I have received a copy of the “original” email. It appears this email was sent from a Yahoo account with Frank’s name in the address line to JP’s legitimate AOL account. The contents of both emails show Frank Lenselink, under personal anguish over his treatment and the treatment of a colleague, resigned from a position of adviser to the board of NeoMedia Technologies, Inc.
The remaining persons in the cc line included board members and Jerry Eicke of YA. This certainly sets off a level of suspicion since Frank has professional email accounts. Even for a private company, a Yahoo e-mail account would be shockingly inappropriate, and insecure, for a letter from a board advisor to other board members and a senior member of the company’s financiers. For both clear legal and security reasons, board member communicates about the company are expected on company authorized e-mail accounts.
To further include a foreign AOL account as a copy would be alarming in any public company – and most privately financed companies. Who was BCCed? Even in my private company, there is an explicit policy that this is cause for removal from a D&O position.
I had Word compare the letter posted on iHub with the letter that was supposed to be the original. In the very first word, the discrepancies began. The changes include the address line and the signature line. So if you believe a board advisor copied someone unassociated with NeoMedia, in the same line as the Board of Directors, then I can assure the letter posted online has been altered enough to cast further doubt on the already doubtful circumstances.
If Frank was as foolish as the “original” email would imply, he is blatantly attempting to manipulate NeoMedia using an unsophisticated former shareholder. If Frank is the victim, then someone is ruining his name for an unclear benefit. Who cares if a penny stock board “advisor” resigns while claiming he wants no further public association with NeoMedia?
If he wants a public protest, why not just blog about it? That, at least, is quasi-legal but he would still worry about an expensive suit to follow.
All this begs the question of why this particular email, which is clearly private and confidential, was posted online. This ONE internal email - in the absence of any other email from anyone associated with the board of directors of NeoMedia.
And, why now? When was the last time an internal board email was posted online?
I can reach no other conclusion that is a poorly executed attempted manipulation by someone unknown that reaches the level of an investigative necessity.
Otherwise, this “letter” is useless for shareholders in evaluating anything about NeoMedia.
I think most of us would not have even considered posting a private internal email online even if was temptingly salacious. I would certainly hope any recipient would take a few steps to authenticate the message – which does not include using calling the cell phone number generously included in the email.
This “email” should in no way reflect on Laura Marriott as a manager, as it was intended. It should also not throw Frank Lenselink under the bus. I am afraid it will damage both. This only hurts NeoMedia and its shareholders as it was clearly intended.
“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble. It’s the things we know that just ain’t so.” Henry Wheeler Shaw
