News & Editorials from Merlin

I will be taking a trip to Chicago soon and i wanted to get this article posted before I leave….I will be one busy guy and may eventually need to hire workers to help with the blogging over here.  I have been blogging about personal injury news and the like. 

Khai Van Nhin age 42 was a baker in San Jose and has just received a nine year sentence along with a $127,000 in restitution for insurance fraud. Nhin was accused of forming an auto insurance fraud ring and he entered a plea agreement where he admitted to heading this insurance fraud ring for three years. If he had not made the plea agreement he would have faced as much as twenty-four years in prison. Nhin was in front of Judge Ron Del Pozzo and his attorney made no statement to reporters. This case was put together that netted Nhin with an investigation that was named “ Operation Cashout” according to Stan Voyles the Deputy District Attorney. Nhin along with twenty-seven other people were indicted by the grand jury in 2006, four other people were charged along with Nhin.  By the way if you happen to live in Chicago, Illinois and require a good Chicago Personal Injury Attorney then might I suggest the esteemed Law Offices of John Budin. They are indeed some of the leading Chicago Personal Injury Attorney you can find and they not only handle personal Injury related cases in the city of Chicago but also the surrounding areas.According to prosecutors including the Distric Attorney Nhin and the others that were a part of the auto fraud insurance ring filed as many as 31 auto accident that included at least 12 different vehicles between 2002 and 2005. the way they arranged the fraudulent claims is by purchasing damaged vehicles and then filing claims that they had been forced off the roadway and struck the guardrail. This was said to have totaled an amount in the area of $500,000 that was kept and not used to fix any of the vehicles that were claimed to have been damaged.

   The other 30 defendants that were involved in the case have also pleaded guilty, their sentences range from three years in prison to community service. Nhin was extradited and returned to Santa Clara County from Seattle where he was found when his car was pulled over because he did not have a license plate on the vehicle.  No Personal Injury was involved, apparently.

   I just got back from amy trip to Houston, texas but have some more legal related news to inform you about……According to reports a woman who has been identified as Mary Elaine Bradford was arrested inside the home of Alan Nakamura.

   The police were responding to a burglary that was in progress at 10973 Bellaire Way and what they found was the body of Alan Nakamura in an upstairs hallway. Nakamura had been shot in the head and fatally wounded.

   At the time of this discovery the police also found Mary Elaine Bradford in the home of Nakamura. Bradford who also resides in the home was taken into custody while the police investigate the possibility of charging her with first-degree murder in the shooting of Nakamura, according to Thornton Police spokesman Matt Barnes. Barns also stated that there is also another woman that resides in the home of Nakamura and Bradford.

   While police investigators are still investigating the shooting and possible burglary or the possible first degree murder charges against Bradford, Nakamura’s family have made statements. His family has stated that Nakamura and Bradford were having a rocky relationship of late. They are just an accident wating to happen I suppose…. By the way, just to change the subject for a secone, do you live in Houston or the surrounding region? If si, I know od a superlative Houston Accident Lawyer ,the law offices of Francisco Medina. he is one of the leading Houston Accident Lawyer and is also covers all of Harris County, not just Houston itself.

   The case is still under investigation and the Thornton Police have not found a specific motive in the Nakamura shooting.  It has been released that Nakamura was shot with a small caliber handgun according to Matt Barns of the Thornton Police Department.

  It has been reported that Alan Yukio Nakamura was age 57 and Mary Elaine Bradford age 59. I hope someone has a good lawyer.

 In Seattle criminal news, John Ogden, who went to trial for the skilling of his stepfather, was found guilty as an accomplice in the murder for hire of Ron Whitehead. The vote of the jury was unanimous and came after some 7 hours of deliberation.

 All in all, during the 3 week court case evidence including statements from Ogden were used and when he was sentenced he can face up to thirty years in the slammer. His mother was also arrested in the murder for hire and was sentenced earlier receiving a sentence of twenty years in prison. It appears that the evidence all pointed to a female that was looking for a way out of her marriage other than divorce. By the way if you are searching for a remarkable, reliable  Seattle Criminal Attorney then by all means please take a look at the superb and professional Law Offices of Mark Blair. He is not only a great Seattle criminal attorney but also serves the greater Seattle and Puget Sound region generally like Bothell, Tacoma, bellevue, Issaqua, Redmond and also Federal Way. Alright now back to the story at hand……

   The mother and son have been found guilty of paying one of John Ogden’s friends to hide in the vehicle of Ron Whitehead while he was driving to work and to fatally shoot him in the head. The defendent in question in this case later admitted to text messaging the friend identified as Wilson Sayachack explaining where to hide in the vehicle and what to generally do. He is due to be sentenced October 3, and this sentencing will be for first degree murder with special firearms enhancement.  I would say that is truly one dangerous guy and society is indeed safer with this criminal off of the streets. I would imagine that even his attorney wants hime off the streets on some level, if believes he is guilty.

   The actual accused shooter Sayachack has been to trial twice where both ended in mistrials and the prosecution is setting up for a new trial after what police believe to be the handgun used in the murder has been found.

   They also allege that taped phone conversations from the jail will prove that Sayachack was involved in the killing.

In legal news out of Denver, Colorado,  two women identified as Linda Edwards and the other as Ladonna Mullins were convicted of a mortgage fraud scheme, the charges included wire fraud, falsely using  Social Security numbers, criminal forfeiture and false statements to a financial institution. Mullins age 73 was a real estate agent under the name LaDonna’s Realty and Management located in Denver. Edwards was a real estate agent working at Affable Realty in Denver. Somebody needs a lawyer here I think….The federal trial that included a jury took 14 days in the case where evidence was shown that both Edwards and Mullin helped potential homebuyers that would not lawfully qualify for mortgages that were insured by the Federal Housing Administration. By the way if you live in Colorado and need an expert Denver personal injury lawyer then by all means take a look at the law Offices of Larry D. Lee. He is certainly one of the finest Denver personal injury lawyer in the city. This was during the years from 1999 though 2004 and they were said to have obtained false Social Security numbers to hide the potential buyers credit history. They were also accused of creating fake W-2’s along with other documents. They created false employment documents, letters of down payment gifts and letters falsely stating renal histories. Although there was no personal injury here this was pretty serious I think.Edwards is scheduled for a December 15^th sentencing hearing where she could be sentenced up to 29 years for wire fraud. She can also receive sentences up to five years for making false statements and the use of false Social Security numbers. Edwards also faces forfeiture of the properties involved in the scheme and fines of $250,000. Mullins will face up to five years during her sentencing for wire fraud charges along with fortitude of properties and a $250,000 fine. 

I wanted to give a shout out to Ehline law who wrote this cool excerpt about wife cheat, and political power grabber, John Edwards. Check it out.

According to reports the former personal injury attorney John Edwards is amid the latest scandal involving a former employee and possible child from the relationship.

In a stunning interview that was broadcast on ABC, John Edwards has admitted to having an affair with a woman that had been hired to make video clips for Edward’s political campaign in 2006.

The news of this affair was first brought to light in the Enquirer, which Edwards denied for many months until his recent admission to the affair with Rielle Hunter.

In the interview Edwards stated that he was ashamed of his choices and that it goes against what he did, he also stated that he had hoped it would not become public. He went on to say that his wife and family knew about this and have been working through it. Edwards also denies that he is the father of the child Rielle Hunter has had and that he has not taken a paternity test because the affair was ended prior to the time she would have become pregnant.

There is a lot of speculation about this affair and the fact that Rielle Hunter did not list a father on the birth certificate, she was paid $114,000 the video services that were webisodes that have been seen and is now living in the same gated community with one of John Edwards political operatives and friends Andrew Young. Young now insists that he is the father of the baby while he is also married with three young children; Hunter also denies that Edwards is the father of the baby.

Two things that Edwards did stress in the interviews he has given, other than he was wrong and came forward only because the tabloids would not stop and leave him and his family alone. Fact one he has repeatedly stressed that while he was having the affair his wife Elizabeth was in remission from breast cancer and the second fact is that is has stated that he will do what ever the Demicratic hopeful for president Obama asks of him.
It has been reported that it is doubtful with this admission that Edwards who had been hoping for a seat in the next administration will be asked.

It has also been reported that as late as July 22nd Edwards was seen coming from a hotel at nearly 3:00 a.m. in which Rielle Hunter and child were staying. This alone could present more problems for Edwards who ran into a hotel men’s room when he spotted reporters. Hotel security appeared on the scene and threatened the reporters who filed criminal complaints stating that the hotel security broke several California Penal Codes including false imprisonment.

New statistics are showing that the number of motorcycle accidents is on the rise.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reports show that an 8% increase of fatal motorcycles has been documented. Motorcycle accident attorneys in Orange County and its many cities like Los Angeles and Huntington Beach have also noted the increase in personal injury cases involving motorcycle accidents.

Some common types of motorcycle accidents that are increasingly happening are:

1. Collisions with a car or truck, such as when the motorcyclist is not seen and the car or truck pulls out or turns in front of the motorcycle. When this happens, the motorcyclist usually does not have enough time to stop and then crashes into the other vehicle.

2. Rear end collisions with other vehicles. This happens when the vehicle in front of the motorcycle stops suddenly and the motorcyclist crashes into the back of it.

3. Unsafe U-turn maneuver by a vehicle in front of a motorcyclist. This usually happens unexpectedly and suddenly, causing the motorcyclist behind to crash into the vehicle.

4. Road debris, gravel, loose pavement and road surface such as potholes etc. The motorcyclist can lose control and skid out under these conditions.

5. Car doors that are unexpectedly opened in the path of the motorcycle rider.

6. Speed. Going at too fast of a speed while riding a motorcycle can cause the rider to loose control and crash.

6. Dui. Riding a motorcycle while legally over the limit usually results in an accident. Motorcycles must be ridden while sober to maintain proper control over it.

These and many more causes can result in motorcycle accidents being on the rise in Orange County. The number one major injury suffered in a motorcycle accident is the head and brain injury. Helmet laws have come a long way to reduce these injuries but they still happen and understandably are on the rise along with the number of accidents.

Other injuries could include, road rash, knee and other joint injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones and torn ligaments.

If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, try to stay calm. Immediately call the police to report the accident. Get the name, address, driver’s license number, vehicle ID number and insurance policy name and number from the driver of the other vehicle. Do not make any statements until you have contacted an experienced motorcycle crash lawyer.