Florida Attorney General - Volume 8, Issue 3

Publication of the Office of the Attorney General • Volume 8, Issue 3 • January 22, 2010

Florida Setting a National Example

This week, my office has made significant progress this week on efforts that impact people well beyond our state's borders.

As the world's eyes remain on the devastating situation in Haiti, we joined AT&T to help Florida's Haitian community contact family and friends on the island. Working with Miami-Dade County, we set up two communications centers with 20 phone lines and 10 DSL routers each. These centers will help Haitian Americans desperately seeking information about their loved ones in Haiti to make that connection.

Additionally, I completed a legal review of the federal health care legislation's individual mandate and I believe this mandate does violate the U.S. Constitution. To this end, I sent a memo to Congressional leadership informing them that the U.S. Constitution establishes a limited federal government which protects the freedom of individuals and the rights of states. The individual mandate is contrary to that Constitutional principle as it penalizes inactivity. If the individual mandate passes Congress and is signed into law, I will take legal action on behalf of Florida to protect our individual rights.

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Attorney General McCollum filed a lawsuit against a Palm Beach County company alleging deceptive trade practices involving timeshare resales. According to the lawsuit, American Marketing Group, LLC engaged in a systematic pattern of conduct designed and intended to induce consumers to pay an upfront fee for their timeshare resale services through a series of false and fraudulent misrepresentations.

Three Plant City gang members were convicted of conspiracy to commit racketeering. West Side members Sylvester Dunson Jr., Christopher Davis and Nathaniel George each face up to 30 years when they are sentenced in February. The gang members were prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution.

An Orange County man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking operation responsible for distributing cocaine and other narcotics throughout Central Florida. Joshua Luiz was prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution and pleaded guilty to narcotics-related offenses in June 2009.

A cocaine trafficker has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in a Central-Northeast Florida drug trafficking ring. Samuel Eleaser Johnson was convicted in December of trafficking cocaine, conspiring to traffic cocaine, and money laundering. Johnson, who was prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution, must also serve a probation term of 30 years when he is released from prison.

The Attorney General announced the completion of his legal analysis of whether the individual mandate currently included in the federal health care legislation violates the U.S. Constitution. In a memo to Congressional leadership today, the Attorney General noted that the U.S. Constitution establishes a limited federal government that protects the freedom of individuals and the rights of states, and the individual mandate in the health care legislation is contrary to that Constitutional principle as it penalizes inactivity. The Attorney General stated that if the individual mandate is in the final bill signed by the President, the States and citizens should pursue legal action to challenge it, and noted that several Attorneys General had expressed interest in joining Florida should legal action become necessary.

Three Tampa Area Gang Members Convicted

At&T Joins Florida Attorney General, Miami-Dade County to Help Local Haitian Community Communicate with Earthquake Victims

Orange County Man Receives 25-Year Sentence for Trafficking Cocaine, Methamphetmine

Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

Attorney General Sues South Florida Timeshare Resale Company

Florida Attorney General: Individual Mandate In Federal Health Care Legislation is Unconstitutional

Attorney General McCollum Recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Attorney General was a guest on Fox and Friends this week to discuss his review of the federal health care legislation's individual mandate. Watch the interview here.

On February 9, join the Attorney General at a one-day complimentary conference, Strategies for Safe and Sustainable Communities, in Tallahassee at the FSU Conference Center. The Attorney General and other state leaders will share a pilot program designed to empower communities to address issues which are often precursors to criminal activity. Plan to attend and learn how this program can be replicated in your community! For information and to register, visit http://www.uacdconline/symposium.

In response to an appeal by Attorney General Bill McCollum, AT&T partnered with Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management to set up two communications centers in the South Florida Haitian Community to help local Haitian Americans and others affected by the disaster communicate with their loved ones and keep current on ongoing disaster recovery efforts. The two communications centers have 20 AT&T phone lines and 10 DSL routers for free Internet connection.

Attorney General McCollum also released a statement in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.