Online records show attorney Eddie Farah of FARAH & FARAH, P.A. contributed
an additional $10,000 to Nelson's campaign on 12/12/05.
"so1oman" <email4hill@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:yMKdnSj1YImPSs7ZRVn-rA@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> JACKSONVILLE, FLA--- U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, the senior Senator from
> Florida, is seeking re-election in 2006. Records reveal Nelson's
campaign
> received thousands of dollars in contributions in the years 2003 through
> 2005 from the principals of a Jacksonville law firm who admit it
> overcharged its personal injury clients by $130,000 around the same
> period.
>
> The law firm in question is FARAH, FARAH & ABBOTT, P.A. (a/k/a The Law
> Offices of Eddie Farah). According to the firm's web site, it is now
known
> as the Law Offices of Farah & Farah, P.A. The principals in the firm are
> Eddie Farah and his brother, Charlie ("Chuck") E. Farah.
>
> The Law Offices of Eddie Farah employed Florida attorney Jeffrey R. Hill
> in 2004 when he discovered it was regularly overcharging its personal
> injury clients by substantial sums. Hill says, "The firm was often
> 'padding' costs charged to clients by $300 or more per case and had been
> doing so for several years. Clients were required to sign settlement
> statements certifying they agreed with the falsified figures before any
> ****tion of their settlement funds would be paid to them. The firm's fee
> contracts, accounting records and settlement statements clearly do***ent
> its overcharging practices."
>
> Attorneys admit this law firm overcharged clients by $130,000 in the
years
> 2002 through 2004. John A. Weiss, Esq. of Tallahassee represented Eddie
> and Chuck Farah, before the Bar. Weiss admitted the firm's overcharges
in
> a Sept. 22, 2005 letter to The Bar stating,
>
> "As an aside, I would advise you that the firm has refunded in excess of
> $120,000.00 ... to those clients who were inadvertently overcharged for
> costs. Approximately $10,000.00 remains undisbursed because the firm,
and
> the private investigator it subsequently hired, could not find the
> individuals."
>
> Hill observes, "That certainly sounds like a lot of money to be
> 'inadvertently' overcharged. The firm would have to overcharge 400
clients
> by $300 each to reach $120,000."
>
> Even The Florida Bar's own audit of the firm's trust account confirmed
> $130,000 in overcharges and a lack of substantial compliance with Bar
> rules governing trust acounts in the years 2002 through 2004.
>
> Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner James F. Wells
> prepared the re****t following his audit of Farah's trust account records
> and procedures. Wells' Audit Re****t noted,
>
> "Administrative costs that were not substantiated by do***entary
evidence
> were charged on some settlement statements in personal injury cases.
These
> administrative costs were in excess of the do***ented costs such as
> copies, faxes and postage. Rule 5-1.2(b)(4) requires do***entary sup****t
> for all disbursements from the trust account. These costs were not
> authorized by the clients."
>
> In discussing corrective action taken, Wells stated,
>
> "The firm reviewed client files and settlement statements to determine
the
> specific clients that had been charged unsubstantiated administrative
> costs. Refunds totaling approximately $130,000, including interest, were
> issued to those clients."
>
> Wells concluded,
>
> "In my opinion, Mr. Farah's trust accounting records and procedures in
> connection with the do***entation of costs paid from trust funds during
> the period from January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2004 were not in
> substantial compliance with The Florida Bar's rules governing trust
> accounts." (Emphasis supplied).
>
> Online records show Nelson's campaign received
> $2,500 each from Eddie Farah and Chuck Farah on Jun. 6, 2005 for a total
> of $5,000 that year. Eddie Farah had apparently also contributed $1,000
to
> Nelson's 2004 campaign on Dec. 9, 2003. Records for 2004 and 2006
> campaigns show the Farah brothers contributed thousands of dollars more
to
> Federal Democratic candidates John Kerry, Betty Castor, Patrick Leahy,
> Corrine Brown and Debbie Stabenow.
>
> The source of the funds contributed by the Farahs remains in question.
>
> Copyright © 2006 by Jeffrey R. Hill. All rights reserved.
>
>
******************************************************************************************************************************
> "Hill's Peek at Lawyer Misconduct":
> "http://home.comcast.net/~email4hill/wsb/index.html
>
> "Regulating Lawyer Misconduct in Florida: Who's Responsible?":
> http://lawyermisconduct.blogspot.com/
>
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