Orlando Weekly-

On Tuesday evening, CNN released an audio recording between Donald Trump and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, in which the two discuss purchasing the story rights to an alleged affair between Playboy model Karen McDougal and then-candidate Trump.

The conversation happened in September 2016, right around the same time records surfaced showing a potential pay-to-play donation of $25,000 to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi while she was considering joining a lawsuit based in New York against Trump’s university.

While the most damning part of Cohen’s recording is clearly when Trump appears to instruct the lawyer to “pay in cash,” it’s worth noting that the recording also seems to strongly indicate the presidential candidate was talking to Bondi over the phone about the lawsuit with Trump University.

[ORLANDO WEEKLY]

TRD-

Why did Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. abruptly drop a criminal case against Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump in August 2012? A new report suggests money may have something to do with it.

The DA’s office believed the Trump children repeatedly lied to condo buyers by inflating their sales success at the Trump Soho development, had solid email evidence to support it, and were deep into a criminal investigation, according to a joint report by ProPublica, the New Yorker and WNYC. Then, on Aug. 3, 2012, Vance dropped the case. The decision came four months after a private meeting between Vance and Trump’s personal attorney Marc Kasowitz.

A month after the decision, in September, Kasowitz contacted Vance’s campaign about hosting a fundraiser for his re-election that would raise $32,000 in January. He raised another $9,000 at another fundraiser in October 2013. And Kasowitz had also donated $25,000 to Vance in early 2012, although the DA returned that money prior to the meeting.

[TRD]

The Trump Foundation is under investigation in part because of an illegal contribution it made to Pam Bondi

Salon-

It is now being reported that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a member of Donald Trump’s transition team who has a history with the president-elect, is being considered for an appointment in the Trump White House.

When the Trump transition team was asked about the possibility of a Bondi appointment on Thursday, incoming press secretary Sean Spicer refused to divulge any information on the subject.

“We have no additional announcements at this time,” Spicer said. “I don’t want to get ahead of any announcements that may or may not come.”

[SALON]

First Coast News-

Gov. Rick Scott has assigned a complaint filed against Attorney General Pam Bondi to a prosecutor in southwest Florida.

The complaint stems from scrutiny this year over a $25,000 campaign contribution Bondi received from President-elect Donald Trump in 2013. Bondi asked for the donation around the same time her office was being asked about a New York investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University.

A Massachusetts attorney filed numerous complaints against Bondi, including one that asked State Attorney Mark Ober to investigate Trump’s donation.

[FIRST COAST NEWS]

Politico-

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, the only statewide elected Republican who endorsed Donald Trump before the state’s GOP primary, secured a spot Friday on the executive committee of the president-elect’s transition team.

“I’m honored to serve President-elect Donald J. Trump in making this historic transition and assisting in finding the best individuals to bring change to Washington on day one, grow our economy, protect our children and families, and be unafraid to stand up for Americans,” Bondi said in a statement to POLITICO Florida.

Bondi joins a team of sixteen people, including members of Congress, Trump’s campaign CEO, three of the president-elect’s children and his son in law. Bondi’s name has also been floated as a possible U.S. attorney general nominee, though former U.S. attorney and New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is considered a favorite.

[POLITICO]

NOT REALLY! That action should’ve happened back in 2010 but guess she has a different definition of what foreclosure fraud is? After all she does like to bend the rules when you pay to play.

August 18, 2016
Contact: Whitney Ray
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Attorney General Bondi Takes Action to Stop Foreclosure Fraud

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi today filed a court action to stop a group of non-lawyers operating an illegitimate foreclosure defense and loan modification law firm. Adam Forman, Joseph Hilton, aka Joseph Starr, Victor Spagnuolo and others, all of whom are not lawyers, operate the Asset Protection Law Firm, Heritage Law Group, Liberty Law Group, Consumer Legal Resources, Consumer Legal Advocates, Legal Referral Services, Galler Lehman Law and Selective Housing Solutions. According to the filing, the defendants, through these law firms, unlawfully deceived homeowners into paying hefty up-front and monthly fees for legal services not supervised or approved by licensed attorneys.

“Florida homeowners facing the stress of foreclosure should not have to worry about scammers posing as lawyers and making false promises of relief to get what little money the homeowners may have. Thanks to the great work and dedication of my Consumer Protection Division, we will continue to fight foreclosure rescue fraud and protect homeowners,” said Attorney General Bondi.

The Attorney General’s Office filed the action in cooperation with the Coral Springs Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office and the United States Secret Service, which are separately investigating possible criminal charges for the unlicensed practice of law.

The Attorney General’s Office received 37 complaints from consumers about the defendants’ deceptive and unfair practices, including allegations that the defendants made misleading representations regarding the law firms’ expert legal services, charged unlawful up-front fees prior to the services being completed, failed to protect the consumers’ homes from foreclosure and failed to obtain loan modifications as promised.

The complaint seeks an injunction barring the defendants from engaging in future loan modification, foreclosure defense and legal services, and also seeks full restitution for consumers harmed by the defendants’ activities.

To view the complaint, click here.

Homeowners can follow these tips to safeguard against deceptive and unfair trade practices in the mortgage and foreclosure process:

• Never pay any up-front fees and avoid any high-pressure sales tactics. Fees may only be collected after services are completed;
• Try talking to lenders or a lawyer before contracting with any third-party company for rescue or modification services; and
• Call the Florida Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1(866) 9-NO-SCAM or file a complaint online at MyFloridaLegal.com, if a homeowner believes to be taken advantage of by a disreputable company.

Attorney General Bondi’s Consumer Protection Division is the civil enforcement authority for all violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The Division protects Florida consumers by pursuing individuals and entities that engage in unfair methods of competition or unconscionable, deceptive and unfair practices in any trade or commerce. The Division also often partners with other state attorneys general, other state agencies, and the federal consumer protection enforcement agencies in joint enforcement efforts. Since 2011, the Division has resolved more than 550 matters and generated more than $10 billion in recoveries. Approximately $9.8 billion of that total has been scheduled or has already been returned to the benefit of Floridians.

source: http://www.myfloridalegal.com

Orlando Sentinel-

A Massachusetts lawyer who previously filed state ethics and elections complaints against Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has asked federal prosecutors to level bribery charges against her and Donald Trump.

Whitfield Larrabee, a Boston trial attorney, filed complaints with U.S. Attorney’s offices in New York and Tallahassee on Wednesday alleging the violation of federal bribery laws stemming from Bondi’s personal solicitation of $25,000 from Trump in 2013 for her political committee.

Bondi’s office was reviewing complaints against Trump University, an entity owned by Trump which offered real estate investment seminars, from attendees who said the seminars were worthless and they were bilked of thousands of dollars.

[ORLANDO SENTINEL]

AND how much was LPS’s cut to her???

Orlando Sentinel-

Imagine you were mugged.

You think you know who did it. So you tell your local prosecutor.

But then something weird happens.

Three days after the prosecutor vows to get to the bottom of things, the accused mugger gives that prosecutor $25,000 in campaign donations.

Suddenly, the prosecutor has no interest in your case.

If such a thing happened, there would be universal outrage.

Well, you should be furious. Because that’s pretty much happened with your attorney general.

[ORLANDO SENTINEL]

AND I AM CERTAIN IT DOESN’T STOP HERE!

…..UNTIL SHE GETS CAUGHT IN THE COOKIE JAR!! Remember LPS ?

Want more? Check out these posts about her – https://stopforeclosurefraud.com/?s=bondi&x=59&y=3

Palm Beach Post-

Florida’s top law enforcement officials knew by 2012 that Millennium Laboratories, the nation’s largest drug testing company, was defrauding Florida Medicaid of millions.

But that did not stop Attorney General Pam Bondi from urging Medicare to pay for high-priced and unnecessary drug screening tests at the heart of Millennium’s massive scam, even as her own office and federal prosecutors pursued civil charges against the company.

Hours after The Post reported on the letter Friday afternoon, Bondi, who previously declined to be interviewed for this story, wrote in an email that staffers had written the letter, and that, “Knowing what I know now, The Palm Beach Post is correct that the letter should not have been sent.”

[PALM BEACH POST]

Anyone care to start a worthless petition to have this thing investigated?

Tampa Bay-

Please listen closely to the following message so we may direct your call to the appropriate department or outside agency.

If you are calling to report a case of consumer fraud, please check first with the attorney general’s list of campaign donors to determine whether this is a case our office might be likely to dismiss or ignore.

If you are calling from another state to request the attorney general join some litigation elsewhere that has absolutely nothing to do with Florida or its citizens, please direct your call to the Republican Party of Florida where all of those decisions are actually made and then later forwarded to the attorney general.

[TAMPABAY]

image: villages-news.com

Laws were broken the minute she entered the game in 2010.

Tampa Bay Times-

Partners with a powerful Washington, D.C., law firm aren’t registered as Florida lobbyists, but that hasn’t stopped them from wining and dining Attorney General Pam Bondi the past four years to discuss clients.

Bondi dropped suits or declined to investigate cases after numerous behind-the-scenes interactions with the firm, Dickstein Shapiro, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

A Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald review shows none of the partners were registered to lobby in Florida, meaning their advocacy may have violated state law. They won’t be prosecuted unless someone files a sworn complaint with the state.

[TAMPA BAY TIMES]

image: New York Times

New Times-

Rick Scott seems to be a big target when it comes to the majority of Floridians fed up with the way things are run down here.

Will that vitriol be enough to oust Scott in the election come November? Time (and the ballots) will tell.

But another key figure is also running for re-election come November. Someone who has done just as much damage to Florida as Scott has, albeit with a more pretty face.

Officially filed for re-elect this morning-looking forward to continuing working hard and serving the people of Florida! #sayfie— Pam Bondi (@PamBondi) July 1, 2013

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is flat-out the worst this state has ever seen, and she could very well win re-election due to people not knowing enough about her dirty deeds.

Here now are eight reasons why Pam Bondi is the worst AG Florida has ever had:

continue to NEW TIMES

Tampa Bay Times-

A Tallahassee attorney engaged in a bitter property fight with the state is accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi of destroying emails, failing to retain text messages and violating the state’s public records laws.

Bondi, the chief custodian of the state’s Sunshine law, has acknowledged some documents were inadvertently missing from the records request of Stephen R. Andrews but vigorously rejects his claims.

“These allegations are without merit,” said Bondi spokesman Whitney Ray.

[TAMPA BAY TIMES]

image: Orlando Weekly

De Ja Vu — after Governor Scott was caught doing the same…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 4th, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Madelyn Skene | 850-445-9551 | mmskene@comcast.net

Attorney General Bondi’s Office Accused of Violating Florida Law

Attorney General Bondi’s Statement on Final Crediting Reports Released by the Monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Today, Joseph A. Smith, Jr., Monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia final credit reports on Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Rescap, and Wells Fargo announcing over $20 Billion in creditable relief to distressed homeowners. These reports confirm that the banks have satisfied their consumer relief and refinancing obligations under the Settlement. A summary report can be downloaded here, and a fact sheet is available here.

“The reports released today demonstrate that over 600,000 financially strapped families from across the country have benefitted from the relief required under the National Mortgage Settlement and more than $50 billion has been expended to provide this relief” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. “I am very encouraged by what we have accomplished so far but I realize that there are still many Floridians facing the loss of their family homes and struggling to get back on their feet. My office will continue to work closely with these families and the settling banks to ensure full compliance with the settlement and that all required steps are taken to assist the families under the servicing standards of the settlement.”

The Monitor reported relief of $50.46 billion in gross dollar amounts provided to borrowers, which amounts to $20.6 billion in credit under the NMS, because the NMS does not credit all relief as dollar for dollar. The settlement was designed to provide more credit for certain types of relief, such as first and second lien modifications for occupied residences, and to ensure that more beneficial types of relief account for a larger percentage of the relief provided. The final report shows the breakdown of relief as follows:

· 52% of total was provided as first and second lien principle forgiveness to homeowners in default or at risk of default—first lien forgiveness amounts to 37% and second lien to 15%.
· 17% of the relief was provided as refinancing relief in the form of rate reduction assistance to homeowners who did not qualify for bank’s generally available refinance programs.
· 31% was provided in other forms of relief such as forgiveness of amounts in forbearance, waivers of amounts due on balances of mortgages after short sales or deeds in lieu of foreclosure, payments to borrowers above $1500 to assist borrowers in transition after short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure, and other relief.

Of the total $50 billion gross dollars, more than 120,000 Floridians received over $9.22 billion in relief under the Settlement, with an average of $77,000 in relief per borrower, according to a previously released report. The $9.22 billion in bank-reported relief for Floridians exceeded the original estimate of homeowner relief by $800 million and accounts for 18 percent of the total national relief, second only to California.

The $20 billion in credited relief ($50 billion in gross dollar relief) to distressed homeowners is one component of the more than $25 billion settlement announced in 2012, by Attorney General Pam Bondi, 48 states and the U.S. Department of Justice with the five largest mortgage servicers—Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and Ally Bank, formerly GMAC (RESCAP) settlement, In addition, the Settlement provided relief to foreclosed borrowers through the approximately $1.5 billion borrower payment fund (under which approximately 73,000 Floridians received $107 million in payments) and approximately $3.5 billion in payments to the states and federal government in penalties and funds for housing crises related expenses, of which Florida received $334 million. The Settlement also requires the banks to adhere to enhanced servicing standards for a period of approximately 3.5 years. In total, Florida received over $9.6 billion in relief under the settlement.

Click here to access National Mortgage Settlement website.

Click here to access Monitor Joseph Smith’s statement to learn more about the final credited relief amounts.

Makes you wonder what other “connections” she had with those under investigation for Foreclosure Fraud… I think we all figured this one out a long time ago!!!

Fox News-

After Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke to students about how she got her career started with the help of her father’s connections, and that she had never made a resume in her life, a student newspaper editorial slammed her for being out of touch.

I guess the Donald even knows this: $$ Florida AG Pam Bondi Pressured By Targets Of Investigations To Soften Approach, Critics Say … AND The Donald also gave Rick Scott about $100K http://www.letsgettowork.net/contributions/ DIRTY MONEY!

Orlando Sentinel-

Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi was supposedly thinking about going after Donald Trump for running a get-rich seminar that some Floridians said fleeced them out of thousands of dollars.

New York’s A.G. had already filed suit, saying that Trump’s seminars — conducted there and in Florida — were little more than a “bait and switch” meant to separate customers from their money.

So on Sept. 14, the Sentinel quoted a spokeswoman for Bondi who said that Florida’s attorney general was studying the New York lawsuit to see whether she wanted to take action here as well.

[ORLANDO SENTINEL]

Think about how you can utilize this in your foreclosure? Give a copy to your attorney? I don’t know?

[ipaper docId=169025036 access_key=key-rryhxvou9ao5ve8pj1h height=600 width=600 /]

Palm Beach Post-

Wells Fargo has joined Bank of America on Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s list of possible violators of the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement.

Last week, Bondi wrote a stern letter to Bank of America with examples of homeowner concerns and problems her own attorneys have had in trying to help borrowers who are covered by the settlement. The letter preceded a June 5 meeting with the lender.

But last month, the attorney general’s office also met with Wells Fargo representatives in Chicago to discuss “concerns about potential compliance issues surfacing in borrower complaints received by my office as well as other states.”

In a letter sent Friday to Wells Fargo, Bondi asks that the company let her office know by Wednesday when it will have a plan on how to answer those concerns.

[PALM BEACH POST]

I am NOT buying this one! She had her chances to defend the homeowners.

She didn’t sue LPS or Nationwide Title, she didn’t successfully go after the process servers and she sure as hell couldn’t sue the foreclosure mills!

Miami Herald-

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized Bank of America on Thursday for failing to follow the rules of a national mortgage settlement reached last year over the practice of robo-signing during the height of the foreclosure crisis.

In a letter to Bank of America’s lawyer, she accuses the banking giant of “troubling” practices, including sending state officials “litigation letters” and failing to modify mortgages in an efficient manner. She floats a future lawsuit against Bank of America or any of the other banks in the settlement as a possibility.

Bondi’s letter comes a month after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman threatened to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo over alleged noncompliance with the $25 billion settlement inked between the five largest banks and 49 attorneys general.

[MIAMI HERALD]

[ipaper docId=146208801 access_key=key-5b4chfgyl5hwmhn14dq height=600 width=600 /]