Posted on 05/14/2004 3:43:32 AM PDT by calcowgirl
Prometheus Methods Tower Services Inc., the business that cost Nick Berg his life in Iraq, has no records with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The company that specialized in building communications towers never registered with the Pennsylvania Corporation Bureau, said Brian McDonald, spokesman for the state department.
McDonald conducted a search of the bureaus online list of registered businesses, but found no matches.
The same search done by a Daily Local News reporter produced the same results -- several businesses contained the word "Prometheus" in their names. Only one is located in West Chester, and it is not related to Bergs business.
Companies are not legally required to register with the state, but McDonald explained it is usually the first step an owner takes.
"Youd be very foolish not to register your business with the department," he said. "It is nearly impossible to exist without doing it."
Registering allows an owner to set up his businesss tax structure. It also establishes how the business is run, for example, whether or not it is for-profit or nonprofit.
"It is basically the infrastructure by which businesses are set up in the commonwealth," McDonald said.
McDonald added it is possible the business could be listed in the bureaus records under a different name.
Searching the statewide yellow pages online found two company names containing the word "Prometheus" in Philadelphia. One is an Internet consulting business.
An employee at the second one, which is called Prometheus Radio Project, said it was not affiliated with the business owned by the local man slain in Iraq by members of al-Qaida.
Officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service said state and federal laws prohibited their agencies from providing any records they had of Prometheus Methods Tower Services -- even whether the company had ever filed a return.
"Any information that we get or is contained on a tax return I cant release," said Steve Kniley, press secretary for the state revenue department. "It is considered confidential under tax law."
Tax records become public information only if a lien is filed against a business. According to Kniley, there are no liens against Bergs company.
Bill Cressman, spokesman at the IRSs Philadelphia office, said the only companies with public tax records are nonprofit corporations.
At least one person claims he can confirm Prometheus existence.
Jay Shur, who works at the radio station WCHE 1520 AM in West Chester, said on Wednesday he was in the process of hiring Berg to build a communications tower for the station when news of his death came out.
The station was awaiting approval of plans from both the borough and an environmental agency before construction could begin, according to Shur.
"Theres a lot of paperwork to go through, and the area we were looking at was a marsh- land so we had to get clearance," he said."When I do get the OK, Ill have to look for another contractor."
Michael Berg briefly spoke about Prometheus during a press conference Thursday morning outside his home.
"My son was not over there to make money," Michael Berg said. "My sons business, which was very profitable before he went to Iraq ..I will make good on anything the company owes anybody, but its pretty much going to be defunct."
It is unclear how many employees Prometheus had. Michael Berg spoke of a "foreman" during the press conference. However, Nick Berg traveled to Iraq alone.
Staff Writer Jill Nawrocki contributed to this article.
Anyone can fly a plane. Its landing them that separates the amatuers from the pros.
Berg was a pro. He didn't learn how to be a radio engineer and climb 1000 foot towers so that he could be a martyr for Allah.
His father may be a flake and a traitor, but that doesn't mean he held those views. There is a long paper trail on Michael Berg as an anti-American whack job, but there is no such paper trail on Nick Berg. Its not that we have to give Nick Berg the benefit of the doubt. Right now there is nothing to doubt.
You show me the evidence that Nick Berg was an Al Queida supporter or that he was a secret Islamic Fundamentalist and then there might be something there to doubt. Where is the evidence that he was anything other than what he said he was... A Broadcast Professional?
Tom Hammill didn't have a beard...he looked TOTALLY American.
Exactly
What if he wanted to install his low level radio signals to do anti-American propaganda?
He went to Iraq twice....Uganda....Iran....he mentioned in his e-mail that the FBI asked he went to Iran.
If you haven't read thgis entire thread, you should. His FATHER said he was Al Qeada's Best Friend....not the Iraqi people, but Al Qeada!!!!
I just happen to be reading a book entitled " The PROMETHEUS Deception" by Robert Ludlum. (2000)
It is a thrilling spy novel where the main character NICK BRYSON was working for an ultra-secret intelligence agency based in the U.S. called the Directorate, BUT which may have really been an agency acting against the U.S. (possibly out of Russia)-- BUT this was unbeknownst to Nick Bryson at the time he was in the group.
Years later, NICK is recruited by the CIA (??) to infiltrate this same group which is now called PROMETHEUS that may turn out now to be a multinational terrorist conspiracy group. The group is sponsoring terror so that the world will have need of its communication/satellite equipment.
Just thought it odd to run into PROMETHEUS twice this week!! (tinfoil off).
A picture does not credibility make.
"Oh boy" ping... lol
You are right -- only union labor! This whole deal makes less and less sense including Ashcroft saying he wasn't connected to any terrorists. It has been stated here he was involved with the Arab group that Moussaoui was and he stayed in Norman after not returning to school in the spring.
That guy was no conservative -- conservatives at OU do not pal around with the Islamic society and you can take that to the bank!
I really hate to say this, but...was he deeply involved with the Islamofascists, went to Iraq, got "Sheep Dipped" in Mosul by riding around in a Taxi with a Koran...and then, WHAT??? Double, Triple, Quintouple AGENT???
Something mighty NON-KOSHER [or Halal, for that matter!!]
Not sure that we will ever know what happened. No one deserves to be killed the way he was. Today I even found out that some people said Moussaoui was here earlier and then left and returned to Norman so who knows. Rumors are everywhere.
"Did you notice, also, that when Nick Berg was describing his arrest, he quoted from that stupid 1960's song, Alice's Restaurant?"
No...what was the quote?
That could mean anything .. If there is no hard evidence, Ashcroft isn't going to come out and say he was connected. But at the same time it doesn't mean he wasn't friendly with them
Prometheus Radio Project is headquartered in Philly. Its leader, Dylan Wrynn (aka "Pete Tri Dish") is a revolutionary figure who once beamed an illegal FM signal right into the FCC offices in DC. Wrynn is not only an active member of ANSWER operations in Philly, he's also been a featured speaker at the number of their events. It would surprise me if Wrynn and Mike Berg were not previously acquainted.
Absolutely nothing about this Berg guy adds up.
Very true -- wonder if there is an active investigation going on with all of this?
I'm sure if there isn't .. they did have one done previously
He may not be directly connected .. but he could be friendly with them .. and in a court of law .. being friends with someone (even a terrorists) isn't necessarily illegal
Real name Dylan Wrynn, B. 1971, Brooklyn, NYC, NY. Long time known radical with a national activity pattern. Committed an RF attack on FCC offices in DC but was never prosecuted or punished for it (done during Clinton years). Has been written about in many Leftist free urban rags, Mother Jones and the Ford Foundation web site. And on and on it goes...
I agree.
I was close friends with the Iranians in my last neighborhood. We had other things in common.
I am very close to a Jew who loves sharing stories about all the days he spent hanging out with the Palestinian group in collge. They debated Israel, didn't agree on much of anything, he was a conservative, but he is brilliant and curious and still likes that sort of socializing.
As I said earlier, if the best we can come up with is that
he lent his laptop to someone to send an e-mail who two years later becomes an aquaintance of Moussaoui,
named his company one of the most common company names out there (that fits his company's objective),
and happened to spend friendly time with the Arabs...
It's not a strong enough case yet for me to risk wrongly trashing his memory.
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