Pet Fence Pros® Premium Dog Fence Products

One of our customers sent us this information about the owner of Sunward Electronics, manufacturer of Dog Guard brand dog fence products.  She expressed concern about future availability of dog fence batteries for her Dog Guard pet containment system, and other dog fencing products she might need for her Dog Guard pet fence.  I assured her that we will continue to carry all the same products for her Dog Guard system as we currently do, but I cannot predict how this will affect availability of new Dog Guard brand dog fence items, since we have no relationship or communication with Sunward Electronics or Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing.  In the interest of serving our customers with our information as well as our products, we decided to post this information once we verified it, which we did.  The following information is a matter of public record, easily found with a simple Google search:

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Mortgage Fraud Blog - Wednesday, November 29, 2006
New York Property Seller Indicted in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Berne A. Watkins was indicted on five felony counts by a grand jury in Albany, New York. Watkins was charged with one count of conspiring with Aaron R. Dare and others known and unknown to commit federal crimes, three counts of committing, causing or aiding and abetting the commission of interstate wire fraud, and one count of making, causing to be made, or aiding and abetting the making of false statements to obtain loans insured by HUD, all in connection with a scheme to obtain financing for the sale by Watkins and purchase by Dare of three multi-family residential housing projects.

Watkins caused to be executed on behalf of Sunward Electronics, Inc. (another company that he, together with his wife, owned and/or operated, which manufactured and sold electronic dog fences called Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing), a promissory note falsely representing in substance a debt that Sunward purportedly owed Emerge in the amount of $1.8 million. Dare executed on a “Collateral Assignment of Promissory Note Proceeds,” which purported to assign the proceeds of this bogus promissory note to Watkins‘ companies, and Watkins caused to be executed an “Acceptance of Assignment” of the bogus promissory note as a purported cash down payment on the acquisition of the properties.

The charges contained in the indictment carry a total statutory maximum of sixty-seven (67) years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1.25 million.


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COPYRIGHT 2007 Times Union
Byline: Brendan J. Lyons

Jul. 26--ALBANY -- A Glenmont businessman who conspired to commit an elaborate real estate scam with Aaron R. Dare, the former head of Albany’s defunct Urban League, pleaded guilty to felony fraud charges Wednesday in federal court.

Berne A. Watkins, 70, a real estate developer who also owns Sunward Electronics, a Troy-based company that specializes in electronic dog fence collars under the Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing brand name, was indicted last November on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and aiding in the making of false statements on a federally insured Housing and Urban Development loan.

The scheme cost the federal government nearly $2 million.


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Mortgage Fraud Blog - Friday, August 22, 2008
Aaron Dare CoDefendant Sentenced

Berne A. Watkins, 71, codefendant of Aaron Dare, the former head of Albany, New York’s now defunct Urban League, was sentenced to 9 months in prison, followed by six months home confinement, three years probation and $792,685 in restitution. Watkins faced a prison term of between 37 and 46 months under federal sentencing guidelines. However, due to the defendant’s age, lack of criminal history and his efforts at restitution, U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn, who has ruled in other cases concerning Mr. Watkins, ordered a lighter sentence.

As previously reported by Mortgage Fraud Blog, Aaron Dare was sentenced to 63 months in prison and ordered to pay almost $2 million in restitution.


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The Albany Times Union by BRENDAN J. LYONS - October 26, 2008

Berne Watkins [owner of Sunward Electronics, manufacturer of Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing (electronic invisible dog fence products)], partly blames his former business attorney, Michael Kornstein of Albany, for his conviction on fraud charges related to a massive property deal that involved former Urban League Director Aaron Dare, who is in prison for his role. Watkins, 71, is scheduled to report to federal prison later this month to begin a 9-month sentence for his guilty plea last year in the $8.5 million real estate scheme. The crimes centered on the sale of three large rental properties Watkins owned in Albany and Schenectady.