Debt Collector Lobby

I saw this on CNN.  Wow is all I can say. Feel free to weigh in on this. http://money.cnn.com/interactive/pf/debt-collector/texas-politics/

As my late BIL used to say: "From the Dog House to the White House".

Thanks for sharing.

There have been many articles on the American evening news how most Americans fee that Washington works for the money, not them. What would Homer Simpson say? Doh! The 2 party system just does not work for America any more. The voting public (all 10 of them) is too polarized along party lines.

What is not to be expected here?  Lawyers.   That one word says it all.

Very true. Anymore it seems you are on one side or the other. The media follows suit as they are on one side or the other and there is no more news just plain reported down the middle. That has also trickled down to the local network affiliates. Quite the shame. Now with social media, most will read the headlines and make their remarks or decisions based strictly on the headlines instead of reading the story. These social media types are the same folks that as parents will pay more attention to themselves as their children fall by the way side and falter for lack of parenting. When the child gets in trouble or is reprimanded at school or by the law, that very parent will not look in the mirror. They will point the finger elsewhere and then cry foul because it's never their fault. We live in a "me" society. Where there's more and more adult children with the beliefs they are entitled and our government's is doing business the same way. That's my two cents.

My son said the same thing. What is even worse, is that the government is equally corrupt and incompetent at all levels. I found this out during a very short stint working for them and got the hell out of Dodge. Rather than follow the rules, they made them up as they went along. Is it any wonder, then, that no one trusts them and outfits (like these) get away with operating with impunity?

The State of Texas is one of many states not requiring state licensing or regulation within debt collection agencies and their personnel.  http://www.insidearm.com/state-licensing/

AUSTIN — The attorney general’s office under Greg Abbott has approved more than $3 million in state contracts for a law firm that has been a generous political contributor — providing $200,000 to Abbott’s campaigns in the past 12 years.

Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson collects delinquent debts for several state agencies, including the North Texas Tollway Authority. The firm has also faced legal problems, with two partners facing criminal charges of trying to influence public officials in separate incidents.

Abbott’s office has repeatedly endorsed contracts for the law firm, but aides said there’s no conflict because other agencies initiated the agreements. State law dictates that the attorney general must approve the contracts. A spokesman for the law firm said the donations were never intended to help Linebarger win business.

In his campaign for governor, Abbott, the Republican nominee, has made ethics a priority. He has pounded his challenger, Democrat Wendy Davis, for voting as a state senator on issues that affected government agencies she worked for as a private attorney.

There are few limits on lawmakers voting on legislation that affect their livelihoods, and there are no limits on state officeholders accepting contributions from those they regulate.

Craig McDonald, director of the campaign finance watchdog Texans for Public Justice, said both candidates should pledge to do more to avoid potential conflicts and fortify integrity in the system.

“It would be my hope that anyone with a state contract should not be able to give campaign money to the officer who can oversee that contract,” McDonald said.

He noted that Abbott has criticized Davis for making money as a bond attorney for public projects. And in his own case, “the problem is that Linebarger appears to be paying for access to contracts,” McDonald said.

“He’s never talked about crossing the line into the conflicts inherent in campaign contributions. Those are just as serious, if not more so,” McDonald said.

AG’s defense

Abbott’s state spokesman said there is no conflict because another agency hires the debt collector.

“The office of the attorney general has no say in which firms are selected by other state agencies,” said spokesman Jerry Strickland. “The very premise of your story is ridiculous because it totally ignores the fact that the OAG does not select this or any other firm.”

The attorney general signs off on about 15 to 25 debt collection contracts a year. Strickland said contracts are occasionally rejected because they don’t meet state requirements. He said he was unaware of contracts being refused for other reasons.

In 2012, a Fort Worth grand jury indicted Linebarger partner Mario Perez on charges that he falsified campaign reports to hide contributions to an Arlington school board member. At the time, Perez was trying to secure contracts for Linebarger to collect debts owed to the Arlington and Fort Worth school districts. The case is pending.

And in 2004, Linebarger partner Juan Pena pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges for paying two San Antonio City Council members for their votes on a contract. Both council members pleaded guilty the next year.

Joe Householder, a spokesman for the firm, said that in both instances, Linebarger provided full cooperation with investigating authorities.

“Those two individuals are in no way representative of the firm’s 1,200 employees and partners who do their work with integrity and professionalism every day,” Householder said.

One of the biggest

Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson is one of the biggest delinquent-debt collectors for the state. Among the Linebarger contracts that the attorney general ultimately approved was one worth $2 million from the tollway authority.

Some state contracts are put out for competitive bids. But others, such as with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Department of Aging and Disability Services, were negotiated as add-ons to existing federal contracts. The environmental agency’s contract is worth as much as $300,000 annually. Under the disability department’s contract, the firm collects a 25 percent fee added to each account collected.

The firm also makes frequent campaign contributions, totaling $2.6 million in the past 10 years to state and local officials — including $214,000 to Abbott, state records show. Included in that total is use of the firm’s corporate plane.

Householder said the firm is active in Texas communities, supporting charities along with political candidates.

Asked if the contributions were meant to gain access to decision makers, Householder said: “We engage politically by supporting candidates and elected officials whose service we believe would be most beneficial to the constituents of the office they seek or hold.”

Zac Petkanas, a spokesman for the Davis campaign, said the approval of contracts for campaign contributors adds to concerns over Abbott’s dealings. He cited a Houston Chronicle report showing that the attorney general, whose office also must approve bonds issued by local governments, has collected $200,000 in contributions since 2012 from law firms that served as bond counsel on those projects.

“This is yet another example of Greg Abbott — the ultimate Austin insider — looking out for other political insiders instead of hardworking Texans,” Petkanas said.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headline ... paign-donor.ece

The IRS stopped working with debt collection firm Linebarger, Goggan, Blair, & Sampson in 2007. The IRS would not discuss why they did not renew the company's contract, but in the same month, a government report called their debt collection tactics "disturbing".

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/ ... our-information

I received a call from 806-416-4982. The caller said he was an IRS agent and gave me a badge #.  He said I owed  $10,000, and if I didn't pay it over the phone,  he would send the local police to pick me up. I told him I would be ready for the police. He proceeded to transfer me to his supervisor who repeated the same thing. He was angry that I wasn't intimidated by their scam. Both men had very heavy Indian accents. Has anyone heard of this IRS scam?  I told them I would drive to the local IRS office to verify their accusations.Help??

I see you posted a brief report for that very number on that number's post string. Posting the details you provided here on that number's post string will assist other's in identifying the scam. Thank you.

Yes, I've just read about this scam (can't recall where, sorry).  They are attempting to gather any information they can out of you so that they can drain your accounts.  The IRS will never demand payment over the phone.

I believe Shakespeare had it right: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" (Henry VI)

Not only do they make them up as they go along, they never apply them to themselves, only us poor dumb taxpayers. [:]

Doesn't matter who. Said it, truer words have never been spoken!