Merry Christmas From The Goolsby Law Firm!

From our family of lawyers, at the Goolsby Law Firm, LLC, in Augusta, Georgia, USA, we simply want to wish each of you and your families around the world: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Fraud Against the Elderly: The Tire Repair Scam

As you know, I am a former federal prosecutor for over 20 years.  Presently, I am a criminal defense lawyer in Augusta, Georgia where I practice law with my son.  I have focused on handling white collar crime cases for much of my career as a Georgia attorney.

As we have often discussed in this blog, the elderly are frequently targeted by white collar criminals.  The number and types of scams appear to be endless!  I recently read about yet another fraudulent scheme focused on senior citizens which allegedly occurred in a nearby town.  Here is how it works:

The perpetrator drives around and looks for a potential target:  a senior citizen who is driving an automobile alone.  Then, the bad guy somehow gets the senior citizen's attention and gets them to pull over.  The bad guy then informs the elderly target that he has noticed something is wrong with the elderly target's tire.  Naturally, there really is nothing wrong with the tire.  The bad guy also offers to repair the tire for them.  Of course, the bad guy then demands an exhorbitant payment for supposedly fixing the tire.

In the case I recently read about, the bad guy was arrested and awaits trial.  Of course, no one disputes the fact that he is entitled to a fair trial.  But if a person is convicted of such a crime, then he should be thrown under the jailhouse!  Don't you agree?

A White (Collar Crime) Christmas

[Depiction of Dr. Seus book from swotti.com]

If you want to get depressed, then try googling the words "Christmas theft" and see how many examples of Christmas greed you will find!  Everywhere, some people are stealing other peoples' gifts from their cars, decorations from their yards, and even money from their charity's donation kettles!  Sometimes, it seems that our dreams of a white Christmas have become overshadowed by nightmares involving white collar crime!

Maybe I am more alert to this problem, because I am an Augusta, Georgia criminal lawyer and former federal prosecutor.  But you already knew about this problem, too, didn't you?  I'll bet that you have read about or experienced this seasonal problem -- of theft and greed at Christmas -- in your own home town.

So, please be careful!  Lock away your shopping purchases in your car trunks.  And be more alert to those around you at the mall.  Look, Christmas is still a wonderful time of year.  Most folks still believe in peace and good will.  But be careful and don't let a grinch take away your Christmas from you!

Congress and Insider Trading -- Should We Just "Throw Them All Out?"

[Photo of U.S. Capital from fws.gov]

In the book, Throw Them All Out, author Peter Schweizer recently exposed, among other things, the problem involving various members of Congress using insider information to profit in the stock market.  C.B.S. News also did a follow-up story on 60 Minutes in which they exposed that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly profited from such insider information available only to members of Congress.

It is no wonder that Congress is rated below lawyers and used car dealers in the public eye! This practice is outrageous and should be illegal!  Part of the problem is that Congress had exempted itself, (its own members), from application of insider trading laws!  Now, Senator Lieberman and others are reportedly leading the way in Congress to change the insider trading law and make it applicable to members of Congress, too!

This legislation is long overdue.  But is it enough?  Do you believe the new legislation will solve the problem?  Maybe, Schweizer had it right!  Maybe, instead, we should just "throw them all out" and start over!  What do you think?