Process Server Admits Fraud

A Long Island-based process server who was accused of leaving thousands of New Yorkers unaware that they had been sued for unpaid debts, subjecting many of them to surprise judgments, liens and wage garnishments, has pleaded guilty to fraud.

William Singler, owner of American Legal Process, entered the plea Friday in Nassau County Supreme Court, admitting to one count of a class E felony. He is to be sentenced March 24 and still faces a civil suit in which New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is seeking damages and penalties.

In a statement announcing the guilty plea Friday, Cuomo said that ALP employees had not served properly, or at all, thousands of notices attorneys and creditors had paid them to serve.

When the uninformed defendants did not respond to the undelivered notices, an estimated 100,000 default judgments were entered in courts across the state. Some 4,800 of those judgments were filed in Erie County, and 2,700 in Niagara County.

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NYRA Complying With Comptroller's Subpoena

The New York Racing Association, which says it may need more taxpayer money to ensure the
Belmont Stakes goes off as planned, said Wednesday it will open its books to the scrutiny of state auditors.

The nonprofit corporation, which oversees racing at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga, said last month that New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli lacked authority to audit it. But on Wednesday, it said it would comply with DiNapoli's subpoenas for its financial records.

Following legislation enacted in 2008, the New York Racing Association was reorganized as a not-for-profit corporation and awarded a new 25-year franchise to operate the state's thoroughbred racetracks.

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House Panel Subpoenas N.Y. Fed's AIG Documents

WASHINGTON—A U.S. House panel issued a subpoena for Federal Reserve Bank of New York documents related to American International Group Inc., as the political pressure surrounding one of the more controversial events of the financial crisis continued to grow.

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D., N.Y.), who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he was issuing a subpoena for documents that would "shed light on how and why taxpayer dollars were used for a backdoor bailout." At issue is the government-orchestrated decision to make whole AIG's counterparties on some $62 billion in bets on soured mortgage securities.

"We will work with the committee to provide relevant information as appropriate," said a spokeswoman for the New York Fed.

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Busker Subpoenas Larry O'Brien for His Defence

Look up, look way up.

A street musician inspired to take up the tin whistle after watching the classic children’s show The Friendly Giant is facing charges after allegedly cutting the wires of a Muzak radio speaker that was drowning out his live music in a Rideau Street underpass.

But busker Raymond Loomer is planning an interesting defence: he has successfully subpoenaed Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien, hoping the colourful politician’s testimony will help vindicate him.

Loomer, 47, has been playing the tin whistle for 15 years in the underpass, which is in the shadow of 700 Sussex Dr., where Larry O’Brien lives.

O’Brien, who walks the streets of Ottawa, has passed by the “The Whistler”, and once, according to the busker, said his music reminded him of The Friendly Giant, the show that featured a giant, a rooster named Rusty, who lived in a sack, and a giraffe named Jerome.

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Senate Subpoenaed for Records on Espada

ALBANY — Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo subpoenaed the New York Senate on Wednesday for a broad range of e-mail messages and other records concerning Senator Pedro Espada Jr., the Bronx Democrat who led a monthlong coup that brought state government to a standstill this summer, Mr. Espada said.

Mr. Cuomo has been investigating Mr. Espada for months in cooperation with the Bronx district attorney, Robert T. Johnson, over matters including political activity by employees of health clinics he founded and whether he resides in his Bronx Senate district.

The latest subpoena focuses on the health clinics, which are part of the Soundview HealthCare Network, and Mr. Espada’s efforts, since winning office two years ago, to obtain Senate earmarks and other state grants.

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Feds subpoena Superdome Commission for documents

An attorney for the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District Board -- also known as the Superdome Commission -- confirms federal authorities served the board with a subpoena for documents.

Larry Roedel, Superdome Commission attorney, said the subpoena does not mention any person by name.

Former Jefferson Parish President Tim Coulon was chairman of the LSED from 2004-2008. He has since resigned from the board.

Coulon is also implicated in the insurance scandal involving former Jefferson Parish Chief Administrative Officer Tim Whitmer.

Documents reveal Coulon and Whitmer may have been secretly sharing commissions on a lucrative insurance contract at West Jefferson Hospital.

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TSA withdraws subpoenas of travel bloggers

Just days after serving subpoenas to two travel bloggers, the Transportation Security Administration withdrew the subpoenas late Thursday, saying its investigation into how the bloggers received a sensitive security directive "is nearing a successful conclusion."

With little explanation, the TSA withdrew subpoenas of bloggers Steve Frischling and Christopher Elliott seeking information on how they obtained a December 25 security directive. The directive, which had been sent to every airline and airport in the United States, ordered precautions after the failed terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

The TSA acknowledged in a previous statement that it was investigating the leak and publication of the document, saying, "Security directives are not for public disclosure."

Frischling, founder of the Travel Strategist blog, said TSA agents came to his Connecticut home Tuesday evening to question him about his source, leaving for a brief time to go to Wal-Mart to buy a hard drive in a failed effort to copy his hard drive that night.

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TSA agents subpoena bloggers to find out who leaked new securitydocument

Two East Coast travel bloggers who posted a sensitive airport security memo on their Internet sites have been subpoenaed by federal officials trying to find out who sent them the document.
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One of the writers, Steve Frischling, also had his laptop seized by agents looking for evidence of his source for the Transportation Security Administration directive. It outlined stricter security guidelines adopted by TSA in the wake of a failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines flight.

The memo, which Frischling said was sent to airports and airlines worldwide that fly into the United States, set forth screening measures such as increased pat-downs at airport check points, concentrating on upper legs and torsos, and a rule that passengers stay in their seats for one hour before planes landed.

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Process Server Says Man Assaulted Her At His Bremerton Home

A 41-year-old Spanaway woman said she was assaulted Monday by a man at a Bremerton home where she was trying to serve papers.

The woman, who owns a legal process-serving company, told Kitsap County sheriff?s deputies that she knocked at the home on the 800 block of NE Michelle Court and identified herself. The 28-year-old man who answered the door said that the recipient was not there.

The woman tried to hand the paperwork to the man, but he refused to take it.

The process server said she set the papers on the doorstep and told the man that they were his now. She turned to go back to her car, but the man followed, trying to give the papers back to her. He continued to insist she take them as she tried to get in the car, and, according to the woman, he pushed her twice.

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Pasco deputies' knock brings supper, not subpoena, during holidays

There was a knock on her door. Someone called out "Sheriff's Office," and Krystal Simonds stiffened.

She remembered the last time authorities came by her home.

In April, Dade City police found her brother-in-law, Charles Andrew Simonds, 37, dead from multiple gunshot wounds to his back.

Five months later, Krystal Simonds' husband was laid off from his job with a Tampa pest control company. The next month, her father-in-law died.

"It has been a rough year," said Simonds, 33.

But the knock on the door Tuesday morning brought good news.

Simonds was one of 540 families that received a food basket as part of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office annual holiday food drive.

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Missing mom case: Cops subpoena TV interviews with Susan Powell's husband

West Valley City police want copies of Joshua Powell's interviews with television reporters.

Three stations confirmed police have asked for copies of Powell's interviews, including any excerpts which have not been broadcast. ABC Channel 4 reported in a news story Friday it had received a subpoena for the footage.

Con Psarras, vice president for news at KSL, did not know whether his station had yet been served with a subpoena. But Psarras said a West Valley City detective called him Friday to say he wanted copies of KSL's interview with Powell.

Psarras said KSL has broadcast all of its interview with Powell online or on television and anticipates giving copies to police.

"I'm not sure what the principle will be [in fighting a subpoena] because what we have, we've aired," Psarras said.

Powell's wife, Susan Powell, has been missing since Dec. 7. Joshua Powell said he last saw her at 12:30 a.m. that day when he took their two young sons on a camping trip.

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Lander Hit With WFP-Related Subpoena

Brooklyn Councilman-elect Brad Lander confirmed he is among the Working Families Party candidates to have received a subpoena from the US attorney's office in its probe of the labor-backed party's efforts in the 2009 elections.

Lander told me his campaign received a call Monday (the same day the WFP itself was subpoenaed) informing him that there was a subpoena with his name on it seeking information about the work conducted on his Council bid by the party's for-profit arm, Data and Field Services.

"They said: 'We have a subpoena for you, please call and tell us where to deliver it," said Lander, who got the document in question via fax on Tuesday morning at his Park Slope campaign office.

"Did I have on my Chanukah list a subpoena from the US attorney? It was not on my Chanukah list. It's a stack of documents to give them. I'm happy to provide them all, and I feel confident that when they review them, they'll find we complied fully with both the letter and spirit of the law."

Lander said his campaign has already provided much of the information the US attorney is now seeking to the Campaign Finance Board.

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Police officers 'bitten, punched' by man in Yamba

New South Wales police officers have been attacked twice by a man they attempted to serve with papers on the state's north coast.

Two officers were first assaulted while serving papers on a 30-year-old man at a home in Ballanda Crescent, Yamba, about 4.15pm (AEDT) yesterday.

Police said the man punched a senior constable twice in the head and pushed him into a wall.

The officer retaliated with capsicum spray but failed to subdue the man, who fled and was arrested a short time later at a house in Charles Street, Iluka.

The man was taken to Grafton Police Station where it's alleged he again became aggressive.

He's accused of attempting to bite a sergeant's face before striking him on the head, then biting a constable's arm.

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Attorneys in Calais Upset over Processing of Service Papers in Washington County

Attorneys in Calais have come to the city council with problems they say they're having with the Washington County Sheriff's Department.

The issues have been passed on to the Sheriff and are being discussed at Thursday's council meeting.

Meghan Hayward reports.

"It's the inability to get a prompt service and also the atrocious amount of money we pay for a service to process."

Currently, there are three deputies throughout Washington County that can serve documents.

" We don't see complaints from anyone else. We serve papers for everybody in the county, attorneys across the state and across the country, and we don't receive any complaints."

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Protester serves papers to Guelph police

A Hanlon Creek Business Park opponent, who is one of two environmental activists suing the Guelph Police Services Board, paid a visit to the Guelph Police headquarters on Fountain Street Monday, accompanied by about 10 supporters.

The peaceful action was part of a week-long protest series billed as “5 Days of Action for the Hanlon Creek.” Opponents of the business park will stage an information picket at the park site on Wednesday.

Kelly Pflug-Back, 20, intended to serve legal papers to the police on Monday but was temporarily stymied in her efforts. She was told by a police official at the front counter that no papers would be accepted.

Later in the day, police Chief Rob Davis said a misunderstanding occurred at the time of the delivery and that the papers would be accepted. Police officials thought papers had already been served. A notice of intent to sue had been previously delivered. Pflug-Back was serving the legal documents pertaining to the actual claim.

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Jennifer Aniston Served Papers at Yoga Party

Jennifer Aniston was all smiles at last week’s SELF Magazine launch of her personal trainer Mandy Ingber’s “Yogalosophy” DVD in West Hollywood.

That is until she was served a summons in an ongoing court case!

Aniston showed up to give support to her yoga mentor Ingber, and talked about her path to yoga enlightenment.

“I had a block; I went to class once years ago and thought this is just a lot of sweaty people and a really small room. I didn't quite get it,” Aniston said. “Then Mandy was like ‘just try it with me one time’ and it was a completely different experience. She motivates you, you start to crave it. You crave that adrenaline. She combines her wisdom of astrology with the mind and the body, and cardio.”
And the result of all those private sessions?

“My body got stronger and everything got stronger,” Aniston added.

One of Ingber’s other pals and clients had a light-hearted bone to pick with the yoga queen.

“I don't have Jennifer Aniston body, what's up with that?” Ricki Lee asked.

“You have Ricki Lake’s body and Ricki Lakes body is hot,” Ingber quickly responded. “You're damn fine.”

What was not "damn fine" was how the party ended for Aniston, as the "Friends" star was served with legal documents on the way out.

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Party crashers Salahis face subpoenas Desiree Rogers does not

Reality TV show wannabees Michaele and Tareq Salahi face a subpoena from the House Homeland Security Committee after skipping Thursday's hearing on how they passed through Secret Service checkpoints to crash President Obama's Nov. 24 state dinner and ended up shaking hands with him.

The Democratic chairman of the panel brushed aside a request from the ranking Republican to issue a subpoena forcing social secretary Desiree Rogers also to testify.

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told the House panel that three Secret Service officers who failed to stop the Salahis have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

Throughout the hearing, Sullivan took the blame for the breach, saying the Secret Service -- not Rogers' operation -- was responsible for security. The Salahis were not stopped -- but should have been, Sullivan said -- at the first of two checkpoints when the Secret Service officer on duty could not find their names on the guest list for the dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife.

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ServeManager, Process Server Software Tool Announces More Intuitive Affidavits of Services

ServeManager, is an online application where legal professionals can collaborate on jobs with process servers.  Recently, a new and more intuitive affidavit was released. New features include:

• cleaner layout and more flexible design
• more room for service notes
• multi-page support
• fields expand for job/case information
• client reference # included
• improvements to the notary block and server signature block
• all attempt data available at the time of creation - this can be edited, deleted before the affidavit is created

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Blogger accused of crimes subpoenas NJ gov-elect

A New Jersey blogger scheduled to go on trial next week on charges that he threatened three federal judges in hate-filled postings has subpoenaed the state's governor-elect to testify on his behalf.

Harold "Hal" Turner of North Bergen claims that he was a federal government informant and that the postings targeting the judges and other inflammatory statements were part of an undercover operation to ferret out violent left-wing radicals.

In an affidavit filed with the subpoena, Turner lawyer Michael Orozco says Gov.-elect Chris Christie knew of Turner's activities between 2002 and 2008 while Christie was U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Orozco says Christie issued a letter saying he would not prosecute Turner for his statements.

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Lawmakers subpoena Suffolk top cop's e-mails

Suffolk County lawmakers on Friday subpoenaed the police commissioner's internal e-mail and memos, expressing strong concern that they've been misled about controversial staffing changes within the department.

The unusual move by the County Legislature's Public Safety Committee creates a possible showdown with County Executive Steve Levy, who has said the subpoenas were part of an ongoing struggle with the police union at a time of fiscal constraint.

The committee approved the subpoena calling for Commissioner Richard Dormer to turn over his written communications with his top brass over recent moves, including the transfer of highway patrols to deputy sheriffs and other cost-cutting staffing changes throughout the department.

"I've not gotten truthful responses," said Legis. Jack Eddington (I-Medford), chairman of the panel.

But Levy branded the subpoenas as "payback" to the Police Benevolent Association "for their endorsements" on Election Day, and said the police staffing changes were designed to cut costs for county taxpayers.

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Unwed parents difficult to track

A car is in the driveway, but that might not mean much.

Penny Huston knocks on the door and hopes that the person who answers matches the name on the court document in her hand.

Nope.

"She says he doesn't live here anymore," Huston said. "It goes this way a lot."

At least a hundred times a week, the process server for Subpoena Service Plus parks outside a house or taps a car window or maybe even pretends to deliver flowers -- whatever it takes to serve the court papers seeking support for a child.

The job gets tougher as relationships between parents grow ever more tenuous: Sixty percent of the cases the Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency handles involve mothers and fathers who didn't marry in the first place.

"There may be no bond at all," agency Director Susan Brown said. "It's challenging."

The march away from matrimony -- about 40 percent of babies in the U.S. are born to single women -- also has made things hard for the legal system.

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ServeNow.com Releases ServeManager, Electronic Service of Process Tracking Software

ServeNow.com, the leading network of trusted process servers, launches ServeManager, the only online tracking software to allow legal professionals to efficiently manage service of process with multiple process serving companies from one interface. ServeManager revolutionizes the communication process between legal professionals and the process servers they use. Denver, CO (PRWEB) November 19, 2009 -- ServeNow.com is proud to announce ServeManager (https://www.servemanager.com), an online software application that allows legal professionals to receive real-time status updates on jobs from process servers. This software, free for legal professionals, lets users view and manage all service of process in one central interface, regardless of the number of process serving companies used. With support from ServeNow.com's trusted network of process servers (http://www.serve-now.com), ServeManager reduces the stress of finding an experienced process server while simplifying the communication during the life cycle of the serve. ServeManager helps legal professionals work smarter by providing:   Complete job life cycle management. A secure platform for uploading service documents and downloading affidavits. One easy interface to manage service of process across various companies. Service address geo-coding for address verification. Instant notification of changes to a job or successful service. Job history and document archival. 24-hour access to job status from any computer or smartphone. Multiple users accounts within the same company. With the ability to check serve status from an Internet connection at anytime, legal professionals can spend less time on the phone talking to process servers and more time focusing on other aspects of their job. "The development of ServeManager came in response to a major frustration from the legal community regarding service of process - 'What's the status of my serve?'," said ServeNow.com co-founder, Trent Carlyle. "In organizations that have a high serve volume, getting status updates via phone, fax and email was once a full-time job. We also found a number of other broken pieces in the process that the software solves. If you hire process servers, ServeManager enables you to focus on the more productive aspects of your law firm or business." Because ServeManager is tied into ServeNow.com, jobs can be assigned to local qualified process servers with one click. If a preferred process server is not a member of ServeNow.com, users can invite their favorite process servers to create a free account. ServeManager is easily integrated into any legal department or organization. An administrator can set up multiple accounts for all legal professionals within an organization managing service of process. With the ability to control permission levels, the administrator can access all jobs while allowing employees to manage specific jobs. The ability to manage permission levels keeps sensitive data involving court cases safe. ServeManager revolutionizes the communication process between legal professionals and the process servers they use. By allowing legal professionals to access the status of their serve around the clock, ServeManager simplifies service of process and reduces the stress of having papers served. Deadlines and court cases become easier to manage with ServeManager. About ServeNow.com Founded in 2004, ServeNow.com is the most widely used source for finding process servers worldwide. It is the only resource for locating legal support professionals that qualifies and actively monitors the quality of service provided to customers. With coverage throughout the entire U.S., ServeNow.com's goal is to help visitors find process servers local to the service, making service of process highly efficient. ServeNow.com assists thousands of lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, subrogation, collection, default service professionals and government agencies in locating local process servers on a daily basis. Need a summons and complaint, subpoena, judgment or other legal document served? Need document filing and retrieval or skip traces performed? Visit the ServeNow.com process server directory at http://www.serve-now.com. About ServeManager ServeManager is an online software application that allows process servers and legal professionals to communicate and manage their service of process in a more efficient manner. ServeManager allows those who hire process servers to manage all their jobs and servers in one place while giving process servers the tools to manage their business. Legal professionals and process servers may set up a ServeManager account at https://www.servemanager.com. ServeNow.com and ServeManager are wholly owned subsidiaries of Westin Consulting LLC. Westin Consulting develops, owns and manages properties and software applications in the legal industry.

More subpoenas planned in D.C. contracts probe

D.C. Council members say they will issue a second round of subpoenas to government witnesses who failed to appear at a hearing Monday on the execution of a contract for parks and recreation projects that have come under legal scrutiny.

Council member Harry Thomas Jr. said he will draft subpoenas Tuesday to two employees in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development who did not respond to a request to testify.

Mr. Thomas wants director of development David Jannarone and project manager Jacquelyn Glover to explain their roles in an unusual arrangement in which millions of dollars in city funds were transferred from the Department of Parks and Recreation to the D.C. Housing Authority via the deputy mayor's office.

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Process Server Shot

A process server was recovering from a gunshot wound in his leg today and the man who allegedly shot him was in custody, an Escondido police official said.

Burk Neal Ashford, 65, allegedly shot the 50-year-old process server around 9 p.m. Tuesday outside Ashford’s home in the 1400 block of Red Bark Road, said Escondido police Lt. Bob Benton.
Ashford called 911 and said he’d shot the victim in the leg, Benton said. Escondido police officers responding to the call were flagged down by the victim on the street, he said. The victim was taken to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido and treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound, Benton said.

Officers arrested Ashford and recovered a .22 caliber handgun at the home, Benton said. Ashford was booked at the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and illegal discharge of a weapon, according to jail records.

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-11-11/local-county-news/escondido-man-allegedly-shoots-process-server#ixzz0WfDJZlTn

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Man Served Papers On Own Home After Refinance Check Bounces

n early April, Jeff Franson refinanced his mortgage, switching it from Chase to SecurityNational Mortgage Co.

On a sunny Saturday in early October, as he was mowing the front lawn of his Mokena home, a process server drove up and handed Franson papers that showed Chase was planning to foreclose on his home.

Franson was current on his mortgage with SecurityNational. But the $93,702.51 check cut by Counselors' Title Co. to pay off the Chase loan bounced. After months of phone calls and letters between Franson, his attorney and the companies involved, Chase filed foreclosure papers in Will County Circuit Court.

For consumers refinancing mortgages, sitting down in a sterile conference room of a title company is considered the last step, a formality, in the loan process. After signing a thick stack of documents, borrowers leave happy that they've just saved money by obtaining a lower interest rate.

But like any business transaction involving the transfer of large sums of money, risks loom, and trusting consumers can pay the price. Franson and at least seven other Midwestern homeowners who did business with Counselors are wondering what's in store for their homes and what happened to the $1.6 million that was supposed to pay off their loans.

The Illinois attorney general's office confirmed last week that it is investigating the now-shuttered Counselors' Title, a real estate title insurance agency that had six offices in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, after receiving three consumer complaints. The state also began investigating two other, but unspecified, title companies in the past several months. All the complaints involve mortgage refinancing and situations in which the payoff checks to the original mortgage holders bounced or wire transfers were never deposited in accounts.

"There's a very similar fact pattern we're looking into," said spokeswoman Natalie Bauer. "These are homeowners who were trusting these companies to protect their interests and take responsible actions, and now you have consumers in danger of potentially losing their homes."

Late Friday, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued a cease and desist order against Counselors and its three principals, James Erwin and Shari Erwin of Chicago and Damian Sichak of Homer Glen, meaning they cannot easily operate a title agency in Illinois.

"It will be on their records with the state of Illinois," said spokeswoman Sue Hofer. "We have no authority to make victims whole. We can stop them from doing it to the next person but don't have the legal authority to reverse the financial loss."

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