Reply #57: You are not wrong, that is how scams work.

[Vilis Veritas]

You get party A to agree to let you contract with them for ITEM X, you go to party B and say look, I got a contract with party A for ITEM X and I need to borrow 17 Million to build the new facility. Party B gives you a small portion of the money needed as downpayment so that the project can move forward, say 2 Million...lots of stuff can be done with 2 million.

You start the project and promise payment of the 2.6 million in installments as the project progresses...you hire people...get the second payment from Party B for another million or so...now you have a little over 2 million (you had to spend some to make it look like progress was being made)...ad infinitum

Rinse repeat...ultimately the town is left with a half built and improperly financed 17 million dollar piece of crap and MAH is nowhere to be found.

Probably sunning himself in Montenegro, but of course that would imply that he was smart enough to pull it off.