Business, Finance, & Economics: September 2009 Archives

Circuit Judge Robert Hawley said he will rule by Wednesday in the criminal case of Ira Hatch, a disbarred attorney who is accused to taking several million dollars from clients of his now-defunct Vero Beach-based Coastal Escrow firm.  The case spans a number of years, from 2004 until Coastal Escrow unexpectedly closed in late 2007 with virtually no money in its accounts.  The case also involves Hatch’s spending at his former law firm, Hatch and Doty.  Vero Beach police arrested Hatch, 62, in early 2008 on 57 criminal charges and he is being held in the Indian River County Jail.

Judge Hawley set Tuesday’s hearing during a court session in August in which he indefinitely postponed the trial because the State Attorney’s Office added a potential key forensic accounting expert witness, a local certified public accountant, who has been reviewing Hatch’s financial records.  Eisenmenger said he needed time to review what the witness is finding.

Excerpted from tcpalm.com.

Dave Jansen testified as a forensic accounting expert for the plaintiff in Muscogee (Creed) Nation Distric Court case CV 2009-33 in which the Muscogee (Creek) Nation administration and six MCN communities are battling over gaming funds. Lawyers for the six communities had requested more time to review audit reports, which were completed and made available in August.  The investigations into the communities’ finances were conducted with a focus on tracking gaming funds. Determining certain monetary amounts and tracking those monies caused Jansen to believe practices within the communities resulted in co-mingling of funds.

MCN controller Rodgers said the total of the monies seized from the communities amounted to $20 million to $21 million. Questions were directed to Rodgers as to the financial health of the Nation if the funds were to remain in the custody of MCN or if the funds were returned to the communities.

Excerpted from www.nativetimes.com.