In February 2013 I googled my name and found myself listed, along with James Yellowlees, on Vancouver English Centre’s website as someone not to be trusted.

Vancouver English Center isn’t happy with Global Daigaku

I had no idea what it was about. I sent an e-mail to the school’s address and CC’d James:

To whom it may concern:

Please remove my name from the pages indicated in the attached PDF.

I was laid off from Global Daigaku in March 2011. The pages on your site with my name on them were posted July 7, 2012. Whatever happened between your school and James Yellowlees has nothing to do with me. I’m sure he will verify if you ask.

Thank you,

Richard Pavonarius

I e-mailed the school two or three more times and send them a fax before my name was finally taken down. Since no one from the school would reply to me, I didn’t find out the story until August 2014 when another of James’ victims forwarded to me this reply from Ken Gardner, the president of VEC.

John,
Thanks for the additional information.
It’s too bad that the Japanese legal system is so wishy-washy with this type of crime. I’m definitely not a lawyer – thank God – but, as far as I know, it’s legal in Canada to say whatever you want about someone, as long as it’s true. What about documenting some of James’ crimes and posting them on social media? Would that be legal in Japan? If not, a Canadian like me could do it.
Today, I noticed a testimonial for him on LinkedIn. I informed the person who had offered it. He was grateful for the information. He hadn’t worked with James for over 15 years but had recently been considering a new project with him. If we really wanted to put the pressure on, we could contact all of James’ LinkedIn endorsements, Facebook friends, etc.
He has always associated himself in a very public way with whatever reputable institutions he could. In the past, he made a big deal about his connection with the CCCJ, which seems to have finally gone by the wayside – not surprisingly. His crime career would suffer if a search for his name – or company name – resulted in more horror stories than accolades. He might even pay some money back.
Unfortunately we have had staff turnover since our problems with James. We will have to do some detective work to document the facts. As I recall, it was probably about six students and maybe around $15,000-$30,000.
BTW, we were quite close to his key employee in Vancouver. It was sad because she was very professional. Imagine a very contentious Japanese person trying to help the victims, while feeling like a criminal, and working without pay. I’ll see if I can contact her to pick her brain a bit. Do you know anyone in Japan who might be able to provide some information?
Regards,
Ken

If you know James Yellowlees, please help convince him that ripping people off is bad for everyone involved, including himself and his family. Whatever the causes of his financial troubles, there has to be a better way to resolve them.