Finally! You can dress up as a sexy Starship Trooper or Winnie the Pooh and march around with a light heart knowing that you are not helping support an accused child molester.
On their FB page, Dragon*Con founders officially announced a split from co-founder Ed Kramer who is currently in jail on charges related to child molestation. The current Dragon*Con board did what many had suggested they had to by buying out Kramer’s interests and starting a new corporation to run the popular comics/SF/fantasy/lifestyle event.
As we’ve previously reported, waste of oxygen Kramer has been eluding standing trial for charges for well over a decade by gaming the Georgia legal system and filing endless nuisance complaints from his jail cell.
The fact that Kramer was funding his endless legal maneuvers via the money he made from Dragon*Con rankled many, with calls of a boycott being circulated.
Although some may say this change of heart from the current Dragon Con board came pretty late, at last they’ve finally done the right thing. And should Kramer ever actually face a court of law, perhaps he’ll be found innocent or guilty and we can all move on.
UPDATE: Many on Twitter and elsewhere were wondering about the language above which stated that Kramer had only been OFFERED a buyout and had not taken one. The Mary Sue got this statement from attorney Greg Euston of McGraw Euston Associates.
In this merger, Dragon Con, Inc., replaces the old company, Dragon*Con/ACE Inc. Pat Henry and four other shareholders exchanged their shares in the old company for 100 percent of the shares in the new company. Ed Kramer, the remaining minority shareholder in the old company, was cashed out. Dragon*Con/ACE Inc. no longer exists. As a consequence of this merger, Mr. Kramer no longer has any interest, financial or otherwise, in Dragon Con.
Original statement:
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Dragon Con / ACE, Inc., producer of Dragon*Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy and sci-fi convention, have agreed to merge the company into Dragon Con, Inc. (Dragon Con) in a cash-out merger.
Led by Pat Henry, David Cody and Robert Dennis, ownership of Dragon Con includes five of the six founding owners of Dragon Con / ACE (the old Dragon Con). The effective date of the merger is July 8, 2013.
Edward Kramer, who has not had any role in managing or organizing the convention since 2000, was offered cash for his shares in the old company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“This decision only affects the ownership of the old Dragon Con,” said Pat Henry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Con. “Our members and others who attend Dragon*Con 2013 will experience the same fantastic convention they have come to expect from us.”
Dragon Con will continue the agreements with each of the host and overflow hotels associated with the convention as well as all of the guests and performers scheduled to appear at this year’s event, either “as is” or with amendments recognizing Dragon Con as owner.
