Worcester Fans Demand More Info About Their Prospective New Owners
Worcester's buyers have been urged to share more details about their consortium after it emerged that they appear to include a couple who run a gun-shop in Minnesota and the investment company for seminal funk group The Gap Band.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that two of the individuals in Jim O'Toole's consortium, a couple called Denise and Marc Schrade, were running a weapons store and private medical centre out of the same building in Minneapolis as recently as 2018.
The couple also failed to turn up for a recent court case.
Another individual in the consortium is Pierre Akinroyulo, the business development director for Wilson Holdings Global, an investment vehicle set up by the Wilson family.
Its members formed the core of The Gap Band.
Both the Schrades and Akinroyulo have been listed as officers of the company that has been chosen as the preferred bidder for Worcester Warriors.
Some of the details around the Schrades' background have been listed in due diligence compiled by anonymous individuals calling themselves the 'supporters group', which has been shared with this newspaper.
The authors of the report say: ‘Worcester Warriors has multiple community stakeholders as well as national obligations to HM Government.
As supporters, we have a right to know who is the ‘real owner' - the money behind the charade names fronting the bid. Especially as Jim O'Toole announced he was backed by a major US conglomerate.'
Worcester were placed into administration last month with an outstanding tax bill of £6million. The club also have a £15million Covid loan on their books.
Jim O'Toole's consortium of Worcester Warriors buyers has been questioned by the club's fans
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O'Toole, the former Worcester chief executive who left the club in 2017, created a company called Atlas Worcester Warriors to buy the club. Its officers are listed as O'Toole, the former London Irish player James Sandford, the Schrades and Total Compliance Solutions (Europe) Limited.
Akinroyulo resigned as an officer on the day that he was appointed, October 27.
Akinroyulo is also a director of Total Compliance Solutions (Europe), along with the Schrades. They were each appointed to the latter firm on October 28.
O'Toole and Sanford were listed as individuals with significant control of Total Compliance solutions until October 28, when that status was withdrawn.
Denise Schrade is also listed as a director of Total Compliance Solutions Inc, a private medical company with one centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Its services include Covid testing and it has an average of two and a half stars from its 21 Google reviews.
The Schrades opened a gun store in the same building, with Marc giving an interview to the local news outlet the Hutchinson Leader in April 2018 in which he discussed the business.
‘Our corporate office was too small, this building came up for sale, so the back half of the building is Total Compliance Solutions.
Fans have questioned the unlikely backgrounds of those set to own the club going forward
‘The front half of the building, we were just sitting there thinking ‘What are we going to do with it?
Since I have a federal firearms licence, my wife said: "Let's just make it a store'."
At the time, Schrade also sold throwing knives and survival equipment, but was planning to increase his inventory of guns. ‘I have everything in place for a large dealership,' he said.
‘The security system, bars on windows and a gate across the window. But in order to be considered large, you have to have 50 firearms or so.'
District court papers dated February 23, 2021, recorded that the Schrade also did not appear in court when called as the defendants against McLeod County Administration. They had declined to provide the court of their location and could not receive mail as they 'moved often while staying in an RV [mobile home]'.
The plaintiff was seeking payment of a $2,585.85 debt. The case was closed on October 19 last year with the monetary award listed as 'active'.
The MoS has not seen the court's judgment.
The Gap Band, pictured in 2005, had decades of success after their 1970s breakthrough
As a film-maker, Akinroyulo's credits include Minnesota!
The Modern Day Selma. In his business profile on Wilson Holdings Global and on LinkedIn, he is referred to as Pierre Akin. His LinkedIn profile lists him as director of operations for Total Compliance Solutions and includes his role with Wilson Holdings Global.
Wilson Holdings Global is run by Franklin and Michelle Wilson. The Gap Band consisted of the brothers Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
They enjoyed several decades of success once they broke through in the 1970s.
In November last year, following Ronnie's death, the Wilson family and Wilson Holding Group released a statement saying they were increasing their ‘public image, philanthropic offerings, and business holdings'.
They were also working on movie projects about the family's history. It is not known in what capacity Akinroyulo joined O'Toole's consortium.
The RFU will carry out background checks on potential owners when they receive full details
It has been reported that the group were planning to film a fly-on-the-wall documentary at Worcester.
O'Toole declined to comment. Approaches were made to Kinroyulo and Total Compliance Solutions.
The 'supporters group' report said: ‘Who in reality is going to be the power behind Worcester Warriors and pulling the strings?' They questioned the interested parties' apparent lack of background in rugby.
‘Why are they purchasing the club? Given the impact to the community of one administration, it is appropriate this buyer is approved as fit and https://www.cruisewhat.com/tocaya-organica-nutritional-information/ proper when we know that there are other buyers interested in purchasing the club.'
The RFU will carry out background checks on the individuals involved once it has received full details relating to consortium.
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