For a few very profitable years, Vanessa and Mario Perez made more than $322,000 by clearing up the blemished credit reports of people with bad bill-paying histories, almost as if by magic.
Federal authorities say the Perezes had a secret weapon: a network of dirty Miami-Dade County, Florida police officers, who wrote 215 falsified police reports. The Perezes used these falsified police reports to claim their customers were victims of identity theft when the customers were not.
The false ID theft claims provided the Perezes' clients with an official excuse for their bad credit histories so they could get negative items removed from their reports. In turn, the customers could boost their credit scores with reporting agencies such as Equifax and obtain credit cards, loans and other financing again.
Vanessa Perez was previously convicted of absentee ballot fraud (along with dozens of others) after Miami's infamous 1997 election.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday May 22 2015, @09:21AM
This seems like a system that is degenerating? Perhaps Somalia is the new desired state of the country?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @09:33AM
Yesterday things were better than Today, and Tomorrow will be worse! Everything that ever happened after I came of age, has been a sign of societal decay!!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday May 22 2015, @10:51PM
Even nostalgia ain't what it used to be!
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Friday May 22 2015, @06:30PM
Not really. They got caught. In a totally broken system, no-one gets in trouble for being corrupt.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday May 23 2015, @01:26AM
Noooo..... in a totally broken system, no-one high up ever gets in trouble for being corrupt. That's the nature of a corrupt system; it protects those performing the corruption.
When a sitting U.S President is convicted of treason, or a U.S Senator (nearly all of them) are convicted for treason, or hell, just a single big fish on Wall Street receiving big black cock in Federal.Pound.Me.In.The.Ass.Prison ....... then maybe the system isn't irreparably corrupt.
Until then, I'm not impressed when they make examples out of small time fraudsters, but let the big ones go that can make appearances on national TV educating us about how the economy works.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by bziman on Saturday May 23 2015, @03:41PM
I think you're confused. Rape as a form of punishment IS a sign of a system that is irreparably corrupt. That our system actually permits and encourages rape as a form of punishment is a strong indicator that our system of justice has completely failed in every meaningful way.
(Score: 5, Funny) by FatPhil on Friday May 22 2015, @09:23AM
Vanessa Perez was previously convicted of absentee ballot fraud (along with dozens of others) *benefitting a Republican-affiliated candidate* after Miami's infamous 1997 election.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @09:42AM
Yeah! We need some more Ethanol-gewg_ for his deliciously gay bullshit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @06:29PM
Vanessa Perez was previously convicted of absentee ballot fraud (along with dozens of others) *benefitting a Republican-affiliated candidate* after Miami's infamous 1997 election.
I don't think that is correct. The linked article does not mention party affiliation. But it seems to say the fraud was in favor of Xavier Suarez against Joe Carollo [wikipedia.org] who seems to be a republican. Maybe they are both republican? Local politics is often much less party-oriented than national politics.
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Friday May 22 2015, @07:40PM
I've seen him listed both ways. The Examiner lists him as losing a 5 way Republican primary ( http://www.examiner.com/article/ex-miami-mayor-xavier-suarez-has-eyes-set-on-county-seat [examiner.com] ).
But, worldstatesman.org list him as being a Democrat for his two (one notably shortened by the mentioned fraud) mayoral terms. ( http://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_Mayors2.html#Miami [worldstatesmen.org] )
Maybe someone from Miami can jump in with a definite answer.
Given that he was called Mayor Loco for good reason, I think he's correctly classified as belonging to the Loon Party. ;)
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @10:47AM
In reality, Vanessa and Mario Perez were victims of an identity theft, and those identity thieves falsified those police reports. It was also the identity thieves who did the ballot fraud. You see, here's the police record of this identity theft, which we've just … err … found in the archives.
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Friday May 22 2015, @05:46PM
All these clients with fatally flawed credit still had $1500 laying around to buy a false police report?
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday May 23 2015, @02:52AM
If all your debt is about to be cancelled borrowing another $1500, that you never intend to repay, probably isn't a big deal.