Arizona Bankruptcy Newsletter

Pew Law
January 2013
R e m J a c k s o n L a w O ff i c e s
The
R o a d Justice
center
To
BANKRUPTCY
& DEBT RELIEFStarts Here
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CANCER AND MOUNTING
medical bills
what’s inside
page 2
We are very fortunate here in Arizona to have
A cancer
the U of A Cancer Center, Banner MD Anderson
counselor or
Cancer Center, and the new cancer treatment
social worker
Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine at
can help you
Phoenix Children’s Hospital, to name only a few.
sort through
Ohio man pleads
things and will refer you to available resources and
guilty to fraud, tax
Even with the finest cancer research and treatment
possible financial assistance. You’ll have to ask
crimes
facilities in the nation right here, a diagnosis of
questions to get answers, though, so be proactive.
this terrible disease is still devastating. Everyday
life may be completely altered, sometimes forever.
You should be focused on your treatment and
big tax bill
There is the emotional impact of what you’re deal-
recovery, not on how you’re going to pay your
ing with and, unfortunately, there is a clear finan-
medical bills. Worrying about where the money’s
A tasty recipe for the
cial element that forcefully comes into play – the
going to come from to pay for all this. Fearing
cost of cancer treatment is high.
the loss of everything you’ve ever worked for.
Steven Seagal owes
big game
page 3
The wearable robot
Year in prison for
tax scheme
page 4
The dangers of
energy drinks
Knowing you’ll be hounded by medical bill colPatients often miss work for long stretches, but
lectors. These concerns will only sap your much-
health insurance deductibles and co-payments
needed strength and exacerbate your condition.
must still be made. A policy may not cover all
Depending upon your financial circumstances, fil-
aspects of cancer treatment, especially with
ing for medical bankruptcy may be a viable option.
experimental procedures. There may be gaps in
insurance coverage. And not everyone has health
Bankruptcy is not an admission of failure, it is a
insurance that covers cancer therapy.
way of eliminating debts so you can get a fresh
start. If you’re feeling the pain of a family mem-
Should you find yourself facing a cancer diagno-
ber’s cancer treatment, you should call the Pew
sis, learn what your insurer will and will not cover
Law Center to speak with an experienced bank-
at the outset – you don’t need any more surprises.
ruptcy attorney. Financial peace of mind can help
Talk to your oncologist about what your treatment
you achieve your main goal – getting your family
entails, including the cost of those treatments.
healthy again. ■
Rem Jackson
Pew Law Law
Center,
Offices
PLLC 1811
1002South
LititzAlma
Pike School
#191 | Rd,
Lititz,
Suite
Pennsylvania
260 | Mesa, AZ
17543
85210
| (717)
| (480)238-3668
745-1522 || www.TopPractices.com
www.PewLaw.com
ohio man pleads guilty
TO FRAUD, TAX CRIMES
A West Carrollton, Ohio, man agreed to a 24-month federal
prison sentence and $300,000 judgment after pleading guilty to
tax crimes and food stamp fraud. The crimes related to activities at two area businesses in which he was involved – the
InBetween Quick Mart and Arrow Battery.
A TASTY RECIPE FOR THE
big game
With the Super Bowl right around the corner, we thought this
was the perfect time to include a crock pot chili recipe that
Between February 2009 and 2011, the 55-year-old Edward
“Ed” Claude Jones conspired with others to hide money
received from the sale of counterfeit goods and illegal purchases of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) food stamp cards.
your friends and family are sure to enjoy during the big game:
The Ohio’s EBT card is known as the “Ohio Direction Card”
and is similar to an ATM or bank debit card – it’s where the
monthly food assistance benefits assigned to the card-holder are
credited to facilitate in-store purchases and easy access to cash.
hamburger and drain grease.
The five-count criminal information against Jones included his
cashing 12 checks for more than $10,000 each and failing to
file required reports for large cash transactions.
• 1 green pepper, diced
To conceal his income, Jones filed a false income tax return
under the name “Randy Banker” (a man who was deceased)
using a Social Security number belonging to a man living in
Westerville, Ohio. ■
• 3-4 fresh jalapeños, chopped small
steven seagal
OWES BIG TAX BILL
The star of Above the Law (1988) is now under siege for not
paying state income taxes.
Hollywood martial arts and action film star Steven Seagal owes
$335,606 to the State of California for tax year 2010, which
could very well be the harbinger of future IRS tax problems.
Tax lien documents filed last April against Seagal’s property
were recorded with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office.
The now 60-year-old Seagal, whose hit movies include Exit
Wounds (2001) and On Deadly Ground (1994), is one of the
latest in a long list of stars and starlets who’ve had serious runins with the tax man.
Seagal has lots of company in Hollywood. Celebrities who
owed money to the IRS include comedian Chris Tucker (owed
$11.5 million in back taxes); singer Lionel Richie (owed $1.1
million); and actress Lindsay Lohan (owed $230,904), to name
only a few. As every new celebrity case shows, rising stars also
have rising tax problems.
Have you seen Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt energy drinks
on store shelves recently? Read about the potential dangers of
energy drinks in this newsletter! ■
Serves: 8 - 10
Sauté peppers and onions. Cook
Ingredients:
• 3 lbs hamburger
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
Dump into a large crock pot and add:
• 1/3 cup good chili powder
• 1 3/4 cups ketchup
• 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 4-6 tablespoons brown sugar (reduce for less
sweetness)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
• 3 cups spicy hot V8
• 1 (16 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and
drained
• 2 (8 ounce) packages fresh sliced mushrooms (can
substitute jarred)
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with the juice
and break up tomatoes
• 1 cup beef bouillon (optional)
• extra salt and pepper
• more garlic powder
Directions: Stir and bring to a low simmer, reduce heat and
cook for at least 1-2 hours. ■
Source: Kelly’s Chili at Food.com
2 | January 2013 | www.PewLaw.com
www.TopPractices.com
The Ekso is a “wearable robot” that serves as an exoskeleton. A pair of mechanical braces wrap around
the legs, a computer is worn on the back, and there
are two long crutches. The titanium-aluminum get-up
weighs roughly 45 pounds, but carries its own weight
with four motors that act as electronic muscles. The
Ekso also consists of an onboard battery that can be
used for three hours before needing a recharge.
Initially, users push a button on the crutch to move one
leg. Once the user becomes more experienced, a mere
shift in body weight is sufficient to activate a step. The
Ekso could be a boon to anyone with limited mobility.
The device traces its origins to the defense department, which is also trying to develop the technology
as an assist to soldiers carrying exceptionally heavy
loads – something they must routinely do. Over 65%
of evacuations in Afghanistan and Iraq have been due
to musculoskeletal injuries.
Currently, the Ekso is only being used in clinical settings. Presently, the wearable robot is on target for
individual at-home use by 2014. Price is an issue – at
currently $140,000 per unit. However, manufacturers
are confident that the cost will come down, eventually. Another goal is to get insurance companies on
board by demonstrating that the exoskeleton makes
wheelchair-bound people healthier through improved
strength and endurance.
The Ekso wearable robot is science fiction becoming
reality. ■
year in prison
A former New Mexico insurance salesman was sentenced to a
year and a day in prison, followed by a year of supervised release,
for aiding and abetting the filing of false income tax returns.
Michael Craig Celenze (age 68), now living in Odessa, Texas, was
ordered to pay $380,863 to the U.S. Treasury’s Crime Victim’s
Fund. This represents the total tax loss caused by his unlawful
conduct, plus interest.
In a 13-count indictment, federal prosecutors charged Celenze
with several counts each of mail fraud, wire fraud, and assisting in
the preparation of false income tax returns.
Celenze held investor seminars to market “tax-free” shares of
Mexico properties located in Puerto Peñasco on the Sea of Cortez,
a popular tourist destination for Arizonans. The seminars targeted
mature Americans with funded retirement accounts. The minimum
investment was $50,000, but Celenze promised his clients a big
return on their money.
January 1 – New Year ’s Day
January 20 – Inauguration Day
January 21 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
For the nearly 1.3 million people in the U.S. who
are paralyzed, and for millions more around the
world, Ekso Bionics, a company based in Richmond,
California, has given them hope that walking again is
more than a pipedream.
January 2013 Important Dates
the wearable robot
FOR TAX SCHEME
From 2004 to 2006, Celenze was an
insurance salesman with Allianz Life
Insurance, but he had no legal authority to collect rollover retirement funds
for investment purposes. He falsely
represented to investors that his taxfree investment scheme was part of
the Allianz retirement program.
Celenze’s victims were told they could rollover their 401Ks and
IRAs into his Puerto Peñasco Getaway LLC (PPG) without
incurring any income tax liability for early withdrawal of funds.
Celenze provided false information to financial institutions so
investor retirement funds could be transferred into the account he
controlled.
Unfortunately for investors, PPG was not a qualified rollover
vehicle so all withdrawn retirement funds were taxable. Because
of Celenze’s scheme, investors unwittingly filed false tax returns
claiming 401K and IRA rollovers that were not legitimate. ■
www.TopPractices.com
www.PewLaw.com | January 2013 | 3
Rem Jackson Law Offices
1002 Lititz Pike #191
Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
1811 South Alma School Road
Suite 260
www.TopPractices.com
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 745-1522
www.PewLaw.com
(717) 238-3668
cancer and
MOUNTING MEDICAL BILLS
Monthly Newsletter
SEE PAGE ONE
This publication is intended to educate the general public about bankruptcy,
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resolution
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It is for information
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THE DANGERS OF
energy drinks
“Energy drinks” and “energy shots” – Monster, Full Throttle, Jolt,
5-Hour Energy, and the like – have become a $9 billion per year
industry. They represent the fastest-growing segment of the beverage market. Estimates are that one in three teenagers regularly
consume energy drinks, which may be a serious health concern.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating the safety of
energy drinks after reports of five deaths related to consumption
of Monster products.
These drinks are loaded with caffeine, one container may have
three times the amount of one cup of coffee. They’re also replete
with sugar, with some drinks coming in at a 1/4 cup. This concoction of caffeine and sugar, not to mention unregulated herbal
stimulants, spells potential trouble for consumers.
Caffeine makes a beeline to the central nervous system, causing
over-stimulation. This also leads to possible dehydration and loss
of water-soluble nutrients that have a calming effect. Heart palpitations, agitation, sleep problems, anxiety, seizures, strokes, and
even sudden death may result.
Energy drinks are especially
bad for children with heart or
psychiatric issues. The FDA does not require manufacturers to
label the amount of caffeine in these drinks, only that they contain caffeine.
Oftentimes, teens enjoy the “high” these drinks provide. When
they come “down,” they can experience headaches, nausea,
fatigue, and then decide to have yet another energy drink to
recapture that high.
Some doctors believe consuming an occasional energy drink is all
right. Other doctors, however, recommend never drinking them
because of their addictive qualities.
The FDA is encouraging consumers and healthcare providers to
report adverse events related to the consumption of these products
to its MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program. ■
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