Story Published:
Nov 19, 2009 at 7:22 PM MST
Story Updated:
Nov 19, 2009 at 7:22 PM MST
BILLINGS - American Police Force's leader Michael Hilton convinced Two Rivers Authority officials to sign off on a fake deal. He also got people to invest nearly $100,000 dollars into his shell of a company. People who deal with Hilton say he is very convincing and could talk his way into any deal. So how did he convince TRA to sign his contract?
Minutes of TRA board meetings show the group first discussed APF July 6th. Hilton said he heard about the facility when TRA offered the jail as a place to house Guantanimo Bay Prisoners. Hilton convinced everyone he's fill the jail, build a homeless shelter, an animal shelter and a military training facility in Big Horn County.
On August 24th board members voted unanimously to send three representatives to California to meet with Hilton.
Vice President Al Peterson, Former TRA Attorney Rebecca Convery and now former TRA Executive Director Greg Smith went on the trip. Also present were Hilton's Lawyer at the time Mazier Mafi, CorPlan President James Parkey, Bond Underwriter Mike Harling, and Smith's Wife Kerri. Mafi tells us Hilton was not there, though, because he was in the hospital. When asked if things were misrepresented in that meeting Peterson said, "By some, yes. Certainly."
Discussions started at Mafi's law office in Santa Anna. After Hilton left the hospital he took the group out to a fancy meal at one of the finest restaurants in the resort community of Laguna Beach. The paperwork was later signed at Mafi's home. While Smith, Peterson, and Hilton signed off on the deal, trustees with U.S. Bank never inked the deal. But that didn't stop Hilton from rolling into Hardin in Mercedes displaying decals declaring APF was Hardin's police department.
"Why not put an APF logo on it?" said APF Spokeswoman Becky Shay in her first press conference held Sept. 26. "You know. We're getting there."
Shay is a veteran reporter in the area. The news that she signed on with APF was the next big shocker in the story. Weeks later amid pressure from the state's attorney general to release more information about APF's parent company. Shay made this announcement.
"APF is pulling out of negotiations with TRA," she said October 9th. Weeks later, while under oath in a California courtroom, Hilton admitted that APF was solely his idea; that he has no corporate backing and that he and his company were broke. Despite these revelation Hilton tells KULR-8 he still has plans to return to Montana.
"Why not?" he said. "I like the people of Hardin."
In an attempt to distance themselves from Hilton, TRA board members voted to pay him about $1,500 for expenses he covered in California.
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