Lou Pearlman

Lou Pearlman Then

Lou Pearlman was once our hometown hero.  He was the "Boy Band King."  He threw lavish parties.  Some of my family members attended them.  He was the epitome of rich and famous.

Then it all came troubling down.  He masterminded a big Ponzi scheme and bilked people out of millions of dollars.  He became one of our nation's top ten swindlers.  He lost everything, pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes and went to prison.

Several of his victims have been involved in a long and drawn out lawsuit.  It was settled this past week.  After all of the legal fees are covered his victims will be paid a few cents on the dollar.

One of them, a man named Seland Williams and his wife, like many others, lost all of their savings to Lou Pearlman.  They now live frugally on his Air Force pension and Social Security. They will most likely receive about $400 from the settlement. But Mr. Williams has responded in a triumphant manner.  Here is his quote from yesterday's paper.

Lou Pearlman Now

Yeah, sure, it's stressful, but I know a lot of people who let things get to them and do really dumb stuff.  Believe me, money doesn't mean everything.  I love my life.  I'm 84 now, and I'll keep living as long as I can.  I'm not going to let a fellow like Lou Pearlman mess me up.

It appears to me that, at this point, Mr. Williams is doing much better than Mr. Pearlman.


***