By Paul Daquilante • Staff Writer • 

Millegan reports to FCI-Sheridan

Only current online subscribers may access this article and/or our N-R e-editions.

One-day subscriptions available for just $3.

For all subscription offers, click here.

Already a subscriber, please

Comments

Quinn

(1 OF 2) - SENT VIA EMAIL & PUBLIC COMMENT

To the editing team,

We respect the cause of journalism and we respect that it's not only a difficult job, but it's made even worse working for the Bladines.

Jeb Bladine has no journalistic code of ethics whatsoever. He has continued to trash, defame, and outright lie about upstanding members of your own community for unknown personal reasons (I don't know why he cares so much about us - we don't care about any weird vendetta he has and quite frankly we aren't public figures so it is strange to continue reporting these things with continued false and misleading statements).

We had long since given up on sending corrections for 3 reasons:

1) No one trusts your reporting because of Jeb and his strange personal biases. This is not just us.

2)You've never corrected any of the false statements you've printed and that we have pointed out with factual evidence.

3)When writing articles about our family, you never reach out for comment from anyone in our family or our representatives, even when you reach out to others for comment. This is a big breach of basic journalistic ethics.
That said, you printed some blatantly obvious and particularly atrocious false statements in your most recent post about our father, JW Millegan.

While we wholly disagree with all of the false allegations by the government (which are still on appeal contrary to your article), here is some of what was false or misleading about your recent article titled "Convicted tax evader reports to FCI-Sheridan":

(1/6) He did not report to FCI Sheridan, he reported to FPC Sheridan, a satellite prison camp (below minimum security). To claim he entered FCI Sheridan is a misleading half truth, as FCI Sheridan includes several other types of incarceration, mainly medium security facilities.

(1 Of 2 CONTINUED BELOW)

Quinn

(2 OF 2)
(2/6) The fourth paragraph states: "His appeal of a federal tax evasion conviction for evading payment of more than $2.5 million in personal income taxes and using the money to fund personal expenses was denied." This is entirely false and can be found in the public record. JW's appeal of the tax conviction is moving forward currently (filed in April 2023). Our expectation has always been that he will win the appeal. The brief on this appeal is currently due October 18th.

(3/6) Paragraph 10 described JWMI as an "Investment advisory business." This is false and we have told you numerous times. It was a registered broker/dealer. There is a significant difference and it is an outright lie for you to continue to claim otherwise.

(4/6) Paragraph 11 claims that JW closed JWMI due to an arbitration. This is entirely false and there is no factual evidence to claim that JWMI closed due to an arbitration.

(5/6) Paragraph 12 claims that the charged period for the tax evasion case was seven years from 2009 to 2016 for taxes due 2006 to 2015. Even the statute of limitations limits the scope of any such charge to 6 years from indictment. The alleged period was 2012-2016.

(6/6) In the final paragraph, it was claimed that JW concealed his income from the IRS. That is a false statement. JW was never tried for, nor convicted of concealing income. He filed all of his income tax returns correctly and on time - a fact agreed upon by all parties including the government. To claim he concealed any income or to claim that he concealed any bank accounts during the alleged time period, including the Millegan Trust, would be entirely false.

All of these items must be corrected or explained unless you wish to expose yourselves to significant liability.

Jeb - maybe reach out to us next time so you don't look like an idiot.

Maybe bring the community together instead of breaking people down. Be better and do better.

Sincerely,
Quinn Millegan & Family

Bleepbloop

Keep up the good work Jeb and Paul. I appreciate everything you do. A true asset to our community unlike some other people who shall remain nameless.

tagup

As a neutral observer, your attempt to rehabilitate your father’s reputation in the comments section of this publication misses the mark…. In previous comments,You have blamed the federal govt, the FBI, the judge and others for the verdict, while at the same time admitting your father didn’t pay the required taxes due.
That indicates to me that the jury got it right.

Jeb Bladine

Quinn,
Thanks for the analysis of our news story.
You are correct, of course, that your father’s appeal was not denied, but rather his request for bail pending that appeal. We have corrected that error online and will correct it in our print edition on Tuesday, with our regrets.
The federal prisoner database lists your father as “Located at FCI Sheridan.” Good to know he is in the prison’s minimum-security satellite camp.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claimed that your father “concealed his income," apparently meaning that after reporting his profits on federal tax returns, he concealed the whereabouts of that money. We will watch for more precise use of “income” and “money” in the future.
By any legal or common definition, based on many years of activities, your father is a high profile public figure. The U.S. Attorney's Office described his company as “a small, commission-based investment advisory business.”
Our story ID'd the arbitration as part of the reason for business closure, since it produced a huge financial judgment against your father followed by his filing for bankruptcy and business closure.
I’ve been unable to find previous messages from you alleging errors in our reporting about your father’s case. I have asked our staff to contact you in the future for comment about new stories related to your father’s criminal conviction, his plea bargain, his withdrawal of that plea bargain, his appeal of the plea agreement and conviction, and previous wire fraud charges that the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped as part of the plea bargain.
Sometimes the media is accused of publishing errors when it accurately reports statements by representatives of government. That’s one of the pitfalls of news reporting, and it appears you should direct some of your concerns to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, as stated online and soon in print, we regret the published error indicating that your father’s appeal was denied.

Oregonian

To the NR - please do contact the Millegan boys for comment each and every time you run an article on this family. Their take on reality is fascinating.

The more information the public can have regarding their equestrian dreams and hedge fund activity, the better.

This family is wild. Two weeks ago, JW was wandering around Third Street in McMinnville on a beautiful summer morning. He had a grin on his face and not a care in the world. I would have taken him for someone headed to Hawaii on vacation, not a convict headed to Sheridan/whatever you want to call it penal facility.

Quinn

(1 OF 2) In response to Jeb Bladine

Jeb,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to us this time.

We would sincerely appreciate a genuine response next time. You know very well that your response contained no true substance. You cannot hide behind a veil of ignorance. I understand that you believe it to be OK to spread misinformation, but we do not.

RE the appeal correction: the editor's note is present, but the incorrect text of the article discussing appeal remains, continuing to spread misinformation.

RE concealment claims: you are incorrect. There was no charge or conviction of concealment. The government never claimed that he "concealed the whereabouts of the money". This is an assumption you have made.

RE public figure claims: this is a strange claim on your part - still with no explanation. You are attempting to make JW a public figure when he is not. Just because you have written articles about him does not make him a public figure. That would be a self-reinforcing delusion.

RE the broker/dealer correction: even the USAO's last press release describes JWMI as a registered broker dealer. Jeb - you also know from first hand experience that it was a broker/dealer. JWMI was co-located inside of the News-Register's then-office on 3rd Street for years - literally inside of your newsroom.

RE arbitration: everything you've just described is an assumption.

RE our communication about previous errors: Feel free to look at the comment I made on the last article you published about JW. It's not hard to find. You know very well that you've just lied again to the public. We have discussed our concerns with the misinformation you’ve printed to your office for years…

(1 OF 2) CTD Below

Quinn

(2 of 2) In response to Jeb Bladine

…You are able to find our comments on your website for many of these articles. Remember when you reported about Steve Down of the Falls Event Center & the Evergreen Aviation Museum and portrayed him as a saint? And we pointed out numerous times that he was a fraud? And instead you wrote articles praising Steve Down and bashing JW? Then the courts found out that we were right and Steve Down was cited by the SEC for the 2nd time for a ponzi scheme that defrauded $200 million from investors. You've actively chosen not to correct any of the mistakes and you've actively chosen personal vendettas and misinformation over fair reporting.

It was years ago that JW, on principle, pointed out to the City Council that the Atticus Hotel should have opened their books when they received public city funds to help build the development (not against the hotel). It has been that same number of years since you declared JW your personal enemy in city hall when he came to congratulate you anyways on the Atticus going forward. We have not been working against you, but I will give you credit for this - I don’t know anyone that holds a grudge like you have over something so petty.

Although the USAO is not free & clear from incorrect statements in its press releases, it does not give you a blanket excuse to spread misinformation Jeb. Most of these items have nothing to do with reprinting the Government's statements. This does not come close to removing the liability you've exposed yourself to.

Regardless of this discussion of inaccuracies, it does not explain why you choose to break your neighbors down instead of giving people any benefit of the doubt. Over the years, you have shown your true character as a truly vindictive person. I do believe you can change Jeb.

Sincerely,

Quinn & Drew Millegan & Family

Jeb Bladine

Thanks, Quinn. We have no interest in using this forum for review of your selective, often inaccurate and incomplete memories of past events. By definition, anyone becomes a prominent public figure by being convicted of significant crimes.

Oregonian

You gotta have money to sue someone kids.

Name calling and threats as a response to "misinformation" is childish.

Bleepbloop

It’s great that JWs family love and and support him, but this is too much. No contrition and no remorse. There is also no accepting of responsibility. There is plenty of blaming others.

I would love for both JW and his family admit that he blatantly broke the law. He was greedy for sure. I’ll go out a limb and assume he has quite an ego (you kind of have to if you plan on making the Mack Theatre a 3D virtual concert venue or whatever it was).

They keep pointing out details that are not stated correctly or are even false. That doesn’t mean he is innocent. He was judged guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers. Now is the time to take your punishment.

treefarmer


Jeb

So unpleasant to read such snarky accusatory ravings. Looks like an angry embarrassed family desperately needs to shift the blame, to justify/rationalize criminality using this forum. The possibility of hateful rhetoric in a public forum certainly “goes with the territory?” Just so, THIS grateful subscriber would like to counter the vitriol with a more discerning perspective. Your publication has great value to me. Your reporting provides a monumental service to this community, I am profoundly grateful for your publication. (I believe that the vast majority of us feel this same way about our News~Register.) It is nothing short of a miracle that you have survived the recent closures and pressures brought to bear on independent journalism. Thick skin, tenacity, and personal integrity appear to be an unbeatable combination? More power to you. And most sincere thanks for staying the course – we need you!!

WO

Jeb, thank you for your reporting in this story and for your reporting in general. The public desperately needs more reporters such as yourself and although you probably encounter a lot of push back from the subjects that you report on, please know that the work that you and others at your publication do on a daily basis are indeed appreciated.

McMoniker

I don't know of a better, or more objective, local newspaper than the News-Register. The reporting is supported by facts and the opinions are balanced. I think a subscription to the NR is money well spent, and I'm glad I can rely on it for solid local information.

  • Most viewed
  • Most commented
Web Design and Web Development by Buildable