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BREVARD WATCHLIST

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Follow the paper trail behind the latest news and hold local leaders and businesses accountable.

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11/06/2009 05:15 PM | Click to Comment

Brevard residents part of mortgage fraud surge

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By Jeff Schweers

A husband-and-wife team from Grant and their two business associates allegedly flipped properties among themselves, concealing their relationships and using false information to obtain $8 million in loans they pocketed for themselves, the U.S. Attorney\'s Office said Friday.

A federal grand jury indicted Daniel Duffy, his wife, Nicole Torres, and their associates Steve Manley and Anthony Tucci Oct. 29 on 17 charges each of conspiracy to defraud banks using identity theft and the U.S. Mail. Duffy and Torres are each out on $100,000 bonds. Click here to see the indictment.

The four were charged in connection with a nine-month investigation into widespread mortgage fraud that occurred during the state\'s real estate boom.

The U.S. Attorney\'s Office mortgage fraud surge resulted in charges against more than 100 defendants who allegedly took out more than $400 million in loans obtained by fraud on some 700 properties.

\"During the boom an awful lot of people attempted to profit fraudulently from a vast amount of transactions going on,\" said Karen Hoppmann, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice in Tampa. \"It is only now coming to light. We\'re uncovering what happened during the boom as foreclosures hit and institutions look at why the transactions fell apart.\"

The indictment against Duffy, Torres, Manley and Tucci describes 14 separate real estate transactions from 2003 to 2007 in Brevard, Orange, Osceola and Pasco counties. It says they allegedly used false information to obtain loans, buy and sell properties amongst themselves without disclosing their relationships to each other, often setting themselves up as \"straw buyers\" for each other.

According to their grand jury indictment:

Duffy used his deceased father’s Social Security number as his own to obtain a $391,500 loan to buy a condominium in Palm Bay.

Duffy claimed to be unmarried when he obtained a $470,700 loan to buy the Grant property. He also failed to disclose outstanding debt, and claimed to earn $31,250 a month while his 2005 tax return reported no income and negative $35,453 in adjusted gross income.

Manley bought a house in Reunion, Fl. using a $1.5 million loan he got by submitting an E*Trade account statement altered to show an inflated balance and identify him as the owner, who was actually Torres. Duffy received a $403,00 check for that real estate transaction.

Hoppmann said the mortgage fraud surge was the first step in a huge, ongoing investigation.

\"Most of these defendants are industry professionals or multiple borrowers,\" she said. \"We will continue to investigate, look for larger groups and even institutions that may have been involved.\"

Earlier Posts

11/06/2009 05:15 PM Brevard residents part of mortgage fraud surge

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11/05/2009 01:00 AM | Click to Comment

Listen for Matt Reed on "Bill Mick Live"

$\"blog$ Tune in from 7-8 a.m. Thursday as columnist Matt Reed tackles local issues on \"Bill Mick Live,\" on WMMB 1240 AM (1350 in northern Brevard).

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11/05/2009 01:00 AM Listen for Matt Reed on "Bill Mick Live"

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11/04/2009 02:47 PM | Click to Comment

Dirty Twitter tricks a GOP inside job

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Brevard GOP Chairman Jason Steele

By Rick Neale

Brevard Republican Party Chairman Jason Steele was targeted by a fictitious Twitter account set up by a fellow party official, the Republican Party of Florida announced.

In late April, someone started “tweeting” derogatory messages using the account JasonSteele31. After Steele complained, Twitter officials deactivated the account in August and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation.

The unauthorized Twitter account was connected with Tim Nungesser, 28, a Palm Bay resident and director of field operations for the Republican Party of Florida, spokeswoman Katie Gordon Betta said Wednesday.

Betta issued the following statement:

“RPOF recently learned that several months ago an RPOF employee may have established and used a Twitter account under the name Jason Steele.

“RPOF investigated the matter and determined that while the activity was done without the knowledge or approval of the RPOF or any RPOF employees and did not involve the use of RPOF computers, the activity is totally unacceptable.

“We have taken all appropriate action and the employee has been terminated.

“This is a continuation of a longstanding political feud between those Brevard County individuals involved (and) is not in any way connected with the Republican Party of Florida.”

Steele chalked up the Twitter attacks to “political dirty tricks.”

“If we are going to lead, we need to come together. And if we are going to come together, we need to stop allowing and even funding these types of despicable attacks on anyone who disagrees with the party line,” Steele said.

“It is just that simple. This kind of behavior is not acceptable,” he said.

Nungesser was named director of field operations on Sept. 22. His duties included coordinating Florida’s 67 Republican executive committees, along with other Republican clubs and organizations.

He formerly served as director of youth outreach and Brevard County regional field coordinator. He also logged time in Sen. Mel Martinez’s Central Florida regional office, and he volunteered during Gov. Charlie Crist’s 2006 campaign.

Steele said he does not want to see Nungesser prosecuted over the Twitter incident.

“I think he was directed by Delmar Johnson to put this site up,” Steele said, referring to the party executive director.

“The amount of personal damage that has been done to me is irreparable,” Steele said. “There is just so much craziness going on, it’s just incredible. This kind of stuff makes it impossible to raise money for the Republican party.”

Earlier Posts

11/04/2009 02:47 PM Dirty Twitter tricks a GOP inside job

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11/03/2009 04:43 PM | Click to Comment

State sues travel web sites over taxes

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Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

BY JEFF SCHWEERS

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has sued popular Internet travel web sites Expedia and Orbitz over millions of dollars in disputed tax revenue on hotel room rentals.

McCollum has asked the Circuit Court in Leon County to declare that the companies\' failure to remit the tourist tax revenue as a violation of Florida law.

\"Consumers are already paying taxes and fees when purchasing a Florida hotel room online, yet the online travel companies ahve been keeping too much of those taxes as profits,\" McCollum said in a news release issued today.

The lawsuit says that \"while these companies have been collecting these taxes from consumers all along, they have only been turning in a portion of the taxes owed to the taxing authorities, keeping the rest as profit.\"

To read a copy of the state\'s lawsuit, click here.

Several Florida counties and cities including Brevard County have sued Expedia, Orbitz and other online travel companies claiming millions owed in unpaid local tourist tax revenue. Six other counties filed suit today as well.

Andrew Weinstein, a spokesman for the Internet companies, disputes the claims in the lawsuits and said that litigation around the country has sided with the travel companies.

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11/03/2009 04:43 PM State sues travel web sites over taxes

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11/03/2009 03:08 PM | Click to Comment

Sen. Nelson lobbies Obama for carrier, better power grid ... and NASA funding?

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Nelson joins Obama at a stop in Jacksonville. (AP photo)

By Matt Reed

Your governor, who stumped for the $787 billion stimulus bill with President Obama earlier this year, says he wasn\'t even aware the president had recently visited Florida. Charlie Crist, now running for Senate, has tried to distance himself from the president among Republicans.

But another one of Brevard\'s elected leaders was more than happy to join Obama on Air Force One during the president\'s tour last week.

Sen. Bill Nelson, the former Space Coast congressman, first joined the president on a stop in Jacksonville. There the Democrat urged Obama to station a nuclear aircraft carrier, Nelson\'s Web site says. Later in South Florida, the president announced billions of dollars in grants Nelson sought to modernize Florida\'s power grid, it says.

No word on any discussions during the visit about NASA and space funding. Nelson says President Obama has assured him the space program will get what it needs.

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11/03/2009 03:08 PM Sen. Nelson lobbies Obama for carrier, better power grid ... and NASA funding?

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11/02/2009 11:23 AM | Click to Comment

Florida AG sues debt-relief companies

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Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

BY JEFF SCHWEERS

Titusville retiree Carole Jallali said she lost nearly $3,500 to Credit Solutions of America \"for a service theat they never provided.\"

She enrolled in April 2006, after a representative assured her that she\'d be out of debt in four years by paying a $437 a month into a savings account which Credit Solutions would have access to in case of a settlement.

But when she found out a year later that CSA hadn\'t paid a dime to her cerditors, Jallali called U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., to complain that CSA was not actually using the money to help pay down her $38,000 credit card debt.

Martinez referred her to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. In June 2008, Jallili received a letter from the Attorney General saying her complaint was being forwarded to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But Bryan Larrabee, office of citizen services for the Attorney General, said he\'d keep her letter on file.

\"In cases of statewide significance and when we accumulate substantive evidence that a business is systematically violating Florida law, we may investigate and take action on behalf of the collective legal interests of the people of this state,\" Larrabee wrote.

Case complaints reached critical mass two weeks ago, when McCollum filed two lawsuits in state circuit court against five debt relief companies that promised to pay off debts for a fraction of the amount owed while collecting huge fees before paying off the consumers\' debt.

\"These victims were hit with a one-two punch: they paid substantial up-front fees for services not provided as promised, then ended up with increased debt, ruined credit, lawsuits bankruptcy and more,\" McCollum said.

One lawsuit targets Texas-based CSA-Credit Solutions of America, \"a self-proclaimed debt settlement industry leader,\" McCollum said in a news release. The lawsuit alleges that CSA offered to settle up to half the consumers\' debts within 12-36 months, falsely stating its success rate. The suit also says CSA took huge up to 85 percent of the funds for its own fees during the first three months.

The AG received more than 140 complaints about CSA, but believes the victims are in the thousands.

The second suit focuses on ADA of Tampa Bay, Inc., which does business as American Debt Arbitration. The suit also names company principal Glenn P. Stewart, as well as Arizona-based Nationwide Asset Services, Service Star and Universal Debt Reduction.

The second lawsuit claims defendants promised to pay off debts at huge savings but don’t explain how much the service will cost. The suit says the companies collect the first three months of payments as fees, in violation of Florida law, before the consumer can start using the money to settle the debt.

To see copies of CSA lawsuit, click here.

To see copy of the ADA lawsuit, click here.

Anyone victimized by these companies can call 1-866-NO-SCAM or file a complaint online here.

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11/02/2009 11:23 AM Florida AG sues debt-relief companies

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10/29/2009 04:51 PM | Click to Comment

Ford responds to ethics commission findings

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BY JEFF SCHWEERS

Wednesday, we tried to get Property Appraiser Jim Ford to comment on a late-breaking development that the Florida Commission on Ethics had found three of his top deputies may have engaged in political campaign activites while on the county clock five years ago.
   Dianne Johns, Ford’s administrator of legal and public affairs, said he would have a statement today. At the time he was unable to comment, she said, because “he is not here.”
    We repeated our request seeking Ford’s reaction to the news today.
    Here’s what he sent us. Click here to read it in its entirety.

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10/29/2009 04:51 PM Ford responds to ethics commission findings

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10/29/2009 04:03 PM | Click to Comment

Ford denial, lack of evidence cleared him; three deputies cited for 2004 campaigning

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By Matt Reed

County Property Appraiser Jim Ford told a state ethics investigator he had no knowledge of office staff erecting his campaign signs or organizing Republican fundraisers on government time with government equipment or staff. And in one instance he did learn about -- a deputy who secured a campaign contribution for him while on the job -- he told the staffer to turn down the donation and stop fund-raising on taxpayers\' time, Ford told the investigator.

The state Commission on Ethics could find no documents or other evidence to indicate otherwise. And Ford was cleared of an ethics complaint filed by a former staff member based on employees\' statements gathered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement during an earlier criminal investigation. Three of Ford\'s deputies, however, face possible state penalties for on-duty campaigning five years ago, before the 2004 elections. Those staff members can dispute the allegations at a public hearing or settle the case.

In the spirit of disclosure, here are the investigative reports prepared by the Florida Commission on Ethics. Let us know what you think by clicking \"comment\" above.

Investigation report on Property Appraiser Jim Ford.

Commission recommendation finding no evidence to cite Ford.

Investigation report on Lance Larsen, chief deputy appraiser.

Investigation report on Mark Johns, property valuation and field operations administrator.

Investigation report on John Sternagle, information technology administrator.

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10/29/2009 04:03 PM Ford denial, lack of evidence cleared him; three deputies cited for 2004 campaigning

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10/29/2009 02:32 PM | Click to Comment

Posey: health care bill demands scrutiny

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Congressman Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, doesn\'t like House Democrats\' health care-reform bill. That\'s no surprise. But Posey makes excellent points about such legislation demanding a full public vetting and debate.

Click HERE to read his statement.

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10/29/2009 02:32 PM Posey: health care bill demands scrutiny

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10/28/2009 04:29 PM | Click to Comment

Ford cleared, but deputies face further ethics investigation over politicking from office

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By Jeff Schweers

Brevard County Property Appraiser Jim Ford has been cleared of allegations that he misused staff and his official position to campaign for him during his 2004 re-election. But three of his top administrators face further investigation, the Florida Commission on Ethics announced today.

The commission found \"probable cause\" to believe that Deputy Chief Appraiser Lance Larsen and administrators Mark Johns and John Sternagel improperly engaged in campaign activities during work hours and used official resources and staff.

That finding, announced Wednesday, does not necessarily mean a violation occurred.

\"The next step is for the commission advocate to try to work out a settlement agreement with the three, or failing that, go to a hearing,\" Ethics Commission Spokeswoman Kerrie Stillman said. \"That could take weeks or months to decide.\"

Ford was not available for comment.

The findings come a year after Larsen was exonerated in court of eight criminal charges brought by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement following allegations of political corruption. Circuit Judge Charles Holcomb said the state had offered only circumstantial evidence and no proof of corrupt intent.

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10/28/2009 04:29 PM Ford cleared, but deputies face further ethics investigation over politicking from office

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