By Josh Truman

PHILADELPHIA, PA / DECEMBER 12, 2009 / DIVERSE NEWS — With the exterior having an almost White House look next to its twin, the Free Library, Philly’s family court, along with its terrazzo flooring and marble accents, gives you the ‘feeling’ of a place of honor. But it has its politics like every place else.
But sure, there are some good stories that come out of here and you will hear about it in the news when it does -like every 3 years or so- and it always gets good press with almost masonic mystique.

What doesn’t get good press is the horror stories. Of course, to protect family confidentiality laws, only initials can be given.

Last week, in one of many cases over the past 14 years, M.S. (a Disabled American Veteran) was once again denied custody of his child. This after very disturbing incidents claimed by the child (you can guess) from one of the mother’s boyfriends. Yet, the court is making a path for the mother, after rehab (‘parenting classes’), to gain custody – but not the Muslim father, just supervised visitation. The father had never been part of that type of abuse but the court and its Semitic judges, who just ‘happened’ to be assigned to all of M.S.’s custody cases, have found ways and means to deny him custody. M.S. had called many lawyers over the years about this discrimination but it kept coming. Read More »

Note: The lawyers are members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association

Five Indicted in Foreclosure Rescue and Mortgage Fraud Scheme
Scam Involved Lawyers, Mortgage Brokers, and More Than $14.6 Million in Loans

PHILADELPHIA—A 15-count indictment was filed today against five defendants charged in a $14.6 million mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in at least 35 fraudulent mortgage loans, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Janice K. Fedarcyk, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking Steven Kaplan. Charged are Edward G. McCusker and John Alford Bariana, owners of Axxium Mortgage, Inc., McCusker’s wife, Jacqueline, and Jeffrey A. Bennett and Stephen G. Doherty, owners of the Doylestown law firm Bennett & Doherty, P.C.

According to the indictment, the defendants targeted financially distressed homeowners facing foreclosure, falsely promised them help in saving their homes, engaged in real estate transactions with straw purchasers, and obtained dozens of fraudulent mortgages. The defendants took whatever equity the homeowner had left, funneled it through various shell corporations they controlled, used some of it to pay the new mortgages, and put the rest of the equity into their own bank accounts. Read More »

1.  Washington Field: Twenty-Six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud FCC’s Video Relay Service Program

Indictments were unsealed against 26 people charged with engaging in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service program. Arrests were made by FBI agents and Postal Inspectors in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Maryland, and were the result of a joint FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and FCC Office of Inspector General investigation into the nationwide scheme. Full Story

2.   Atlanta: Kuwaiti Company Indicted for Massive Overcharging of United States for Soldiers’ Food

Public Warehousing Company, K.S.C., a logistics company organized under the laws of the Nation of Kuwait, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, committing major fraud against the United States, making false statements, submitting false claims, and wire fraud. All of the charges concern multi-billion dollar contracts issued by the Department of Defense for feeding American troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan. Full Story

3.   FBI Headquarters: Seeking Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Victims’ Next of Kin

Nearly three years after the launch of the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, the FBI is publicly releasing updated information demonstrating the progress made so far, and requesting public assistance with a new challenge: locating victims’ next of kin in 33 cases.  Full Story

4.   Los Angeles: Athens Park Bloods Street Gang Members Charged with Narcotics Violations

Hundreds of Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents executed arrest and search warrants in the final phase of “Operation Blood Klot.” Seventeen members and associates of the Athens Park Bloods street gang were charged for their alleged roles in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy that operated within a South Los Angeles. Full Story

5.   San Diego: Man Pleads Guilty to $25 Million Investment Fraud Scheme

Richard M. Hersch pled guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to structure financial transactions in connection with a $25 million investment fraud scheme. The plea agreement provides for Hersch to pay at least $9.2 million in restitution to investors he defrauded. Full Story

6. New York: United States Charges 43 Members of Cocaine Trafficking Ring Read More »

1. Los Angeles: 100 Linked to Computer Hacking Ring Charged by U.S. and Egypt in Operation Phish Phry

One hundred defendants were indicted as a result of Operation Phish Phry, a multinational cyber crime investigation conducted in the United States and Egypt that uncovered a sophisticated phishing operation. The defendants fraudulently collected personal information from thousands of victims, using it to defraud American banks. Operation Phish Phry marks the first joint cyber investigation between Egyptian law enforcement authorities and United States officials. Full Story

2. Denver: Mohammed Zazi Indicted for False Statement Involving International and Domestic Terrorism

Mohammed Zazi was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver for making a false statement in a matter involving international and domestic terrorism. Zazi was first arrested by the FBI based on a criminal complaint filed on September 19, 2009.  Full Story

3. Dallas: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man for Attempting to Bomb Dallas Skyscraper

A federal grand jury in Dallas has charged Hosam Maher Husein Smadi with offenses stemming from his attempt to bomb a skyscraper in downtown Dallas.  It is expected that Smadi will make his initial appearance on these charges before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Dallas next week. Full Story

4.Springfield: Grand Jury Indicts Man Previously Charged with Attempt to Bomb Courthouse and Murder Federal Employees

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Michael C. Finton, as previously charged in a criminal complaint, with attempted murder of a federal officer or employee and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) against property owned by the United States. Finton was arrested on September 23, 2009, in connection with an alleged plot to detonate a vehicle bomb at the federal courthouse in Springfield.  Full Story

5. New York: Bonanno Organized Crime Family Members and Associates Indicted

A 33-count indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging members and associates of the Bonanno organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra with racketeering-related charges, firearms violations, bank fraud, illegal gambling, extortion, extortion conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. Full Story Read More »

Could it be? Wow, that’s one heck of a claim to make. No wonder FBI Director Mueller was so P.O.’d.
Perhaps the FBI will assert extraterritorial jurisdiction in this matter.

From Timesonline.com:

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

So, you see, terrorism and ‘lest we forget’ has been thrown out the window -for a price.

-Josh Truman