, AFE specific to Fayette County. There's problems in all the counties. I'm sure. And we and but but this is looking like we have a senator that's taking loans, a city senator that's taking loans. We can't see where they've been paid back.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

This is Fayette County. I have families, George Washington. I love this county.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Well, Harry, I I know you will. That's why, that's why I'm standing behind you, and that's why I'm helping you in every way I can. So let's just throw out this for kind of like a reset or a big picture. The county is in decline, no doubt about it. And Faith Pen is growing. And there's an inside pattern here that's being repeated over and over again. What do you we're good? We talk about the good good fruit and the bad fruit again. It's time, it's time we cut down the tree that's producing the bad fruit.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

John, thanks for having me on here. Appreciate this opportunity. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

So on the next episode, we're gonna we're gonna close how money's being hidden and how people are being silenced. I want everybody to tune in. These aren't long episodes, but we're trying to reveal as much as we possibly can in the shortest amount of time. So, like I close all my shows. On this road called life, you have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you got, remember what you have. Always forgive, but never forget. People change, things go wrong, but just remember pride goes on. God bless each and every one of you. God bless America. I am John

Next Steps Tease And Closing

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Marietta, and I am the Hillboat.