Suspended Las Vegas lawyer Jacob Hafter dies at age 42

Controversial Las Vegas lawyer Jacob Hafter, who made unsuccessful bids for elected office in recent years and was suspended by the Nevada Supreme Court in November, died Tuesday at the age of 42.

Fellow lawyer Robert Draskovich remembered Hafter on Wednesday as a “talented but eccentric attorney.”

The Clark County coroner’s office has ruled Hafter’s death a suicide.

According to a GoFundMe page established to raise money for Hafter’s burial costs, he was married and had four children. The page raised more than $22,000 after its creation Wednesday. 

Rabbi Shea Harlig said Hafter was charitable and had helped various Jewish organizations and synagogues financially. Harlig had known Hafter since Hafter was in high school but had not talked to him in years.

Harlig said that with Hafter, everything was “black and white.”

“When he felt there was an injustice, nothing stopped him,” the rabbi said.

License suspension

Hafter was suspended for six months by the high court for lying under oath and making derogatory public comments about a district judge. The suspension was partly a response to a complaint from the State Bar of Nevada.

The complaint stemmed from comments Hafter made in 2014 about then-District Judge Valorie Vega after she denied his request to alter a two-week civil trial schedule to accommodate a Jewish holiday.

“He went all out to fight it,” Harlig said.

Hafter accused Vega of religious discrimination in a Facebook post. He also told a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter at the time: “Either she’s anti-Semitic or she’s biased against me. In either case, she shouldn’t be the judge in this case.”

The high court found that “there was no basis in fact for Hafter’s comments.”

At the time, Vega was presiding over a medical malpractice case that Hafter was defending, and Hafter was running for a different seat on the District Court bench.

Shortly after the high court’s decision was handed down, Hafter, who had asked for no discipline, took to Facebook:

“This state is so crooked. It is so sad,” he wrote. “We have attorneys who steal from clients and they get stayed suspensions and slaps on the hand. I try to follow my religion and defend myself in a private litigation matter and the Supreme Court suspends me for 6 months, effective immediately. What about all the clients I have? I represent clients that no other attorney will take. I do it, often, without charge or for delayed compensation. I am a solo practitioner. How is that fair to the public?”

The suspension also followed allegations against Hafter of engaging in fraudulent conduct and making misrepresentations in Nevada legal proceedings to evade a $137,000 judgment against his law firm in Arizona.

Hafter had been licensed to practice law in Nevada since 2005, according to the State Bar’s website. He focused on representing doctors.

On April 9, he posted on Facebook that he was packing up his office. The post included the hashtag, “#wouldratheruberthanpracticelawinNevada.”

Past litigation

Before the discipline was imposed, Hafter represented a 4-year-old girl in a lawsuit aimed at forcing UNLV to reopen its maternal HIV program after the program was suspended.

“They’re holding the program in abeyance at the risk of children getting the health care that they need,” Hafter said in October.

In 2015, Hafter filed a lawsuit claiming that Nevada’s medical marijuana registry violates several constitutional rights, including the right to due process. Representing an anonymous medical marijuana patient, he argued the case last year in front of the state Supreme Court. The court ruled that the system is constitutional.

In 2012, a federal judge barred Nevada prisons from feeding “common fare” menu items to inmates who adhere to kosher diets after Hafter argued that the menu violated religious rights.

Hafter, a former paramedic, ran as a Republican for Nevada attorney general in 2010 but lost in the primary.

He said he often donated his services to people who were in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure.

“I am someone who believes people need an advocate,” he said during the campaign. “I advocate whether I am paid or not.”

Hafter also lost a race against incumbent District Judge Susan Johnson in 2014.


February letter
In a February letter to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorney Jacob Hafter said his suspension by the Nevada Supreme Court left him “devastated.”

“I had to give away all my cases. I am unemployable and have been blackballed from the industry,” he wrote. “I do not have the resources, nor the energy to fight this anymore. I also have no desire to practice in a profession that is regulated by justices who would rather silence someone who speaks out against an elected member of the judiciary, than pursue justice. Hence, my legal career is coming to a close.”

The federal court imposed a concurrent suspension based on the Nevada court’s order. The suspension was due to end next month.

Full Article & Source:
Suspended Las Vegas lawyer Jacob Hafter dies at age 42

Steve Miller: INSIDE VEGAS

Jared E. Shafer

LAS VEGAS - His name sends chills up and down the spines of hundreds of exploited senior citizens, disabled people, and their families.  I'm often asked why private professional guardian, Jared E. Shafer, is still at large after his criminal activities have been exposed time and again on local and national media, and he's been the subject of over four years of criminal investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Abuse and Neglect Detail.

The New Yorker Magazine, ABC affiliate KTNV TV Channel 13 News, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal have all done stories on Shafer's exploits. "How the Elderly Lose Their Rights."  "Fraud and embezzlement alleged in guardianship lawsuit." "Clark County's private guardians may protect, or just steal and abuse," are just some of the damning headlines about Shafer, but he remains unscathed.  Why?  I believe I have an answer.

In 1979, then Clark County Commission chairman, Manny Cortez, was approached by his

Catherine Cortez Masto & Manny Cortez

longtime friend, Jared Shafer, who was out of work.  Shafer had resigned as president of Rom-Amer Pharmaceuticals, LTD, a publically traded company that had its anti-aging product banned by the FDA, a dangerous cure all product called Gerovital H3 that was peddled to senior citizens and caused several deaths.  The SEC on March 25, 1977 announced "TRADING SUSPENDED IN ROM-AMER PHARMACEUTICALS, LTD."

Shafer and Cortez' friendship went back a long way, all the way to the 1964 birth of Cortez' daughter, Catherine, who was honored by having Jared Shafer named as her godfather.  But years later, in his time of need, Commissioner Cortez found the perfect job for his unemployed pal based on Shafer's quasi-experience with senior citizens. Cortez appointed Shafer as Clark County's third Public Administrator and Public Guardian (the first two were removed for corruption.)

During his tenure as an appointed public official, Shafer drew the ire of the Los Angeles Times who accused him of alegedly ripping off his elderly or disabled "wards" of the court.  However, the bad press did not affect his continuance as a trusted county employee, and I can't confrim that Cortez was aware of any problems with Shafer's performance.  Shafer held those positions until his retirement in early 2003 when he formed his private guardian service, Professional Fudiciary Service of Nevada, Inc. (PFSN), but then the complaints really started pouring in!  Exploited wards and their families filed complaints with then Clark County District Attorney, David Roger, and with then Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (yes, Jared Shafer's goddaughter), but nothing happened. (Catherine Cortez Masto was elected United States Senator for Nevada in 2017.)

I can personally attest that then-AG Cortez Masto ignored several complaints against Shafer because I was one of many who filed one.  In the meantime, dozens of complaints were also brought to the attention of the Abuse and Neglect detectives at the LVMPD, but as reported in the recent edition of The New Yorker Magazine, they were also ignored.

According to investigative journalist Rachel Aviv in the October 9, 2017 edition of The New Yorker; "Williams took records from Shafer’s and other guardians’ cases to the Las Vegas police department several times. She tried to explain, she said, that 'this is a racketeering operation that is fee-based. There’s no brown paper bag handed off in an alley. The payoff is the right to bill the estate.' The department repeatedly told her that it was a civil issue, and refused to take a report. In 2006, she submitted a typed statement, listing twenty-three statutes that she thought had been violated, but an officer wrote in the top right corner, 'NOT A POLICE MATTER.' Adam Woodrum, an estate lawyer in Las Vegas, told me that he’s worked with several wards and their families who have brought their complaints to the police. 'They can’t even get their foot in the door,' he said."

Since attorney Woodrum's comments, a hearing was held by the Clark County Commission to take complaints of guardianship fraud. At the April 21, 2015 hearing, LVMPD Lt. James Weiskopf told the County Commission how certain for-hire guardians rob the estates of wards of the court: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFNlNNS-vGs

Lt. Weiskopf's testimony inspired the Nevada Supreme Court in September 2015 to form the Supreme Court Guardianship Commission. At their first hearing, Commissioners inquired as to the police department's response to guardian fraud complaints. The public rallied and told the Commission that such complaints had fallen on deaf ears. LVMPD suddenly became actively involved in guardianship fraud investigations following the Commission's inquiry and the public's comment. With the Commission's encouragement, the LVMPD Abuse and Neglect Detail was energized, and have so far allegedly ignored all complaints dealing with the actions of Jared E. Shafer, and have only gone after the "low hanging fruit," or lesser known private guardians.

Current Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has several times proclaimed that his office is ready and willing to "enthusiastically" prosecute crimes perpetuated by local private guardians - including Jared Shafer - though Wolfson has not mentioned Shafer by name.   However, LVMPD's Abuse and Neglect Detail have so far failed to file any required "Requests for Prosecution" of Shafer with the DA, and continue at a snail's pace with their purported investigation as the exploitation of elderly and disabled Clark County residents continues unabated.  Meanwhile, based on protocol, federal law enforcement is held at bay while local authorities conduct their ad nauseam 'investigation" without requesting federal intervention or assistance.

It's as if someone is running interference for Shafer

For the past four years the same detectives in Abuse and Neglect have discouraged similar complaintants if it involved Shafer's name. Most recently, exploited Shafer ward Jason Hanson, described his encounter with Det. Angie Christensen of Metro's Abuse and Neglect Detail who reportedly told Hanson, "... there was no evidence that Shafer did anything underhanded and was just doing his job like he was supposed to,"  after Hanson, a 28 year old cerebral palsy victim, told her that Shafer sold a 1,200 sq. ft. ADA (Americans with Disability Act) compliant condominium that was left to him by his late father in a gated community for $47,000. The condo was appraised at $170,000.00, but Hanson told Det. Christensen he received a total of only $5,530.74 from the under-market-value sale after waiting over nine years for payment. Nonetheless, Det. Christensen reportedly balked at Hanson's request for help.

As a point of clearification, I am not casting dispersions on the brave officers of the LVMPD. However, I believe it is important to present the information contained in this column if it will help bring justice to those who have been, or are currently, the subject of guardianship abuse.

According to Jason Hanson, Det. Christensen also accused Steve Miller and Becky Olvera Schultz (daughter of guardianship fraud victim Guadalupe Olvera) of ..."not having the complete story and only using parts to help with their own crusades against Shafer."

"The officer said Steve Miller didn't know how to read court documents or was intentionally misreading them to twist my story around," stated Hanson.

"She didn't seem to think Shafer was an upstanding citizen but she seemed to think Miller and Olvera Schultz had some personal grudge against him. She said that Steve and Shafer had once been friends and they had a falling out and since then Steve has wanted to take Shafer down," stated Hanson.  (Shafer and Miller attended the same high school at the same time, but were never friends.)  

Det. Christensen was also assigned to investigate the exploitation of the late Guadalupe Olvera, but allegedly disparaged Mr. Olvera's daughter, Becky Olvera Schultz, in her discussion with Hanson.

In addition to the above mentioned cases, there are many others who have reported that Metro Abuse and Neglect have ignored their complaints against Jared Shafer. 

     Marcy DuDeck and son-in-law Charles Pascal

California resident Charles Pascal told INSIDE VEGAS that on August 5, 2009 he spoke with Detective Colin Haynes of Las Vegas Metro PD to report the kidnapping of Pascal's mother in-law, Marcy DuDeck.
 
Pascal continued, “I tried to tell him that Shafer had bragged to me about the kidnapping, which was carried out by Lance Dudeck (Pascal's brother in law) against an existing Nevada court order. Det. Haynes said the following:  'As a department, Metro doesn’t get involved in guardianship issues.  They are considered to be a family matter.  We (the police) will not be taking a report about your mother in-law’s situation because Ms. Patience Bristol has already informed us your mother in-law is doing fine.  Mr. Shafer had our office check on her condition and she is in good health,"'

"On August 4, 2009, two days before an August 6, Los Angeles evidentiary hearing involving our petition to remove Jared Shafer as guardian was to take place, Marcy DuDeck was kidnapped by her son, Lance DuDeck, from Sunrise Senior Assisted Living in Playa Vista, CA," stated Pascal.  "Her kidnapping was in direct violation of a May 1, 2007 NV court order stating Mrs. Dudeck would remain in California for the rest of her life.  The evidentiary hearing was to deal with facts of Shafer’s negligence, which involved Shafer not paying IRS taxes for the DuDeck estate, refusal to pay HOA association fees, and removing funds from the DuDeck trust without a court order.

During the morning of August 5, 2009, after learning of the taking of Mrs. DuDeck, I (Charles Pascal) contacted Las Vegas Metro Police to file a report that a kidnapping of Marcy DuDeck, in direct violation of a Nevada court order, had taken place.

The officer I spoke with on that morning around 11 a.m.  identified himself as Officer Collin Haynes.  Officer Haynes was very abrupt.  Officer Haynes stated it was the policy of Las Vegas Metro not to take reports concerning guardianship cases because Las Vegas Metro considered guardianships to be strictly a family matter.  Officer Haynes said if I had a dispute with the guardian, Mr. Shafer, I should contact Clark County Family Court.

I tried to explain to Officer Haynes that a court order existed stating Mrs. DuDeck was to remain in California for the rest of her life had been violated by the kidnapping. I also pointed out Marcy’s kidnapping occurred as a direct attempt to block an August 6, 2009 evidentiary hearing.  Haynes didn’t want to listen and wished me a good day.

At approximately 2 PM on August 5, 2009, I visited the West Los Angeles Metro Police to try to get them to investigate the kidnapping of Marcy DuDeck.  I spoke with Officer Charles Phillips.  Officer Phillips listened to everything I had to say.  Officer Phillips asked me to wait outside.  I waited for about 45 minutes.  Officer Phillips returned and told me he had spoken with officer Haynes, who informed him Mrs. DuDeck was in good health and the Las Vegas Metro Police considered the matter to be closed.

On August 6, 2009, California Judge Riva Goetz said no evidentiary hearing could take place because Mrs. DuDeck wasn’t available.  The objective was achieved.  On August 11, 2009, Mr. Shafer called me and bragged that he ordered Lance DuDeck to take Mrs. DuDeck because he considered the California courts to be a bunch of crap, in his words.

  

The key inconsistency I remember is the fact the police refused to take a report from me, but they completed a welfare check on Mrs. DuDeck.  Someone was covering their butts. Marcy died six months later and her weight had dropped from 134 pounds in Los Angeles to 122 pounds at the time of her death," states Pascal.

Pascal then stated, "I received the same reaction from Officer Charles Phillips from West Los Angeles PD who told me he had called Las Vegas Metro and spoke with Officer Haynes.

Next I went to the Nevada Attorney General Cortez Masto.  I never talked with her.  Someone in her office whose last name I remember as Brown told me that the Nevada Attorney General wouldn’t take my report.  In fact this Ms. Brown said Mr. Shafer was highly regarded in the state. 

In 2011, I went to the Nevada state legislature. My contact person who never wanted his name mentioned was Brooks Holcomb. He served one term as Assemblymen.  Becky (Olvera Schultz) had many conversations with him.  Brooks claimed Shafer took $100,000.00 from his mother’s estate while acting as the Administrator.

At the May 2011 meeting, I spoke with the State Senator representing Henderson, Nevada at the time and Attorney Sally Ramm.  Both ladies told me nothing could be done about Shafer and (Clark County Guardianship Hearing Master) Norheim because they were deep in the system. 

Finally I went to the FBI in Los Angeles, who refused to take a report.

California Attorney General Brown, who is now our governor, would not take a report either.

What Rachael Aviv of The New Yorker missed is many families went to the authorities who wouldn’t take a report.  All cases resulted in the statutes of limitation running out.  So as a result, the issue dies not because the guardians were in the right, but because the authorities played deaf and dumb and stalled the case to death,” concluded Pascal.

       Becky Olvera Schultz and father Guadalupe Olvera

Becky Olvera Schultz, whose WW2 veteran father was a victim of Shafer's guardianship, wrote this to INSIDE VEGAS:

“The New Yorker missed a huge point of the problem; they reported it from the wrong angle. Guardian corruption is also about massive fraud and waste committed against the tax payers. Seniors who could have taken care of themselves see their wealth being stripped away through guardian fraud and corruption which forces them on the public dole, causing these seniors end up on Medicaid and Medical.

   

I believe certain people have been high jacking proper coverage of this issue. Certain key officials in NV have brought this problem into the public focus; Attorney General Laxalt, Governor Sandoval and Senator Becky Harris, but the New Yorker did not mention them.

   

I believe some people in Clark County, NV, have been obstructing the prosecution of the key perpetrators who have exploited hundreds of the elderly like my father and the system. These people, including former AG of NV, Catherine Cortez Masto (currently US Senator Masto), have blocked the prosecution of professional guardian Jared Shafer and his attorneys, while going after the much smaller fish like Patience Bristol and April Parks. Mr. Shafer has been exploiting seniors and the system since 1979 when he was a public guardian, but not much damaging info on him was mentioned in the New Yorker article, especially anything about his no contest plea for selling securities without a license in a Utah Federal Court. Him paying 20 grand to settle was enough to prevent him from operating as a fiduciary/guardian, but that type of financial wrong doing didn’t seem to bother any authorities.

   

I personally believe our case was deliberately stripped down in the article. Aviv had informed me and others that the article was to focus on the architect of the guardianship system, Mr. Shafer, and my father's case, but instead it focused on others who did not even own a home to lose and lost a fraction of what many others and my father lost. Nearly half a million was bled from my father's estate during the guardianship proceedings, mainly legal fees going to attorneys for Mr. Shafer. I eventually had to save my father by getting him out of the state, the first to do so. See https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/escape-was-only-option-for-an-old-soldier-trapped-in-guardian-system/

   

In court my father protested needing a guardian and was mocked while the judge blew off his pleas, https://youtu.be/ZixHgeOzko4; the treatment of veterans is especially horrific in this system. Absolutely no respect has been given for those that risked their lives to protect all of our rights. My family has been dealing with this problem for 8 years.

Between 10/16/13 and 10/22/13, I sent 13 emails to Metro’s Colin Haynes, many with attached documents.  I received no call back and no response via email, only “read receipts” verifying he received the emails. I had called Metro previously on 10/16/13 and spoke with Haynes on the phone. He told me to send him information and documents and he gave me his email address. I never heard from him again. Earlier this year I filed a complaint against him for not responding and not sending my information to the Abuse and Neglect unit over 3 years ago; no one got back to me about the complaint either. Later, Sgt. Krumme and Det. Christensen kept harping on how the statute of limitations might have run out, but I told them I originally spoke with Haynes and sent him the same documents 3 years ago that I sent to them so it wasn’t my fault no one acted upon the problem within the time line. It is my belief that the reasons for the statute of limitations running out in most guardianship cases is because of LVMPD refusal to act upon the information they were sent, until it was conveniently too late.  

(Officer Haynes called me in November 2013 to inquire about documents I have that could be useful to his case.  Therefore, I can attest to Ms. Olvera Schultz' timeline.)
Between 5/4/15 and 5/6/15, I sent 13 emails to the AG’s investigator Jaclyn O’Malley’s supervisor, Tony Kotlarz. Then I sent 8 more emails to Jaclyn O’Malley (some copied to Kotlarz) between 5/8/13 and 5/13/15. After a few conversations with them, I never heard back from either one of them. Some time ago, Kotlarz retired and O’Malley set-up office within Metro to work with their detectives.

Between 2015 and 2017, I’ve spoken with the following Metro officers: Detective Brian Santa Rosa, Detective Phil DePalma, Detective Angie Christensen, Sargent Jerome Milton and Sargent Troyce Krumme.

Det. Christensen has been allegedly investigating my father’s case for nearly 2 years. In early August 2017, I received a call from Dr. Einhorn. He was the first qualified professional in CA to interview my father and determined him to be competent. Einhorn wanted to tell me that Det. Christensen had called him and said she might be getting a subpoena for my father’s records. But I’ve never heard back from Einhorn or Metro so I don’t think anything happened. On Aug. 16, 2017, I sent Christensen an email asking her how she even knew about Einhorn because I did not give her his name. I copied the email to Sgt. Krumme and neither one of them responded to me. Christensen had previously told me she would not take 'copies' of any of the doctor's competency reports. I asked, why not? She said 'Because copies can be altered', as if she thought I was going to alter the docs. The issue is Einhorn would have only given her copies too, not the originals.

During all my conservations with Krumme and Christensen, they gave me the impression that they were interviewing all the exploiters and believing the stories they were being told. Apparently Shafer or one of his cronies told them I had no relationship with my parents, which was totally untrue. This really upset me that these officers gave me the impression they were taking the bad guys seriously! These two also spoke about Jason Hanson as if he was mentally deficient, which I found very offensive.

Since October of 2016 I have received a few emails from Krumme and Christensen. The last email I got from Krumme was 7/26/17. He copied it to Christensen and Roger Price, who must be a superior of his. The theme of the email was that they did not want me to discuss Jason’s case with them.  Apparently LVMPD Abuse and Neclect Detail wasn't interested in anyone with information that could help Jason."

                                                                 Jason Hanson

In June 2017,  Jason Hanson asked me (Steve Miller) to be present during his interview with LVMPD Sgt. Jerome Milton and Officer Cynthia Sauchak of the Abuse and Neglect Detail. During the hour long interview, Hanson poured out his heart about how his entire inheritance was stolen from him, giving concise details and often mentioning Jared Shafer as the primary exploiter. At the conclusion of the interview, Officer Sauchak told Jason and I that she "...did not believe any laws had been broken."  This shocking statement inspired me to tell The New Yorker: "Only federal intervention is going to give us peace of mind. 

These are not isolated events. They are just the tip of the iceberg.

Since the publication of the national magazine article, I am happy to say that I have been contacted by a Federal Investigator. Meanwhile, Hanson's exploitation lawsuit is quickly making its way through the Nevada State court system
http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/7-24-17_Inside_Vegas.html.

BACKGROUND: http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/ShaferFinancialRecords2.html

Full Article & Source:
Inside Vegas

Steve Miller: Jason Hanson Sues Jared Shafer And Others For Civil Racketeering, Fraud, And Embezzlement

LAS VEGAS - 27 year old cerebral palsy victim Jason Hanson, after waiting since April 2016 for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Abuse and Neglect Detail to present Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson with Requests for Prosecution of the persons who stole the majority of his inheritance, on July 17, 2017 took the next step and filed a Civil Racketeering and Embezzlement lawsuit against his exploiters in Nevada State Court.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands," responded Hanson when asked by KTNV TV Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears why it was taking the police so long.

Hanson hired Las Vegas attorney Jacob Hafter to determine if he had grounds to sue private guardian Jared E. Shafer of Professional Fiduciary Services of Nevada (PFSN), Clark County Public Administrator John Cahill,disgraced ex-judge Francis Fine, attorneys Dara Goldsmith and Elyse Tyrell after waiting over nine years to receive his inheritance that they collectively controlled, an inheritance that once included a Special Needs Trust fund of over $100,000, and a handicapped equipped 1,200 square foot two bedroom condominium in a gated community in southwest Las Vegas.

In winter 2017, it had been nine years since he reached legal age of majority and was taken off guardianship, however, Hanson had yet to receive a dime of his inheritance that was looked over by the defendants in his lawsuit, and an incompetent, or collusive, Clark County Family Court system.

When Jason turned 18 in 2007, and his youth guardianship automatically terminated, Francis Fine and the other Trustees NEVER refiled to be guardian over him as an adult, and never had him mentally evaluated, rendering the whole guardianship over him for the next 8 years non-existent! Had they had him mentally evaluated, they would have learned that he's intellectually gifted, and was not in need of guardianship. For this he repeatedly asked the court to appoint him an attorney, and was repeatedly refused.

In January 2016, Hanson testified before the Nevada Supreme Court Guardianship Commission where Shafer's lawyer Elyse Tyrell was somehow appointed as a Commissioner. He confronted Tyrell on local TV news about the whereabouts of his money. Several days later, Tyrell coughed up a one year old check in the amount of $5,530.74 that she had kept secret from Hanson. When asked about the year old check by reporters, she represented that it was the total remaining balance from the sale of Jason's house after Shafer and his attorneys finished deducting their fees. It was later learned that while on Tyrell, Fine, Goldsmith, and Shafer's watch, Jason's original guardian Susan Rousselle stole $39,000 from his $100,000 trust. No thanks to Tyrell, et. al., It was only learned after the woman confessed to the crime in a plea bargain. The remaining $60,000 in the Trust was never mentioned by anyone purportedly looking out for Jason, and only recently was discovered in the unclaimed funds account of the Pennsylvania State Treasurer, the state where Rousselle lived before being caught.

In the meantime, Hanson has been living at taxpayer expense for almost ten years.

Full Article and Source:
Jason Hanson Sues Jared Shafer And Others For Civil Racketeering, Fraud, And Embezzlement

See Also:
READ Jason Hanson's lawsuit

Fraud and embezzlement alleged in guardianship lawsuit

Las Vegas (KTNV) - A handful of professionals who are supposed to protect the vulnerable now face allegations of fraud.

Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears has new information about Clark County's troubled guardianship system.

"This has to stop!"

Four simple words, fraught with emotion and resolve.

"I hope to get back what was right--what's supposed to rightfully be mine; what I believe was stolen from me. And I want justice."

Twenty-eight-year-old Jason Hanson suffers from cerebral palsy. His limbs don't work well, but his mind is sharp.

He's sat by watching private guardians and their associates get indicted, but says he's done waiting for law enforcement to act in his case.

"And so I just decided to take matters into my own hands."

A civil lawsuit filed this week in Clark County alleges racketeering, fraud, negligence and unjust enrichment at Jason's expense.

He names former Public Administrator Jared Shafer, current Public Administrator John Cahill, and attorneys Francis Fine, Dara Goldsmith and Elyse Tyrell. Tyrell served on the Nevada Supreme Court's Guardianship Reform Commission.

"I believe that it all comes back to Jared Shafer, but personally I think that Shafer and his associates are all equally guilty," said Hanson.

In the lawsuit, Shafer and the others are accused of "Using their roles in the guardianship and probate systems to deprive Mr. Hanson of the limited resources which were left to him by his father and grandmother."

It alleges they charged "excessive fees" and committed "multiple fraudulent acts of embezzlement" of Jason's money.

While in the guardianship system, Jason lost his house and was placed in a group home at taxpayers' expense after his father passed away.

The guardianship should have ended in 2007 when Jason turned 18, but it wasn't officially closed until Contact 13 got involved seven years later.

All the while, Jason's money was being spent.

He got nearly $40,000 of it back this past April when his foster mother and legal guardian, Susan Rousselle, pleaded guilty to exploitation and paid him restitution.

"I'm relieved at that, but it's only the first step in a very long, long journey and I won't stop until that journey has reached it's conclusion."

We reached out to every defendant named in the lawsuit.

None of them returned our calls for comment.

On behalf of Public Administrator John Cahill, the county declined to comment on pending litigation.

Jason's case is known to the District Attorney and an investigation is ongoing.

Full Article & Source:
Fraud and embezzlement alleged in guardianship lawsuit

Steve Miller: Jason Hanson's Case May Have Been Compromised

Requests made to move investigation from local police to FBI after mysterious visit by LVMPD Abuse and Neglect Detail officer

"She (the officer) said there was no evidence that (Jared) Shafer did anything underhanded and was just doing his job like he was supposed to." - Jason Hanson, victim of exploitation

INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller AmericanMafia.com April 10, 2017 LAS VEGAS - In the highly publicized case of guardianship fraud involving 27 year old cerebral palsy victim Jason Hanson, a cryptic Facebook message posted on Friday, April 7 is causing wide spread concern:

Hanson informed INSIDE VEGAS that the plain clothes officer did not show her badge or credentials during her visit to his workplace at Opportunity Village. She also reportedly gave Hanson her personal private phone number instead of her LVMPD office or cell number which raises the question whether she was visiting Jason on her own time, or Metro's?

Hanson told INSIDE VEGAS, "I did not bring up any names. She accused Steve Miller and Becky Olvera Schultz (daughter of guardianship fraud victim Guadalupe Olvera) of not having the complete story and only using parts to help with their own crusades against Shafer."

"The officer said Steve Miller didn't know how to read court documents or was intentionally misreading them to twist my story around."

"She didn't seem to think Shafer was an upstanding citizen but she seemed to think Miller and Olvera Schultz had some personal grudge against him. She said that Steve and Shafer had once been friends and they had a falling out and since then Steve has wanted to take Shafer down," stated Hanson.

Hanson continued, "I was at my father's home about 2 or 3 weeks prior to his death and the home didn't look bad. It didn't smell."

Jared Shafer and I attended the same high school in the early1960's, but never had a personal friendship. Mrs. Olvera Schultz is reserving comment until after she consults with her attorney. Her family is currently suing Jared Shafer et al in U.S. Federal Court under the Civil RICO Act for violating her father's civil rights and bilking over $430,000 from his estate. I have never met or talked to the police officer who visited Jason, though its obvious she has spoken with Shafer.

Sources at LVMPD have informed INSIDE VEGAS that the female officer who visited Hanson is the same officer who is investigating the Guadalupe Olvera guardianship fraud case against Shafer.

Court Minutes of June 13, 2006 show the names of parties who were court appointed to protect Hanson's person and assets during the nine years when hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from his inheritance.

Full Article and Source:
Jason Hanson's Case May Have Been Compromised

CONTACT 13: Another guardian charged with abuse

Jason Hanson

by  Darcy Spears

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - Another private guardian was charged with abuse of a vulnerable person on Thursday.

The young victim in the case was the first to come forward and talk with Contact 13 about corruption in the guardianship system.

Jason Hanson's guardianship case was supposed to end when he became an adult. But Contact 13 discovered the court kept it open for seven years after his 18th birthday. And during that time, several so-called professionals came in and out of his life while the money set aside for his care dwindled away.

Darcy: "Did you get lost in the system or do you think it's more sinister than that?"
Jason: "I don't know if I got lost in the system or if it was more underhanded than that. But the system definitely needs to change."

Jason has Cerebral Palsy. He's mentally competent, but has special physical needs as he's confined to a wheelchair.

Susan Rousselle was appointed as guardian by the court to look after Jason when he was 16 after his father died. The court later appointed her as trustee of Hanson's special needs account, which was established for his care by an inheritance from his grandmother.

But a grand jury indictment accuses Rousselle of stealing more than $50,000 from that account and using it for her own personal benefit. She's facing 44 felony counts of theft and exploitation.

Susan Rouselle Indictment by Kean Bauman on Scribd

Former Clark County Public Administrator Jared Shafer was also involved in Jason's case. At one time, Shafer employed convicted private guardian Patience Bristol, who's now in prison for stealing cash, jewelry and more from her wards.

Full Article & Source:
CONTACT 13: Another guardian charged with abuse

CONTACT 13: Guardianship crimes occurred in courtroom

by Darcy Spears

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - In the past two days, multiple individuals who were supposed to protect our most vulnerable citizens have been indicted, and most are now behind bars.

But their crimes didn't happen in back alleys under the cloak of darkness or in secret back rooms.

Contact 13 continues to investigate the broken guardianship system to see who else should be accountable.

Guardianship cases are handled in Clark County's Family Court, but shockingly, the courtroom is exactly where the accused committed most of their alleged crimes.

Thursday afternoon, Susan Rousselle was indicted on 44 counts of theft and exploitation for stealing more than $50,000 from the special needs trust account of Jason Hanson.

On Wednesday,  private, for-profit guardian April Parks was indicted as the alleged ring leader of a group authorities are calling a criminal syndicate.

The four, arrested Wednesday in law enforcement actions across the country, are facing nearly 300 felony counts.

C-17-321808 by Kean Bauman on Scribd

They're charged with isolating elderly and disabled people from their families and systematically draining their life savings in the last months of their lives.

"I'm saddened to say that most of the victims that are part of this criminal indictment have since passed away," said District Attorney Steve Wolfson in a press conference following the indictments.

April Lynn Parks, husband Gary Taylor, business partner Mark Simmons and attorney Noel Palmer Simpson stole over half a million dollars, according to a criminal indictment.  It was handed down Wednesday--two years after Contact 13 first broke the story about April Parks and her business bilking those the court assigned her to protect.

"When I get to that age and somebody tries to put me in a guardianship, I'm probably going to come out kicking and screaming too," Parks said in an interview with Contact 13 in early 2015.

She was talking about Rudy and Rennie North, who are among more than 150 victims named in the indictment as having lost money and possessions to Parks.

"We do marshal the assets," Parks explained. "Yes. We absolutely do that. And we are instructed to do that. And that's for safe keeping."

But the Grand Jury indictment says she failed to keep much of anything safe.  She's accused of filing hundreds of false documents with the court and committing perjury.  Which begs the question, where was the oversight?  Every one of Parks' alleged victims were wards of the court, conscripted into guardianship by people like Commissioner Jon Norheim--who's been removed from all adult guardianship cases, and Family Court presiding judge Charles Hoskin.

"There are other agencies and other departments within Clark County that are somewhat responsible for what I call a failure," said District Attorney Wolfson.

Part of that failure even included fraudulent medical records, which the court allowed Parks to use to prove people needed a guardian.

Contact 13 wanted to know why all those phony and altered documents were accepted and whether any judges, commissioners or doctors would be held accountable.

"Some of the operational things down in Family Court--some of the checks and balances that perhaps weren't followed," said Wolfson.  "But at the end of the day, I believe changes have been put in place and I'm hopeful that these won't happen again."

We asked Clark County District Court for a response to the District Attorney's comments and questions about how all this fraudulent activity was approved.  The Court provided the following statement:

It is the goal of the court, that improvements made over the past two years to the guardianship system including: hiring an investigator and compliance officer, technological upgrades, and case re-assignment to judges, will stop the potential for those intent on defrauding the most vulnerable in our community.

Protecting our most vulnerable requires not only court commitment, but a commitment of resources by funding authorities in the executive branch, and continued leadership from the legislature. We all need to focus on improving guardianship and must continue until all possible improvements are implemented.

When issues with the guardianship system were brought to the attention of the court, the court took immediate action to address issues and called for a commission to determine what needed to be done to get guardianship in line with national best practices. The court has made changes over the past two years to address issues with the guardianship system including: automating daily compliance reports; moving the caseload from a hearing master to judges, working to implement new specialized software.  A Guardianship Hotline was established and is still up and running to take concerns and questions at 702-671-4614 and an email...is also available at guardianshipcompliance@clarkcountycourts.us for those who have concerns. 

Full Article & Source:
CONTACT 13: Guardianship crimes occurred in courtroom

Nevada: Grand Jury Indicts Another in Separate Guardianship Abuse Case

 PRESS RELEASE from Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson
 Issued at 12:23 pm on 03/09/2017

Just one day after the Clark County Grand Jury indicted four co-defendants on a variety of crimes relating to guardianship abuse, today, in a separate case, a second Clark County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Susan Rousselle for her criminal mishandling of the Special Needs Trust account of Jason Hanson.

Ms. Rousselle is charged with 22 counts of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Person (category B felony), and 22 counts of Theft (category B and C felonies). Each exploitation count carries a potential prison term of 1-10 years. The theft counts carry a potential 1-5 years each for the category C and a potential 1-10 years each for the category B.

Jason Hanson

Ms. Rousselle was the legal guardian of Mr. Hanson from the time he was 16 until he was 18. She was then appointed the trustee of his Special Needs Trust account after he turned 18. Mr. Hanson is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. The trust was established for his care by an inheritance from his grandmother.

The indictment alleges that Ms. Rousselle stole more than $50,000 from that account and used it for her personal benefit.

At the hearing today, Judge Gonzalez issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Rousselle and set her bail at $200,000.

“It’s hard not to take this case personal,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Cooper. “When I met Jason I instantly liked him. My focus was to seek justice on his behalf and hopefully bring him some closure in this ongoing case. Ms. Rousselle’s actions will not go unpunished.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hanson, and he is a very special man,” said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. “He is strong and resilient and we are very pleased that the Grand Jury has indicted Ms. Rousselle in this case. Stealing from anyone is bad enough, but stealing from someone who relies on you, and you are entrusted to protect, takes it to a whole new level. The indictments returned the last two days are proof that we are focused on ending the exploitation and abuse of our most vulnerable citizens.
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Charles Pascal's Email to Nevada Attorney General Paul Laxalt

To Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt:

2/14/17

In 1992 your grandfather Senator Laxalt assisted me when I was living in Carson City, Nevada. I was appreciative for the assistance provided by the former Nevada Senator. Today I’m writing you about what appears to me to be a serious inconsistency in the law.

After reading the February 10, 2017 article regarding the disciplinary proceedings being conducted against Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson, it became clear that I should bring this matter to your attention.

In 2009 my mother-in-law, Marcy E. DuDeck, was kidnapped by her son, Lance DuDeck. She was taken against her wishes to Nevada. The kidnapping was committed against an existing Nevada court order, which stated my mother-in-law, Ms. DuDeck was to remain in California at Sunrise Senior Assisted living for the rest of her life.

After the kidnapping, Commissioner Jon W. Norheim delayed in filing his ruling to return Ms. DuDeck to the California residence, which was previously ordered by Norheim’s Clark County Family Court in May of 2007. Please note Commissioner Norheim himself wrote the 2007 court order which he violated. Commissioner Norheim’s failure to act on behalf of Mrs. DuDeck clearly demonstrated his intent not to enforce his own court order.

Mrs. DuDeck became ill as a result of this kidnapping and died alone at Del Mar Gardens in Las Vegas. The kidnapping was conducted on August 4, 2009, which was two days before a California evidentiary hearing was to take place in a Los Angeles County Court. The hearing would have exposed numerous disturbing facts about Mrs. DuDeck’s guardian, Jared E. Shafer, revealing that Mr. Shafer failed to pay IRS taxes for the DuDeck estate, that he billed the estate for visits which never occurred, testimony to the fact that Mr. Shafer himself bragged about ordering the kidnapping, witnesses to statements made by Mr. Shafer that he was bragging about bribing judges and the fact that Patience Bristol, who was not a licensed guardian at the time, was being paid from the DuDeck estate for guardian services when she was not Ms. DuDeck’s guardian. As you probably know, Bristol is serving a three to eight year sentence in state prison for exploitation of senior citizens.

By revealing our story in the beginning of this email will illustrate the main point, which I’m about to argue, which states that LGBTQ citizens are granted more civil rights than other citizens.

Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson was involved in a case involving LGBTQ rights. Judge Tobiasson is facing the type of accountability for her actions which victims of families, who do not fall into the LGBTQ category, have been demanding from Nevada for close to a decade. The disciplinary proceedings filed against Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson sends a strong signal to families who do not fall into the LGBTQ category. It appears families who are not LGBTQ are not provided the same rights as those citizens who fall into the LGBTQ category.

Commissioner Norheim has not faced accountability for his failure to enforce the law in our case and in many other cases I’m familiar with. Jason Hanson is still waiting for justice. Becky Olvera Schultz is suing in a federal court to recover moneys paid from her father’s estate without court orders. In the Olvera case, Commissioner Norheim stated in a court video that he wouldn’t enforce NRS Chapter 160 pertaining to veterans when Mr. Olvera was a WW2 veteran.

When Commissioner Norheim refused to enforce NRS Chapter 160, did he rule this way because Olvera wasn’t LGBTQ? Could this be the reason why the law was never enforced to protect veteran Mr. Olvera?

The North family lost everything as a result of actions by another guardian, April Parks. Elizabeth Indig’s mother is another individual who lost everything and has never received justice. All of the cases listed above are not LGBTQ.

The Supreme Court’s guardianship commission to look into guardian abuses in Nevada has resulted in no arrests or convictions of professional guardians or disciplinary actions against any Family Court judges. Unfortunately, Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson will face punitive action for her failure to apply the law.

This letter to your office will be widely published as well as your answer to it. I sincerely hope equal justice will be applied to citizens who are not LGBTQ.

~Charles P. Pascal

Marcy and Charlie

See Also: NASGA: Marcy DuDeck, NV/CA

Email Letter to Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt

From: Becky Olvera Schultz [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2017 12:16 PM
To: aginfo@ag.nv.gov
Subject: Lack of Professional Guardianship Prosecutions

Attorney General Adam Laxalt,

I’ve always been one of your strongest advocates. After the 2014 election, your office accomplished more than any agency in Nevada in dealing with guardian abuse.

Unfortunately, your progress has stalled. We have received reports regarding the cases your office is currently prosecuting in Northern Nevada. The prosecutions are against family members, not professional or public guardians, who have taken advantage of seniors. These prosecutions do not include any of the notorious guardians in Clark County. It appears there is a hunt for easy targets in Northern Nevada for family members who are using small amounts of their elder’s funds. If we compare these cases to the financial exploitation now occurring in Clark County, NV, by guardians including Jared E. Shafer, April Parks, Denise Comastro, their attorneys and family court judges, the conclusion appears to be the system will not tackle this problem.

This is an excellent start but these cases send a message reinforcing the professional guardian’s point of view which states only the “families” are causing this problem. The message has up to this point changed the focus from the problem guardians we are attempting to bring to justice back toward the families. Professional guardians have been using this message as a shield, which allows them to plunder estates. Professional guardian/former public guardian, Jared E. Shafer, made a statement illustrating this point at one of the guardian commission meetings in Las Vegas.

Your office has failed to go after professional guardians including Jared E. Shafer and April Parks. It appears the cases which have been presented as of this date are in the category of low hanging fruit. The perpetrators appear to be of the garden variety types who simply do not have the tools to fight back.

Charles Pascal, who had the unfortunate experience of having his mother-in-law, Marcy DuDeck, kidnapped through orders given by Jared E. Shafer, has relayed the nature of many conversations he had with this guardian. According to Pascal, Shafer told him that he along with other guardians bribed judges and attorneys and guaranteed that nothing would ever be done because there were large amounts of money involved. Pascal has told many of us that Shafer taunted him into filing complaints because he wanted to show Pascal that nothing would ever be done. And, after all these years of Pascal, myself and others filing complaints with every available agency, nothing has been done. Pascal has been giving this information to victims since 2010 and it appears what Shafer told him is sadly the ugly truth.

The Las Vegas Voice in their current February 2017 issue wrote a harsh article concerning the performance of your office along with that of District Attorney, Steve Wolfson. Many of your strongest supporters are beginning to believe the crack down on guardian abuse is turning into a dog and pony show. I’m having a very difficult time convincing victims this is not true and I am quickly losing faith. Sadly, I have to now agree with this article in that only the “low hanging fruit” is being picked and for what Shafer and Parks would consider “pocket change”.

The specific lack of inaction by your office concerns in particular, guardian April Parks. Judge Allf in Clark County family court recently ruled that Parks indeed took money under wrongful pretenses from Elizabeth Indig, a first from a judge from that Kangaroo Court. Unfortunately, your office along with D.A. Wolfson failed to follow through on the family court ruling.

Another victim, Kristina Berger, is suing Shafer and the trial is this April. She was the victim who had money stolen from her by Shafer’s employee, Patience Bristol, who was convicted. Bristol worked for Shafer and used his office, computer, phone, email, business cards and was under his supervision. The IRS would define Bristol as an employee, but Shafer has yet to suffer repercussions in this matter. Bristol will be released this November unless she is given parole this June 4th.

In the North’s case, we have an unqualified doctor and her employee being sued for submitting false documents to the court declaring both Norths to be incompetent when in fact both were competent. This doctor worked with April Parks to gain control of this couple. Since your office is infatuated with low hanging fruit, this is a ripe plum ready for the picking.

Inquiring minds want to know why April Parks has not been charged with a single crime when you have the North’s case and the Indig case with evidence of exploitation. It’s been over a year since April Park’s home, office and storage was raided, yet she remains a free woman out of state. Why has Shafer been allowed to crawl away into his home, close up his guardian office and live as a free man off my father’s money along with the huge sums of money he has bragged about taking from hundreds of victims since 1979?

We were told that indictments would occur by the election in November 2016, in particular the Jason Hanson case. Unfortunately nothing happened. Then we were told something would take place by the end of 2016. The year ended with no cases being filed. The North’s daughter, Julie Belshe, spoke with D.A. Wolfson recently and now the story is “the end of 2017”. Unfortunately, Mr. Shafer’s words about nothing being done, grows louder in our minds. This delay could go on indefinitely. Yet, a few non-professional family guardians are being prosecuted for “pocket change” for taking advantage of one person while Shafer and Parks exploited hundreds of victims to the tune of millions or possibly more?

Our patience is growing very thin waiting to see justice for all this professional guardian exploitation that has racked in millions, if not billions in the last nearly 30 years. This is money that is pumped into the Nevada economy so we all wonder if the real agenda is for officials to make sure this cash flow is not interrupted.

I will continue to support your office, however this task is becoming increasingly more difficult as each week goes by.

Sincerely,
Becky Olvera Schultz
Daughter of Shafer victim, Guadalupe Olvera

Becky and Lupe

Marcy and Charlie

See Also:
NASGA: Lupe Olvera
NASGA: Marcy E. Dudeck

Steve Miller: Jason Hanson's Story

This is the recent story of Jason Hanson, the 27 year old cerebral palsy victim whose entire inheritance was stolen by Clark County Family Court appointed "guardians" and attorneys Francis Fine, Dara Goldsmith, Elyse Tyrell, and their mentor Jared E. Shafer, with the full approval of Judges Charles Hoskin and Jon Norheim. - SM
Source:
Jason's Story


Source:
Guardian Jared E. Shafer Exploits Special Needs Trust

GoFundMe:  Jason Would Appreciate Your Help

Steve Miller: Please Help Jason

LAS VEGAS - Cerebral palsy victim Jason Hanson, 26, is a victim of the Clark County Family Court system and several private for-hire "guardians" who with court approval stole Jason's entire inheritance estimated to be worth over $290,000.

After the death of Jason's father, Family Court Judge Charles Hoskin and his appointed hearing master Jon Norheim appointed attorneys Francis Fine and Elyse Tyrell along with their client private guardian Jared E. Shafer to look after then-17 year old Jason and his inheritance until he turned 21. However, by the time Jason became of legal age to manage his own affairs, every penny of his inheritance with the exception of $5,530.74 was missing, and Judges Hoskin and Norheim never demanded a final accounting per Nevada Revised Statutes.

Today, even after Chief Clark County District Court Judge Charles Barker unceremoniously removed Hoskin and Norheim from hearing any more cases involving guardianship, after the impaneling of a Nevada Supreme Court Guardianship Commission, and after District Attorney Steve Wolfson and Sheriff Joe Lombardo established a task force of deputy DA's and police officers to investigate crooked local guardians and their bottom feeding lawyers, Shafer, Fine, and Tyrell continue lurking at the courthouse, trolling for their next victims.

In the meantime, Shafer's cronies April Parks and Patience Bristol remain off the radar even though together they bilked millions of dollars from their elderly and disabled court appointed "wards." (Parks skipped town and declared bankruptcy during LVMPD's and the DA"s investigation. Bristol is in the Nevada State Prison for exploiting Shafer's PFSN, Inc. wards.)

The wheels of justice turn very slowly, and those victims of the above mentioned leeches have yet to be recompensed for their losses.

In the case of Jason Hanson, I have taken the step of setting up a GoFundMe Account in his name so he can live as a normal a life as possible while he awaits justice. ~ Steve Miller

GoFundMe:  Jason Would Appreciate Your Help

Steve Miller: Rambo in a Wheelchair

Source: The Vegas Voice

Steve Miller: "Shafer's Law"

4.  If the person who is cited pursuant to NRS 159.305 appears and, upon consideration of the petition, the court finds that the person is not liable or responsible to the estate of the ward or proposed ward, the court may order:

(a) The estate of the ward or proposed ward to pay the attorney’s fees and costs of the respondent; or

(b) If the court finds that the petitioner unnecessarily or unreasonably filed the petition, the petitioner personally to pay the attorney’s fees and costs of the respondent.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 1759)

This addition to the NRS 159.305 regarding "Acts Against Or Affecting Ward Or Proposed Ward" was added in 2003, and dubbed "Shafer's Law."

2003, the year of its enactment, was the year Jared E. Shafer opened his private guardianship/political advertising sign business, PFSN, Inc., at 5858 Pecos Rd. in Henderson.



Anticipating a slew of lawsuits from "wards" he was court appointed to protect, Shafer, during his first year in private practice lobbied his assembly and state senate friends and sign clients to have the above paragraphs added to NRS 159.305 according to reliable sources in the Nevada Legislature (complete text below).

Since Shafer's Law was enacted, the families of dozens of wards exploited by Shafer and his cronies have stood before a judge he helped elect with his A-frame political signs and learned that their CIVIL complaints were "unnecessarily or unreasonably filed" and the private guardian they brought the complaint against was "not liable or responsible" for the losses they incurred.

Then the family was told time and again by either Judge Charles Hoskin or his appointed Hearing Master Jon Norheim that their loved one would be billed for the excessive legal fees of Shafer or another unscrupulous private guardian.

Not once can I find that a private guardian was ever punished to the full extent of NRS159.303 which is covered under NRS 22.100, the Contempt of Court law: "a fine may be imposed on the person not exceeding $500 or the person may be imprisoned not exceeding 25 days, or both."

"Shafer's Law" was a custom designed civil law to protect only one industry, guardianship, and is not attached to civil laws affecting any other Nevada industry I can find. It was custom designed to discourage family members of exploited wards from going to Clark County Family Court to seek restitution, and it has repeatedly enriched numbers of Shafer's private attorney friends since its inception.

Now with additional exploitation cases surfacing every day, it will be up to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Abuse and Neglect Detail to take and investigate CRIMINAL complaints from exploited wards or their family members, and if warranted, file Requests for Prosecution with Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson so his Fraud Division can criminally prosecute those who continue to prey on our weakest citizens.

DA Wolfson has expressed a sincere desire to help these people, and has assembled a special unit to do so as expediently as possible.

~Steve Miller

ACTS AGAINST OR AFFECTING WARD OR PROPOSED WARD

NRS 159.305  Petition alleging that person disposed of money of ward or has evidence of interest of ward in or to property.

1.  If a guardian, interested person, ward or proposed ward petitions the court upon oath alleging:

(a) That a person has or is suspected to have concealed, converted to his or her own use, conveyed away or otherwise disposed of any money, good, chattel or effect of the ward; or

(b) That the person has in his or her possession or knowledge any deed, conveyance, bond, contract or other writing which contains evidence of, or tends to disclose the right, title or interest of the ward or proposed ward in or to, any real or personal property, or any claim or demand, the judge may cause the person to be cited to appear before the district court to answer, upon oath, upon the matter of the petition.

2.  If the person cited does not reside in the county where letters of guardianship have been issued pursuant to NRS 159.075, the person may be cited and examined before the district court of the county where the person resides, or before the court that issued the citation. Each party to the petition may produce witnesses, and such witnesses may be examined by either party.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 1759)

NRS 159.315  Order of court upon findings concerning allegations that person disposed of money of ward or has evidence of interest of ward in or to property; nonappearance or noncompliance by person cited; effect of order.

1.  If the court finds, after examination of a person cited pursuant to NRS 159.305, that the person has committed an act:

(a) Set forth in paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 159.305, the court may order the person to return the asset or the value of the asset to the guardian of the estate; or

(b) Set forth in paragraph (b) of subsection 1 of NRS 159.305, the court may order the person to return the asset or provide information concerning the location of the asset to the guardian of the estate.

2.  The court may hold a person who is cited pursuant to NRS 159.305 in contempt of court and deal with the person accordingly if the person:

(a) Refuses to appear and submit to examination or to testify regarding the matter complained of in the petition; or

(b) Fails to comply with an order of the court issued pursuant to subsection 1.

3.  An order of the court pursuant to subsection 1 is prima facie evidence of the right of the proposed ward or the estate of the ward to the asset described in the order in any action that may be brought for the recovery thereof, and any judgment recovered therein must be double the value of the asset, and damages in addition thereof equal to the value of such property.

4.  If the person who is cited pursuant to NRS 159.305 appears and, upon consideration of the petition, the court finds that the person is not liable or responsible to the estate of the ward or proposed ward, the court may order:

(a) The estate of the ward or proposed ward to pay the attorney’s fees and costs of the respondent; or

(b) If the court finds that the petitioner unnecessarily or unreasonably filed the petition, the petitioner personally to pay the attorney’s fees and costs of the respondent.

(Added to NRS by 2003, 1759)

BACKGROUND:

Private Guardian Jared Shafer et al. Stole Cerebral Palsy Victim's Inheritance Under The Color Of Law

The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members

. Jason Hanson confronts his "trustee" Elyse Tyrell about his missing inheritance
(KTNV TV News screen shots, Click on images for video and text)