Families Meet Children In-Person or by Videoconference at Adoption Event

Prospective adoptive families will have an opportunity to meet approximately 20 children, each with the hope of finding a permanent family, at an adoption gathering to be held on Saturday, February 7, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Gainesville Civic Center.

This event, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), will give prospective adoptive parents a unique opportunity to meet the children in a comfortable, fun-filled environment. Families who are unable to attend the gathering in Gainesville can still interact with this same group of children via video on Saturday, February 7, from 10 a.m. to noon. Videoconference sites will be set up at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Brown & Gallo in Atlanta and Augusta, Columbus State University, Macon State College and Valdosta State University.

"These events are dedicated to the children who attend; to help them feel comfortable and have fun," said Mark Washington, assistant commissioner of DHR. "This eases the emotions these children experience when meeting prospective adoptive families. To make this event easier for the adults, we are asking the prospective adoptive families to arrive at the gathering at 9 a.m., a full hour before the children and their case managers arrive, so we can walk them through the event and make it more comfortable for them as well."

There are approximately 2,200 children in Georgia who need adoptive families. They are typically eight years old and older, African American and/or a member of a sibling group being placed together.

Families interested in adopting older children or learning more about the program are encouraged to attend either the event in Gainesville or one of the videoconference sites. To avoid confusion, only children in need of adoptive families should attend the adoption gathering. Families who plan to attend one of the videoconference sites are more than welcome to bring their children.

For more information, call toll-free 877- 242-5774 or visit the Department of Human Resources website at www.dfcs.dhr.georgia.gov/adoptions.

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Georgia Man Sentenced for 36 Months in Prison for Inernet Investment Fraud

A Georgia man was sentenced October 15, 2008, in U.S. District Court for using an Internet website in the name of the Transnational Fund to fraudulently induce persons to invest in so-called “certificates” promising a guaranteed rate of return in nine months.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division and Police Commissioner Edward Davis of the Boston Police Department, announced today that MICHAEL PATRICK LUCKETT, age 37, of 6015 Henson Rd., Gainseville, GA, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William G. Young to 36 months imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. LUCKETT was also ordered to pay $97,387 in restitution. The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to distribute approximately $222,900, held in frozen bank accounts, to victims in the near future. LUCKETT pled guilty to four counts of mail fraud on July 14, 2008.

At an earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that LUCKETT used a website in the name of Transnational Fund to induce individuals to invest in “certificates” with a guaranteed return of principal and approximately 6.35% interest after nine months, but that instead of investing the funds he received, LUCKETT used them for his own personal and business purposes. By this scheme, LUCKETT induced approximately fifteen persons from around the United States to send him a total of more than $450,000. LUCKETT operated the Transnational Fund scheme from an apartment in Boston, while the website directed prospective investors to mail their checks to an address in Hartford, which LUCKETT arranged to be forwarded to him. LUCKETT opened multiple bank accounts in the name of the Transnational Fund into which he deposited investors’ funds, and that he used nearly $100,000 of the funds received for expenses such as his personal rent and meals, making cash withdrawals and promoting the Transnational Fund website.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Boston Police Department, with assistance from the Boston Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Sullivan’s Economic Crimes Unit.


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Coweta County Welcomes Nationally Known Economist October 22

The Coweta County Economic Summit is a "must attend" for business owners, business professionals, elected officials, candidates for office, and all citizens interested in the future of Coweta's local economy.

Nationally known economist William H. "Bill" Fruth will conduct Coweta County's first-ever Economic Summit, Wednesday, October 22, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts of Coweta County, 1523 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan. Coffee, Danishes, and networking will be available at 8:00 a.m. Admission is free.

Bill Fruth is certainly not considered a typical "run-of-the-mill" economist. Unlike many of his colleagues who spend much of their lives in an academic setting, Fruth has mostly "walked the walk" in both the private and public sectors.

After earning his Bachelor and Master degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Bill Fruth began his economic journey in 1980, when he was elected to serve as the full-time Mayor of Tiffin, Ohio. It was quite a challenge, as manufacturing companies / jobs were leaving town, the nation was in the grip of a deep recession, and the city's economy and finances had
reached crisis level.

Facing the unthinkable, a relatively young Mayor Fruth had no other choice but to become heavily involved in economic and community development, in order to save his city from financial collapse. His hard work and accomplishments drew accolades from across the State, and Fruth was named one of "Five Outstanding Young Men of Ohio" before finishing his term in
office.

Bill Fruth's rise to notoriety in the economic development field soon led him to Palm Beach County, Florida, where he served as president of the Business Development Board. Once again, Fruth earned statewide recognition, and was named Florida Economic Development Professional of the Year in 1987.

It wasn't long before private industry took notice of Bill Fruth's accomplishments. He embraced the opportunity and served as Vice President of a major industrial land development company from 1988-1995. Fruth's responsibilities included directing the development and marketing of a
500-acre corporate park in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In 1996, Bill Fruth founded POLICOM Corporation, an independent economics research firm, located in Palm City, Florida. For the past twelve years, he has specialized in studying the dynamics of local economies, whether they are growing or declining, and what may be causing this to happen.

Fruth has personally evaluated more than 600 economies across the Nation. He has created more than 150 community studies, and since 1998, has provided presentations and workshops for state associations and communities in 32 states.

Bill Fruth is recognized by the Florida Administrative Court as an expert witness regarding local economies. He is the author of Where the Money Is ... America's Strongest Local Economies, along with numerous economic articles for newspapers and trade magazines.

Bill Fruth's presentation style may come as a surprise to those who have suffered through dry, often uninspiring economics lectures. To the contrary, he provides a fast-paced, entertaining, but mostly thought provoking analysis. Fruth's numbers are based on reality, rather than theory, and his purpose is to generate discussion of what makes an economy strong, and what each community must do to improve its economic condition and quality of life.

As a segment of the Coweta County Economic Summit, Fruth will first present examples of some of the strongest and weakest economies in the Nation. He'll then examine Coweta County's own economic strengths and weaknesses, and further compare them to those of Fayette County, Cobb County, Gainesville, GA, Auburn-Opelika, AL, the Atlanta area, and Georgia.

As Bill Fruth explained, "The purpose of this summit goes beyond presenting Coweta's economic strengths and weaknesses. I'd like to encourage discussion of what your community must do to further improve its economy during these difficult times, while motivating community leaders to work as one toward a common goal of long-term economic prosperity and a better standard of living for all citizens."

The Coweta County Economic Summit is sponsored by AT&T, Atlanta Gas Light, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power, and Newnan Utilities. For reservations and further information, contact the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce at 770-253-2270.

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Winder, Georgia Public Housing Authority Settles Race Discrimination Housing Complaint With Justice Department

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced a settlement that, pending court approval, will require the Housing Authority for the City of Winder, Ga., (WHA), to pay up to $490,000 to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against African-American tenants and housing applicants.

The WHA is a public housing authority that provides housing for persons of low income in Barrow County, Ga. Currently, the WHA owns and maintains nine public housing complexes in the city of Winder, and the neighboring towns of Statham and Braselton, Ga.

The complaint, which was filed today in the U.S. District Court in Gainesville, Ga., in conjunction with the consent decree, alleges that the WHA maintained racially segregated housing by assigning applicants to vacant units based on race, rather than in order of their placement on WHA's waiting list. The complaint also alleges that the WHA subjected African-American tenants to inferior terms and conditions of rental.

"Every person, including individuals who seek public assistance, has a right to be free from racial discrimination in housing," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Department will continue its vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act."

Upon court approval, the consent decree will require the WHA to implement nondiscriminatory policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act. The WHA will also provide training on the nondiscriminatory policies and procedures and the Fair Housing Act to its employees responsible for making housing decisions. In addition, WHA will ensure that housing units are made available for rent on an equal basis with the same terms and conditions for all persons, regardless of race.

In addition, the WHA will establish a $450,000 fund to compensate individuals who suffered damages as a result of the WHA's conduct and will pay a $40,000 civil penalty to the United States.

Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. Since Jan. 1, 2001, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has filed 267 cases to enforce the Fair Housing Act, 77 of which have alleged discrimination based on race. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.

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