By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
A former concert and event promoter who was ordered to pay more than $28,500 in fraud restitution this year has been charged with four contempt counts, according to court records filed in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Derrick Gates, 30, also known as Derrick Badders, is charged with one count of failing to make restitution payments to the Missouri Merchandising Practices Restitution Fund in the amount of $680.04; two counts of failing to properly register a business; and one count of using a name other than his legal name to conduct business, according to the state attorney general’s case.
The charges state he is in contempt of a previous court ruling, which states he is responsible for making restitution to victims who gave him booth-rental fees for concerts and events that never materialized. He is also enjoined under a permanent injunction not to engage in businesses under any name but his legal name, and that any businesses must be duly registered with the secretary of state’s office.
“Our responsibility is to ensure he has been complying with every aspect of the court order,” said John Fougere, a spokesman for Attorney General Jay Nixon’s office. “After taking a close look at all the facts, we’ve determined he’s in violation of the court order.”
Gates could not be reached for comment Thursday. Citing what he called “negative coverage” of his previous court case, Gates declined to comment earlier this week when asked for an interview about his latest business venture, Edge Worship, an alternative Christian church at 1603 S. Main St. in Joplin.
Efforts to find out whether Gates had been arrested on the new charges were unsuccessful Thursday. A Jasper County jailer did say that he was not in custody Thursday night.
Fougere said Gates’ monthly restitution payment is $680.04, and that the attorney general’s office has not received a payment for June, July or August.
From January to November of 2007, Gates and his associates received more than $37,000 — in amounts from $150 to $2,000 — as down payments for booth space at three events: Godstock, a Christian music festival that was scheduled to take place last summer in Joplin; Battle for the Mic, a rap concert that was slated for last August in Kansas City; and the Ink-Deep Tattoo Convention, which had been planned for December in Kansas City. None of the events was ever put on by Gates.
Gates reached a consent judgment agreement with the attorney general’s office in June, in which he admitted he was responsible for repaying more than $28,000 to vendors who had paid deposits for the booth space. He was given 3 1/2 years to repay the debt as part of the order, and was also permanently banned from promoting concerts and events or from taking deposits from vendors unless he first posted a $200,000 cash bond with the local court.
The charges allege that Gates is operating a Web page through the social networking site MySpace.com to promote “BlackSHEEP Clothing Co.” and “BlackSHEEP Graphic Design” under the alias “Derrick Badders.” Gates used the social-networking site to promote his previous events, including Godstock and the Ink-Deep Tattoo Convention.
The judgment also stipulated that any future businesses Gates undertook would need to be compliant with Missouri laws by registering with the Secretary of State’s Office, and that such registration be done under his legal name, and not an alias such as Derrick Badders.
The agreement also saddled him with $25,000 in fines, which were suspended, pending his compliance with the order.
Fougere said his office’s investigation will also look at whether the fines should also be assessed against Gates.
Victims who said they still have not been repaid voiced appreciation for the contempt charges.
“Good, get him,” said Darryl Becker, an artist at the Ink-Atak tattoo shop in Joplin, who along with a friend paid Gates $500 to reserve space at the tattoo convention. “Lock his a-- up. He ain’t gonna learn either way.”
No court date has yet been set for a hearing on the contempt counts.
“We are still in the mode of reviewing any and all information as far as what he’s doing as to whether or not it’s in violation of the order,” Fougere said.
Other judgments
A spokesman for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said one of the three co-defendants in a civil-fraud case has fulfilled his requirement to pay restitution.
Josh Allen, of Carl Junction, paid $5,250 in restitution and another $1,906 in fines and court costs to Nixon’s office in May, and an official notice of satisfaction of judgment was filed Sept. 2 in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Another co-defendant, Zachary Grimm, has been making his monthly restitution payments on time, and still owes roughly $2,320 to six vendors from Godstock, according to John Fougere, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office.
