From ABC4.com: Utah's top Democrat tells Shurtleff to drop health care lawsuit talk

Reported by: Chris Vanocur
Last Update: 4:23 pm

Salt Lake (ABC 4 News) - Attorney General Mark Shurtleff should drop any plans to file suit to stop health care reform.

So says the state's top democrat.

The Attorney General's office told us Washington's health care reform may be unconstitutional.

But as soon as it said that, Utah's Democratic Party Chair let loose with comments Mark Shurtleff will likely object to.

Wayne Holland told us, "There's no doubt it's politics."

Continue on abc4.com

Above photo of ABC 4's Chris Vanocur

"Alcohol and Pregenacy Don't Mix" Video from Yesterday's Press Conference

DABC Chairman Sam Granato - Part One

Dr. David Sundall - Part Two

Dr. Susan Lewin - Part Three

Terra Daniel - Mother of a 5-year old adopted daughter with FASD - Part Four

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff - Part Five


Zoe Robbins - Part Six

DABC Chairman Sam Granto - Part Seven

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's comments at today's DABC, "Alcohol and Pregenacy Don't Mix" press conference

 Tomorrow, I will have the entire DABC press conference posted on this blog, but I thought I would post Utah Attorney General  Mark Shurtleff's comments tonight due to the timely nature of his message and recent events.  

Mark Shurtleff attacks blogger after receiving $5,000 check

This post is a summary of Sam E. Antar’s posting labeled Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK) CEO Patrick Byrne Pays Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff to Defame a Blogger.

- August 2007 Deputy Attorney General Richard Hamp invites Sam E. Antar to speak at the 14th Annual White Collar Crime Conference, Antar agrees to do so at no cost to Utah taxpayers.
Approximately two weeks later Hamp contacts Antar requesting that Antar not mention Overstock.com in his presentation and only discuss Overstock if he is asked a direct question about the company.

- October 30, 2007 – Overstock.com makes a $5,000 campaign contribution to Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

- October 31, 2007 – Antar presents at the conference; the program lists him as “ Sam Antar – Former CPA and Former CFO of Crazy Eddie, Inc. Mr. Antar helped mastermind one of the largest securities frauds of its time.” Chief Deputy Attorney General Kirk Torgensen later praises Antar, calling him a “rock star”

- November 2, 2007 – Antar receives an email from Deputy Attorney General John Kimble complementing Antar on his presentation at the conference.

- November 8, 2007 – Attorney General Mark Shurtleff writes an open letter to Overstock.com claiming that “(he was unable) to post this letter as a comment on his blog,” and that he was “warned that Mr. Antar might use this speaking engagement to suggest that (his) office or (Attorney General Shurtleff) personally endorse or support his accusations against Overstock.com or some other public company.”

- November, 2007 – Antar is contacted by Torgensen alerting him to the fact that Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne was “tee’d off” about Antar’s presentation.

- November 13, 2007 – Hamp attempts to contact Antar via voicemail but is unsuccessful. In the voicemail Hamp again compliments Antar but states in the voicemail that “we know our boss (Attorney General Shurtleff) has probably not been as appreciative but John and I sure are.”

- November 14, 2007 – Overstock.com issues a press release claiming that Antar refuses to post Shurtleff’s blog post.

- November 15, 2007 – Antar receives Shurtleff’s letter for what he claims to be the first time at 11:40 AM EST and posts the letter at 2:45 PM EST, immediately after presenting another free fraud presentation.

Later in the day Antar receives a call from Hamp confirming that Shurtleff lied about Antar and that he was never consulted by Shurtleff about any agreements made by Hamp and Antar relating to Antar’s presentation. In the same conversation Hamp disagrees with Shurtleff and that he was treated poorly by the office.

Antar attempts to contact Shurtleff via phone and email regarding the situation, but is unable to receive a response, this, despite the fact that Shurtleff had a correspondence with blogger Tracy Coenen wherein he refuses to retract his statements regarding Antar.

Torgensen contacts Antar asking what Torgensen can do to rectify the situation; Antar requests a full apology from Shurtleff that is sent out on the same channels as the original press release. Torgensen requests a day to see if he can get approval for a press release to “clarify the inaccuracy.”

November 16, 2007 – Antar contacts Torgensen asking about the status of the press release. Antar is told that he has “gotten and (sic) apology from three people in my office.” Antar responds that the lack of a correction “casts a shadow on your office and casts a shadow on the ethics and integrity of your office.” Torgensen responds by saying that he “understands where you are coming from, Sam.”

- December 25, 2007 – In an interview in Fortune Magazine Shurtleff, when discussing Antar’s allegations that Shurtleff is “doing the bidding of a wealthy backer” replies that it is “bullcrap” and continues to insult Antar, stating that “to a thief everyone looks like a thief.”

- February 9, 2008 – Byrne claims that Antar invited himself to a meeting with Shurtleff, met with him, and agreed not to spin the presentation or blog as Shurtleff agreeing with Antar’s views on Overstock.com. Byrne claims that “Sam had this meeting then immediately welched n that promise.”

- August 18, 2008 – Antar posts on his blog, whitecollarfraud.blogspot.com about these events and signs it “Sam E. Antar (former Crazy Eddie CFO and a convicted felon).”

For further details, again, please visit Antar's blog.

From White Collar Fraud: Shurtleff - the Sign Stealer

Click here for the full post -

Mark Shurtleff is seeking re-election as Utah State Attorney General. However, many voters are unaware that in 1998 Mark Shurtleff, running as a GOP candidate for the Salt Lake City Commission, was caught removing his opponent's campaign signs by the police.

According to a 1998 article in the Deseret News:

…Mark Shurtleff was caught pulling down one of his opponent's campaign signs…. Shurtleff pulled down the Reberg sign on Union Park Avenue near 7500 South. West Valley resident Allen Hose, who has worked on Democratic campaigns, saw him do it and made a few calls, including to the local police.

The Salt Lake City Tribune also reported:

Republican Mark Shurtleff, who has stressed honesty and integrity in his campaign, admitted his actions to police….

While Mark Shurtleff still claims to espouse “honesty and integrity” as the cornerstone for his current re-election bid to be Utah State Attorney General, in reality he is the best corrupt public official that the unprincipled management team at Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK) can buy.

I will have more to say about Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in my next blog post. In the mean time, you can read my previous blog posts about Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, here and here.

Fire Shurtleff

Nightside's Ethan Millard just announced that current Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff will not investigate the complaint filed by Republican State Treasurer candidate Richard Ellis.

In the complaint filed by Ellis to Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert Ellis alleges that his primary opponent, Rep. Mark Walker of Sandy, bribed Mr. Ellis to drop out of the race.

Tonight the Attorney General's office basically stated that bribery isn't a crime if you lose the election when his office stated the the point was moot because Walker lost his primary race.

Mr. Shurtleff's disregard for ethics, justice, and public service is indefensible, and he needs to be held accountable, as do those who he is protecting.

From City Weekly: The $50,000 Question: Utah’s attorney general explains campaign donations received from company his office investigated for fraud

By Eric S. Peterson
Posted 06/19/2008

Jean Welch Hill, Democratic challenger to Republican heavyweight Mark Shurtleff, believes it’s time she took over as the state’s attorney general. Hill counts many reasons why she should get the seat, including Shurtleff’s courtship of the payday-loan industry and his conflict of interest in investigating the alleged bribery charges of political ally Mark Walker in the treasurer’s race—and now she can count at least 50,000 more reasons.

That’s one for each dollar Shurtleff accepted in campaign donations from Jeremy Johnson, president of the St. George company IWorks. While Shurtleff maintains that he only knew Johnson from meeting him once at a fund-raiser last March, several attorneys at the attorney general’s office have known of Johnson for much longer. That’s because they’d been investigating his company for more than a year for allegations of fraud.

“If you’ve been involved in litigation with some company,” says Hill. “Then you ought to have the discipline to say this isn’t the best donation for me to accept.”

More here!...

Shurtleff's judgment ?? People and payday loans

AG Shurtleff and other top GOPs are avidly supporting this Walker guy who has zilch experience for the job as Utah Treasurer even though he claims otherwise contrary to all available evidence (See lack of experience below).

Also the Walker guy the current AG is pushing:

According to his opponent Richard Ellis, Mark Walker offered him a $160,000 job in March if he'd drop out of the race.

Walker denies it, calling it a desperate political move.

"Our hope is to have some kind of determination by the end of this week," said Herbert spokesman Joe Demma.

In contrast to Walker's non- experience:

Richard Ellis, lists 22 years in public finance - eight of those serving as the state's chief deputy treasurer.

But top lawmakers, such as Shurtleff are backing Walker, saying the treasurer's office needs a leader with new perspective, but no experience for an important job.

http://www.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/ci_9473417

On Mark Walker's campaign Web site, he touts his private-sector experience during his three-year stint as Zions Bank manager of government finance.

However, the Zions Human Resources office defined his position as a sales resource officer, a job he left (?) at the end of March to run for state treasurer.

Also in contrast to Shurtleff's avid support of payday lenders and how they stop bankruptcy in Utah and elsewhere, read what protection the DOD (the US military) wants via
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/report_to_congress_final.pdf .

f. The Department of Defense seeks the following protections against predatory lending to Service members, as described in the report:

(c). It is understood that such special military disclosures may discourage lenders and limit the availability of credit to certain Service members, but the Department believes this risk is justified given the impact of predatory loans.

(2). Require a federal ceiling on the cost of credit to military borrowers, capping the APR to prevent any lenders from imposing usurious rates.

6
(a). Lenders should be prohibited from directly or indirectly imposing, charging, or collecting rates in excess of 36 percent APR with regard to extensions of credit made to Service members and their families. This APR must include all cost elements associated with the extension of credit, including the “optional” add-ons commonly used to evade ceilings, such as credit insurance premiums.

(b). It is understood that such an interest rate cap may limit the availability of credit to certain Service members. Limiting high-cost options assists the Department in making the point clear to Service members and their families that high cost loans are not fiscally prudent. A clear, unambiguous rate ceiling is justified given the high fees, interest and other charges associated with loans to Service members reviewed in this report, and the impact of those predatory loans on military readiness and troop morale.

Uncle Don

Utah's Next Attorney General, JEAN WELCH HILL!

Democratic Attorney General Nominee, Jean Welch Hill
Nomination Address
Utah State Democratic Convention 2008


Jean received at least three standing ovations at our State Convention. Watch the videos above to see why.

From The Fraud Files Blog: Supporting pyramid schemes is lucrative for politicians

By Tracy Coenen

As Barry Minkow (Fraud Discovery Institute), Dr. Jon Taylor, Robert FitzPatrick, Eric Scheibeler and others (including me) continue the unpopular fight against multi-level marketing companies (which are nothing more than disguised pyramid schemes), I occasionally come across items of interest…

Like this one. Did you know that Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Pre-Paid Legal Services (NYSE:PPD)? He has.

From Utah’s website:

All Contributions for Shurtleff, Mark Leonard

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc P.O. Box 145 Ada, OK 74820	10/23/2006	20,000.00
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc P.O. Box 145 Ada, OK 74820	12/12/2007	20,000.00
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc P.O. Box 145 Ada, OK 74820	04/28/2005	20,000.00
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. 321 E. Main St. PO BOX 145 Ada, OK 74820	04/25/2003	20,000.00
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. 321 E. Main St. PO BOX 145 Ada, OK 74820	06/14/2004	20,000.00
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. 321 E. Main St. PO BOX 145 Ada, OK 74820	03/02/2004	10,000.00

$110,000 in campaign contributions just since 2003 is a nice little chunk of money, I think.

More...

Deseret News: Payday lenders are generous to Shurtleff

Sum is fourth of total he has raised for campaign

Copyright 2008 Deseret News
By Bob Bernick Jr. and Lee Davidson
Deseret News

Published: May 7, 2008

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff seeks a third four-year term this year, and he's looked to some old friends for much of his campaign fundraising — like payday loan operators who charge an average of 500 percent interest annually.

Shurtleff, 50, is a conservative GOP attorney general who at times angered core Republicans over his more liberal stands, like including gays in hate crimes laws and opposing Amendment 3, which banned same-sex marriages in Utah.

Shurtleff raised $38,400 from payday loan owners this year, about $1 of every $4 given to him, according to new financial disclosure forms required before Shurtleff faces renomination at Saturday's Republican State Convention in Orem.

Shurtleff raised $161,625 in 2008, leading among candidates for attorney general, auditor and treasurer. Next best fundraiser was state Rep. Mark Walker, R-Sandy, who is running for state treasurer. He raised $46,605.

More...

What the?!

Funny!
You spelled usury wrong, but we still get the point.

Mark “Merchant of Venice” Shurtleff

Yes, Attorney General Shurtleff, we need Pay Day Loans!

Those companies face high risk and overhead while serving their sophisticated and financially secure clientele. You lead the charge to help those charitable, consumer conscious lenders from facing the same fate that other states like Georgia and North Carolina did when they said “No More Payday Loans.”

I would hate to think you and your party would have to take away an option that could eliminate usury loans that have a median rate of 521% in Utah. I would hate to think our great state would even think of putting a cap on the allowable interest charged. I am sure the Republican Party will receive the benefit of campaign donations from our “Pay Day Pros.” No strings attached of course…

Have you considered allowing “A pound of flesh” to be exacted for non-payment of loans? Think of all the entertainment value…Oh, but that wouldn’t work…Shylock’s loan was interest free.

Bill Barron

It's usury Mark, plain and simple

Shurtleff defends payday loan rates
By Lee Davidson
Deseret Morning News
Published: January 30, 2008

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Tuesday that banning "payday loans" could hurt the poor more than it would help them and could force more of them into bankruptcies or repossessions.

But debating against that was University of Utah law professor Christopher Peterson, an expert on predatory lending. He said payday loans are essentially legalized loan sharking that can bury the unwary into deep debt. He said societies for millennia have banned the sort of high interest rates that payday lenders now charge.

The pair faced off in the annual Jefferson B. Fordham Debate at the University of Utah's Quinney College of Law, a series that looks at key current issues. They took different sides of whether states should ban any loan with interest rates over 36 percent — which both agree would put the payday loan industry out of business.

Payday loans are usually given for two weeks to those with poor credit. A Deseret Morning News study in 2005 found the median annual interest on them here was 521 percent, or $20 for a two-week $100 loan. Critics contend the needy often cannot pay them off on time and must take out more loans at the high rates to cover them.

Shurtleff said while that interest may sound high, payday lenders actually spend $14 to $15 per $100 loan to service them, including collection on the risky loans. But Peterson said, "The average interest rate on a New York City Mafia loan syndicate loan was 250 percent (in the 1960s), half the price of a payday loan in Salt Lake City."

Shurtleff said, "I've done a lot of research in this area. And I truly believe in my heart of hearts that the people's good is best served by competition" and allowing payday loans as an option besides such things as bouncing checks or pawning goods.

He added, "It would be immoral to take away from somebody an option ... that allowed them to avoid bankruptcy, repossessions and welfare. That would be immoral: not to give people that opportunity and let them make that choice."

Shurtleff said when he took office, he talked to advocacy groups for the poor who complained about debt pitfalls from payday loans. He said he looked into them and found that the state regulators received few complaints from users.

He said a recent study by staff of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York also concluded that after Georgia and North Carolina banned such loans, former users migrated to costlier alternatives, including bouncing checks (and paying expensive bank fees to cover them), or filing for bankruptcy.

Peterson, who has written books examining predatory lending practices, said that study was flawed and did not control for many variables that could have increased bankruptcies and bounced checks. He said payday loans do hurt the poor.

He said studies have shown that a typical payday loan user spends $793 to pay off a $325 loan by needing to take out more payday loans to pay off the original — at astronomic rates — because they cannot pay it off in the original two weeks.

Compared to the 521 percent median rate on them in Utah, he said most cultures have capped interest at no more than 36 percent. He said, for example, ancient Babylon had interest rate caps of 20 percent on borrowing silver and 33 percent on borrowing grain at a time before money was developed. "Before we figured out what money is, we figured out that we need a 20 percent interest cap."

Peterson said the Roman Empire had a 12 percent cap. The ancient Chinese had a 36 percent cap. The American colonies had caps between 5 and 12 percent. Between 1900 and the late 1970s, most states had usury caps between 18 and 42 percent.

But since then, the median cap among states is 400 percent, and many states, including Utah, have no caps — which led to the rise of payday loans. Nationally, Peterson said, more payday lenders exist now than McDonalds, Burger King, J.C. Penneys and Target stores combined.

"The past 15 years have been a dangerous and radical historical anomaly," Peterson said. "If a 520 percent loan isn't usury, what is?"

Utah Attorney General Shurtleff is still sitting on his brains

Utah's Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, who is speaking on KSL radio at this very moment just said that our country's child pornography problem is Bill Clinton's fault.

He stated that he didn't want to politicize the topic, but just like his official opinion that House Bill 174, an amendment to HB 148 (Education Vouchers) could stand alone, he is once again using the brain that he sits on and has politicized his office.

Mark, maybe this will help:

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Child Online Protection Act, a 1998 law passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton. That law would have outlawed adult-content Web sites if they were deemed to be harmful to minors.

Mark, I also want o point out that the Republicans, your Party, and the Party of Larry Craig and Mark Foley, is the Party that has controlled the White House for the last eight years. Hasn't enough time passed to be accountable for something?

More proof on the location of AG Shurtleff's brains:

Utah Republican Leaders speak with fork-ed tongues

A Great Day for Public Education

It's arrogance on steroids, 'says Democratic Party Leader

Arrogance and abuse of power

Utah Attorney General Shurtleff Slanders Congressman Jim Matheson

From USDP Blog: Arrogance and Abuse of Power

Frustrated by his failed attempt to convince the Utah State Board of Education or their legal counsel that a bill entitled "Education Voucher Amendments" is really a stand alone bill that implements the nation's most extensive voucher program for private academies, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has finally gone too far. Today he fired Special Assistant Attorney Generals Jean Hill and Carol Lear for telling the State Board of Education a bill with "Amendments" in the title cannot be implemented when the bill it is amending is facing a referendum vote in November.

Republican leaders on the hill, Speaker Curtis and Senator Bramble in particular, have made it abundantly clear they will not abide by the will of the people if they don't get their voucher program. Now Attorney General Shurtleff, a man who has taken it upon himself to decide which laws will be enforced and which ones will not, has decided to begin firing anyone in his office that dares express a legal opinion that differs from his own. One wonders if Attorney General Shurtleff is now using Attorney General Gonzales' management style when it comes to the administration of justice in Utah.

In his May 11, 2007 letter to the Utah State Board of Education, Attorney General Shurtleff demanded the school board follow his instructions stating in bold print "I am the constitutionally designated sole legal advisor to both the Utah State Office of Education and the Utah State Board of Education." He went on to explain "All legislation is presumed valid until it is stayed or overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction or repealed by the legislature."

Not seven days passed before the same attorney general protecting the jurisdiction of the courts and the legislature when it comes to determining the validity of a law announced on KUTV more than two years had passed since he sent a letter to gas retailers in Utah informing them he would not enforce The Motor Fuel Marketing Act. "I sent a notice out, years ago to all the retailers out there. This is a law that I'm not going to enforce" he told KUTV.

Apparently our attorney general has determined that the courts, the legislature AND the attorney general can decide for themselves what laws are valid and which ones are not. Perhaps, being an attorney with an apparently unprecedented knowledge of the law, he can explain to Utahns exactly where in the Utah Constitution the attorney general is given the power to determine for his/herself what laws he/she will or will not enforce.

The time has come for elected officials willing not only to disregard the will of the people, but to boast about their plans to do so, to be shown the door. Utah Democrats will hold these officials accountable for their arrogance in 2008, of that they can be sure.

SLCSpin does it again!

BREAKING: Carol Lear, Jean Hill FIRED! As Legal Counsel For State Board of Ed.

Exclusive: Jean Hill Letter of Termination