Miniscribe "bricks" (was Re: Common Maxtor MFM drive failure mode -- any ideas?)

[Eric Smith]

On Sat, Oct 24, 2015 at 2:36 PM, Tom Gardner <t.gardner at computer.org> wrote:
> The MiniScribe brick story is told at:
> http://chmhdd.wikifoundry.com/page/MiniScribe+files+bancruptcy
>
> The apocryphal tale is that when the Maxtor President visited his then
> recently acquired MiniScribe facilities he was shown buildings 1,2, 3, and
> 5.  When asked what happened to building 4 he was told, "we shipped it brick
> by brick."

The actual story is almost as good. Employees broke into the auditor's
files and changed the numbers in an attempt to conceal the "inventory
hole". Miniscribe CFO Patrick J. Schleibaum was convicted based in
part on an invoice showing that the bricks were purchased from
Colorado Brick Company. Quentin T. Wiles, the chairman and CEO (and
"turnaround specialist"), was also convicted and spent 2 1/2 years in
the Big House.

http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/osg/briefs/1996/01/01/w961430w.txt
http://openjurist.org/102/f3d/1043/united-states-v-t-wiles
https://www.sec.gov/about/annual_report/1991.pdf
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-12/business/fi-14736_1_sherman-oaks
http://www.sbrower.com/Steven%20Brower%20-%20Recent%20Developments%20In%20Computer%20Performance%20Litigation.htm

One possible lesson to be learned: always pay cash when buying
materials for inventory fraud.