Wednesday, March 3, 2010

PTSD Veterans Swap Guilty Plea for Rehabiliatation

Full Article at: Veterans Suspected of Crimes Swap Guilty Pleas for Rehabilitation

SUMMARY
Tom Bearden reports on special courts that give veterans probation and treatment, especially for post-traumatic stress disorder, instead of prison sentences if they plead guilty to a crime.
LISTEN: MP3
Transcript

TOM BEARDEN: Nic Gray was a sergeant with the 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas. He was part of the Iraq troop surge in February 2007.

NIC GRAY, former U.S. soldier: We were just building COPs, which are the combat outposts, which is really what the surge was all about, was taking small neighborhoods and building little bases in them that are troubled, and then clearing and maintaining as well.


TOM BEARDEN: He returned to the States that fall, left the Army when his time was up, and moved to Colorado Springs to start a business. One night last October, he was on the phone talking with a buddy who served with him in Baghdad.

NIC GRAY: We were just kind of talking about our experiences, about, you know, our time over there. And that's pretty much the last thing that I remember. The next thing that I recall is coming to in an orange jumpsuit in county jail, charged with two felonies.

TOM BEARDEN: Gray, who suffers from PTSD, apparently had a flashback, and went on a rampage in his neighborhood, attacking a parked car, kicking in a neighbor's door, threatening the couple inside.

NIC GRAY: I was on a mission in my neighborhood, and I was clearing houses.

TOM BEARDEN: What do you mean?

NIC GRAY: Well, essentially, clearing a house is when you go ahead and you bust in the front door or side door, and you go inside to ensure that there's no, in this case, insurgents in there to go ahead and be able to harm you or your -- your -- your fellow soldiers as well."

VA Investigators Want Charges Against Central Office Violators

Full Article at: VA staffers face discipline over travel, porn
By Jim McElhatton

"Department of Veterans Affairs investigators are calling for disciplinary action against several officials following an internal probe into the VA's special-events office in Washington.

The officials include a director who took taxpayer-funded trips to Las Vegas and San Diego that included a sailing trip and a golf outing, records show.

The same official - Diane Hartmann, director of national programs and special events - also authorized herself to receive hundreds of hours of leave to which she wasn't entitled, according to a new report by the VA Office of Inspector General.

Another employee, whose name and job title VA officials so far have withheld, was caught with thousands of pornographic images on his work computer.

The findings were made public following Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by The Washington Times and others seeking copies of the 45-page inspector general's report.

Questions about the report sent to Ms. Hartmann's VA work e-mail account were not returned, nor were numerous telephone and e-mail messages left with an attorney Monday and Tuesday."

Veteran's Fiduciary Sentenced to 5 Years for Stealing from at Risk Veterans

Full Article at: An Apple Valley woman has been sentenced to federal prison time for stealing money from veterans

Connie Hanson was trusted to protect the financial interests of vulnerable military veterans who could not look out for themselves.

One veteran couldn't pay for repairs to his home. Another didn't have enough money for a haircut. Those stories are just a snapshot of more than 30 Minnesota veterans who were victims of the person who was supposed to be taking care of them.

Hanson was a fiduciary, an independent contractor with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and was responsible for taking care of the finances of veterans who are disabled, aging or ill.

Instead, Hanson gambled with their financial futures to feed her own gambling habit. She pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the people who needed it most.

On Tuesday, Hanson was sentenced in federal court to nearly five years in prison and ordered to pay more than a million dollars in restitution.

Stephen Grisham is a fiduciary himself. His organization took over the accounts of the veterans who lost their money.

"When you're appointed as a fiduciary for someone, there is a lot of trust and a great responsibility that needs to be taken seriously and unfortunately in that case she broke that trust," Grisham said.

Authorities say Hanson took money from her clients over the last few years. The scam was caught when the bank that handles the accounts discovered unusual activity. The I.R.S. unraveled the complicated financial scheme.

"A lot of money involved, a lot of emotion involved. Things needed to be made right and hopefully we've uncovered what we needed to," said Janet Oakes, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service"

Vet, Represented by Ezra and Associates , Files Legal Malpractice Suit

Full Article at: Legal malpractice suit claims lawyer gave incorrect info regarding VA suit
3/3/2010 4:35 PM By Kelly Holleran

A man claims he became the victim of legal malpractice when an Illinois law firm he hired to represent him voluntarily dismissed his medical malpractice complaint, which prevented him from filing a similar complaint.

Michael K. Biggs filed a lawsuit Feb. 4 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against John P. Womick and Womick Law Firm.

Biggs claims on May 21, 2006, he hired Womick and Womick Law Firm to investigate and prosecute claims against the United States. Biggs intended to sue the United States after he says he received substandard care at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Marion.

Biggs visited Dr. Mohammad Jabbar at the Veterans Administration Hospital because of anal pain he began experiencing prior to Aug. 5, 2004, according to the complaint.

On Aug. 5, 2004, Jabbar performed surgery on Biggs, but failed to diagnose an anal fistula, which is a tiny channel that develops in the presence of inflammation, the suit states. In addition, during the surgery Jabbar failed to protect the anal sphincter, which is a muscle surrounding the anus. Because he failed to protect the anal sphincter, Jabbar dissected it during surgery but failed to recognize the damage he caused, the complaint says.

Because of the incident, Biggs claims he became sick, sore, lame and disordered; experienced fecal incontinence, pain, suffering, disfigurement, disability and a loss of his enjoyment of life; and incurred medical costs.

After Biggs contacted Womick following the surgery, the attorney filed a lawsuit Sept. 5, 2007, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against the United States, according to the complaint. On Feb. 4, 2008, Womick dismissed the complaint and told Biggs he could re-file his claim within one year, the suit states.

However, Womick was incorrect in his statement that Biggs could re-file the complaint because the Federal Tort Claims Act does not contain a state savings clause, the complaint says.

As a result, Biggs' complaint against Jabbar and the United States has been barred, and he claims to have suffered personal and pecuniary damages.

"That but for the negligence of Womick, Biggs would have recovered fair and reasonable compensation from the Defendant United States of America in the underlying action," the suit states.

In the six-count suit, Biggs seeks a judgment of more than $300,000, plus costs and other relief the court deems just.

D. Jeffrey Ezra, Sarah D. Smith and Shaun M. Lieser of Ezra and Associates in Collinsville will be representing him.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-51."