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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,897 posts)
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 02:10 PM Jun 2019

Judge throws the book at Minneapolis lawyer who ran a porn trolling scheme

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS
Judge throws the book at Minneapolis lawyer who ran a porn trolling scheme

Paul Hansmeier was sentenced to 168 months in prison.

By Dan Browning Star Tribune JUNE 14, 2019 -- 12:52PM

Disgraced Minneapolis lawyer Paul Hansmeier, convicted of running a multimillion dollar fraud scheme from 2011 to 2014 in which he extracted settlements from hundreds of people who feared being exposed as pornography consumers, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to 14 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen complimented Hansmeier for being "smarter than all get out," then blasted him for taking advantage of the courts in his scheme to seed the internet with pornography so that he could cajole the many hundreds of people who downloaded it into paying legal settlements to avoid facing costly and embarrassing lawsuits. ... "It is almost incalculable how much your abuse of trust has harmed the administration of justice," Ericksen said.

When challenged by judges around the country, Hansmeier blamed other lawyers who were hired to file lawsuits on his behalf, lied to the courts about his own involvement and ordered the destruction of evidence, prosecutors said.

Federal investigators concluded that Hansmeier and his co-defendant, John Steele, collected $6 million in fraudulent legal settlements from 2010 through 2013. But because of the difficulty in proving the elements of a crime required for conviction, the government limited the amount of recommended restitution that Hansmeier should pay to $1,541,527.37, payable to 704 victims who had paid settlements after April 1, 2011.
....
Dan Browning has worked as a reporter and editor since 1982. He joined the Star Tribune in 1998 and now covers greater Minnesota. His expertise includes investigative reporting, public records, data analysis and legal affairs.

[email protected] 612-673-4493 https://twitter.com/BrowningStrib

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/judge-throws-the-book-at-minneapolis-lawyer-who-ran-a-porn-trolling-scheme/511302022/



In GD:

"Copyright Troll" Lawyer Paul Hansmeier Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212189164

I'd be a bit wary of clicking on that link. I'll wait for the story to show up in the Minneapolis-St. Paul newspaper.

PrinceOfWhalesHat Retweeted

https://twitter.com/Popehat

'#Copyright Troll' Lawyer Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison : https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-troll-lawyer-sentenced-to-14-years-in-prison-190614/ ... by @torrentfreak


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Judge throws the book at Minneapolis lawyer who ran a porn trolling scheme (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Jun 2019 OP
Wow, who would really care? Farmer-Rick Jun 2019 #1
He was a copyright troll. mahatmakanejeeves Jun 2019 #2
After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING Omaha Steve Jun 2019 #3

Farmer-Rick

(10,072 posts)
1. Wow, who would really care?
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:40 PM
Jun 2019

I mean who would care if someone looked at porn on line? I wouldn't care. I wouldn't even care if the orange buffoon did. I found this difficult to believe unless it's child porn.

mahatmakanejeeves

(56,897 posts)
2. He was a copyright troll.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:04 PM
Jun 2019

DU had a run-in with his likes about five or six years ago.

Omaha Steve

(99,071 posts)
3. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:50 PM
Jun 2019

NOT important news of national interest.

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