ARIZONA COMMON SENSE

An Exercise in Aggressive, Non-Partisan Political Activism November 26, 2012 Volume 1, Number 32

BETTE RATHBUN FINALLY CLAMS UP, TAKES THE FIFTH A high stakes, multi-million dollar, white collar criminal enterprise is being exposed in a courtroom, down on Scott Street, right here in The Old Pueblo, not that the media will tell you anything about it. The central figure in this sordid little drama is Our Gal Bette, (aka Bette Rathbun-Glover), the well known directress of a onceflourishing Tucson real estate empire, former co-owner of Rathbun Realty, Inc., (now defunct and under criminal investigation), a member of the local establishment, a Good Old Gal with season tickets to U of A games, who once tooled around town in a Cadillac, hired Mexican Illegals to re-furbish properties (cheated them out of their wages, too), spent a quarter of million dollars in 2011 alone just to advertise her scam. The once formidable Bette Rathbun has now fallen on hard times, still got dough though, stacks and stacks of cash, enough to hire lawyers, like grapes, whole bunches of them, just to keep her skanky, lying, thieving ass out of jail. On November 13, 2012, Bette waltzed into Bankruptcy Court with three hired gunsbankruptcy attorney Alan Solot and 2 criminal onesto face down two magistrates, Court Trustee Trudy Nowak local attorney Issac Rothschild (one of the good guys in this tale, a nice young man in a three piece suit, who Nowak hired as legal counsel), and approximately 50 angry creditors. However; those present who thought Bette might finally answer questions like Where On Earth Are The Millions and Millions of Dollars Unlawfully Taken From the Rathbun Realty Trust Accounts were soon disappointed. Bette took the oath, spoke in hushed tones, did acknowledge that, yes, along with her husband George she was the former owner of

Rathbun Realty, Inc. and yes, the company was facing financial difficulties, and yes, there had been recently published articles regarding alleged, mind you alleged, financial irregularities, with Rathbun Realty, Inc., etc., etc., before one of her criminal lawyers leaned over, whispered in her ear and nodded towards a piece of paper Bette had on her lap. Betty read, and spoke even more softly, declining to answer on the grounds that her answer might tend to incriminate her. The question seemed innocent enough, (I dont remember what it was), but it wasnt one of those rude, in-your-face confrontational criminal accusations like Did YOU Steal the Money Bette? Whatever; it must have alarmed her lawyer; the answer just might have opened some kind of door TV lawyers talk about, because, at his direction Bette Clammed Up. More questions; her lawyer nodded and Bette gave the same quiet response, before the lady in front of me turned to her husband and said: Did You Hear That? Bette Just Took the Fifth! The creditors and onlookers began to murmur, glance around. The questions turned to the bankruptcy form Betty had filled out (under directions from Attorney Solot), which among other things, claimed Rathbun Realtys 2011 entire gross income was some 1.2 million dollars. 1.2 Million Dollars? Gross Rathbun Realty income for the entire year? Are you freaking kidding me? There are about 650, maybe 700 separate Rathbun Property Owner Clients, some with multiple properties managed by Rathbun. Do a little quick math: A figure of 10, maybe 12 million dollars would be a whole lot closer estimate of Rathbun Realtys gross income for a year.

What happened to the rest of it, Betty? Why isnt the rest of the money listed on the form? Bette stuttered, turned red. Solot looked down, looked away. More questions regarding $50,000.00 cash Bette reported Rathbun had on hand when she filed for Bankruptcy on September 21; more whispers, more red faces, more Fifth Amendment assertions, more angry murmurs from the creditors. And more questions: Ms. Rathbun: What was the source of the money you used to pay your lawyers and how much have you paid them? Did the money come from your pocket or from Rathbun Realty? The only poker faces were the criminal lawyers, competent looking dudes, who had been there done that many, many times before. I dont know if it was Nowak or Rothschild, but finally one of them stated to Bette and Solot, in sum and substance: The bankruptcy form, signed under oath, contains inconsistencies, which, sooner or later, BOTH of you will have to account for. Solot looked away. Bette, now looking at one of the creditors, with real sympathy and sincere anguish on her face, began to mouth words to the effect: I feel your pain! I really want to help you! But my lawyers wont let me answer! Im a victim, just like you, Bette seemed to say. Someone else stole your money, not me. The absolute chutzpa of this woman! My god shes got a brass pair on her, does Our Gal Bette. Steal a fortune. Make a stupid face. Mouth some words. Point a finger. Blame someone else.

Just like she did at my trial in March when she mugged for the jury (the judge finally expelled her from the courtroom) and again a little over three months ago after the news broke regarding an alleged multi-million dollar embezzlement at Rathbun Realty, and again in early September when Bette went on TV News to proclaim her innocence, blame others and assure property owners and renters: All IS well. YOU CAN TRUST ME. You have nothing to worry about, just keep on sending in the rent. Well get through this. The bills and property owners still have to be paid. And all the while, behind the scenes, her scam was unfolding, her business was imploding, she was not forwarding tenant rent checks on to her clients, money shifting state-to-state from one bank to the next, and a reported 1.8 million (or more) in client money Septembers rent, security deposits and last month deposits disappeared down a rat hole. Apparently a pretty deep rat hole, because the feds claim they still havent got to the bottom of it. So, Whats Up Next for Bette in our local drama? Well find out on December 03, 2012, when most of us will be back in court; Nowak, Rothschild, two Magistrates, Bette herself, maybe even Husband George, (What does George think about Bette and her Lying, Thieving Ways, Bringing Down Their Empire; Will George Even Be There When Bette Gets Out), a whole passel of lawyers, (maybe different ones this time.) Bettes probably gone through a dozen lawyers since I first sued her in 2006. Shucks; thats not even counting the three she showed up with in court on November 13, Our Gal Bette, hiring lawyers like bunches of grapes, in these lean times (especially lean for those she ripped off), doing her humanitarian best to help out the needy, keeping a substantial number of the Pima County Bar employed.

But, when court re-convenes the local media wont tell you about it. You see, Bettys part of The Establishment, an advertiser, a moneymaker, a Good Old Gal just like Good Old Boys Jimmy Click and Donny Diamond, whose collective enterprises pay for lots and lots of advertising, keep otherwise irrelevant publications in business, for whom the rule is see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, a Mover and a Shaker, the kind of folks Tucson media shills for. So; Come On Down to Bankruptcy Court on December 03, 2012 and see for yourself. Roy Warden roywarden@hotmail.com All Rathbun Stories