Help Us Keep the Wulf Family Home

Dear Family and Friends,

On August 22, 2013, our Dad, Dave Wulf, was wrongfully convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Dad’s now in a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana for the next 10 years. He had no criminal background until his conviction. He will be 71 upon his release. All of the other defendants pled guilty. He was the only one of 7 defendants in the NPS case to turn down a plea bargain. The government attorneys had painted a picture of him as being in on the scheme, but he really was unknowingly used by those 5 defendants.

Our dad was offered a plea bargain to plead guilty, with a 5 year prison sentence. He was innocent of charges and was convinced that the justice system was fair and would prove him innocent so he refused to take the plea bargain. In Dad’s own words, “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Ironically, Dad, the only one who didn’t plead guilty, received the largest prison sentence of all the defendants.

How could the jury believe he had done terrible things?

#1: The government attorneys did a great job of making him seem like an accomplice to criminals

#2: Dad’s attorneys were incompetent

Unbeknownst to our Dad, he was the financial advisor for a corrupt company, National Prearranged Services, NPS. The executives of this company stole millions from customers over a 20 year time span, setting up multiple sham companies, all the while fooling our Dad into thinking he was helping them to invest their money. During the trial there were 44 witnesses who testified that they had never met our Dad before, or that they knew our Dad but that he didn’t know what was going on ‘behind the scenes’. Even though government witnesses testified that they were the ones actually committing the fraud, and were in on the conspiracy, they didn’t tell Dave Wulf because they knew he would have turned them into the Regulators and law enforcement. The government attorneys made it seem he was working right along with these criminals, while dad’s attorneys did nothing to help jurors see through this.

Executives of this company had millions of dollars, private jets, apartments in New York City, multiple homes St. Louis, the Hamptons & Florida, luxury cars, trips around the world, etc… The ring leader of NPS sold one of his houses in the Hamptons to the founder of Google. The government attorneys convinced jurors that our dad participated in wrongdoings of these despicable, amoral men, and as their financial advisor was not YET being compensated but was ‘hiding in the background for over 20 years waiting for his house in the Hamptons.’ This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Our Dad hired 2 lawyers thinking they were capable; they were not. The lawyers didn’t object to any pre-trial motions, trial motions, cross-examine government witnesses, subpoena any witnesses for statements, and worst of all…didn’t prepare our Dad for his own testimony. The lawyers questioned our Dad for 2 hours; the government’s cross examination was 3 times that. With all of these blatant and obvious mistakes, our last hope for overturning this conviction, via direct appeal, is now not an option.

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The immediate crisis our family is facing is we must pay a $100,000 fine by March 27, 2014, or seizure of “real and personal property” begins. There is no monthly payment plan. About the only thing of any value that can be seized is our parent’s home. The paralegal for the DA’s office has already indicated they will move to seize the home, even though they don’t like to do this. We've been able to come up with half the money. We still need to raise the other half. Our Dad’s funds have been significantly depleted by the indictment, trial and our recent attempt at appeal. 

Can you help us raise some of the money to pay the other half the fine and keep our mom in her and dad’s home?

Our Mom was a stay-at-home mother taking care of all 5 kids. She got a job since this happened, and is now working at a hair salon making $8/hr and collecting social security at $500/mth. The little extra money we have, my mom is using to stay in the home. We need help paying the other half of the fine so my mom can stay in the house our family has lived in and built for over 25 years. All the money collected goes toward the fine. 

Although we are deeply saddened by this injustice, we are looking to maintain the best quality of life for our Mom now, and look forward to the future and our Dad’s return in 2024. It would be wonderful if he could return back in his home and his own bed. The family home is very important to us because so much love has gone into it since its construction and then over the past 25 plus years. My mom is happiest there, and it would just be another horrible thing to happen to my parents when they have already suffered SO much.

Again, we have until March 27, 2014 before any seizing begins. I know we will do this, and we can do it with the love and support of our family and friends. 

The love of our friends and family continues to sustain us during this difficult time. Thank you for your consideration and support, we are eternally grateful.

Thanks,

The Wulf Family

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Update:

March 14, 2014

I have relatively good news. This week, we went to the courthouse, and they got to see how hard we were trying to raise/give them the money, and we gave them what money we had. They were much kinder to us this time around. In my own mind, I like to think when they met us they saw we were not like the others-we couldn't sell an extra mansion or put off our botox the next day to make the payment. Although, we still have to pay this ridiculous fine, the government is accepting a (sort of) reasonable monthly payment plan now-one that I think we can manage. The house is ours until my parents grow too old. The family house will unfortunately be seized after my parents leave it. So long story short, the house will not be taken from us at the end of March because of the efforts of everyone including you! You have mine and my family's deepest gratitude. 

It is nice to know someone cares in this world when things go badly. It is truely a very humbling experience. PLEASE let me know if you have any questions about any of this. It's the least I can do.

 Our sincerest thanks,

Becky Wulf & The Wulfs