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- Written by: Lake County News reports
By forging this alliance, California and Nevada will combine investigative resources, including litigation strategies, information and evidence gathered through their respective ongoing investigations, assisting each state as it pursues independent prosecutions.
This alliance will link the offices' civil and criminal enforcement teams, speeding along the full, fair and adequate investigation of wrongdoing in the two states, which have experienced similar foreclosure and mortgage fraud crises.
"The mortgage crisis is a manmade disaster that has taken a heavy toll on the country, but it saved its worst for California and Nevada," said Harris. "The mortgage crisis is a law enforcement matter, and we will prosecute to hold accountable those who are responsible and also protect the homeowners who are targeted for fraud. I am delighted that California and Nevada are entering into this alliance to leverage the best results for our investigations and look forward to forging similar collaboration with other states."
"I am pleased to join forces with General Harris to fight against fraudulent mortgage and foreclosure practices that continue to devastate lives, homes, and the economy in Nevada and California," said Masto. "This strong partnership will allow our states to make an even more concerted effort to hold fraud perpetrators accountable and ensure law-abiding homeowners receive justice."
By most objective measures, California and Nevada have been the states hardest hit by the nation's foreclosure crisis.
In October 2011, Nevada and California ranked first and second, respectively, for the percentage of their housing units that entered the foreclosure process, reflecting a parallel surge in foreclosures in the two states.
One in every 180 Nevada properties entered the foreclosure process in October, and one in every 243 California homes received a filing that month.
In 2010, California led the nation with a total of 546,669 foreclosure filings – 4 percent of the state's housing units – while Nevada led the nation with 9.4 percent of its homes receiving a foreclosure filing, totaling 106,160 units.
The crisis in these Western states is similar because both states share a foreclosure system in which a bank can foreclose on a borrower's home without court oversight, also called "nonjudicial foreclosure." The collective result has created a rich opportunity for predators, leading both states to make mortgage-related law enforcement action a top priority.
In May 2011, Attorney General Harris formed a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force, now composed of nearly 40 attorneys and investigators, that has launched a wide series of investigations and litigation.
The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force has instigated legal actions in cases including a fraudulent multi-million dollar "mass joinder" lawsuit operated by the law firm Kramer and Kaslow, and the arrests earlier this month of three top officers of a Stockton real estate company who took thousands of dollars in up-front loan modification fees and made false promises to assist struggling Central Valley homeowners with lowering their mortgage payments.
In 2007, Attorney General Masto formed the Nevada Mortgage Fraud Strike Force that launched a wide series of investigations and litigation into areas including violations of the law related to mortgage lending, servicing, and foreclosure practices and the creation, rating, marketing, sale and management of mortgage backed securities.
The Nevada Mortgage Fraud Strike Force has taken action against predatory "mortgage rescue" companies and individuals claiming to offer services to stop foreclosures.
Last month, the Strike Force announced the indictments of Gerri Sheppard and Gary Trafford, who led a massive robo-signing scheme which resulted in the filing of tens of thousands of fraudulent documents.
Nevada is also suing Bank of America and its subsidiaries, including Countrywide, for violations of a Consent Judgment for mortgage servicing and mortgage origination irregularities.
The Mortgage Investigation Alliance is the product of weeks of discussion between Attorneys General Harris and Masto regarding the most effective and efficient means of achieving justice for their respective states.
Tuesday's announcement formalizes an agreement reached between the two officials last week.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sunday tule fire near Upper Lake appears to be a case of arson, according to Northshore Fire’s chief.
The fire, which was reported after 4 p.m. on Sunday, occurred in a 15- to 18-acre field in the reclamation area near Bridge Arbor North, not far from Upper Lake, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
He said the fire was located behind Robinson Rancheria, but that it occurred on private, not tribal, property.
Lake County News readers reported seeing the fire’s large black plumes of smoke on Sunday evening.
It’s similar to other fires lit a few weeks earlier in essentially the same place, said Beristianos.
“The fire last night was lit in three separate places,” said Beristianos, adding there is no reason for the fires to burn where they do unless they’re being intentionally set.
“They’re arson fires,” he said.
The fires can be difficult to fight, since the burning tules – which Beristianos said are as high as 12 feet tall – are located in a swampy area, making it dangerous to send in fire equipment.
On Sunday evening, Beristianos, who himself oversaw the fire response, said his firefighters burned control lines to contain the fire.
Although the fires put out a lot of black smoke, he said they generally burn out when night falls, which was the case with Sunday’s fire.
He said such fires are generally set every few years.
“This has been going on for as many years as I can remember,” said Beristianos, who grew up in Upper Lake.
Beristianos said he’s trying to find out who may be responsible. If it’s being done due to concerns over vegetation growth, he said the fire district can help set up control burns.
Beristianos is concerned about the time and resources responding to such nuisance fires take. There’s also the chance they could become more serious.
Anyone with information about the tule fires can contact Beristianos at the Northshore Fire Protection District, 707-274-3100.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A 19-year-old Lower Lake woman was arrested last week after she allegedly assaulted a wheelchair-bound woman for whom she had offered care services.
Katie Key was placed under citizens arrest and cited and released at the scene of the fight, according to Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen.
A Lake County News reader reported witnessing the confrontation, which occurred on Old Highway 53 near Highway 53 on Thursday, Dec. 1.
Clausen said the fight was reported to police shortly after 3 p.m. that day.
Key is alleged to have assaulted 46-year-old Christina Warrington of Clearlake, Clausen said.
“I don’t think this was just a random act,” Clausen said. “They definitely knew each other.”
Clausen said Key allegedly confronted Warrington, who was in a wheelchair. Key had worked as Warrington’s In-Home Supportive Services worker, Clausen said.
Warrington, who alleged that Key hit her, placed Key under citizens arrest, and officers then accepted that arrest and cited Key, Clausen said.
Warrington suffered minor injuries as a result of the fight, according to Clausen.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Each year in the United States more than 200,000 people are hospitalized, and as many as 49,000 people die after contracting influenza.
“As this is National Influenza Vaccination Week, it is a perfect time to remind Californians to get a flu shot to protect themselves and others,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). “Since the flu season typically peaks in December and January, I urge people to get immunized now.”
Flu season begins each year in September and ends in March, and influenza vaccination is recommended for all Californians six months and older.
This year’s vaccine will protect against the H1N1 strain, as well as H3N2 and influenza B.
In conjunction with National Influenza Vaccination Week, CDPH released its annual report on vaccination rates among health care employees across the state.
The report found that the employee vaccination rate has increased slightly from 62.6 percent in the 2009-10 flu season to 64.3 percent in 2010-11 for reporting hospitals.
The report also shows that hospital reporting compliance grew to 98 percent in the 2010-11 flu season from 80.9 percent during the 2009-10 season.
In Lake County, the report found that at St. Helena Hospital Clearlake 60.4 percent of employees, 44 percent of nonemployee health care personnel and 68.2 percent of volunteers were vaccinated.
At Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, 57.5 percent of employees, 62.3 percent of nonemployee health care personnel and 45.1 percent of volunteer received vaccinations, the report showed.
“Vaccination of all health care workers is strongly recommended in order to prevent transmission of the illness to patients, especially those with long-term medical conditions who are at high-risk for serious complications from the flu,” said Dr. Chapman.
Agencies across the state are joining Dr. Chapman in promoting more vaccination of health care workers, through a letter distributed to all hospitals, long-term care facilities and physician groups throughout the state.
Those joining Dr. Chapman including the California Hospital Association, California Association of Health Facilities, California Medical Association and organizations of health care professionals.
The report released by CDPH offers the following recommendations to improve influenza vaccination coverage among health care professionals:
Hospitals should consider more rigorous influenza vaccination policies, such as mandatory participation or vaccination, to increase influenza vaccination percentages.
Hospitals should ensure that influenza vaccination status is a requirement of contracts with physician groups, registry organizations, fellowships, and student training programs.
Hospitals should account for the vaccination status of all non-employee health care personnel, including registry and contract personnel, students, and trainees.
Hospitals should implement robust data collection and management systems to document the vaccination status of all health care personnel.
The report can be viewed below.
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120511 CDPH Health Care Workers Influenza Vaccination Report