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From: "Attorney General Pam Bondi" <
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Date: Feb 26, 2016 10:26 AM
Subject: Attorney General Bondi's Weekly Briefing
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 | | PROTECTING FLORIDIANS | TEXT VERSION | EN ESPAÑOL | Attorney General Bondi's Weekly Briefing
Working with state lawmakers, this week, we passed important public safety and consumer protection legislation. All three of these vital bills will help make Florida a safer place to live and do business. The Florida Senate unanimously passed legislation that will help expedite the lab testing of all DNA evidence, including sexual assault kits. I want to thank the bill sponsor, Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, and each member of the Florida Senate for passing this important public safety legislation. The Florida House unanimously passed two separate bills that are legislative priories of my office, HB 1347 and HB 549. HB 1347, sponsored by Representative Clay Ingram, will help advance our fight against synthetic drug use in Florida. Instead of individually identifying and outlawing dangerous chemical compounds found in synthetic drugs, the House bill will allow us to categorically outlaw synthetic drugs as a whole. In addition to fighting synthetic drug use, we are also fighting to protect Florida consumers. HB 549, sponsored by Representative Colleen Burton, will allow my office to aggressively pursue restitution for Floridians harmed by violations of Florida's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. In closing, I want to thank each member of our great state Legislature, especially the Senate and House bill sponsors, for supporting our legislative priorities this session. These bills will protect and improve the lives of people across our great state and our visitors. |  | In The News
Senate passes bill requiring rape kit testing within 30 days, Associated Press Talent agency to pay restitution, News Press Tornado aftermath: 300+ homes destroyed, damaged, Pensacola News Journal Retirees return $1,288,855 to scammed seniors, Sun Sentinel | Protecting Floridians
Attorney General Bondi Meets With U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and other State Attorneys General In Washington D.C. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other state attorneys general met with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch in Washington D.C. this week to discuss public safety and criminal justice issues. The nation's top legal officers were in D.C. for the National Association of Attorneys General Winter Meeting. During the meeting the attorneys general shared strategies for combating drug and human trafficking, and discussed better ways to work together to fight fraud across state lines.
Pinellas-Based Business Banned from Selling Alumni Directories
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the entry of a consent judgment against Alumni Research, Inc. and its CEO Robert Laping for violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and the Florida Telemarketing Act. Alumni Research solicited payments over the phone for the purchase of high school and college alumni directory books for dozens of schools nationwide. According to the investigation, the defendants either failed to publish the directories or failed to produce the directories within the time promised.
According to the investigation, the defendants' business practices harmed more than 26,000 consumers nationwide. Attorney General Bondi's Office received more than 800 complaints from consumers that prepaid Alumni Research for a directory and never received the promised product. Many of the victims are senior citizens that each paid approximately $70 to preorder a directory for their alma mater. More.
 Multimillion Dollar Settlement Reached With Talent Company
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a multimillion dollar settlement with entities doing business as InterFACE Talent and the entities' president and CEO, Roman Vintfeld. The Attorney General's Office obtained a stipulated permanent injunction and a final consent judgment against the defendants, resolving allegations of unfair and deceptive business practices in selling talent marketing services to Florida consumers. InterFACE, a New Jersey-based talent company, allegedly falsely promised to help Florida consumers get modeling and acting jobs, but instead took large up-front fees for nothing more than photo shoots and introductions to industry professionals. More.
Attorney General Bondi Activates Price Gouging Hotline
Attorney General Pam Bondi activated Florida's price gouging hotline for consumers in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. The opening of the hotline comes as Governor Rick Scott declares a state of emergency for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties due to severe weather and tornado damage. Florida's price gouging law only applies within the area of the declared state of emergency.
State law prohibits extreme increases in the price of essential commodities, such as food, water, hotels, ice, gasoline, lumber and equipment, needed as a direct result of an officially declared emergency. Anyone who suspects price gouging during this declared state of emergency should report it to the Attorney General's Office by calling 1-866-9-NO-SCAM. More. Multimillion Dollar Settlement Reached in Municipal Bond Derivatives Scheme
Attorney General Pam Bondi and 20 other state attorneys general announced multimillion dollar settlements with two financial institutions, Natixis Funding Corp. and Societe Generale, in connection to a municipal bond derivative scheme targeting governments and nonprofits across the country. Municipal bond derivatives are contracts used by tax-exempt issuers to reinvest proceeds of bond sales until the funds are needed, or to hedge interest-rate risk.
As part of the coordinated settlements, Natixis will pay more than $29 million and Societe Generale will pay more than $26 million. In accordance with the terms of a class settlement agreement, more than $53 million will be paid into a settlement fund and largely applied to restitution for eligible governmental entities and nonprofits that entered into municipal derivatives contracts with the two institutions. More. | |  | |
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