The man behind the "Something's Smokin' in Shamokin" website, who has a criminal past tracing from New York to the greater Scranton area, is wanted by the law again.
Granted parole in April 2011, Scott Binsack moved from Lackawanna County to Shamokin and recently garnered attention from regulators for his connection to a questionable $13 million business prospectus. Last week, Binsack made himself unavailable for his parole supervisors and was declared a parole absconder.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The details of Binsack's case are not public, said state Board of Probation and Parole spokesman Leo Dunn. He confirmed the board found Binsack delinquent and an absconder.
"We don't declare people delinquent lightly," Dunn said Wednesday.
Binsack probably didn't show up to a scheduled meeting with his parole officer, Dunn explained. Then, he couldn't be found or reached by phone. Parole agents would typically search his residence, talk with known associates or family members and make absolutely sure he absconded intentionally, Dunn said. Most often they are intentional, he said.
"A parolee signs all sort of documents so that they know and understand their obligations to show up to meetings, answer our calls and make themselves available," Dunn said. "He didn't. Now he has an arrest warrant out for him."
When Binsack is arrested, he will be jailed and have a hearing to determine if authorities have probable cause to continue to detain him. Within 120 days, a second hearing will determine if parole should be revoked. That would send Binsack back to jail until his maximum sentence date of May 18, 2014. However, he may also have his time on absconder status tacked onto his jail sentence.
Binsack did not answer calls placed to his cellphone.
$13.4M idea
Binsack appeared at a Shamokin City Council meeting this summer, unveiling dramatic plans to revitalize the city with a $13.4 million public offering of stock. The unregistered offering caught the attention of regulators with state Securities Commission. According to the terms of his release, Binsack is prohibited from engaging in most financial and business transactions. Binsack said at the time that the stock offering is exempt from securities law and that his work with Hometown Revitalization Group LLC and S&S Capital LLC was merely as a consultant.
Binsack pleaded no contest to bad check charges in Lackawanna County after he and his company, Mansions & Estates Inc., left hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unpaid bills and several unfinished projects.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-932-4857 or email ra-pbppopc@state.pa.us.