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SHOWN TO THE RIGHT, ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE 11/27/12 LETTER SIGNED BY PRIORITY ONE CREDIT UNION PRESIDENT, CHARLES R. WIGGINGTON, SR. IN COMPLIANCE TO THE TERMS OF SETTLEMENT AGREED TO BY THE CREDIT UNION AND A MEMBER WHO SUED THE CREDIT UNION, ALLEGING THEIR WILLFUL VIOLATION OF THE PRIVACY ACT.

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Backtracking

HUMAN BEHAVIOR 

In our May 2, 2009 post, we reported about Priority One Credit Union's President, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr., and the Boar Chair's, Diedra Harris-Brooks, recent reactions to the disclosure of acts and statements the two made publicly but never imagined would find its way to the Internet. 


In response, the two have increased security at the South Pasadena branch though none of their efforts have addressed the fact that much of the information we publish is based obtained from the President's frequent disclosures of confidential information, usually made to non-management staff. Evidently, the President and Board Chair have a problem with evaluating their respective behaviors and as is often the case at Priority One, always seeks scapegoats that fall victim to their inquisitions.


The two have been duplicitous in their zeal to ensure their control over all aspects of the credit union remains unchallenged. Of course, it is their often illegal tactics that have most often driven their acts into the forefront and on to the Internet.

In 2008, Mrs. Harris-Brooks called SOME of the Board's Director to South Pasadena and one Supervisor, to listen to evidence gathered by an investigator hired to obtain evidence that President Wiggington sexually harassed a former employee. Her invitation excluded Directors, Joe Marchica and Janice Irving. An employee of the credit union called Mrs. Irving and informed her of the meetng which she had purposely not been invited to by Mrs. Harris-Brooks. Mrs. Irving arrived with Mr. Marchica and after reviewing the evidence and listening to the investigator's recommendation that Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. be terminated, voted for the President's ouster. However, Mrs. Harris-Brooks along with Directors, O. Glen Saffold and Thomas Gathers and Supervisory Committee Chair, Cornelia Simmons invalidated the gravity of the accusations, dismissed the investigator's recommendation, and suppressed the evidence, voting instead for the President's reinstatement.

In December 2008, the two attempted to control the elections planned for 2009, but their plot dissolved quickly after being exposed. They literally backtracked after we contacted the DFI and spoke to an auditor who confirmed that credit union is required by law to post notice of upcoming elections in branch lobbies. What's more, the credit union is mandated by law to send notices apprising members of the impending election and extend an invitation for interested members to nominate themselves to run for any available seats on the Board of Supervisory Committee.

Priority One was intentionally and clearly out of compliance. Furthermore, the two made sure the notice and invitation was only contained in the credit union's Winter newsletter which is only mailed to members who have a checking account and thus excluding the significantly larger sector of members who only have a savings account.


The Annual Meeting
The Notice of the Meeting is Amended

In April, the following notice was sent to Members


A meeting was convened at South Pasadena and attended by Directors and Supervisors. 

Annual Meeting Notice Wednesday May 27, 2009


The annual meeting of Priority One Credit Union will be held Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at South Pasadena Headquarters 1631 Huntington Drive South PasadenaCA 91030. 


At the meeting, the CEO will report on the status of the Credit Union. 

In addition, the results of our election will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In accordance with the Credit Union’s bylaws, notice was given to the membership that Nominations by Petition were sought for one (1) vacancy on the Board of Directors, and two (2) vacancies on the Supervisory Committee. Nominations for these vacancies closed at midnight on February 28, 2009, and no nominations by petitions were received. Thus, in accordance with the bylaws, the nominees selected by the Nominating Committee for each of the positions will be deemed elected. 

Except as provided above, no other new business will be conducted at the Annual Meeting. Priority One Credit Union 

Over the weekend, a member forwarded a copy of a letter mailed to their residence. The letter, titled “A Message to Members regarding the Annual Meeting”, is an amended notice announcing the upcoming Annual Meeting. We've learned that the newest notice was sent in response to our expose', Having been discovered, the President, the Board and the Supervisory Committee hurriedly tried to retrack those acts intended to manipulate the electoral process. Here is the amended letter issued by the Board and Supervisory Committee:

Priority One Credit Union 

Message to Members regarding the Annual Meeting 

All members are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Priority One Credit Union. 

When: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. 
Where: Priority One Credit Union 
South Pasadena Headquarters 
1631 Huntington Drove 
South Pasadena, CA 91030 

At the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors, Supervisory Committee and President/CEO will jointly report on the status of the Credit Union. As discussed further below, no unscheduled business will be conducted during the Annual Meeting. However, immediately following the adjournment of the scheduled business of the Annual Meeting, there will be a Question and Answer session for members. 

As you know, the announcement of election results is generally held during the Annual Meeting. Recently, the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee have become aware of concerns as to the distribution of the notice of vacancies to members. To this end, the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee have considered that there may be members who were interested in being nominated to run for either: (a)the one(1) position on the Board of Directors, or (b) one of the two (2) positions on the Supervisory Committee. Each of these positions are for three (3) year terms. Consequently, in the interest of fairness for all, the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee have determined it is appropriate to re-open the nomination and election process. 

Accordingly, any member in good standing who is interested in seeking nominations for the above available positions on the Board of Directors or Supervisory Committee should request a nomination application from the Nominating Committee in writing to the following address: 

Nominating Committee 
P.O. Box 512195 
Los Angeles, CA 90051-0195 

All completed nomination applications must be submitted to the Nominating Committee at the above address no later than midnight June 8, 2009.

The Nominating Committee will consider up to three (3) members for each open position. Those not selected by the Nominating Committee will be allowed the opportunity to seek nomination process is complete, an election notice will be mailed to all voting members with the names of those persons nominated. Subject to there being more nominees than open positions, a written ballot will be provide to all voting members. If, on the other hand, there are no more nominations than open positions, then those nominated shall be deemed elected in accordance with the Bylaws.

The information is excessive but should be interpreted as a desperate effort by the Board's and Supervisory Committee's to rectify a wrong committed by Mrs. Harris-Brooks and her accomplice, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr.

Last week, President Wiggington revealed that he recently swore to the Board of Directors that he would flush out the blogger and bloggers and that he would make sure all employees stopped gossiping. Interesting that the most verbose person in the entire credit union and the biggest violator of confidentiality would accuse others of gossiping and promising to drive those employees into the open. Its epitome of hypocrisy but then again, its just Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. being Charles R. Wiggington, Sr.
  • The President has compiled an impressive and equally, embarrassing history of abuses. In 1999, he took possession of a member's automobile and transferred ownership to himself without paying for the vehicle. He defrauded the credit union and ruined a member's credit. 
  • In 2002, his friend and automobile broker, Henry Justice of Justice Auto Sales, absconded with more than $60,000 of credit union funds paid to him for 4 automobiles purchased by members from his dealership. In 2009,  the President tried to resurrect a business relationship with Mr. Justice and might have succeeded had we not exposed it on this blog. 
  • In 2007, he harassed and abused the Director of Marketing and finally laid her off.
  • In 2006, he promoted Liz Campos to the post of AVP despite that she incurred more than 24 individual NSF incidents to her checking account, during the months of September 2006 and January 2007. An investigation later proved she had been kiting- a federal offense and she was afterwards terminated. The incensed President, swore he would find and terminate the person(s) who exposed Mr. Campos, ignoring the one overshadowing fact she violated federal law. 
President Wiggington has proven he is lethal to business and employees. He has single-handedly pushed Priority One Credit Union into a state of regression and is unraveling all that was accomplished through the hard work of his predecessors and their staffs. Don't expect things to improve as long as he remains President and Diedra Harris-Brooks and her posy of clowns continue sanctioning the President's disastrous campaigns. 




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13 comments:

John Rodarte said...

I received a message from a reader and felt the writer made some important and rather relevant points. I have included some of what he wrote and also entered my own comments.

The writer states

"This letter is interesting
....my guess is either P1’s attorney or the DFI, told them to mail the letter so credit union would be in compliance with the CU's bylaws."

The write continues...

"I think the meeting could be an exercise in futility for those readers who plan to have their voices heard."

I also agree with the writer that Charles Wiggington and Diedra run (actually mismanage) the credit union and though members are member-owners, that does not mean they will be allowed to ask questions which Diedra, Charles or other the Board of Directors, believe may further expose them. They will probably try to limit any questions to the topic of finances.

All of this, by the way, should be expected.

Though the writer is correct that Charles and Diedra "run" the credit union, I must point out that any attempt by either or the board, to limit the scope of what is to be discussed, is again, hypocritical. For instance,
Diedra Harris-Brooks as Chairperson, has exceeded her legally assigned authority. She demanded that Charles provide her with reports about the production of individual departments and has had input in some of the graphics and language which will be used by Priority One in their promotions and advertisements.

This goes far beyond her assigned jurisdiction but Mr. Wiggington has willingly conceded to her demands and has perpetuated her abuse of authority because as I have written previously, he owes her. She is after all, the person who led the campaign to reinstate him following the investigation of allegations that he sexually harassed former employee, Kim Burke.

The writer does point out that members do have a right to ask certain questions regarding the credit unions financials and has provided the following sample inquiries:

Are delinquent loans rising?

When will the CU return to profitability?

Why were March's financials not posted in a timely manner?

What steps has the CU taken to reduce expenses, etc?

Do not be surprised if Charles, Diedra and the Board refuse to answer questions which may implicate them further in the acts described on this blog.

Be assured and do not be naive, the Diedra, Charles and possibly the attornies, check this blog regularly and have probably created a strategic plan to control what questions will be allowed. After all, responding to questions about HR's failure to uphold policy, Charles' acquistition of a member's automobile, and the investigation of sexual harassment allegations may only serve to implicate them further.

Anonymous said...

Charles, Diedra! See what happens when you try to do the wrong thing and get caught.

Things are not going so well at P1.

Has it occurred to anyone that
having to re-do the election is costing the credit union more money? Money wasted to have a new election because Charles and Diedra tried to do something illegal and unethical.

Charles sent out a memo this week thanking employees for the ideas we submitted to save money. We submitted these our suggestions weeks and weeks ago and he's only thanking us now because his reputation is shot. So Charles thanks us for our ideas to save money and then because of him and Diedra, P-1 has to spend more money to redo the election! Does that make any sense?

Why does the Supervisor Committee allow him to do things which hurt P-1? Remember, after he was reinstated the board of directors offered $20,000 so Kim Burke could settle her sexual harassment charge against Charles. Why should the CU pay? No one told him to tell Kim that he wasnted to whip her ass or sop her up? So why then should the CU have to pay for what he chooses do do that is not work related? It doesn't make sense!

God please make Charles and Diedra just go away and let others try to get our credit union back to where it was.

Come on Mr. Harris, if you are reading this blog, please offer to come back and help us get rid of all these cheaters, liars, and good for nothings.

Anonymous said...

Hey Wiggy Baby, I know a GREAT way to save money and the CU at the same time. Get rid of you!!!

Michael said...

Charles Wiggington, is and has always been an embarassment.

Charles is a bully. He mistreats employees and holds everyone but himself to a higher standard. What he fails to see is that he is a liability. Since becoming president, he has ruined Priority One's reputation and has become a liability.

Even more horrible than Charles is Diedra Harris-Brooks, the snotty yet low-class chairperson of the Board of Directors. One cannot blame Charles' abuses without including Diedra.

These two liabilities should be kicked out of Priority One and never allowed to work again in the cu industry.

Members, we have to attend the annual meeting! We have to ask questions. They might refuse to answer certain questions but they have to answer questions about the financials and we should all be very concerned.

John Rodarte said...

In an email sent to me earlier today, a reader wonders if anyone from the DFI might be attending the meeting.

He suggests that during the Annual Meeting, someone in the audience ask if a representative of the DFI is present. If there is, then the representative should be asked in front of everyone present, if the DFI is investigating the allegations against Charles Wiggington regarding member, Danny Wafa; Human Resources, and the Board of Diretors.

Anonymous said...

You know what just amazes me and really should be considered a good indicator as to how stupid and hypocritical the members of the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee, really are.

If Wiggington were white, he would have been booted out right after being investigated for sexual harassment.

If he were latin, he would have been fired.

If he were asian, he would have been kicked to the curb.

He's black and not only did Diedra and her croonies reinstate him but his performance alone should have gotten him the boot. Add that he took possession of Wafa's car, threatened employees who decide to call the police whenever a member commits a crime on company premises, told employees of the loan department that he fired Maggie Rios because she exposed an AVP of kiting, and promoted Liz Campos knowing she was kiting and promoted Aaron Cavazos, knowing that man had a loooonnnnng history of complaints filed against him. All of that would have gotten anyone else fired but not old, fat, smelly Wigg. Of course as long as you have a board who puts race above all else, you'll have people like Charles screwing over employees.

By the way what is it going to cost to have the election again? Mailing ballots costs postage. Reprinting ballots cost money too. Processing returned ballots us another expense.

Charlie, make sure you don't put member social security numbers and their account numbers on the outside of the envelope again. The last time you did that you cost the credit union a lot of money. I am sure getting Equifax to give "free" ID protection to members for 1 year cost the CU more than just a little money.

Why don't you go work as a phone sex operator somewhere where none of us has to see your face or see all the mistakes you make. Moron!

Anonymous said...

Charles will not lose his job, not as long as he's in "bed" with the board whose butt he now has to kiss.

He was not appointed to president because he was more qualified than other candidates but because he "kissed their asses" big time. Anyone who has been at P1knows this. We all saw it. That's what people do when they don't have the qualifications to land the job. Its easier than proving your qualified.

And a lot of us often heard members of the board say loudly that they wanted a black CEO. In fact, I am surprised they didn't hire OJ. Saffold would have liked it if they had.

Unless members demand answers, the board and Charles will try to pull another fast one and , will refuse to do a damn thing about Charles.

Let me tell you what the board thinks is important. They want their $30 paid each time they attend a meeting plus their trips. In fact if you audit their attendance, you will find most of them go on trips paid by P1 then they attend board meetings.

All they have ever wanted is a CEO who they could control. If they say bark, Wigg barks. If they say jump, he jumps. He's a bully with his staff and a dog with the board. Go figure.

More of us need to call the DFI and file complaints. Also call the NCUA. Don't be afraid to speak up. They need to know what is happening at P1!

This blog is being read by a lot of people in the credit union industry and lots of postal workers but more of us need to make calls, send emails, and write letters.

Charles should have been terminated a long time ago and not just for sexual harassment.

GO TO THE ANNUAL MEETING!!!

Anonymous said...

Charles created AVP's. How much did that cost?

He installed a phone system that doesn't work well. He got a deal. $600,000.

He screwed up the mailing which went out with member social sec #'s and account #'s typed on the outside of each envelope. Hey, how much did you have to pay Equifax for those members who enrolled in ID proction?

How much is it going to cost the credit union to re-do the election? Printing & mailing ballots is how much?

If you have to pay Kim Burke where is that money going to come from, your account?

You have cost the cu lots of money {and embarassment}Wigg. Why don't you fire yourself. YOU HAVE FIRED EMPLOYEES FOR A LOT LESS HAVEN'T YOU? Not including the innocent employees you fired because they threatened your position, at least in your messed up mind.

And how much did you charge to setup cameras around the office and how much to do sweeps to find those bugs you think are recording your stupid comments? How much, Wigg? Who paid for this?

And how much have you cost the CU to promote Campos and Cavazos, only to fire them?

When was the last time any of your employees got a raise?
You have employees doing jobs that are outside their job description. Isn't that illegal under labor law. I wonder what the Dept of Industrial Relations would do if a lot of us filed complaints.

And I know you got a Xmas bonus but none of your staff got one. You sit around playing, making trouble for the cu, and embarassing us. I am so sick of listening to your personal conversations on your cell phone as you walk through every dept. And yes a lot of us know when you are talking to Diedra.

How much will it cost to cement your mouth shut and send you packing?

Hiding under the Mattress said...

I called all of P1's branches today and guess what? April's financials have not been posted.

Isn't that 2 months in a row in which you, Wiggington, have ordered your CFO, not to post
P1's financials?

If anyone who reads this blog had doubts that you are guilty as sin then I am sure they no longer see you as even remotely innocent. Wigg, you might agree that an innocent man has nothing to hide but a guilty one does. Since you're hiding the figures then you are guilty. You agree! The more you hide things the more evidence you give us of your guilt. I guess you never thought of this since you're not honest or innocent.

Just to help you along, I sent an email to the NCUA and the the DFI and even called some of the board members from DFI.

So, Wigg you have now placed your CFO in hot water because he his only doing what you tell him to do. You know you have to post your financials each and every month. I for one can't understand why an innocent guy like yourself would ever feel a need to hide anything, can you? Come on Charles prove you are innocent.

Here are some suggested questions for the annual meeting.

Why did you borrow $20 million in 2008?

By doing so, P1 now has to pay that money back with interst. Why was borrowing money necesary and why do you think adding yet another debt to P1 is a good thing for the credit union?

Why did you lend money to WesCorp?

And when, if ever, will WesCorp pay the credit union back?

Since it is your CFO who is alone responsible for posting the financials each month and since he, alone, has agreed to help you in hiding info that should have been posted, then he must be quite prepared to answer a few questions. Right?

To the CFO, you made a really stupid decision when you decided to help Wiggington out. I feel sorry for you because you are letting Wigg drag you down into the mud with him. I guess that now makes 2 crooks, doesn't it? FYI, the law looks at an accused law breaker and their accomplices, both as guilty.

So if he once and for all gets prosecuted, you probably will too. I guess you two must think that cheating and lying is okay in business.

Anonymous said...

I remember when Wiggington was on suspension. At the time his son "Chuckie Jr" and about 6 other kids were working South Pasadena. Jr told the other kids in front of the employees that his father was dropping him each morning 2 blocks from the office because "he doesn't want to see the people here."

Wigg talks about everyone but each time I remember this I wonder, does he think any of us want to see him? The only one who seems to stick by him no matter how embarrassing he is, is Diedra. Then again, dogs are a man's best friend.

Anonymous said...

On your first day as president you had that smug look on your face like you became president because you were qualified. A lot of us saw you for months and months brown-nosing your way to the top. Of course you never could make it at the bank and no other credit union would ever have named you CEO and you know it!

A lot of us knew you would never do better than Mr Harris because you are too lazy, talk too much, and don't have the intelligence. Its just who you are Wiggington. Of course most of are ashamed of you too.

So what have you done for Priority 1. Well, you are the 1st president to be suspended for sexual harassment.

You are the 1st president to ask an employee if you could whip her ass.

You are the 1st president to promote an employee you knew was kiting. Liz Campos is her name in case you forgot.

You are the 1st president to promote a man who had lots of complaints filed against him for sexual harassment and abuse. I'm talking about Aaron in case you decide to play dumb and not remember who I am talking about.

You are the 1st president who did away with our security which resulted in a lot of members receiving ballots with their socials and acct numbers printed on the outside of the envelope. It was you not Alan who you blamed and embarassed.

You are the 1st president to spend $600,000 on a phone sysem which is a big failure.

You are the 1st president to spend more than $20,000 on a Xmas party. Remember, 2008?

You are the 1st president who got suspended with pay and the first president to get a Holiday bonus you definitely don't deserve!

You got rid of Maggie because you think she wrote a letter which exposed Liz Campos of kiting which is stealing.

Tell me again what good things you've done for Priority 1? You have ruined our reputation and you have kept employees from getting raises and you have made good people lose their jobs. And why are you still employed?

Anonymous said...

Where is April's report? Its not posted at any branch. Come on Charles, you are just making yourself look bad, I mean worse.

Anonymous said...

In December 2006, P1-CU held an all employee meeting.

The meeting was started off by Charles Wiggington, who announced he would be our new CEO/President. Only a few of us applauded at first and then more and more joined in though it was so obvious that the employees were disappointed.

Some employees didn't applaud and their faces showed how disappointed they were. I looked around the room and saw a lot of employees looking at each other. I don't know if it was because they were disappointed or because they knew he was going to drive the credit union into the ground.
I remember feeling like we had all done something wrong and were being punished.

Charles is not stupid, well yes he is, but had and Rodger and others noticed how the employees reacted. I could tell Charles was surprised by the lack of applause and maybe just maybe he was a little hurt.

I suppose he imagined all of us standing up and yelling "hooray, hooray" but that's because Charles only has one foot in reality.

We knew that we were all now heading for trouble. Charles is a liar and has always been one. For years the staff at South Pasadena knew his vindictive and exaggerates and changes the truth. He is a cheater, self-centered, sly, irresponsible, etc.

The CU needs an honest team leader and a role-model who demonstrates a positive outlook and creates a positive atmosphere. All employees knew Charles continuously harrassed Kim Burke, and often made sexual remarks to other female employees particularly if they looked pretty and wore a tight blouse, pants or dress. A lot of times, Charles would hang out at Aaron's cubicle and they would check out good looking members. They would often comment about breasts and asses. What kind of CEO does this?

The day Charles took over was a sad event for us. At first, we felt as if we were walking on egg shells because he is VERY VINDICTIVE but now he is the one walking on egg shells because he has committed criminal acts.

We all loved Mr. Harris dearly, he is respectful, sincere, caring, hard-working, ambitious, FAIR (treated all employees equal), etc. All employees had a GLOW OF HAPPINESS when Mr. Harris spoke at our employee meetings but now we wear FROWNS because we are unhappy.

Charles has done too much damage and needs to go. He has ruined the P1-CU'S GREAT reputation that existed when
Mr. Harris was there.

It is also disappointing that the board of directors is so corrupt. They should all be thrown out and Diedra shold be prosecuted. She is hiding what Charles did though she has not done a good of job of hiding it as it keeps coming out. Go home Diedra and joing a senior club or something. Go bother someone else instead.

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