Victims of one of the largest automotive scams in U.S. history soon could receive restitution checks that will pay only about 6 cents for every dollar they lost. A federal judge in Kansas City this week approved a payment plan in the so-called Miracle Cars case that would distribute about $930,000 in restitution funds among about 2,300 victims.
In the many conversations I have had with mediators over the years about the role of lawyers at the mediation table, one thing has sadly stood out: the extent to which many mediators distrust attorneys and misconstrue their motives. They see attorneys as sources not healers of conflict and view them as obstacles to resolution. As a mediator who is also an attorney, I have to say that this is unfortunate and short-sighted.
John M. Claydon Jr. admitted Monday that he acted like a person with no conscience. The former Fairfield lawyer wouldn't get much of an argument from the 36 clients from whom he stole at least $3.9 million, destroying dreams of retirement, new homes and even cancer treatment.
Were you surprised or intrigued by any of the features of RJ City that were described in the Case Study? Did you have questions or comments? Did something make you think of programmes you know of?
The Restorative Community Foundation is a non-profit organization seeking to create an actual RJ City in the Charlottesville/Albermarle community in Virginia, USA. Their activities at this time are focused on exploring the cost and effectiveness of current “justice and discipline” practices in the community, and raising public awareness of better approaches.
A Brown County judge on Monday ordered a woman convicted of stealing $112,223 while an airport parking cashier to pay $22,223 in restitution.
"The $500 (insurance deductible) I had to shell out, we had to go with one car and move all of the car seats (out of the van) - it's not something we won't live through. It's just really crappy. "It was the major car in our family. We have two kids, and there was just glass everywhere." The minivan's rear windshield and two side windows were shot out. They cost more than $1,875 to fix, and a dent from a BB was later found underneath a window. Now that his vehicle has been repaired and the alleged vandals - five teenage boys - have been caught, Bright wants compensation.
A former dialysis clinic bookkeeper asked a judge to grant her a long probation and make her pay full restitution for stealing more than a million dollars from her employer. Instead, Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court sentenced Deborah L. Toda to 25 years in prison. The judge handed down the sentence Friday and ordered "that restitution be paid by whatever funds possible, whenever possible."
Clairmont expresses concern that, without increased support from the government, the community agencies that administer the program may not be able to keep up. Case workers will require more hours to prepare offenders and victims for meetings. And offenders may need more support to help them complete their commitments to victims and to stay out of trouble. "We can't do restorative justice on the cheap if it's going to do significant cases," he says. "If you're starting to get repeat offenders, kids who are assaulting others on a regular basis, kids who have a lot of problems, you're going to need to have some resources."
Ellis E. Neder Jr. spent 10 years behind bars for engineering a massive Northeast Florida real estate scam prosecutors said helped bankrupt four lenders in the 1980s. He spent five more years paying toward his $25 million restitution and being supervised by federal probation officers. Now, two decades after his crimes, authorities want to send the former Jacksonville lawyer and developer back to prison. They say Neder, 64, violated the terms of his release by failing to repay all $25 million and by his involvement in land deals with felons he met in prison.