---

Scientology's Reed Slatkin

Some EarthLink executives invested with colleague who faces lawsuits Involvement was personal, firm says

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, May 4, 2001
by Michael E. Kanell - Staff

http://www.accessatlanta.com:80/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/friday/business_a32fa33d90bcf1000081.html

Several of EarthLink's top executives were also investors with Reed Slatkin, one of the company's founders who has been accused in lawsuits of bilking investors out of millions of dollars.

Sky Dayton, chairman of the Atlanta-based Internet service provider, and Chief Executive Garry Betty were among investors with Slatkin, said EarthLink spokesman Dan Greenfield.

Dayton and Betty were unavailable for comment. Other EarthLink officials were also apparently involved, but their names have not yet emerged and Greenfield declined to name them.

He also declined to say how much they might have invested or how they might react to this week's events.

But he emphasized that there is not corporate involvement: "Sky and Garry were investors with Reed. But they were personal investments, not EarthLink investments."

Slatkin himself is referred to as a co-founder --- along with Dayton --- of the company. Slatkin and a partner contributed $100,000 to the formation of EarthLink in 1994. Slatkin, who was a board member, never had any say in the day-to-day running of the company, Greenfield said.

He resigned from the EarthLink board on April 26, acting of his own accord, Greenfield said.

Slatkin, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, has been sued by at least three investors who claim he ran a pyramid scheme, collecting upward of $300 million from friends, colleagues and members of the Church of Scientology, to which he belonged.

The money was to be invested and managed, according to those who sued. Those suits detail debts of more than $35 million.

An investigation into the alleged scheme is being conducted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the Los Angeles Times.

EarthLink, which merged last year with Atlanta-based MindSpring Enterprises, now has nearly 5 million subscribers to its Internet access.

The company is one of the nation's three largest Internet service providers.

---

The views and opinions stated within this web page are those of the author or authors which copyrighted and wrote them and may not reflect the views and opinions of the ISP or account user which hosts the web page. The opinions may or may not be those of the Chairman of The Skeptic Tank. The term "Scientology"® is trademarked to the Scientology crime syndicate. This information is provided in Fair Use for the public safety in the hopes that others don't fall for Scientology's related frauds.

Return to The Reverend Reed Slatkin main index page Return to The Skeptic Tank's main index page.

E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank