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[jipe]

Newspaper probes Gizmondo managers' past
The article linked above is a very brief summary of a series of articles in the Swedish newspaper 'Aftonbladet.' It seems that the swedes who founded Gizmondo has previously been engaged in all kinds of illegal activities, including blackmail, distribution of counterfeit money, blackmail and assault. Apparently they operated as a sort of debt collectors for the Swedish underworld.

Some details from the Swedish articles for those who care:
- The group was known as "the Uppsala mafia"
- Stefan Eriksson, Executive Director at Gizmondo Europe, was convicted to five years in prison in 1993 for planning to distribute counterfeit money. Another five years were added for trying to scam a financial institution for about $3 million.
- Peter Uf, also a director, was given a sentence of 8 years and 6 months for similar charges.
- Johan Enander, head of security at Gizmondo, has convictions for blackmail and assault. One of the cases involved a female victim.

 

[Funky Papa]

Daaaaaaamn, what the hell were those investors thinking?!

Paging Chitta, please respond

 

[Chittagong]

Greetings from Singapore from the Gizmondo Asia HQ, scored a job here!

 

[Chittagong]

Holy crap, Sweden's biggest tabloid made a four article series of the Gizmondo gangstas - they are infact hardcore and have done time for pretty serious stuff.

Take notice, Gizmondo will become to 2005 what boo.com was in late 90s - it'll be true gaming and finance history! This is not a gaming board joke anymore, but true mainstream press material!

I'll post links here


Mob leader becomes director

"The four Swedes heading Gizmondo have been sentenced for very serious offences."

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,718446,00.html



Directors have served long sentences

"Four Swedes sit in top positions in Gizmondo"

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,718447,00.html



1.6 billion Swedish Kroner disappeared from the company within half a year

"27,5 million Kronor have been paid out from Gizmondo to Stefan "Thick-Steve" Eriksson's and Carl Freer's company Northern Lights Software."

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,718448,00.html



It's all about luxury and superstars

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,718445,00.html

 

[bishoptl]

What a clusterfuck.

 

[monkeyrun]

I am scared .........

 

[Wario64]

lol

 

[dskillzhtown]

I wonder if Gizmondo is nothing more that a money laundering scheme...

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

the gizmondo is seriously ending up as the biggest joke in the entire history of gaming. and that's saying alot

 

[genjiZERO]

Wasn't the guy who ran Infinium Labs (Phantom) a dubious character as well? What's up with half-assed videogame manufacturers and illegal activity?

 

[Chittagong]

REIROM FOUND DEAD

SWEDISH NINJAS INVADE BRAZIL

 

[Suikoguy]

I wonder if Gizmondo is nothing more that a money laundering scheme...

That would be hillarious yet sad

 

[jetjevons]

I wonder if Gizmondo is nothing more that a money laundering scheme...

You think?

 

[monchi-kun]

- The group was known as "the Uppsala mafia"


damn, evein their criminal nomenclature sounds like furniture

 

[nubbe]

Take notice Infinium Labs, this is how professionals do it.

I feel national pride

 

[callous]

Probably not so much a laundering scheme as just a way of getting rich from investors and then leaving the boat to sink. Happens all the time, but this is on a decent scale and therefore interesting

 

[Matlock]

tsc

 

[Chittagong]

- The group was known as "the Uppsala mafia"


damn, evein their criminal nomenclature sounds like furniture

Grand Theft Auto: Uppsala coming next?

 

[Beatbox]

ALAS P P U

 

[jetjevons]

Starbreeze live in Uppsala.

 

[belgurdo]

On a related thought, weren't mobsters running the operations of SNK in America?

 

[Taichu]

"Mama can I mow the lawn" might be slang for counterfeiting. :lol :lol

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Gizmondo is a counterfeit PSP, buy a DS! ;p

 

[Drexon]

Gizmondo is Swedish? *Throwes what pride he had left out for the GAF vultures to eat*

 

[sc0la]

At least this thing is launching. Can't say the same about Phantom.

Welcome to Comparative Bamboozlement 101: Industry Gizmondoization I am Professor Scola. Next Gen Systems is down the hall in the GAF wing

 

[Servizio]

"Andy Richter Controls The Uppsala Mafia"

 

[CarlosX360]

Well, this begs the questions:

Does Gizmondo fall in the same category as The Phantom?

Phantom vs Gizmondo: Which is worse?



:lol

 

[human5892]

If you buy a Gizmondo, you support terrorism.

 

[MrDaravon]

There's a Swedish underworld? Jesus.

 

[Kleegamefan]

I have also heard Konami has some Yakuza ties....

Metal Gear Solid Concrete Shoes...

 

[..pakbeka..]

I have also heard Konami has some Yakuza ties....

Metal Gear Solid Concrete Shoes...

One of Yamauchi's daughters is married to a Yakuza ganglord

 

[Blackace]

One of Yamauchi's daughters is married to a Yakuza ganglord

well, being rich and Japanese in Japan means you know Yakuza in some fashion... and since the company was started during the Meiji era I am sure there are some strong ties to the Yakuza there..

 

[DDayton]

One of Yamauchi's daughters is married to a Yakuza ganglord

He has more than one daughter?

 

[Ranger X]

This perfectly fits with the Gizmondo. I always felt this thing is wrong and it probably is.

 

[Chittagong]

Somebody actually translated (a bit poorly, I must say) the first of the Aftonbladet articles. Translation courtesy, ironically, gizmodo.com for your reading pleasure:

The Criminal who became a director/manager

Swedish criminals gets many millions in salaries from computer gaming
company London, four Swedish are top managers in the British billion
kronor (Swedish Krona is a seventh of a USD) Company Gizmondo that
tries to compete with gaming giants Sony and Nintendo. Aftonbladet
(Swedish newspaper) can as of today reveal that three of them has been
sentenced to severe crimes. The previous leader of the criminal gang
Stefan “Fat-Stefan” Eriksson, top manager of Gizmondo has a salary and
bonus over 25 million Kronas (aprox 3,5 millions USD). Stefan
“Fat-Stefan” Eriksson 43 yrs is today written about in international
respect business press. He sees photographed with the Jet Set of
England , and run the Billion Krona company Gizmondo, with companions
Peter Uf, 42 yrs and Johan Enander46 yrs. No one seems to know the
past connection with the organized criminals of Sweden.


They where called the Uppsala-mafia

In early 1990 the three companions got the infamous name “The Uppsala Mafia”. They where sentenced to long punishment in jail in several different trials, one of the crimes was trying to fraud 22 millions Kronas from the Swedish Bank Giro central. Stefan “Fat-Stefan” Eriksson 43 yrs was 1993 and 1994 sentenced to 10 and a half years prison for major economic frauds. His companion Peter Uf, was sentenced to in total 8 and a half years prison. Ulf is today a manager in the Gizmondo organization. Johan Enander, 46, that was called the Uppsala-mafia torpedo got over 6 years prison in different trials. He was sentenced for different crimes as for example physical assault, blackmail etc. In December 2003 he was again sentenced to one and a half years of physical assault of a women. As soon he had served hi punishment he was assigned as Head of security at Gizmondo.

The founder of Gizmondo is the unpunished friend and entrepreneur Carl
Freer, 35 yrs, the Swedes has big plans for the future. The idea is
that they should compete with giants with market leader Gameboy
(Nintendo) and PSP (Sony). The money in this area is astronomic. But
there has been none profit for the new combers. Instead they did a
loss on 1,6 billion Swedish Krona (more than 200 Millions USD). But
the company’s lack of success does not matter when it comes to
salaries and benefits. The manager Stefan “Fat-Stefan” Ericsson got
last year salary and bonus that exceeded 24 millions of Krona, plus a
company car worth 815 000 Krona (aprox 115 000 USD).

GO THICK-STEFAN!!

 

[Brosa]

They're out.

Due to the fantastic swedish law called PUL which forbids naming of anyone not giving his permission I let you do the math of replacing * with Hex for 14, but St*fan "Thick-St*fan" Eriksson, Carl Fr*er, Pet*r Uf and Johan Enand*r quit when they realized that the newspaper Aftonbladet was going to expose them:

Swedish article: http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,719007,00.html

– It was the only right thing to do, says Michael Carr*nder, CEO for the mother company Tiger Telematics. //snip// -We had no information about St*fans past. We did some checkups, like we do on all managers, but didn't get this information.

The sales manager for Gizmondo in Sweden has another story to tell though:

-Yes, of course I know [about their past]. Everybody does.

 

[Chittagong]

WANTED BY POLICE - GIZMONDO EX-SECURITY CHIEF

Have you seen this Gizmondo officer? Call Police now.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,719007,00.html


A quick translation by me:

Johan Enander, 46, became the security chief of multinational Tiger Telematics. Today he is wanted accross Europe.

Johan Enander was called "the torpedo" of the Uppsala Mafia in the nineties. He has been sentenced to jail several tmes, last time in December 2003. He had, among other offenses, assaulted a woman.

Already in the trial he told the criminal institution officer that he will begin a new life, that he is has found the right path.

He had been sick for a long period, but had now been promised a job as the security chief in an international company. This was also mentioned in the verdict where he was sentenced to a relatively low sentence of six months.

Back then nobody seemed to note that the position came from an earlier fellow-offender, the unknown leader of the Uppsala Mafia, Stefan "Thick Steve" Eriksson. The verdict was appealed and the royal court doubled the sentence to one year and three months.

Johan Enander and his attorney Thomas Martinson appealed to the supreme court but did not get an permission to proceed.

- Then he decided to leave the country, says a source
- This summer he was seen in Marbella

Police is after Johan Enander all over Europe to jail him for the sentence he escaped from. Since last Thursday he has not been employed anymore by Gizmondo.

The plot thickens!

 

[Funky Papa]

Incredible, just incredible. Clusterfuck is indeed the word for the whole company.

 

[Phosphor]

Grand Theft Auto: Uppsala coming next?

Hahaha I live in that house

 

[evil ways]

He has more than one daughter?

More importantly, are Yamauchi's daughters even still alive? I'd figure they'd be like 70 years old by now.

 

[Larry Bird]

Here they are:

FUCK!!!

 

[SnakeXs]

Here they are:

FUCK!!!

Fear the Greek Man Mafia.

P.S.: This is news?

P.S.S.: This thread rules.