New York Paralegal Blog

(ST. LOUIS, MO. – March 30, 2012) Missouri Attorney Chris Koster will file legal papers today defending the conviction of George Allen who has served 30 years for a murder that significant evidence proves he did not commit. Most of this evidence, including serology evidence and newly discovered fingerprints excluding Allen, was known to the state prior to trial but was never turned over to the defense as required.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces $4 Million Settlement With New York Foreclosure Law Firm Steven J. Baum P.C. And Pillar Processing LLC NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced an agreement with Steven J. Baum P.C. (“Baum Firm”), Pillar Processing, LLC (“Pillar”), Steven J. Baum, and Brian Kumiega requiring them to pay $4 million to New York State in penalties, costs and fees, which will be used in part for programs that offer assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure or victims of predatory lending practices. The agreement stems from abuses in their foreclosure-related legal work. Baum Firm founder Steven J. Baum and managing partner Brian Kumiega also agreed to not represent lenders or servicers in new foreclosure-related cases for a period of two years. Until ceasing most of its operations on or about December 31, 2011, the Baum Firm was the largest foreclosure firm in New York State.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of BRIAN KIM, 36, for running a Ponzi scheme that resulted in the theft of approximately $6 million from at least 45 victims, and for stealing $435,000 from the Christadora House, a condominium complex where he resided. In early 2011, on the eve of trial for the Christadora House grand larceny case, the defendant fled to Hong Kong using a fraudulently obtained United States passport. As a result, he was additionally

Insurance Company Fired Employee for Filling Out EEOC Questionnaire, Federal Agency Charged NEW YORK -- Sterling and Sterling, Inc., an insurance company on Long Island, New York, will pay $120,000 to settle a lawsuit for retaliation filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced today.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of MICHAEL TORRES, 29, on charges of Predatory Sexual Assault, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, Attempted Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, Attempted Rape in the First Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, for attacking a victim on the platform at the J subway train at the Bowery Street Station.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Michigan man is in custody after arranging a sexual encounter with an undercover officer posing as the father of two underage girls. The arrest follows a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).

WASHINGTON – BizJet International Sales and Support Inc., a provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services based in Tulsa, Okla., has agreed to pay an $11.8 million criminal penalty to resolve charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for bribing government officials in Latin America to secure contracts to perform aircraft MRO services for government agencies, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.

Class of Female Employees at Music Publisher Endured Physical and Verbal Abuse, Federal Agency Charged MINNEAPOLIS – Hal Leonard Publishing Company, a music print publishing company founded in Winona, Minn., has agreed to pay $150,000 to a class of female employees to settle a sexual harassment charge brought against the company by a former employee, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Washington, D.C., March 13, 2012 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the senior-most executives at formerly one of the nation’s largest mortgage companies with hiding the company’s deteriorating financial condition at the onset of the financial crisis. The plan backfired and the company lost 90 percent of its value in two weeks.

Indictment Charges the Perez Organization Distributed Heroin Throughout Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties; Stash Houses Located in Brooklyn, Queens, and Roosevelt, New York An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Central Islip, New York, charging 20 members of the Perez Organization, an alleged district-wide drug trafficking ring, with conspiracy to distribute heroin. According to the indictment and a detention letter filed by the government, the organization’s leadership was centralized in Woodhaven, Queens, with distribution networks in Nassau and Suffolk counties and a storage facility in Brooklyn. The organization’s members were allegedly responsible for distributing over 20 kilograms of heroin, with a street value of at least $2.75 million, to drug dealers in Long Island and Queens during the past nine months.