by Joe Bird
(Joe Bird is co-counsel in the action brought by the United States against Allied Home Mortgage and its founder, Jim Hodge. This post solely reflects the opinion of the author and not the United States government. It is based on his years of litigation against Allied.)
Fraud is something that thrives in darkness. Concealment, forgery and misdirection are its close friends and allies. Sometimes it is hidden in the open, but even then it must be camouflaged to blend in with the normal, like a chameleon. It is best seen in the piercing light of justice when schemes and lies can be made transparent, often with no more than questions that the architect of the fraud is made to answer.
Our friends at Allied Mortgage know this well and continue to avoid answering questions about their fraudulent schemes at all costs in every judicial forum where they are hailed to appear. They have now changed their name to All Quest, trying to hide their fraud like the chameleon does its presence on the branch. Jim Hodge even claims he is no longer employed by Allied. Still, no explanation to the decades of what we believe to be fraud and theft from its own employees is offered.
In the novelette, “The Heart of Darkness”, the evils of imperialism on the African continent are exposed. One man, Mr. Kurtz, is seen as the all-powerful and all-knowing titan of imperialist enterprise. He is larger than life to the fortune seekers and tribesmen alike. His empire is built on fraud of those who surround his enterprise and everyone with whom he conducts commerce. He hoards the ivory he trades for and keeps if for himself, hidden in the heart of darkness. He is finally revealed as a short and frail man using financial enslavement as his tool to keep his Ivory hidden. He ultimately succumbs to a disease born of the jungle and the darkness amidst his precious ivory tusks, stolen from his own enterprise and denied to those whom he promised payment.
Jim Hodge can be seen living in the heart of darkness in the same way that Mr. Kurtz did. We believe he has taken money from homeowners and his own employees and hoarded it. He uses his money to pay lawyers to help him remain in the darkness and avoid answering the questions. He owes his employees and former employees millions, but he prefers to pay to continue to hoard what is not his to begin with and hide in the dark.
Our mission at Mahany & Ertl is to be that beacon of justice. We thrive on depriving those like Mr. Kurtz from the comfort of their darkness. We seek to pierce the darkness with questions sharpened like spears. We understand the dedication and perspiration it takes to hunt the fraud to a successful conclusion. Fraud only lives in the heart of darkness and we are trained to shine the light of justice on the black hearts of those who would commit fraud.
If you are the victim of fraud or know of a company committing fraud against taxpayers or their own employees, contact us. Our anti-fraud lawyers have handled a wide variety of employment, investment fraud, mortgage fraud and whistleblower cases. For a confidential consultation contact attorneys Brian Mahany and Joe Bird at (414) 704-6731 or / .
Mahany & Ertl – America’s Fraud Lawyers. We give a voice to victims and whistleblowers from our offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Portland, Maine & Minneapolis, Minnesota. Services available in many jurisdictions.