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 3-27-17
Inside Vegas - Steve Miller

Steve Miller is a former Las Vegas City Councilman. In 1991, the readers of the Las Vegas Review Journal voted him the "Most Effective Public Official" in Southern Nevada. Visit his website at: http://www.SteveMiller4LasVegas.com


Vegas Law Rounds Up Second Crooked Guardian
April Parks and her lawyer indicted, but the biggest fish remain uncharged

APRIL LAUGHING..              
       Jailed Private Guardians April Parks and Patience Bristol.      Private Guardian Jared E. Shafer – Uncharged

...
         Jailed Attorney Noel Simpson Palmer.      Attorneys Francis Fine, Lee Drizin and Elyce Tyrell – Uncharged

...
     Jailed Family Court Judge Steve Jones.      Judges William Voy, Charles Hoskin and Jon Norheim – Uncharged


INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
March 27, 2017

LAS VEGAS – A joint press conference was held on March 8, 2017 by Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, and Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt to announce the arrest of the first of what is expected to be several private for hire guardians who have for years been financially exploiting our city’s most vulnerable citizens.


                     (L to R)  Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, DA Steve Wolfson, Sheriff Joe Lombardo
                                                        (AmericanMafia.com photo by Steve Miller)

“Guardians are appointed to protect and serve their wards, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community.  They are entrusted with every aspect of that person’s life, including their health and finances,” said District Attorney Steve Wolfson.  “These defendants were affiliated with a private guardianship business, not the Clark County Public Guardian’s office.  This business was compensated for their services.  These defendants took advantage of helpless individuals who did not have the ability to defend themselves.  Today, with this indictment, we are moving toward holding these people accountable for their crimes and seeking justice for the victims."

Mr. Wolfson's words were music to the ears of victims and their families, but his work is far from over.  The judges, mastermind private guardian, and attorneys who have facilitated the scam are still at large.

In 2015, after receiving dozens of complaints and shocking testimony from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. James Weiskopf of the Abuse and Neglect Detail, Clark County Chief Judge David Barker barred Family Court Judge Charles Hoskin and his appointed "Hearing Master" Jon Norheim from presiding over any additional guardianship cases.
However, both Hoskin and Norheim remain on the bench adjudicating other family court cases. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/clark-county-judges-take-guardianship-oversight-away-embattled-judge-hearing-master

For years, Hoskin and Norheim, along with their colleague long time Family Court Judge William Voy were accused of participating in what is called the "Guardians Playbook," a scheme to use the court to bilk wealthy local seniors and disabled persons out of their assets by declaring them wards of the court and giving a stranger total power of attorney over their person and finances until the "ward" has been drained of all their assets.  Its done through Isolating, Medicating, and Fleecing under the color of law.  Its not yet proven that local judges and hearing masters share in the largess that is estimated to total many millions of dollars per year, but an investigation is underway to determine if certain judges and hearing masters who live lavish lifestyles are willing participants.

In February 2017, the Clark County Grand Jury took the testimony of Hearing Master Norheim, the jurist most accused of complicity with select guardians and their attorneys in the fleecing of court appointed wards.  In an amazing display of chutzpah, Norheim testified for over an hour about how he and his colleagues steadfastly adhere to Nevada Revised Statutes to protect wards and their estates. Here is his CONFIDENTIAL testimony obtained exclusively for INSIDE VEGAS by an unnamed source protected by NRS 49.275, the Nevada Reporter's Shield Law:

http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/NorheimGrandJuryPortion.pdf
 
The workings of a Grand Jury are highly confidential, and the reason Norheim was called to testify is not known at this time, however his testimony in the process that led to the indictment of private guardian April Parks and attorney Noel Simpson the following month does not indicate that he is also a target of local and state prosecutors, but many of the victims of his rulings that invariably favored guardians over their wards and families certainly hope so.

Many victims of Norheim also hope he ends up like his former Family Court colleague Honorable Steven Jones who is currently serving 26 months in Nevada State Prison for exploiting elderly victims, or Norheim's other former colleague 
ex-Clark County Family Court Judge Fran Fine who was removed from the bench for life.

In Fine's case, even after being disgraced, Family Court Judge William Voy appointed her guardian in 2009 over then-17 year old cerebral palsy victim Jason Hanson's person and estate (Jason's photo by Mike Christ).  While Hanson was a ward of the court from 2006 through 2015, his inheritance estimated to be worth over $250,000 was systematically stolen by a cartel of Trustees, Guardians, and their lawyers under the color of arcane Nevada guardianship laws.

Jason's exploitation has brought national attention to our city's secret disgrace, and garnered the support of DA Steve Wolfson.  Some believe that Jason will be the reason many more esteemed Vegas professionals end up behind bars in the near future.

On March 9, 2017, Hanson's case inspired the first in what is hoped to be a series of criminal indictments.  Indicted was his former foster mother Susan Rousselle, a minor player in Jason's exploitation.  The indictment was reported in US News & World Report: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2017-03-10/another-court-appointed-guardian-accused-of-theft-from-ward

Many of Hanson's supporters were very disappointed after only his former foster mother was indicted when court records show she was one of four persons who were enlisted by the court to look after Jason and his assets after the death of his father in 2006. However, because he was of sound mind, the guardianship was statutorily required to cease when Jason turned legal age in 2007.  Questionably, Jason remained a ward of Norheim's court  until 2015 even though  in February 2014, acting as his own attorney, Jason asked Norheim to appoint him a tax funded attorney to help cancel the exploitative, unneeded guardianship.  Without explanation, Norheim refused.


The crimes that brought the indictment of Susan Rousselle are small potatoes compared to suspected actions committed by attorneys Elyse Tyrell, Fran Fine, and private guardian Jared E. Shafer with the help of Family Court Judges Voy and Hoskin, and former Guardianship Hearing Master Norheim who are suspected of enabling or participating in the systematic bilking of Hanson's estate. 
 
Rousselle allegedly stole $50,000 from Jason's trust that contained at least $80,000 when it was originally set up by his grandparents. She did so while Jason was under the court appointed care of Tyrell, Fine, and Shafer. After Rousselle's alleged theft, in December 2009, when Jason was twenty years old, mastermind private guardian Jared E. Shafer intruded into Jason's life and asked John Cahill, the Clark County Public Administrator, to transfer the title of Jason's 1,200 square foot wheelchair accessible condominium into Shafer's name "for the benefit of Jason Hanson."  Cahill dutifully complied, and Shafer sold the house immediately for only $47,000, less than a third of its fair market value.  Shafer kept the entire proceeds.  Norheim did not require an accounting of the bargain basement sale of Jason's house, or the disposition of Jason's trust even though Norheim bragged to the Grand Jury that he always requires such accountings on a yearly basis during the tenure of guardianships in his court.

Some believe that Hearing Master Jon Norheim perjured himself when he testified before the Grand Jury and cited law after law that he did not uphold in his own courtroom during of hundreds of guardianship cases he presided over. Norheim closed out Jason's case in 2015 after almost all his inheritance was taken.  Norheim blatantly closed the case without a final accounting as required by the Nevada Revised Statutes he so eloquently cited to the Grand Jury.  Incompetence might have been considered an excuse until the ten year jurist proved to the Grand Jury through his testimony that he was intimately familiar with Nevada's guardianship laws.

DA Wolfson is also aware that others were responsible for Jason's well being at the time Rousselle allegedly stole his $50k, others who may, or may not, be on Wolfson's radar.  In the 2006 Family Court Minutes (below), the names of attorneys Elyse Tyrell and Francis Ann fine, along with private guardian Jared Shafer are mentioned as Jason Hanson's Trustees. "Trustee," according to Merriam-Webster means: "a person or organization that has been given responsibility for managing someone else's property or money."



In 2016, over a year after Norheim closed Jason's case and ended his illegal guardianship, it was determined that Jason was intellectually gifted throughout his guardianship, and the trusteeships and guardianships should have been canceled by Norheim in 2007 when Jason turned 18.  Jason is currently on total public assistance and until 2016 had not received one cent from his trust or from the sale of his house that was intended by his family to provide for his sustenance for the rest of his life.  In the summer of 2016, In front of TV cameras, Jason Hanson confronted his former Trustee Elyse Tyrell and demanded to know where his money went. Two weeks later, Tyrell coughed up an old check from her law firm for $5,530.74 that she said comprised the total remaining balance of Jason's inheritance after Rousselle, Tyrell, Fine, and Shafer had finished with him.




                                    Click on image for story by investigative reporter Darcy Spears including video

Hopefully, additional indictments are imminent.  While we try to patiently wait, here's Jason's story in his own words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tgqmyKb8WI
 
BACKGROUND:
http://www.ktnv.com/news/contact-13/another-guardian-charged-with-abuse
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/2-1-16_Inside_Vegas.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/clark-county-grand-jury-indicts-woman-guardianship-abuse-case
http://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/grand-jury-indicts-nevada-guardian-more-200-charges
https://youtu.be/Ee8XnR56gow


 Attorney Alan Freer in Norheim's court with client Jared Shafer scoffing at Shafer's
90 year old ward who wanted to go home to live his remaining years with his family
                                  (Click on image to view Court Video)



MORE INFORMATION ON GUARDIANSHIP FRAUD:
http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/ShaferFinancialRecords2…

http://www.thevegasvoice.net/…/just-in-judge-steel-today-fr…

http://www.stopguardianabusenv.org/…/embattled-private-guar…

http://nasga-stopguardianabuse.blogspot.com/…/steve-miller-…

http://nasga-stopguardianabuse.blogspot.com/…/steve-miller-…

http://nasga-stopguardianabuse.blogspot.com/…/steve-miller-…

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/…/208874-2016-12-14-breakin…

http://www.americanmafia.com/Insi…/6-15-15_Inside_Vegas.html





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Copyright © Steve Miller


email Steve Miller at: Stevemiller4lv@aol.com





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