[GOP]Politicians' telecoms wronged consumers (MN)

[leQ]

Some of Minnesota's top Republicans, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Auditor Patricia Awada, have had business ties to a Minneapolis-based telephone company accused of cheating consumers in seven states, a Pioneer Press investigation has found.

Last year, New Access Communications paid $222,000 to settle charges it violated consumer protection laws in three of those states — Washington, Oregon and Indiana — by overcharging some customers and tricking others into changing their telephone services.

Each case involved complaints filed while Pawlenty was one of three directors and an investor in New Access' parent company, NewTel Holdings. Directors are legally responsible for overseeing the management of a company and its subsidiaries, experts say.

Awada owned Capitol Verification, a company that checked New Access orders to make sure consumers truly wanted to change their telephone service. But regulators found her firm sometimes failed in that role. Awada in January sold the company to one of the founders of New Access and was paid, in part, with stock in the parent company.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/business/6291921.htm

[northernsoul]

1. this thing stinks to high heaven

I had some friends who worked there breifly and they said it was sleazy as all get-out.

The GOP gang that hijacked Minnesota just love to preach about morality, but methinks they doth protest too much as it appears that they're all up to their beady little eyes in rip-off scams.

[zekeson]

2. Gotta love how much of the Pawlenty Admin

is wrapped up in this cluster. I heard today there is gonna be an investigation and I hope Timmy and Co. get a healthy does of humility out of all this. Criminal charges would be nice, too. Like his frat brother, *, Timmy is saying he didn't have knowledge of day to day operations. My understanding is that board members are legally responsible to ask questions to discover what occurs in day to day activiites.

[Thor_MN]

3. Why he would think

that being clueless of crimes being committed by the organization that you are headed is a good defense is beyond me. If you are one of the head honchos you responsible for the crimes, even if you were not smart enough to know about them. What ever happened to personal responsibilty BS that the GOP loves to spout around election time?

[dflprincess]

4. Life is good - or at least improving

Bush* is having problems and then I pick up my Star Tribune and see this story on the front page.

I belive it is Mike Hatch's office that is looking into this and God knows there is no love lost between Hatch and Pawlenty.

By the way, has anybody else noticed how quickly the State Auditor went from being Pat Anderson Awada back to Pat Awada after she won the election? And wasn't her husband just hauled in on suspicion of child abuse (I believe it was dropped) and wasn't her husband's brother or cousin arrested for illegal bookmaking a couple month's ago.

These people are even sleezier than I imagined.