Nearly 78,000 Service Members to Begin Receiving $60 Million for Sallie Mae Student Loans Overcharges

Nearly 78,000 Service Members to Begin Receiving $60 Million for Sallie Mae Student Loans Overcharges

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  The Department of Justice announced today that this June, 77,795 service members will begin receiving $60 million in compensation for having been charged excess interest on their student loans by Navient Corp., the student loan servicer formerly part of Sallie Mae.  

The payments are required by a settlement that the department reached with Navient last year to resolve the federal government’s lawsuit filed against owners and servicers of student loans for violating the rights of service members eligible for benefits and protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).  

The complaint in that lawsuit alleged that three defendants (collectively Navient) engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice, dating as far back as 2005, of violating the SCRA by failing to provide members of the military the 6 percent interest rate cap to which they were entitled for loans that were incurred before the military service began.  The three defendants are Navient Solutions Inc. (formerly known as Sallie Mae, Inc.), Navient DE Corporation (formerly known as SLM DE Corporation), and Sallie Mae Bank.

The settlement covers the entire portfolio of student loans serviced by, or on behalf of, Navient.  This includes private student loans, Direct Department of Education Loans, and student loans that originated under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program.  Approximately 74 percent of the $60 million that is about to be distributed is attributable to private loans, 21 percent to loans guaranteed by the Department of Education and five percent to loans owned by the Department of Education.

The checks, which are scheduled to be mailed on June 12, 2015, will range from $10 to over $100,000, with an average of about $771.  Check amounts will depend on how long the interest rate exceeded 6 percent and by how much, and on the types of military documentation the service member provided.

In addition to the $60 million in compensation, the settlement contains several other key provisions.  It required Navient to pay the United States a civil penalty of $55,000.  Navient must also request that all three major credit bureaus delete negative credit history entries caused by the interest rate overcharges and improper default judgments.

The settlement also required Navient to streamline the process by which service members may notify Navient of their eligibility for SCRA benefits.  The revised process includes an SCRA online intake form for service members, and the availability of customer service representatives specially trained on the rights of those in military service.  

The DOJ investigation of Navient was the result of a referral of service member complaints from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Servicemember Affairs, headed by Holly Petraeus.  

The Department of Education is now using a U.S. Department of Defense database to proactively identify borrowers who may be eligible for the lower interest rate under the SCRA, rather than requiring service members to apply for the benefit.

Beginning on June 12, service members with questions about their eligibility for monetary relief under the settlement should call (855) 382-6421.  

Other service members and their dependents who believe that their SCRA rights have been violated should contact an Armed Forces Legal Assistance office.  

To find the closest office, consult the military legal assistance office locator at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil and click on the Legal Services Locator.  

John Paradise, San Clemente PAG used car guy to be arraigned for fraud.

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  John Joseph, Paradise, 53, San Clemente, a used car dealership president is scheduled to be arraigned today for filing fraudulent tax returns and failing to pay more than $1.3 million in sales taxes. 

According to the Orange Country District Attorney's office, Paradise, 53, is charged with six felony counts of making a false and fraudulent return over $25,000 tax liability with sentencing enhancement allegations for property damage over $1.3 million and aggravated white collar crime over $500,000.

 The OCDA will be requesting that Paradise be held on $1.3 million bail and prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.

Between Jan. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2014, Paradise is accused of being the president and corporate officer of Paradise Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG), selling used luxury vehicles.
Paradise is accused of being the signatory of PAG and preparing the business's sales tax returns. Paradise is accused of submitting fraudulent sales tax returns to the State Board of Equalization (BOE).
The BOE investigated this case after a discrepancy in the sales figures and sales taxes collected by Paradise and reported to the California Department of Motor Vehicles was substantially higher than the sales taxes the defendant is accused of reporting and paying to the BOE.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

Murder-Suicide in Trabuco Canyon

Posted by CotoBlogzz

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. - On Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at approximately 6:08 p.m., Orange County Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 hang-up call to dispatch from  15 Swallows Lane. When Deputies arrived they were contacted by a female adult victim and her 18-month old child, who indicated she had been involved in a domestic altercation

According to OCSD spokesperson, Lt. Jeff Hallock, Luis Arizmendi, 41, and his son, Sebastian Arizmendi, 3, were discovered deceased inside the residence located at 15 Swallows Lane.  

During the preliminary investigation, Luis refused to exit and was unresponsive to phone calls or attempts by deputies to contact him.

Luis remained barricaded inside the residence until approximately 7:20 p.m. when SWAT deputies made entry and discovered Luis and Sebastian deceased from apparent gunshot wounds to the head.  A handgun believed to be used was also located at the scene.

Based on the information obtained and evidence collected at the scene, the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Orange County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Unit at (714) 647-7055 or (714) 647-7000.  Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

Far Left CA AG Kamala Harris immigration ruling oxymoron

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Ranch Santa Margarita, CA -  Today, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for an emergency stay in Texas, et al. v. United States, et al., the lawsuit against President Obama’s immigration executive actions. 

Far Left California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris did not like the ruling and released the following statement:  “I am disappointed that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied our request for a stay to allow these lawful actions to immediately move forward. California will continue to lead the way in defending the President’s actions so that we can enjoy a safer, more prosperous nation" 

The ACLJ views it differently:  " We urged the appeals court to leave the preliminary injunction in place arguing that the Obama Administration’s request to remove the injunction was just another flawed attempt to circumvent the legal process and to put in place an unconstitutional power grab that is not only unlawful but unconstitutional as well. We’re confident the court ultimately will conclude that President Obama’s overreach, in effect, changed the law – a violation of the separation of powers."

Mohammad Khan, former assistant administrator of Riverside General Hospital in Houston gets 40 years for Medicare fraud.

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. - Mohammad Khan, was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for his role in a $116 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to announcement by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

To date, 10 individuals have pleaded guilty or been convicted for their involvement in the scheme.

Mohammad Khan, 65, of Houston, the assistant administrator who oversaw many of the partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) at Riverside General Hospital, pleaded guilty in February 2012 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks and paying illegal kickbacks.  He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas.  He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $31,321,200.

According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, from January 2008 through February 2012, Khan and others at Riverside General Hospital operated a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting claims for PHP services that were not medically necessary and, in some cases, never provided.  Prior to Khan’s arrest, Riverside submitted over $116 million in claims to Medicare for PHP services purportedly provided to the recruited beneficiaries, when in fact, the PHP services were medically unnecessary or never provided.  Khan also admitted that he and his co-conspirators paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and to owners and operators of group care homes in exchange for which those individuals delivered ineligible Medicare beneficiaries to the hospital’s PHPs.

Others involved in the fraudulent scheme already have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.  

Earnest Gibson III, the former president of Riverside; his son, Earnest Gibson IV, who operated a Riverside PHP; Regina Askew, a patient file auditor and group home operator; and Robert Crane, a patient recruiter, were all convicted after jury trial in November 2014 and await sentencing.  

William Bullock, an operator of a Riverside satellite location, as well as Leslie Clark, Robert Ferguson, Waddie McDuffie and Sharonda Holmes, who were involved in paying or receiving kickbacks, also have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.

The case was investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with assistance from Health & Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, Railroad Retirement Board’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General.  

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Laura M.K. Cordova of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

As if Native Americans were not government-Dependent enough, DOJ proposes new legislation.

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - As if Native Americans were not government-Dependent enough, following Alvita Gupta's views on Baltimore and Furgesen Riots that these were due to poor cops and lingering effects of slavery and Jim Crow laws, the   DOJ today proposed legislation that would require states or localities whose territory includes part or all of an Indian reservation, an Alaska Native village, or other tribal lands to locate at least one polling place in a venue selected by the tribal government. 

According to newly appointed Attorney General Loretta Lynch, “The Department of Justice is deeply committed to ensuring that every eligible individual is able to exercise his or her fundamental right to vote. That’s why, today, I am calling on Congress to help remove the significant and unnecessary barriers that for too long have confronted American Indians and Alaska Natives attempting to cast their ballots.  

Echoing Evita Gupta, Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart Delery stated that "Native Americans have faced unacceptable barriers to participating in the franchise, a situation aggravated by a history of discrimination, poverty and — significantly — great distances from polling places.  Apparently the DOJ did not follow the most recent elections in Afghanistan where the hardships endured by the Afghan people put to shame most American voters.

The DOJ proposal would:                           

• Enable Native Americans to vote on or near tribal lands, by requiring any state or local election administrator whose territory includes part or all of an Indian reservation, an Alaska Native village, or other tribal lands to locate at least one polling place in a venue selected, and made available for the purpose of conducting elections, by the tribal government.
• Require states to make voting machines, ballots, and other voting materials and equipment available at these tribally located polling places to the same extent that they are available at other polling places in the state.
• Require states to provide compensation and other benefits to election officials and poll workers at these polling places to the same extent as at other polling places in the state.
• Require states to use the same voting procedures at these polling places as at other polling places in the state — potentially including election-day voting, early voting, the hours during which polling places are open, the operation of voting mechanisms or systems, and same-day registration.
• Allow states to meet their obligations by either creating new polling places or relocating existing ones.
• Allow tribes with larger populations or land bases to request more than one polling place.
• Make the states’ obligations contingent on the tribe filing a timely request and certifying that it has arranged for access to, and appropriate staffing for, the polling facility.
• Require the tribe to ensure that the staffers for the polling place are properly trained.
• Require the tribe to ensure that the polling place will be open and accessible to all eligible citizens who reside in the precinct, regardless of whether they are Indians or non-Indians.

In other words, throw more money at the perceived problem to enrich the local bureaucracy, keep the electorate lazy, dumb and happy, and perhaps the follow on proposal would be to have ballots pre-Checked with "Democrats" so voters do not even have to lift a finger or exercise one neuron, in order to vote.

OCSD to launch Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation during the Memorial Day weekend

Careless motorists as well as riders get special scrutiny

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (May 21, 2015) –  Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) will be conducting a specialized Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operation during the Memorial Day weekend in an effort to lower deaths and injuries.  

According to OCSD spokesperson Emily Osterberg, extra officers will be on duty to:

Patrol areas frequented by motorcyclists and where motorcycle crashes occur.  

Looking  for violations made by drivers and riders alike that can lead to motorcycle crashes, including driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, making illegal turns, or any other dangerous infraction.

The argument for this type of initiatives is that motorcycle fatalities saw a phenomenal drop of 37% from 2008 to 2010, but then rose 23% by 2012. These operations are aimed at curbing further rises in motorcycle deaths and sending the numbers back downward.

California collision data reveals that primary causes of motorcycle-involved crashes include speeding, unsafe turning and impairment due to alcohol and other drugs by both riders and drivers alike.  

The OCSD is reminding all motorists to always be alert and watch out for motorcycles, especially when turning and changing lanes.  

Riders can get training through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Information and training locations are available at www.CA-msp.org or 1-877 RIDE 411 or 1-877-743-3411.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Nationwide crackdown on unbuckled motorists

Orange County Sheriff’s Department Will Show Zero Tolerance

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - As part of the national seat belt enforcement campaign, law enforcement agencies around the country will be stepping up enforcement May 18, 2015 to May 31, 2015, just prior to one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.  The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, according to spokesperson, Emily Osterberg will show zero tolerance.

“Every day, unbuckled motorists are losing their lives in motor vehicle crashes,” said Deputy Manuel Cruz of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “As we approach Memorial Day weekend and the summer vacation season, we want to make sure people are doing the one thing that can save them in a crash, buckling up.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2013 nearly half of the 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unrestrained. That number rose to 59% between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., making nighttime enforcement a focus of The Click It or Ticket campaign.

Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In California, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is over $160.00.  

Airport baggage handlers in Oakland California charged in conspiracy to transport drugs

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. -  Fourteen persons have been charged in connection with an alleged wide-ranging criminal conspiracy to violate airport security requirements and transport drugs throughout the country announced U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag of the Northern District of California according to Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) for the Northern District of California and Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  

In a criminal complaint partially unsealed today, the co-conspirators were described as a drug trafficking organization determined to use the special access some of them had been granted as baggage handlers at the Oakland International Airport to circumvent the security measures in place at the airport.  

The baggage handlers entered the Air Operations Area (AOA) of the Oakland Airport while in possession of baggage containing marijuana.  The AOA is an area of the airport that is accessible to employees but not to passengers who have completed security screening through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint.  

The baggage handlers were not required to pass through a TSA security screening checkpoint to enter the AOA.  The baggage handlers then used their security badges to open a secure door that separates the AOA from the sterile passenger terminal where outbound passengers, who have already passed through the TSA security and screening checkpoint, wait to board their flights.  

The baggage handlers then gave the baggage containing drugs to passengers who then transported the drugs in carry-on luggage on their outbound flights.  After arriving in a destination city, the drugs were distributed and sold. 

The conspiracy was operating as early as July 2012.  Baggage handlers Kenneth Wayne Fleming, 32, of San Leandro, California; Keith Ramon Mayfield, 34, of Oakland, California; and Michael Herb Videau, 28, of Oakland, California, are accused of using their security badges to cross security barriers while carrying unscreened baggage filled with packages of marijuana.  They would then hand off the baggage to co-conspirators, including Major Alexander Session III, 24, of Oakland, California; Clyde Barry Jamerson, 41, of Oakland, California; Kameron Kordero Eldridge Davis, 26, of Dublin, California; Ronnell Lamar Molton, 34, of Oakland, California; Francisco Manuel Carrasco, 29, of Hayward, California; Sophia Cherise West, 44, of Castro Valley, California; and others, who then would board outbound aircraft and bring the drugs to destinations throughout the country.  Proceeds from the sale of the marijuana eventually were deposited into accounts controlled by defendants Ahshatae Marie Millhouse, 27, of Oakland, California; Laticia Ann Morris, 40, of Little Rock, Arkansas; Donald Ray Holland II, 42, of Discovery Bay, California; and others.  Additionally, Mayfield used his privileges as an airline employee to ship drugs as cargo and have co-conspirators such as Brandon Jarred Davillier, 27, of Slidell, Louisiana, receive them for distribution.  The defendants have been charged in a complaint with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.

Nine defendants were taken into custody in arrests coordinated throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Arkansas.  Eight defendants made their initial appearances this morning before the Honorable U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore, in Oakland, California.  The defendants’ next appearances are scheduled as follows: defendants Holland, Fleming, Baker, Session, Davis and West are scheduled to appear tomorrow morning for a hearing at which they may be appointed counsel.  Defendants Mayfield and Videau are scheduled to appear on May 21, 2015, for detention hearings.  Defendant Morris made her initial appearance in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was released on bond.  Defendants Jamerson and Molton are currently serving state prison sentences in Arkansas and Louisiana, respectively, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.  Defendants Davillier, Millhouse and Carrasco are presently fugitives. 

LASD's undersheriff Paul Tanaka and Thomas Carey indicted on obstruction

UPDATE:  11:00 pm. May 15:  both defendants appeared in court today and claimed total innocence. 

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. -  Paul Tanaka, 56, who was the second in command of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and William Thomas Carey, 56, who oversaw internal criminal investigations at the LASD, have been indicted on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly directing efforts to quash a federal investigation into corruption and civil rights violations by sheriff’s deputies at two downtown jail complexes.

A federal grand jury yesterday returned an indictment against Tanaka and Carey, who allegedly participated in a broad conspiracy to obstruct the investigation, a scheme that started when the sheriff’s department learned that an inmate at the Men’s Central Jail (MCJ) was an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  Tanaka and Carey allegedly directed, oversaw and participated in a conspiracy that last year resulted in the conviction of seven other former LASD deputies.

The obstruction of justice case was announced at a news conference this morning by Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura for the Central District of California and Assistant Director in Charge David Bowdich for the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Tanaka and Carey are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and each is named in one count of obstruction of justice.  Carey is charged with two counts of making false declarations for perjuring himself last year during the trials of co-conspirators.

Tanaka was the undersheriff in the LASD until 2013 and he ran an unsuccessful campaign for sheriff last year.  Carey left LASD after reaching the rank of captain and heading the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Tanaka and Carey surrendered themselves to the FBI early this morning and the two men are expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in U.S. District Court.

According to the indictment, the two defendants were well aware of “problem deputies” at the jails, “allegations of rampant abuse of inmates” and “insufficient internal investigations” into deputy misconduct.  Tanaka allegedly told deputies assigned to the jails to work in a “gray area” and that he thought that the LASD Internal Affairs Bureau should be reduced from 45 investigators to just one.

The scheme to thwart the federal investigation allegedly started when deputies in August 2011 recovered a mobile phone from an inmate in MCJ, linked the phone to the FBI and determined that the inmate was an informant for the FBI who was cooperating in a federal corruption civil rights investigation.  The phone was given to the inmate by a corrupt deputy, who subsequently pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges.

Alarmed by the federal investigation, members of the conspiracy, guided by Tanaka and Carey, took affirmative steps to hide the cooperator from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, which was attempting to bring the inmate to testify before a federal grand jury in response to an order issued by a federal judge.  The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the deputies altered records to make it appear that the cooperator had been released.  They then re-booked the inmate under a different name, moved him to secure locations, prohibited FBI access to the informant and then told the cooperator that he had been abandoned by the FBI.

Over the course of several weeks, members of the conspiracy allegedly attempted to obtain an order from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge that would have compelled the FBI to turn over information about its investigation to LASD.  After the judge refused to issue such an order because he had no jurisdiction over the federal law enforcement agency and even though it was clear that the FBI was properly acting in the course of a lawful investigation, Tanaka and Carey met to discuss having two sergeants approach the lead FBI case agent.  Soon thereafter, the sergeants confronted the agent at her residence in an attempt to intimidate her.  The sergeants threatened the agent with arrest and later reiterated this threat to her supervisor, stating that the agent’s arrest was imminent.

“As the allegations demonstrate, Tanaka had a large role in institutionalizing certain illegal behavior within the sheriff’s department,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Yonekura.  

The indictment also alleges that Tanaka and Carey oversaw co-conspirators who told fellow deputies not to cooperate in the federal investigation.  Members of the conspiracy allegedly engaged in witness tampering by telling fellow deputies that the FBI would lie, threaten, manipulate and blackmail them to obtain information about the sheriff’s department.

As of now, a total of 21 defendants who held various ranks in the LASD have been charged, including the deputy who took the bribe to smuggle the phone and seven co-conspirators in the scheme to obstruct justice 

The investigation into corruption, civil rights abuses and obstruction of justice related to the Los Angeles County jails is being conducted by the FBI.

Rancho Santa Margarita's Alec Ouzounian shot by OCSD deputy while trying to commit suicide

Posted by CotoBlogzz

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – According to Orange County District Attorney's spokesperson Lt. Jeff Hallock,  at approximately 2:10 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to 28 Paseo Viento in Rancho Santa Margarita, regarding a subject attempting suicide.  

Deputies arrived and entered the residence where they confronted an individual suffering from multiple self-inflicted stab wounds.   During the confrontation with the subject, Alec Ouzounian, 40, Rancho Santa Margarita, a deputy-involved shooting occurred.  Ouzounian was transported by paramedics to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations is conducting the shooting investigation as is protocol for all Orange County Sheriff’s deputy-involved shootings.

The San Francisco Far Left is after catholic education and Archbishop Cordileone

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita. CA-  the far left is at it again, this time in San Francisco: While progressive policies have failed in places such as Ferguson, Detroit and Baltimore, far left politicians such as Rep. Elijah Cummings and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake blame the cops, not the policies they have promulgated for decades:  http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2015/05/baltimore-cops-escape-goats-for.html

Now, weapons of mass disinformation have been deployed,  funded by millionaire so called  candy store Catholics in San Francisco aimed at taking control of the Catholic schools and remove Archbishop Cordileone:  we previously argued that a fundamental transformation of America is as easy as eating an elephant:  taking control of one school district at a time.h

Archbishop Cordileone recently approved revised teacher contracts and a handbook containing morality clauses that function as professional conduct policies. This decision to protect the Catholic identity of schools by prohibiting teachers from publicly acting against Catholic teaching has met with  such criticism that infamous public-relations maven Sam Singer has been hired an attempt to destroy faithful Catholic education. - See http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/4024/Infamous-Public-Relations-Guru-Organizing-Attacks-on-Archbishop-Writes-Hendershott.aspx#.dpuf

The criticism is unwarranted,  and like the bogus charges against law enforcement in Ferguson, Baltimore and New York, the mainstream media is carrying water for Singer.  Singer has made it clear:  he will not rest until the Archbishop is removed.  What is this about freedom of religion?

Paraphrasing Edmond Burke, all that is necessary for evil and Sam Singer to triumph is for good Catholics to do nothing.  Brian at Catholic.org has started a Cordileone Defense Fund:

>>>Chip in $25 to support the Cordileone Defense Fund

>>>Chip in $50 to support the Cordileone Defense Fund

>>>Chip in $100 or more to help now! 

According to Brian,  All collected proceeds will be given to the Archdiocese of San Francisco, for the express purpose of assisting the Archbishop with public relations, legal fees and any other costs directly associated with his effort

Baltimore Cops, escape goats for multiple failed far left experiments

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - in a press conference yesterday, first female African-American US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, officially launched a Department of Justice investigation into whether the Baltimore Police Department has engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law, at the request of Baltimore's African-American Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. 

Ms Lynch stated in part: " Over the past few days and weeks, we have watched as Baltimore struggled with issues that face cities across the country today.  We have seen a peaceful protest movement coalesce to express the concern of a beleaguered community.  We have seen brave officers upholding the right to peaceful protest, while also sustaining serious injury during the city’s unfortunate foray into violence" carefully avoiding the Thug word.

Based on over a decade of research on public safety, I can guarantee that the DOJ will find something wrong, but is not the answer Rep. Elijah Cummings, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder or even Obama, are looking for.  It is not rocket science.  Elijah Cummings refuses to be held accountable and instead blames federal, state and local policies.  

Additionally, while Baltimore has benefited from far left policies for over five decades, these far left experiments have failed.  

Consider that, 

a)  In Baltimore, 22 percent of African Americans have no high school diploma compared to 15 percent of whites. At the national level, the ratio is 2:1 

b) In Baltimore, the unemployment rate among African Americans is 10.4 percent,  not even taking into consideration the underemployment rate at a 22 percent. The underemployment rate includes people who are so discouraged that they are not looking for work any more or they no longer have gas money to look for a job. This group also includes those who would like to work full time but can only find part time jobs. 

c) then there is the disintegration of the African American family:  in many urban areas, the black illegitimacy rate is well over 80 percent, and a similar number applies to involvement of a father figure in the African American family.  Wit the recent Super Mom who slapped her son for participating in the Baltimore riots, yet she herself modeling a family with multiple partners. As Representative Paul Ryan would say: " if we are ever to focus on children who, for no fault of their own, are often raised in environments where a stable father is missing, violence is predictable, education is eschewed, drugs are prevalent and dependency threatens freedom; we must stand up and speak facts before another generation of children are lost" 

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report with a. assessment of the San Diego Police Department’s policies and practices for preventing, detecting and investigating misconduct, including 20 specific requirements.  Most of which we expect will apply to the Baltimore case:  in San Diego, the assessment recommended "a comprehensive approach to all aspects of policing that can help prevent misconduct" Including, the training and supervision of officers, the recruitment and selection of new officers, accountability mechanisms, internal investigations and disciplinary practices. In other words, it does not address the fundamental issues in Baltimore or any other far left managed community

http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2015/03/forget-furgeson-pd-doj-slams-san-diego.html

As for public safety, with due respect to Rep. Elijah Cummings, we have argued for years that the buck stops at city hall:  Whether that city is considered the safest city or not, it is mostly a function of the leadership displayed by city hall - such leadership includes vision and a willingness to engage with residents, supporters and critics alike. The Police Departments merely implements the statement of work defined by city hall, such as allowing the Baltimore Thugs to destroy the city, because after all, it is only property, as the Mayor asserted.

Typical politician's simplistic approach to public safety by merely  throwing more money at the problem, instead of applying common sense solutions,  is not only not sustainable, but this is the same approach at the core of Detroit’s demise and now Baltimore.

 

Typical politician's and  union’s simplistic approach to public safety by merely  throwing more bodies to the problem, instead of applying common sense solutions,  is not only not sustainable, but this is the same approach at the core of Detroit’s demise

In general,  Effective public safety in a given city  is  NOT as much a law-enforcement function as it is a responsible city hall adopting the right framework for the community - for example, adopting LEEEO

L – Leadership - refers to local governance and community leaders

E – Engineering - refers to infrastructure, lighting, signage, etc.

E- Education – inspiring and educate residents on the importance of respecting law and order,

 E – Engagement – coordination between law enforcement agencies and residents 

O – organization 

Add to this the aforementioned disintegration of the African- American family and misguided far left economic policies, and you get Baltimore.  A problem the DOJ will simply used to gloss over.

Related  stories

Public Safety

http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/p/public-safety_3.html

Forget Ferguson PD, DOJ Slams the San Diego Police Department

http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2015/03/forget-furgeson-pd-doj-slams-san-diego.html

The Decline of the African-American family

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/03/the_decline_of_the_africanamerican_family.html

 

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Mourning the accidental drowning of Coto de Caza toddler

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Coto de Caza, Calif. Volunteers have been putting up pink ribbons around Rolling Hills and Vista del Verde to mourn the accidental drowning of a two-year old Monday night. She was taken to the Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, and pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. Monday.

The toddler's family has been getting an outpouring of support from neighbors and businesses, including-Chick-fil-a, according to the volunteer putting up the ribbons. 

According to the same volunteer, a UPS patrol agent started to take some ribbons down, "because the homeowner's association did not allow them in common property."

The volunteer said she did not mind taking the ribbons down Tuesday, after funeral services, and would continue her task.

OCSD Seeks Help Locating Tustin Child Abduction Suspect

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  -  On Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at approximately 4:30 p.m., an 11 year-old female victim was alone walking her dog near Salt Air Drive and Simon Ranch Road in Tustin.  A driver in a white van pulled alongside the female victim and attempted to lure her into the vehicle.  The driver initially asked the victim if she needed help with her dog; after she refused, the suspect demanded she get into the vehicle by stating, “Hey, get in the car.”  The female victim refused and ran home from the area.  The vehicle was last seen southbound on Browning Avenue from Salt Air Drive towards Irvine Boulevard.

The vehicle was described as a white box van, possibly an early 2000 Chevy Astro van with the logo “Quick Clean” and a recyclable water symbol with a blue rain drop on both sides of the van.  The “Quick Clean” logo/lettering is peeling away from the van.  No vehicle license plate information is available.

The suspect driver is described as a male, Hispanic, approximately 30 years old with a shaved head, wearing a blue windbreaker with a zipper and sunglasses.

Anyone with additional information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s (714) 647-7060 or (714) 647-7000.  Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org

Ezequiel Barragan, Dana Hills High School Teacher Arrested for Child Molestation & Pornography

posted by CotoBlogzz


Updated May 5 to change description of Mr. Barragan's involvement with youth sports per request  of Little League  zinger still, per Lt. Hallock

Rancho Santa Margarita , Calif. –  On Monday, May 04, 2015, the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force (OCCETF) was notified by a United States Postal Service (USPS) agent regarding an ongoing child pornography investigation involving Ezequiel Barragan, 48, Aliso Viejo

Barragan is currently employed by the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) as a Spanish teacher at Dana Hills High School in the city of Dana Point. 

Barragan has been the target of a USPS investigation resulting in discovery of information that he engaged in sexual relations with a male juvenile over the last two years.  Today’s investigation has included interviews, search warrants and review of evidence obtained by investigators. Today,  Barragan, was arrested on allegations of child molestation and possession of child pornography, according to OCSD spokesperson Lt. Jeff Hallock.

 Over the last 20 years, Barragan has been involved in coaching youth baseball at various youth leagues as well as at the junior/high school level.  Barragan has volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children in Orange County for the last several years, having access to numerous juvenile males.

Barragan was arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 14 years old and possession of child pornography.  He was booked into Orange County Jail and is being held on $500K bail.  

Anyone with additional information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s (714) 647-7418 or (714) 647-7000.  Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.