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Tom321

Bud Newman from the Daily Business Review has been all over this case. Here is a clip from his articles. I can't get the whole thing because I'm not paying for it. If anyone can get these articles post it here please. I so want to read them.

"Coral Springs attorney Laura Hess, a principal in a family of shuttered debt settlement companies accused of scamming consumers, pleaded guilty to violating numerous Florida Bar rules and agreed to be disbarred for five years."

Here is another sample of another article concerning that fool Edward Cherry AKA Edward T. Kennedy AKA WaltJ.

"Edward Cherry said in a sworn deposition that he forged — or ordered a colleague to forge — the signature of Hess’ elusive law partner Edward T. Kennedy on state documents.
Edward Cherry, a key business partner of suspended Coral Springs attorney Laura Hess, admits he hid his criminal record from her when they started their debt settlement company in 2003."

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:12 am Subject:

Dis-barred for life and 20 years in prison would have been justice. This was just a slap on the wrist

Tom321 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:12 am Subject:

Hey what do you know I found one of the articles for free:

Tom321 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:13 am Subject:

You are right nascardevil.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:16 am Subject: debt

TOM321.....this is VERY interesting. I never dealt with them, but, I DO know a few people who have. These people are suppose to be professionsl?! They plead guilty? Gosh.....SOOO many people, in this world, need help and companies ( like these..) deceive people. It's just horrible. 'We' hear alot more of this now a days.

Tom321 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:22 am Subject:

I know sdcharger. I was watching the news the other day and they said that it is on the rise ten fold. The internet serves as its playground. This is why you should go with a debt settlement company in your area. A place where you can go into the office.

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:57 am Subject: debt

That IS good advice, TOM321. This way would be a safer way. But...STILL ....you gotta check things out. If the company is in your area, you CAN go in and ask questions.

Tom321 · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:30 pm Subject:

That you can charger. And if they try to cheat you you bring the police straight to their door and you know exactly who to sue...LOL.

daphne cole · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 12:42 pm Subject: debt settlement companies

You should absolutely never trust these people. This is not the first company to be shut down. They hid fees and leave you open to lawsuits from your creditrs. If you check the rip off reports you would be stunned!!!! Work with your creditor yourself or file bankruptcy but, never trust someone to do your bidding for you when it is in THEIR best interest to only settle at the lowest percentage which, alot of time ends up with you getting sued from the creditor. BE SMART!!!

Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:30 am Subject: debt

TOM..I din't even think that you could take the police straight there. I was just thinking it would be easier to have a company close enough to you. However...that's a good thought, TOM. Thanks for that comment.

Tom321 · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:35 pm Subject:

That's how you have to roll these days charger.....LOL. But when I scan this forum it's amazing that so many people are not listening to advice given here. They keep going to these online settlement scams. What can you do though?....

I've learned my lesson with the Hess Kennedy scam.

Tom321 · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:07 am Subject: Good News for Capital One Card Holders

Good news if you had a capital one account with HESS KENNEDY.

Agreement to Help Hess Kennedy Victims Will Eliminate credit card debt

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a settlement has been reached in a case brought by Capital One against affiliated Hess Kennedy companies which engaged in fraudulent debt settlement activities. Under the settlement approved today, Capital One will forgive the credit card debt of approximately 18,000 consumers nationwide, including nearly 1,900 Florida residents, who contracted with the Hess Kennedy companies for the fraudulent services. Laura Hess and the Hess Kennedy Companies are currently in Receivership as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office in February. As part of this settlement, Capital One will receive a payment of $1.825 million from the assets of the Hess Kennedy companies.

“I applaud Capital One Bank for being proactive in assisting its customers who were taken advantage of by this scheme, and I encourage other banks and financial institutions to follow this excellent example and to work with my office on behalf of their customers who have also been victimized,” said Attorney General McCollum.

Earlier this month, Judge Ronald Rothschild in Broward County Circuit Court ordered Hess’s companies be liquidated and settlements be reached to help provide restitution to affected consumers. Capital One will receive a payment of $1.825 million from the assets of the Hess Kennedy companies and the impacted consumers will soon receive letters from the Receiver containing additional information about the effect of the settlement on them.

The Attorney General’s Office had sued and obtained injunctions and Receivership orders against Hess and her companies for engaging in deceptive debt settlement and debt management practices victimizing tens of thousands of consumers. Hess and the Hess Kennedy group of companies are now under Receivership as a result of the Attorney General’s lawsuit. Capital One cooperated with the Attorney General’s Office to assist in the actions against the Hess Kennedy companies and partnered with the Attorney General to have an injunction entered against Hess Kennedy to further protect consumers from Hess Kennedy's abusive practices.

The lawsuit against Laura Hess was filed by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division and named Hess’s Broward County law firm and several other Florida-based companies she controlled. The lawsuit accused Hess of signing thousands of credit card debtors up for debt management services and claiming the law firm would provide legal services to cancel debts for pennies on the dollar. Representatives of Hess allegedly told consumers that the companies had audited the consumers’ accounts and found numerous violations under the Fair Credit Billing Act, then sent notices to creditors disputing all charges. Consumers were falsely told that once these notices were issued, the consumers did not have to pay creditors and creditors could not sue or otherwise take action against them. This deception led to lawsuits and other actions against several debtors.

A Receiver is a court-appointed individual who takes control of the operations of a company or companies for the purpose of protecting assets and customers under the authority of the court.

Tom321 · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:22 am Subject:

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum vows to close down debt-relief fraud

Florida's attorney general said Wednesday he's going to wipe out debt-relief companies that are defrauding Floridians in financial distress out of millions of dollars in fees and charges.

As the economy heads for what many predict will be a deep recession, Bill McCollum warned consumers to beware of companies that promise to dramatically reduce or eliminate debt obligations. His office's economic crimes division has taken legal action against five firms and has issued subpoenas to more than two dozen more, McCollum said Wednesday.

Typically, debt-relief firms promise to lower credit card interest rates, reduce debt or consolidate debt in exchange for hefty up-front fees. The companies collect the fees and never deliver on their debt-paring promises, he said.

Statewide consumer complaints about illicit debt-relief firms are up 62 percent this year, to 1,400, and are expected to rise even more as people struggle to pay bills.

"Most of what they're doing, these debt organizations, is just plain malarkey," McCollum said at a Capitol news conference. "I want to close these companies down. They are bad, bad, bad."

An egregious example are companies that promise to wipe out debt completely for a few thousand dollars, he said. These debt-elimination firms give their customers bank certificates purported to be get-out-of-debt cards, but in reality are worthless.

"Don't ever buy into debt elimination," McCollum said. "Nobody can eliminate your debt."

Jeffrey Tromberg, a bankruptcy lawyer with the Florida debt relief Center in Fort Lauderdale, said many clients come into his office only after wasting thousands of dollars on debt-relief companies. He wants to see them outlawed, or at least banned from collecting up-front fees.

"I've never come across a debt-relief company that actually did everything they promise to do," he said. "The consumer, having tried to get out of debt, is left many times in a much worse position."

The debt companies under scrutiny from the Attorney General's Office operate out of Florida but have a nationwide reach, targeting consumers through telephone and Internet solicitations. They look for people with at least $10,000 in credit-card debt.

Legal action has been taken against IXE Accelerated Financial Services, of Orlando; Enterprise Technology Group, of Dunedin; United debt solutions and Provident Financial Services, both of Jacksonville; and New Leaf Associates, of Pinellas County.

In Broward, the Attorney General's Office also is involved in the case of a Pompano Beach attorney, Laura Hess, who is accused of charging clients with debt issues but doing little to help them, McCollum said.

Ontrack Financial Group · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:27 pm Subject: Industry in Shame

If debt settlement companies worried more about their clients, instead of making a huge amount of money this situation would have never happened. The solution is simple, stick with the basics, and assist consumers. Once a company tries a far fetched tactic, and markets it to the masses, corruption will demise the industry. debt settlement companies have their place in society, but there is no reason to involve greed. Laura made a grave mistake, other companies need to look at their business model and make appropriate adjustments.

Tom321 · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:32 pm Subject:

True Ontrack Financial Group Guest. This industry is saturated with scammers. And the TASC and other organizations are just letting it happen. They are part of the problem.

Tom321 · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:11 am Subject:

Oh snap I got a letter the other day from the HK receivership lawyers stating that they are going to give me a refund. Did anyone else get this letter?

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HESS KENNEDY LAWYER LAURA HESS DISBARRED FOR 5 YEARS.

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