Attorney General Bondi’s Weekly Briefing August 9 2013

From the beginning, I have supported efforts at the Dozier School for Boys in order to provide family members who lost loved ones with closure. I was proud to vote in favor of the land use agreement on Tuesday, authorizing the University of South Florida to continue their work to return the human remains to the families. I am pleased that the Governor and other Florida Cabinet members, acting as the Board of Trustees, joined me in support of these efforts.

In closing, my thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of Sergeant Michael Wilson who was killed in the line of duty this week. Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect us. Sergeant Wilson will forever be remembered for his bravery and selflessness.

Pam Bondi sues Tampa lawyer for alleged foreclosure-rescue scam, Tampa Bay Times

Fla. sues company for preying on homeowners, My Fox Orlando

Florida lets university exhume bodies at school where boys disappeared, CNN

USF gets OK to exhume bodies at Dozier school, Tampa Tribune

Attorney General Bondi’s Office Sues Company to Protect Floridians from Mortgage Relief Scam

Attorney General Bondi’s Office has sued a company that allegedly preyed on distressed homeowners by defrauding them out of thousands of dollars in a mortgage relief scam. According to the complaint, Whitestone Capital Trust, LLC, Become the Bank, LLC, and Nicholas Torgerson violated Florida’s consumer protection laws by charging homeowners up-front fees and falsely misrepresenting that the defendants would cancel or void the homeowners’ mortgage. More

Attorney General Bondi’s Office Sues Tampa Law Firm for Foreclosure Rescue Operation

Attorney General Bondi’s Office sued Tampa lawyer Eric Mader, alleging he ran a nationwide foreclosure-rescue operation that charged illegal fees and failed to provide promised assistance to consumers. Some of the allegations include that Mader and his firm, Mader Law Group, lured consumers with websites mimicking government sites, misrepresented that consumers would be enrolled in government assistance programs or could get loan modifications from lenders, and charged fees for services never rendered. Mader allegedly offered refunds to some consumers only if they would withdraw their complaints about him to the Florida Bar, which regulates lawyers. More

Summer Internship Program

Attorney General Bondi met with the Attorney General’s Office summer law clerks. To learn more about the program, click here.

Purple Heart Recipients

On Tuesday, Attorney General Bondi joined Governor Scott and the other Florida Cabinet members in honoring Florida’s Purple Heart recipients.

Tallahassee Police Department TAC Students

Attorney General Bondi is photographed with the Tallahassee Police Department Training, Achievement and Confidence (TAC) students, who led the pledge of allegiance at the Governor and Cabinet meeting.

Florida Bar Consumer Protection Committee’s Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year Award

This week, Attorney General Bondi presented Alice Vickers with the Florida Bar Consumer Protection Committee’s Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year Award, and Attorney General Bondi thanked her for her hard work.