Florida Attorney General - Volume 7, Issue 49

Publication of the Office of the Attorney General • Volume 7, Issue 49 • December 11, 2009

Protecting Florida's Citizens

This week, I had the honor of presiding over the first meeting of Florida's statewide domestic violence fatality review team, an excellent group tasked with creating policy recommendations to address issues which may prevent domestic violence homicides. The number of domestic violence fatalities is on the rise in our state, and I am proud to lead the effort to protect those at risk from this terrible fate.

I also had the opportunity to meet with Bank of America executives, who assured me they would soon begin providing better customer service to assist Florida homeowners. I look forward to seeing this commitment fulfilled, but I am still very concerned. Banks should be doing everything possible to make it just as easy to modify a loan as it was to originally obtain that loan, and I will continue working on behalf of our state's homeowners to encourage better results for them.

Attorney General McCollum issued the following statement after meeting with executives from Bank of America:

"Last month, I called on the Florida executives of major banks to make customer service a priority and provide homeowners with a fair and efficient loan modification process. I met with executives from Bank of America, who assured me that as soon as January, they would bring in new customer service representatives to assist Florida homeowners, and conceded they have to be part of the greater solution.

Attorney General McCollum also presented his proposals to strengthen oversight of Florida's pension fund and state investments to his fellow Trustees of the State Board of Administration. The proposals will be sent to the Florida Legislature for further consideration.

A former state employee from St. Petersburg has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he was arrested on charges that he sexually solicited a young Pinellas County teen. Parris Woods, who formerly worked for the Department of Juvenile Justice, was arrested in September 2008 following an investigation initiated by a school resource officer. The arrest was carried out by the Gulfport Police Department and the Attorney General's CyberCrime Unit.

Attorney General McCollum and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrest of three men for racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and defrauding purchasers and users of pharmaceutical medicines. Julio Pedroso and Israel Tacher of Miami, and Antonio Herrera of Grapevine, Texas were arrested in a coordinated effort between the Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Under a settlement negotiated by the Attorney General's Office, Florida will receive $8.5 million from a settlement with Roxane Laboratories, Inc., and its corporate affiliates. The settlement resolves allegations that Roxane set and reported false and inflated prices for medications dispensed by pharmacies and other providers which were then reimbursed by the Florida Medicaid program.

McCollum: Banks need to keep working toward solution for homeowners

Florida Recovers $8.5 Million from Pharmaceutical Company in Medicaid Fraud Settlement

Attorney General issues statement on passage of commuter rail legislation

Attorney General McCollum unveils proposal to strengthen oversight of Florida's pension fund

Former State Employee Sentenced to 8-Year Prison Term After Sending Nude Photos to Child Over Cell Phone

Three Men Arrested in Multi-State Drug Diversion Scheme

Attorney General Bill McCollum issued the following statement on the passage of the commuter rail bill by the Florida House and Senate:

I applaud the Florida Legislature for coming together and passing this legislation which will mean the creation of jobs and a much-needed boost to Florida's economy. The completion of this project will be a crucial step toward Florida's transportation future.