New York Paralegal Blog

Imagine owing a huge amount of money, say over $14 million. Now imagine trying to get rid of that debt through bankruptcy, but forgetting to mention a few things... like properties and bank accounts in Dubai and Pakistan! Well, that's exactly what happened with a Texas couple, Hasan Farid Hashmi and Umme Salma Hashmi. They filed for bankruptcy last September after several hospitals owned by Dr. Hashmi closed down. They told the court they only had a Dallas home and a couple of small U.S. bank accounts. They even mentioned a trust for their kids, but claimed they didn't own anything in it. But here's where things went wrong for them: The U.S. Trustee Program (USTP), a part of the Department of Justice, started digging. And what they found was a shocking surprise! The Hashmis actually owned several other properties and bank accounts overseas in Dubai and Pakistan. Not only that, but they were also using money from that "kids' trust" to pay for their ...

Today, June 19th, is Juneteenth! While it's now a federal holiday, many people might not fully understand its incredible importance. So, let's break down what Juneteenth is and why it matters so much, not just in Texas, but for all of us. The Day Freedom Finally Arrived (for Everyone) Imagine this: It's 1863, and President Abraham Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in the Confederate states free. But here's the catch – in Texas, way out west, the news (and the Union Army) hadn't really arrived yet. So, slavery continued there for two and a half more years! Then, on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas. He announced General Order No. 3, which officially declared that all enslaved people in Texas were finally free. This wasn't just a suggestion; it was an order, stating that everyone, "former masters and slaves," now had "absolute equality of personal rights....

WASHINGTON—Thirty-four alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang, including four of its most senior leaders, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston for allegedly conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Melvin D. King of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Houston Division; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen L. Morris of the Houston Field Office.

DALLAS — Wal-Mart Stores of Texas, LLC will pay $27,500 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

BROWNSVILLE, TE—Former Texas representative Jose Santiago “Jim” Solis, has been convicted of aiding and abetting the extortion by former state district judge Abel Corral Limas, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. Solis, 47, of Harlingen, Texas, pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information today before U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen. The criminal information which charges Solis with aiding and abetting extortion by former state judge Abel Corral Limas, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1951 and 2 (The “Hobbs Act”) was filed early this morning, April 29, 2011, in Brownsville, Texas. Solis, a life-long resident of Harlingen, has practiced law in south Texas for many years, focusing primarily in personal injury cases. Solis served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 38, for seven terms—retiring from the Legislature in 2007. At today’s hearing, Solis admitted his part in former Judge Limas’ u...

WASHINGTON - Eleven alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been indicted for their alleged roles in the 2008 beating of a gang prospect in Tomball, Texas, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas. The superseding indictment, returned by the federal grand jury on Feb. 16, 2011, and unsealed today in Houston, charges the defendants with violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity (VICAR) and conspiracy to engage in violent crimes in aid of racketeering. The defendants charged in the indictment are Zechariah Aaron Johnston, 31; Steven Walter Cooke, 47; Stephen Kyle Knebel, 33; David Bruce Harlow, 46; Robert Lynn Sheats, 33; Justin Northrup, 25; Benjamin Christian Dillon, 28; Rusty Dwayne Plante, 34; Johnny Ray Nichols, 35; Shane Everett Dallmeyer, 30; and Michael Raymond Burkett, 33. All of the defendants are from the greater Houston-area.

On May 9, 2009, the Department of Justice will monitor municipal elections in the cities of Farmers Branch and Hondo, Texas, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Under the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department is authorized to ask the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to send federal observers to areas that are specially covered in the Act or by a federal court order. Federal observers will be assigned to monitor polling place activities for the elections in Farmers Branch and Hondo based on the special coverage provisions. The observers will watch and record activities during voting hours at polling locations in these jurisdictions, and Civil Rights Division attorneys will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials. Each year, the Justice Department deploys hundreds of federal observers from OPM, as well as departmental staff, to monitor elections across the country. In calendar year 2008, for example, 1,060 fed...

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have jointly filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to enforce a mediation settlement agreement that was entered into by the EEOC on behalf of an individual and the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso (Housing Authority). The settlement agreement resolved a charge that was filed against the Housing Authority under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the bases of sex, race, national origin and religion, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). The charging party claimed that she had been discriminated against on the basis of her national origin and her age when she was not selected for a promotion. In exchange for the dismissal of the charge, the Housing Authority agreed to pay the charging party $2,000, make certain changes to its promotional interview panels, and allow an outsid...