At least that is what Hamilton Alan Bird had to be thinking when he used his religiously themed "hedge fund," XL Capital Partners swipe their money.

If these investors had done their homework they might have noted that Bird was previously convicted on criminal charges, had a 1991 bankruptcy to his credit and was once busted for practicing an insurance business without a license.

So not only was Bird a known criminal - he was a bad one that kept getting caught. No change to that pattern this time. He's been nicked again and this Friday plead guilty for his hedge funs shenanigans, small solace that might be to the trusting folks whose money he stole.

Already a Bird accomplice, the right reverend pastor pastor Doug Scott of Colorado Springs has been sentenced to 15 years probation and a sizable chunk of community service.

Let's hope that the recidivist, Mr Bird gets substantially more when he goes back before the judge in June.

For More on Bird's guilty plea, click here.

And for a little background on the XL mess, try this article.

-- MDT

Labels: Doug Scott, Fraud, Hamilton Alan Bird, hedge fund, XL Capital Partners