LATEST UPDATE.........The Criminal Files.......(Greg Berin)

The latest on the sighting of #Gregory Berin at a dollar store has turned into a mini investigation that may have a bittersweet ending depending on how you look at it.

It all began when I saw him working at my local dollar store that left me with questions I felt obligated to find the answers to.  One of the questions was whether or not this company was aware of Greg’s criminal record and if so why in bloody hell did they make him a cashier where he has personal contact with customers and  their financial information?!

The first step was to contact Project COPE who acts as a mentor to ex criminals rejoining society once released from prison.  It is a church organization that alleges they interview inmates prior to their release and must meet the criteria to be a part of their program.  A member of my team whom I hold in high regard contacted project COPE and asked them for their help in relocating Greg out of the town where he committed several of his crimes and they responded with no compassion towards their “projects” victims’ in general and defended Greg’s right to work wherever he wants. They would not allude as to whether  they assisted him in obtaining his new full time job but had knowledge that he was working there.   

The second step, as a result of the first, was to investigate Greg’s employers’ history of hiring those with criminal backgrounds and the answer was a firm yes they do.  They publicly admit to hiring ex criminals and felons.  Here is a link for a list of corporations that hire ex cons including the one Greg works for.  You might be surprised when you see the major corporations that hire ex criminals and felons.  They do not seem to discriminate against those who have been convicted 1 time to those who have been convicted multiple times.  The wrong thing to do would have been to jump straight into a phone call to the employer because our goal was to avoid getting him fired but  more or less to get him removed from behind the cash register and out of the town where half of his victims live.  It was a win win situation. 

http://www.jailtojob.com/Companies%20that%20Hire%20Ex-offenders%20and%20Felons.html

The third step, and this is where it gets bittersweet, was to contact the corporation ourselves, since HOPE didn't want to have anything to do with it, and to request they relocate him in order to avoid potential problems with his victims running into him.  We should not have to accommodate him as it is my opinion that he is undeserving.  It took some time but I finally spoke with the Regional Manager who had met Greg a few times.  When I told him why I was calling and shared my knowledge of Greg’s history he was surprised and said, “Greg is a model employee.  That’s hard to believe about him.  Are you sure we are talking about the same person?”  I had to educate the manager about Greg’s nature.  Further along in our conversation, he confirmed that they had never heard of Project COPE and ultimately realized Greg had lied on his application, in order to get the job.  He was a walk-in applicant and conned his way into the job.  My request was to relocate him to a job within the company in a position that does not involve direct customer contact but the manager said that because Greg lied on his application he will most likely lose his job altogether.  The last thing I want to do is put Greg into a position to steal from others’ in order to support himself as he admitted to doing in the past.   I would rather he be employed earning an honest living but being employed in the past didn’t stop him from lying, stealing, and conning.  

So, the burning question is: If Greg was eligible to become a project for COPE and met the criteria, whatever that may be, claimed to be a “changed man” having been “rehabilitated” as he was quoted saying in a recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch  (http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/bill-mcclellan/mcclellan-saving-strays-comes-with-no-guarantees/article_6a92d3d2-4501-577f-889a-c9376d6a9255.html), and was truly following the system that COPE offers, why would he lie on a job application to get a job with a company THAT HIRES EX CONS?!!!!!  I cannot imagine HOPE, a church-based organization, supporting his lie or suggesting he do such a thing. 

What are your thoughts about this?

Here is a link to Greg Berin’s public criminal profile and mug shots compliments of the Missouri Department of Corrections and Missouri State Highway Patrol:
https://web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb/searchOffender.do

UPDATE:  The Missouri Department of Corrections has removed the criminal record from their database.  Please visit Case.Net for further information regarding the criminal files.  Here are the links.

 https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/cases/nameSearch.do
https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/cases/nameSearch.do

Also, I have an official transcript of his criminal history including court transcripts.  If you have a legal need please let me know and I would be happy to share it with you.

My advice for what it's worth:  If you run into this person turn around and run the other way.

Until next time if you enjoy reading my diary please like my facebook page, www.facebook.com/diaryofapi.  Thank you for your support!