• But I Meeded Money. (Don’t We All?)

    The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did a story on poverty, and shared the tale of woe of Jonniemae Ashford. She’s a 41-year-old grandmother raising 5 of her grandchildren. She says she takes home $187 every two weeks as a patient care […]

  • Mortgage Fraud Moving up the Priority Ladder for Prosecutors

    Mortgage industry professionals are facing increased scrutiny by federal prosecutors in Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and New York, according to the Wall Street Journal. The FBI reports that 1,200 mortgage fraud cases are currently under investigation, compared with only 436 […]

  • Dateline NBC Investigates Identity Theft

    Chris Hansen went undercover to investigate credit card fraud and identity theft, and the results were aired last night on Dateline NBC. The heart of the problem is people stealing credit card and banking information, selling it to people overseas, […]

  • Supreme Court of Wisconsin – Lawyer License Suspension

    SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN CASE NO.: 2006AP578-D COMPLETE TITLE: In the Matter of Disciplinary Proceedings Against Hazel J. Washington, Attorney at Law: Office of Lawyer Regulation, Complainant, v. Hazel J. Washington, Respondent. OPINION FILED: May 30, 2007 David R. Schanker […]

  • Wisconsin Office of Laywer Regulation Public Reprimand With Consent

    SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN – OFFICE OF LAWYER REGULATION Public Reprimand With Consent 2007-OLR-10 Hazel J. Washington, Attorney at Law Attorney Hazel J. Washington (“Washington”), a Wisconsin bar member since 1988, practiced law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Washington’s law license was […]

  • Credit Industry Fighting Against Piggybacking

    Consumers who used piggybacking to help improve their credit scores may soon be thwarted. “Piggybacking” involves a consumer with a non-existent or poor credit history being added to a credit account of someone with a good credit history. Being added […]

  • Mannatech Bogus Health Claims?

    20/20 did a hidden camera investigation for 3 months, going to Mannatech sales pitches around the country. The meetings start with disclaimers that the products don’t cure anything. Yet the meetings are full of testimonials from people who claim they […]

  • Have You Heard of “Synthetic Identity Fraud”?

    Bankrate.com has an excellent article about this little-known type of fraud called synthetic identity fraud. This is really interesting. In true identity fraud, an individual’s personal information is used without her or his knowledge or consent to open new credit […]

  • Have You Been Taken by Mortgage Fraud?

    I read a great post on the Bankruptcy Law Network. Of course, their example is exactly like a situation someone recently brought to my attention. Jonathan Ginsberg writes the following: Here’s how one version of a classic mortgage fraud scheme […]

  • Iraq Reconstruction Fraud: Where Are Your Tax Dollars Going?

    Whether you agree with the Iraq War or not, one thing is certain: There is fraud going on and your tax dollars are being spent. Of the approximately $350 billion (give or take) spent so far by the United States […]