by Structured Settlement Watchdog
In terms of sentencing forgers of judges signatures on structured settlement transfer documents, the score is 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.
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 What Role Camacho Played in Structured Settlements
In a 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".
Note the Difference Between a Structured Settlement and a Structured Settlement Factoring Transaction
Most structured settlement transactions do not require a judges 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 payments rights. 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]
Companies like Liberty Settlement Funding out of Ft. Lauderdale and Novation Funding out of West Palm Beach, were among those that used Camacho in Broward County cases, according to Broward County Court records, during the relevant time frame. Camacho did not implicate his clients in any of his crimes.