The conspiracy theories here seem unlikely.
If this is fodder for the shorts and I need to go to PMs, just let me know.
As I've said a couple times before, I really don't think the MW situation is as complicated as Herb or theorists here are suggesting. MW probably didn't forge the original marketing doc. They just didn't understand that they were given installed #s and not contracted #s, and in their excitement to reveal a potential fraud, imagination ran wild. The sales rep probably didn't think it was a big deal either, despite probably knowing that she was supposed to use the contracted numbers on that kind of document. When her proposal ended up misused in a bear raid research report, and investigators showed up to seize her hard drive, then she panicked and tried to correct her mistake and cover her tracks by placing the call.
I think MW is just an optimistic shorter and/or an over-eager whistle-blower on this. They look into China RevMrgrs and devour any piece of data that could be interpreted as an indicator of fraud, and ignore contrary evidence or fail to adequately verify that their information proves what they claim it to prove. Not so different from optimistic longs who cheer any hint of good news and flame any questions about it. It's reckless, but it seems to be a typical mixture of good faith, blind optimism, and profit motive. I think MW and many of the shorts really believe, or at least did believe at one point, that they'll be covering a delisted fraud soon. I disagree, but that doesn't mean they all must be liars and cheats.
I could be wrong, it could be a complex conspiracy of lies and threats and actors and crimes, but I'm confident that my explanation is far simpler and therefore more likely.
Disclosure: I'm long 2500 shares on this one and I tend to shy away from short-selling or options.
