Vegas Law Rounds Up Second Crooked Guardian
April Parks and her lawyer indicted, but the biggest fish remain uncharged
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Jailed Private Guardians April Parks and Patience Bristol. Private Guardian Jared E. Shafer – Uncharged
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Jailed Attorney Noel Simpson Palmer. Attorneys Francis
Fine, Lee Drizin and Elyce Tyrell – Uncharged
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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-abusehttp://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
