Jim Couri's life of crime, fraud and misconduct is well documented in court decisions, newspaper articles, sworn statements by his brother, late mother, and daughter. [Click "Read more" immediately below.

1959, Circa - Jim Couri weds and promptly drops out of Duke University after three months. Shortly thereafter Couri matriculated at Columbia University but again dropped out after three months. 

Late 1960s and 1970s - Couri's mother Katby T. Couri writes: "When working for Ernst & Co., [Jim Couri] forged his father's name, sold over $30,000 in bonds and subsequently lost the money in the stock market." "While [Jim] was in his thirties he began to gamble heavily and mix with the wrong crowd. [His parents] received many calls relating to his gambling and were often told how he cheated friends and relatives."

1975 - Jim Couri involved in massive stock fraud scheme.

1978 - In a feature-length article, Barron's Magazine reports Jim Couri, age 39, was at the center of a massive stock fraud scheme that shut down the trading of Conrac Corp. stock on the New York Stock Exchange for over a month.

1979-1980 - Undaunted, Jim Couri commits bank fraud, bribery and deceit. A federal investigation "revealed that Couri had engaged in extensive fraud and deceit during 1979 and 1980, as the owner of Plazagal [Int'l Corp.]," an auction art gallery. "That fraud included alterations of the gallery's financial records to improve apparent profitability and inventory levels, in order to maintain existing credit and secure additional loans from [a bank]; the direction by Couri to Plazagal's employees to deceive consignors of the gallery with respect to the sales of their goods and the payment of money due them; the destruction by Couri of an employee's daily business diary which reflected unfavorably on Couri; and the issuance by Couri of worthless checks." "...Couri ... during the course of his examination admitting, inter alia, to the bribing of an officer of [the bank]." 1981 WL 1662, Fed. Sec. L. Rep. P 98,244, S.D.N.Y., July 23, 1981 (NO. S80 CR. 493-CSH)


1980, Circa - Jim Couri's auction art gallery Plazagal International Corp. files for bankruptcy. 33 B.R. 47 (Bankr. S.D. N.Y. 1983.)


1981 - Jim Couri is sentenced in federal court in New York on three felony pleas involving securities fraud (Conrac Corp.) and bank fraud (Plazagal) as detailed in two different informations.

1981 - Jim Couri consents to a lifetime ban from securities law violations.

1981 - Jim Couri's treating psychiatrist says he "suffers from panic of a neurotic identity crisis" resulting in "clouded ... judgment, blunted ... intelligence" and "misguided" "energies."

1981, Sept. 11 - According to the docket sheet in Jim Couri's three 1980 felony pleas, upon the plea to manipulative trading in security on the National Securities Exchange, Couri was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence (of one year), probation for three (3) years and fined $10,000. Upon Couri's pleas to two additional felonies, Couri received a suspended sentenced of one year in jail and fined $5,000 on count one. On count two, Couri was fined an additional $5,000. In addition, Couri was ordered to cooperate with the creditors committee of the Plazagal International Organization (Couri was the president of Plazagal when it filed for bankruptcy), ordered to undertake psychiatric treatment, and, during the first year, perform eight hours per week of Community Service.

1984 - In 1984, while he was on probation, Couri convinced an individual to loan him $71,000 which he did not return. He also convinced the same individual to allow him to manage his company’s pension accounts. As a result of Couri’s conduct, the pension fund lost more than $700,000.  See, Federated Graphics Companies, Inc. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, T.C. Memo. 1992-347 (1992). In discussing Couri’s background, the tax court noted that: Couri had been convicted of (1) submitting false statements to a Federally insured bank and (2) manipulation of securities trading. Couri was on probation with regard to these convictions when [the taxpayer] first met him.

1986 - Federal Court Judge Charles S. Haight, Jr. says Jim Couri has a checkered past.

1986, Circa - Jim Couri marries for the fourth time.

1987 - Jim Couri's mother, in a witnessed, notarized, videotape affidavit, describes her son Jim, age 48, as "a liar, cheat and ruthless person ... who has no morals and has maintained his lifestyle by cheating others. When people that he gets involved with find out about him they are willing to lose money just to get away from him. My son is not normal and needs psychiatric help."

1992, Circa - Jim Couri becomes embroiled in protracted litigation involving his rental of an apartment at the Westchester County Country Club.

1992, Circa - Jim Couri kicked out of the New York Athletic Club for not paying his bill(s).

1992, Sept. 2 - "No individual should be permitted, as James [Couri] has done in this case, to use and abuse the Courts by pro se commencement of litigation reasserting claims repeatedly released or adjudicated, and, in the context of those proceedings, to make vicious, defamatory and false statements against an almost limitless number of persons and entities. I, my wife, our child, and my business and professional associates must be spared this relentless annoyance and expense." Written by Jim's brother John Couri in a sworn affidavit filed in United States District Court Southern District of New York, 92 Civ. 2991 (CLB).

1996, Circa - Couri, age 57, is evicted from the Carlton House owing unpaid rent of $55,000. Enters into written agreement to pay $5,000 per month for 11 months but defaults on first payment. Judgment entered against Jim Couri for $55,000.

1998 - Couri rents an apartment within George Pavia's brownstone located off of Central Park.

1996-2007 Couri Files Hundreds of Lawsuits in New York County Supreme Court Alone.

2002, Dec. 4 - Criminal Court Judge Gerald Harris upholds the legal sufficiency of criminal harassment charges against Jim Couri in which Couri is alleged to have sent hundreds of harassing faxes, made repeated early morning nuisance telephone calls, and threatened to make [and did in fact made] George Pavia's life a "living Hell." 

2002 - Litigation is commenced to evict Jim Couri from a rental apartment within the Pavia Family brownstone.

2005, Aug. 15 - It appears Couri feigned a heart attack at the end of jury selection in the Pavia vs. Couri litigation. The result was a mistrial and further delay. Notably, Justice Madden reported in her decision of August 26, 2005, at page 6, that Couri's personal cardiologist "Dr. Weintraub stated on the record that in his opinion, it was unlikely that Couri had a heart attack, and that while Couri was admitted to the hospital overnight, he was being discharged in about one hour, and that Couri should be able to continue with the trial within 24 to 48 hours. Dr. Weintraub stated there was less than a 10% and probably less than 5% chance that Couri's (subjective) complaints of chest pain were cardiac."

2005, Dec. 12 - Harold Beeler, J.S.C. finds Jim Couri in contempt of court for violating the terms of the parties' February 17, 2005 mutual restraining order and directs Couri to pay $5,000 and attorney's fees. Further, Judge Beeler orders that Couri is not to commence any further lawsuits, complaints, proceedings or motions in any court or administrative body against defendants John Siebert or his attorney Joseph M. Burke, Esq. (New York County, Supreme Court, Index No. 107240/04.)

2006, June - Jim Couri, age 67, files court documents claiming that he has $400,000 in debts and only $5,000 in assets. Jim's wife Marlene Couri also files a sworn affidavit stating she has no assets. Together, they claim they cannot pay rent to the Pavias.

2006, Dec. 10 - The New York Times reports: "In a 2003 letter to Michelle A. Maratto, one of Mr. Pavia’s lawyers, Mr. Couri accused Ms. Maratto, who was converting to Judaism, of “crazy, abhorrent, shakedown behavior” and went on to tell her that “you are not worthy to become part of the Orthodox Jewish faith. You belong in jail.”


2007, Feb. - Ken Gomez appears as trial counsel for the Pavia Family.


2007, Apr. 7 - Jim Couri's daughter posts a video of Jim Couri dancing to his heart's content, while in court, he claims to be very ill. View the video HERE. Notably, the video was recorded inside Jim  Couri's $1.6 million home in Rancho Mirage, California. Wait a minute, didn't Couri and his wife say they only had $5,000 in assets?

2007, May 9 -  Jury Renders Unanimous Verdict Finding James C. Couri to be a nuisance and rules in favor of the Pavia Family.


2007, May - Supreme Court Justice Joan A. Madden determines Jim Couri made repeatedly false accusations against the people and institutions involved in his litigation.

2007, May - Justice Madden determines Jim Couri has a "fundamental disrespect for the legal process, and a willingness to make baseless attacks on the integrity of any individual or institution in his disputes."

2007 - Jim Couri drafts letter to the New York State Committee on Judicial Conduct claiming Judge Madden's conduct was "not unlike Doctor Mengele's at Auschwitz."

2007 - Jim Couri's in forma pauperis motion to the Appellate Division, First Department, claiming  he was without funds to pursue the normal costs of an appeal in the Pavia case, is denied.

2007, July - Jim Couri is evicted from the apartment he rented from George Pavia by the New York City Marshall's Office.


2008, Feb. 28 - Appellate court finds Couri's refusal to comply with four court orders to make tax records available was calculated to impede the examination of John Siebert's claims alleging Couri defrauded Siebert out of $8 million dollars.

 2008, Feb. 28 - Appellate court finds Couri's conduct, in refusing to provide tax authorizations to John Siebert's attorney, to be "dilatory, evasive, obstructive and ultimately contumacious" there being the absence of any semblance of an excuse for his noncompliance. 

2009, Feb. - New York State Supreme Court Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam upholds the restraining orders served by Kenneth V. Gomez, Esq., upon two different insurance companies, together with the subsequent payment of more than $165,000 out of Couri's New York medical malpractice settlement, to satisfy the unpaid judgments belonging to George Pavia (unpaid rent) (2007) and The Carlton House (unpaid rent) (1996)(See above.)

2008, Mar. 11 - Justice Joan A. Madden "admonishes Couri that if he commences any further actions without first seeking permission from this court, or seeks permission to commence actions which are substantially similar to the proceeding and actions considered on this motion, or otherwise frivolous, he will be sanctioned."

2009, June - Jim Couri launches Scamraiders.com claiming to be the victim of all manner of fraud and court corruption.

2009, Aug. - A California notary public signs affidavit accusing Jim Couri of forging her signature 33 times.

2009, Aug. 29 - Appellate Division, First Department, denies Jim Couri's application to enlarge his time to perfect his appeal beyond the nine months allowed by statute. 

2009, On or about Oct. 1 - An investigator for the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, calls Jim Couri on his cell phone and determines (by cell tower triangulation) that he is in New York despite the fact that Couri had  for over a year claimed he was medically incapable of traveling to New York from California and proceed with the Siebert litigation --- where it is alleged he defrauded Siebert out of more than eight million dollars.

2009, Oct. 26 - The Honorable Leslie S. Lowenstein, acting as a Special Referee, in the Couri v. Siebert litigation, recommends Justice Michael D. Stallman impose a $4,500 sanction upon Jim Couri for contumacious and frivolous behavior.

2009, Nov. 11 - Jim Couri's forgery of the signature of a California notary 33 times raises serious credibility questions about Couri's medical claims.

2009, Nov. 11 - Justice Stallman Orders Couri to Submit to a Medical Examination to Verify His Health Claims

2009, Nov. - Five months after the launch of Scamraiders, Kenneth  V. Gomez, Esq. launches this blog to defend his reputation and expose Jim Couri for what he is.

2009, Nov. 22 - Kenneth Gomez posts, It Was Shocking to Realize that Virtually Everything Couri Said of Significance Was Not True.

2009, Dec. 7 - Kenneth Gomez asks, "Why is Couri not in jail?"

2009, Dec. - Jim Couri refuses to comply with a court order directing him to provide medical authorizations that would allow the examination of his medical records and his claim that he is too sick to travel from California to New York to participate in discovery and trial in an $8M fraud case. 

2009, Dec. 31 - Jim Couri's motion seeking reargument of decision finding his conduct contumacious is denied.

2009, Dec. 31 - Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Stallman has serious doubts about Jim Couri's credibility.

2010, Jan. 4 - Kenneth Gomez posts, The Irony of Scamraiders.

2010, Feb. 5 - Reporter John Eligon of the New York Times publishes, A Serial Plaintiff and His Loyal Opposition.