Thread: AZ: Thomas plans to battle financial fraud in Arizona

Thomas plans to battle financial fraud in Arizona
by Michael Kiefer - Oct. 20, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Now that he's proved the "naysayers" wrong for saying he couldn't do anything about illegal immigration, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas on Sunday said he's ready to help clean up the crisis on Wall Street.

His opponent in the Nov. 4 election, Democrat Tim Nelson, and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard say he's stepping outside his jurisdiction.

In a press conference ostensibly to outline his agenda for a second term in office if he is re-elected, Thomas laid out his intention to prosecute financial fraud, step up his anti-immigration efforts, and aggressively prosecute environmental and nursing-home cases.

But he led with his plan to prosecute "financial rip-offs."

"The naysayers said immigration was a federal issue, that the county attorney couldn't do anything about it," Thomas said, reading from a prepared news release. "They even called my promise a political stunt. Four years later, Maricopa County is a model for the nation in the fight against illegal immigration.

"Now I intend to devote the same energy to tackling new challenges. In particular, somebody must step up and hold accountable any profiteers who broke the law in contributing to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression."

He went on to say that he intended to work with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office to deal with Lehman Brothers, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other financial institutions, where they may have violated Arizona law.

He conspicuously failed to mention the state Attorney General's Office, which has primary responsibility for prosecuting fraud in Arizona.

When asked about that, Thomas said that the Attorney General's Office was not interested in prosecuting such cases.

Goddard took issue.

"It is a political stunt at the last minute to say we'll fix the Wall Street mess, too," he said, and then listed the fraud prosecutions, especially in the mortgage industry, that his office undertakes.

This month, that included $245 million in permanent economic relief as Arizona's share in an $8 billion, multi-state settlement with Countrywide Financial Corp. over mortgage fraud.

Furthermore, Goddard challenged Thomas' claim that his office is approached by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"I'd like to know what he's talking about, Goddard said. "He has a reputation for being a non-participant with other law-enforcement agencies. There's not been a lack of aggressive action in this area, and he's been missing."

Thomas' opponent in the upcoming election, Nelson, asked if Thomas were suddenly running for attorney general.

"We don't need a county attorney who's trying to usurp the duties of other prosecutors. We need a county attorney who is going to work with them," Nelson said.

"This is another example of him trying to pursue a political agenda and not a public-safety agenda. In these times of budget crunches, we need people to understand their mission and stay within their mission."

Thomas also said he wanted to step up his lobbying for more anti-illegal-immigration legislation, including a "trespassing" law making it a state crime to illegally immigrate to Arizona, and a law targeting day laborers so that they cannot gather at known pick-up areas.

Nelson remarked that he helped defend the state employer-sanctions law in federal court.

In response to Thomas' statement that Nelson opposed immigrant-trespass and day-laborer laws, he said, "We need to be focusing on widespread illegal immigration issues," such as human-smuggling rings and violent kidnappers.

Goddard said he would like to see the details of Thomas' new immigration plans.

But regarding Thomas' statements about forming special prosecution units to go after nursing home and environmental cases, Goddard noted that those were also areas that the Attorney General's Office traditionally handles.

"It would be nice if he just did the job he has in front of him, which is to prosecute violent crimes," Goddard said.

"They're doing things that involve library janitors, not violent criminals," Goddard added, in reference to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office raid on the Mesa City Hall complex Thursday morning, an investigation that involves Thomas' office.

www.azcentral.com

In a press conference ostensibly to outline his agenda for a second term in office if he is re-elected, Thomas laid out his intention to prosecute financial fraud, step up his anti-immigration efforts, and aggressively prosecute environmental and nursing-home cases.

Mercy me follow this man's lead elected officials.

Furthermore, Goddard challenged Thomas' claim that his office is approached by the U.S. Attorney's Office


Why is not possible that he was approached by the USAG?

Maricopa County, being a hub for illegals, is also a hub for mortgage fraud. And I know this first hand just because of what I had coming into my office in terms of illegals trying to obtain mortgages.

Also, if I've had investigators, detectives, and Federal agents coming to see me while looking for information, where does it make one bit of sense that the feds would not be working with county attorneys......not just here either, but all across the country.

It seems to me that this financial crisis was caused by people guilty of financial crimes in every state, county, city, town, nook, and cranny, and it is going to have to be solved by prosecuting those crimes WHEREVER they occured so where is Andrew Thomas just pulling a publicity stunt and.or overstepping his bounds?

Grant Woods should just get off his high horse, quit the politically motivated ridicule, recognize that this is a mult-tiered problem requiring a multi-tiered solution and get busy cooperating for benefit of the greater good.

Yeah, ITIN with the help of our very own IRS:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-135755.html

Originally Posted by vmonkey56

Yeah, ITIN with the help of our very own IRS:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-135755.html

Oh, I agree that ITINS don't help the situation any.

But, let's not forget that the original purpose of the ITIN was not intended as a mechanism for the rampant abuse and fraud it has become synonymous with today.

Sadly, the same can be said for a lot of things we had in place for one reason which millions of criminals found a way to exploit for their own, less than honest, purposes. Probably the most glaring example would be the 14th Ammendment.