Roy Cooper

Roy Cooper Goes to Court to Halt Foreclosure-Aid Scheme

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:57:02 -0700

A Florida company "that took struggling homeowners’ money, but did little or nothing to help them fight foreclosure,” has been ordered to stop, Attorney General Roy Cooper said Friday.

Cooper filed suit this week against Mortgage Assistance Solutions, LLC, which does business as Fresh Start. Fresh Start has an office in Clearwater, Fla., although its manager, Michael Thomas Stoller, resides in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood agreed with Cooper’s request to stop their foreclosure assistance operations in the state and ordered the company to turn over records on all North Carolina customers within 10 days.

Under North Carolina law, it’s illegal to charge an upfront fee for foreclosure assistance.

“Families facing foreclosure need real help, not expensive schemes that drive them further into debt,” said Cooper. “People should call North Carolina’s free hotline and avoid losing their hard-earned money to scams.”

MySpace to Fight Online Predators

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:22:53 -0700

Martha Quillin, News and Observer
MySpace, the Internet equivalent of the coffee bar that never closes, has agreed to take steps to make it more difficult for sexual predators to find child victims through its site.

At a news conference Monday in New York City, N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and attorneys general from across the country announced an agreement with the popular social networking site that they hope will serve as a template for others.

The agreement, nearly two years in the making, includes a promise by MySpace to help develop tools to verify the ages and identities of its users, a measure that advocates argue will prevent underage children from setting up profiles on the site and keep predators from gaining the trust of young users by posing as people they're not.

Roy Cooper Applauded for Defending North Carolina Taxpayers

admin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:18:46 -0700

Wal-Mart has saved millions of dollars over the past few years by essentially paying rent to itself and then writing off the taxes. Fortunately for North Carolina, Attorney General Roy Cooper and Judge Clarence Horton, Jr. aren’t going to let that slide.

The judge dismissed Wal-Mart’s bid for a refund. Had the tax shelter not been deemed illegal, the corporate write-off would have effectively cost North Carolina taxpayers $33.5 million. The company is using the rent strategy in dozens of states - several have already moved to close the loophole after Wal-Mart’s actions were exposed in a February article from the Wall Street Journal. The judge’s decision on Friday could set a precedent for communities across the country. Wal-Mart Watch applauds Judge Clarence Horton, Jr. and Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper for fighting Wal-Mart and defending North Carolina taxpayers.

Cooper: Number of Meth Labs Decreasing in North Carolina

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:39:34 -0700

from WRAL

New numbers from the State Bureau of Investigation show a significant drop in illegal methamphetamine labs in North Carolina since 2005.

“We've seen a significant drop and it's good for the safety of the people of the state,” State Attorney General Roy Cooper said.

The attorney general credits changes in state law, like moving medicines with pseudoephedrine behind the counter.

"Making it harder for the criminal to get the necessary key ingredient to make meth, has been the main factor in the reduction of meth labs,” he said.

Statewide the number of meth labs were cut in half from 2005 to 2007, but three of the four counties with the most meth labs are in the Triangle area.

The Conservative Washington Times Praises Roy Cooper

admin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:25:48 -0700

Washington Times Editorial

Thanks to Mr. Cooper, the nightmare is now over for Reade Seligmann of Essex Falls, N.J., David F. Evans of Bethesda and Collin Finnerty of Garden City, N.Y. They had been charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault of Crystal Gail Mangum and were railroaded by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong. The runaway prosecutor began his crusade to find the "bunch of hooligans," as he called them, but the accuser's story kept changing. The evidence was lacking. In spite of all this, Mr. Nifong charged on, earning a December ethics violation for which he faces disbarment.

At the Wednesday press conference to announce that charges are being dropped, Mr. Cooper scolded Mr. Nifong for his "bravado" in pushing a case he couldn't make. Mr. Nifong, who was up for re-election during the proceedings, clearly wanted to look good for voters. In response, Mr. Cooper wants to give the North Carolina Supreme Court authority to remove runaway prosecutors in the future. For Mr. Nifong's part, at least he has apologized.

Cooper and UNC Act to Protect Students

admin — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:44:42 -0700

Attorney General Roy Cooper went to Chapel Hill on Thursday to endorse the work of the UNC system's safety task force and to argue for new safety measures in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Parents expect their children to be safe at a state university campus, Cooper told the UNC Board of Governors. Campuses have to prepare for the worst possible catastrophic events.

"You never know when someone will come on one of our campuses and start shooting," he said. "You'll never know when someone comes with a bomb. You'll never know if someone drives a vehicle on a campus and starts to try to run over people. You just never know, and we have to be ready."

The UNC board is reviewing an extensive set of recommendations by a task force that has worked for six months.

In January, another statewide panel appointed by Cooper will issue a report that takes a broad view of campus safety across public universities, community colleges and private colleges. That panel is likely to recommend changes in mental health treatment and rules around gun permits, Cooper said.

Meth Labs Decline in North Carolina

admin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:56:35 -0600

By Clarke Morrison, CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

The scourge of methamphetamine was dealt a critical blow by a state law restricting sales of cold medicines, but Attorney General Roy Cooper says much more remains to be done in the fight against the highly addictive drug.

The number of clandestine meth labs found in Western North Carolina mushroomed from seven in 2001 to a peak of 183 in 2005, according to figures from the State Bureau of Investigation. But that figure dropped to 72 in 2006, and through September of this year just 23 of the makeshift labs have been busted in the state’s 18 westernmost counties.

Cooper and area law enforcement credit a state law that went into effect 20 months ago banning bulk sales of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products — key ingredients for making the debilitating drug.

Social Networking

admin — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:29:30 -0600

Gary D. Robertson, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 7/24/07

Attorney General Roy Cooper championed a bill Tuesday that would require children to receive parental permission before creating profiles on social networking Web sites like MySpace.com, and require the Web sites to enact procedures for verifying the parents' identity and age.

"All we're doing is giving parents the right to make a choice whether their children can go online," Cooper told a House judiciary committee. Cooper has sought this and other requirements to reduce the threat for children to be lured by sexual predators on MySpace and similar sites.

Attorney General Cooper calls for comprehensive fight against child predators

admin — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:33:44 -0600

AG seeks tougher laws against child pornography, more tools for law enforcement

Stopping sexual predators who victimize children requires better detection and tougher penalties once they're found, Attorney General Roy Cooper said Monday.

Cooper is presenting legislators with a comprehensive package of changes to state law that will increase punishment, give law enforcement better ways to track down offenders and require those who discover pedophiles to turn them in.

NC Democrats: Protecting Against Gas Price Gouging

admin — Fri, 25 May 2007 08:39:07 -0600

Gov. Easley Signs Law to Crack Down on Price Gouging

Gov. Mike Easley today signed into law House Bill 1231, "An act to protect consumers from extreme pricing practices." The legislation was co-sponsored by state Rep. Arthur Williams (D-Beaufort).

"Those who unscrupulously take advantage of a tragedy threaten North Carolina's consumers and jeopardize the state's economy," said Easley. "This new law will help us to quickly and effectively investigate and prosecute businesses aiming to capitalize on the misfortune of others."