by Structured Settlement Watchdog
The Structured Settlement Transfer Order Forgery Sentencing Scoreboard
Miami-Dade Judiciary 1 New York Judiciary 0
In convicting Jose Manuel Camacho Jr, to 364 days in jail and 10 years probation , Judge Ellen Sue Venzer made this poignant comment to Camacho:
“In today’s environment, lawyers jokes are abundant. You’ve heard the one about what’s 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? A good start,’ Venzer said. “You not only reinforce that stereotype, but you buttress the idea that lawyers can’t be trusted.”
Broward County judges Carlos Rodriguez and Marina Garcia-Wood, forgeries of whose signatures were among the over 100 Camacho forged docs, were in attendance as Camacho was sentenced.
New York Structured Settlement Transfer Order Forger: Twice as Many But Half the Sentence
It’s a shame that a Harvard educated New York judge passed a sentence on convicted felon Thomas Rubino that was so pitifully short. Rubino forged twice as many documents as an imposter of more than 10 times as many judges and cost significant financial losses for clients of his employer, judging by complaints in the lawsuits filed against the New York personal injury firm of Paris & Chaikin and its partners and claims for damages therein.
South Florida Press Errs in Reporting Role Camacho Played in Structured Settlements
In a “tossed salad of mixed greens” reporting error, the Miami Herald inaccurately stated the following :
“Camacho, of Virginia Gardens, specialized in handling what are known as “structured settlements,” in which a party in a financial dispute agrees to payments over a set period of time, rather than in one lump sum. The deals have to be approved by a judge, to ensure they are fair to both sides”.
More South Florida Press Irresponsible Reporting on Structured Settlements
Note the distinction between a structured settlement (which Camacho had absolutely nothing to do with) and a structured settlement factoring transaction — the world he actually operated in until he blew himself up with forgery.
It’s the same world Florida reporters have repeatedly confused with legitimate structured settlements ever since the Rothstein era. So let’s correct the record with precision: Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme in 2009 had nothing whatsoever to do with structured settlements — yet parts of the Florida press spent years carelessly conflating his fraud with legitimate structured settlements, leaving a stain on the industry at the time that never belonged there.
Most structured settlement transactions do not require a judge’s approval, however structured settlement factoring transactions do
Convicted felon Jose Manuel Camacho, Jr., when he committed his crimes, was a Miami based lawyer for structured settlement factoring companies, which purchase structured settlement payment rights, also known as receivables. Jose Manuel Camacho Jr. has since been disbarred.
Such structured settlement payment rights can only be sold or transferred if a judge approves the structured settlement factoring transaction (defined in IRC 5891) is in the best interest of the payee and any applicable dependents. [ see Florida Statutes 626.99296 Transfers of structured settlement payment rights]
According to Broward County Court records, companies such as Liberty Settlement Funding of Ft. Lauderdale and Novation Funding of West Palm Beach were active during the relevant period and were among those that engaged Camacho in Broward County cases. Camacho did not implicate his clients in any of his criminal activities.
Florida Structured Settlement Protection Act § 626.99296 et seq.