News & Public Affairs
Florida's elderly are prime targets for fraudsters listen
04/05/13 Jim BleyerWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: fraud, elder fraud, Stetson University College of Law
Ever since scam artists first sold swampland to unsuspecting Yankees, Florida has been ground zero for swindlers.
Florida proudly lays claim to world-famous beaches, an inviting climate, and a leisurely lifestyle but the state understandably shies away from a dubious distinction; it’s ranked number one in both fraud and identity theft by the Federal Trade Commission.
Ada Carmona, Chief of the Economic Crime Unit for the Hillsborough County ...
Be the first to commentCongress member Vern Buchanan denies involvement in illegal campaign finance strategies listen
03/29/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Vern Buchanan, ethics, campaign finance, fraud
Florida member of Congress Vern Buchanan claims he played no role in illegal campaign finance activity that directly benefited him. After a tax reform panel Friday Buchanan downplayed continued allegations that people are breaking laws to fund his campaigns.
Several friends and acquaintances of Buchanan have been accused of reimbursing their employees for campaign contributions benefiting the four-term member of Congress. It’s called Conduit Contributions and it’s illegal.
2 comments“I think...
Politics meets the State Fair: Governor and Cabinet meet in Tampa on opening day listen
02/09/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Governor Rick Scott, Rick Scott, Cabinet, Pam Bondi, agriculture, auto insurance, fraud, Florida State Fair
Governor Rick Scott got to have some fun in Tampa at the opening day of the Florida State Fair today where he held a Cabinet meeting. Aside from tours and eating fried food, Scott also got kudos from Tampa Bay area locals.
At the cabinet meeting a group of about 50 Floridians wore shirts advertising their coalition: Put the Brakes on Accident Fraud. Austin Curry was one of many advocates waving signs thanking the Governor and Cabinet for their efforts to stop the loss of 1 billion dollar...
Be the first to commentSeniors told to "not trust anybody" at fraud prevention forum listen
10/19/11 Josh HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: fraud, senior citizens, seniors, seniors issues, insurance, insurance companies
Identity theft and fraud are a threat to many people these days, but seniors can be especially vulnerable. Yesterday members of Florida’s Department of Financial Services visited the Sunshine Center in St. Petersburg to help seniors stay alert.
Carol Radin is with the Office on Aging for the City of St. Petersburg, and said that seniors in particular need to be aware of scams and fraudulent offers in the mail.
S...
Be the first to commentTampa Bay homeowners outraged over Citizens sinkhole insurance rate hikes
08/17/11 Josh HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Citizens Property Insurance, sinkholes, sinkhole, sb 408, insurance rates, insurance, insurance industry, mortgages, fraud, Mike Fasano
More than a hundred furious protestors shouted and waved signs outside Pasco County government offices yesterday. They rallied to protest massive rate hikes proposed for sinkhole insurance coverage.
Last year there were far more sinkhole rate claims in the Tampa Bay area than in previous years. While many say the drought is to blame, some politicians in Tallahassee think fraud is at work. So State Senate Bill 408 was written to address the fraud, but also did away with a 10% annual rate h...
1 commentsSuspicion over AG's abrupt investigator firings grows listen
07/28/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Pam Bondi, Progress Florida, foreclosures, fraud
Florida is known nationally as an epicenter for foreclosure fraud. Earlier this year, two lawyers credited with uncovering the practice resigned at the insistence of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Some want the state to investigate the forced resignations.
Until this past spring, Attorneys June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards worked in the attorney general’s economic crimes division in Fort Lauderdale. Under Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum, they investigated several loan servicing comp...
2 commentsHelp available for retirees targeted in scams listen
01/26/11 Andrea LypkaRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: financial scam, elder care law, Stetson, Gulfport, fraud, law
Senior citizens are often the target financial fraud. But, there are organizations that can help by warning about common scams and assisting after a fraud has occurred.
Stephen Lintner’s mother was a victim of a financial scam.
“Mom used a company for some kind of credit card consolidation that had some problems and it disappeared and things fell apart. I don’t even know the details. She has had some problems with phone calls that turned out to be a scam and she lost a measure of money ...
Be the first to commentDan Gelber speaks with WMNF on current political climate listen
10/25/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Dan Gelber, Pam Bondi, 2010 election, Florida politics, fraud, investment fraud, attorney general's race
In recent years the office of the state attorney general has become highly political. Current attorney general Bill McCollum is leading a multi-state lawsuit against the federal health care overhaul, and has taken a stand on issues like immigration. Last Week, WMNF’s Kate Bradshaw spoke with Democratic State Senator and Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber, who says political grandstanding can shift vital resources away from things like fighting fraud and pill mills.
Gelber, a South Flori...
2 commentsGelber on recent conviction of "mini-Madoff" listen
10/22/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Dan Gelber, Pam Bondi, 2010 election, Florida politics, fraud, investment fraud, attorney general's race
Yesterday a New York judge sentenced Art Nadel to fourteen years in prison for defrauding hundreds of investors in a Sarasota-based ponzi scheme. The 78-year-old Nadel is known to some as a mini-Madoff, and will be doing his time in the same prison as Bernie Madoff. At a roundtable today in Sarasota, state senator Dan Gelber, the Democratic nominee in the attorney general’s race, announced that’s he’d assemble a unit to tackle investment fraud if elected. Today WMNF spoke with Gelber, who say...
Be the first to commentMcCollum Linked to WellCare Case - Attorney listen
10/05/10 Kimberly VlachWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: WellCare, fraud, McCollum, healthcare, Medicaid
The attorney representing the main whistleblower in the Federal civil lawsuit against WellCare Health Plans has filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court, asking to bar Attorney General Bill McCollum from making any decisions on the proposed $137.5 million settlement. Why? They say McCollum failed to investigate more than $400 million in fraud against Florida’s Medicaid program due to a "conflict of interest."
"We’d sit in this room and think about the leadership’s bonuses…and we’d ...
Be the first to comment