On Thursday, March 22nd at the First Covenant Church, Moline, located at 3303 - 41st Street in Moline, Churches United of the Quad City Area will host its annual delegate assembly and the entire community is invited to join us.  This will be the 51st annual Delegate Assembly and this year we will again look at the various ministries of this ecumenical group and review the budget for this current year.  This year we have invited three clergy women to talk about their experience working in the church but also working ecumenically.  One key mission for Churches United is to honor the diversity in the Church as well as within the larger faith community.  What are the challenges of working within one faith yet engaging others in a positive and inclusive manner?  The three members of the panel are:

• Rev Katherine Mulhern, Pastor, Edwards Congregational, UCC, Davenport
• Sister Marilyn Ring, Chaplain, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
• Rev. Dawn H. Roucka, Director, Illinois Chapter of Church World Service

Friday, March 9, 2012

Grassley Asks Justice Department for Details on its "Thousands" of Cases Brought on Mortgage Fraud

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, today asked the Department of Justice for detailed information about the "thousands" of mortgage fraud cases the department has brought forward and about the claim that the department has "secured numerous convictions against CEOs, CFOs, board members, presidents and other executives of Wall Street firms and banks for financial crimes."

Grassley's letter to Attorney General Eric Holder follows a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday about lending foreclosure abuse in relation to the housing crisis.  In a follow-up article in the Blog of Legal Times, a spokesperson from the Justice Department stated, "The Department of Justice, through our U.S. Attorneys' Offices and litigating divisions, has brought thousands of mortgage fraud cases over the past three years, and secured numerous convictions against CEOs, CFOs, board members, presidents and other executives of Wall Street firms and banks for financial crimes."

At the Judiciary Committee hearing, Grassley noted that the Criminal Division in the Justice Department, headed by Lanny Breuer, failed to bring criminal charges against the former Countrywide CEO who was accused of lying about the risks of Countrywide's loans.

Grassley said in his opening statement at the hearing that, "The department's message is that crime does pay.  Light settlements and no prosecutions not only do not deter.  They invite crimes of this sort to occur against similar future victims. How are the department's enormous resources being used?"

Here is a copy of the text of Grassley's letter.  A signed copy can be found here.

March 9, 2012

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Attorney General of the United States

Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC  20530

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

At a March 7, 2012 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I stated , "The Justice Department has brought no criminal cases against any of the major Wall Street banks or executives who are responsible for the financial crisis" (emphasis added).  In response, the Justice Department issued the following statement: "The Department of Justice, through our U.S. Attorneys' Offices and litigating divisions, has brought thousands of mortgage fraud cases over the past three years, and secured numerous convictions against CEOs, CFOs, board members, presidents and other executives of Wall Street firms and banks for financial crimes."

In light of the Department's statement, please provide for each of the thousands of mortgage fraud cases, the caption of those cases, the crimes for which convictions were sought and obtained, the outcome of the case, including any penalties of imprisonment and/or fines, and please indicate which of these convictions were obtained against CEOs, CFOs, board members, presidents and other executives of Wall Street firms and banks that were responsible for the financial crisis.

Please provide this response by March 31, 2012.

Thank you.                          

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley

United States Senator

Moline, Illinois - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today presented constituent Mark Graves of Aledo with the Combat Action Badge for his service with the United States Army Military Police in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"It is truly an honor to be presenting the Combat Action Badge to one of our area's distinguished war heroes," Schilling said.  "My deepest gratitude goes out to Mark for his service in safeguarding our nation and protecting our freedoms."

Graves entered Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at the United States Army Military Police School in July 1999.  After finishing training with the United States Army Military Police, he deployed to Iraq and served with the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade from March 2003-2004.

During his time in Iraq serving as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Graves' Military Police unit was engaged in some of the most hazardous duty in Iraq, including convoy escorts, manning check-points frequently attacked by insurgents, town, and village patrols, road security to prevent improvised explosive devices from being planted, and the processing of prisoners of War.  His unit was frequently assigned to support various infantry units on operations throughout Iraq, from Baghdad to Tikrit, and was involved in at least seven combat engagements with anti-coalition forces.  During one engagement, Graves' High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee) took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade.

During Graves' service he was awarded the Joint Services Achievement Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and the Overseas Service Ribbon.  The one award that eluded him was the Combat Action Badge, which is awarded to soldiers who personally engage or are engaged by the enemy.

Schilling's staff started on this case in early August, 2011 when Graves reached out upon receiving a mailer on services Schilling's staff provides.  After tracking down the necessary documentation, staff was able to meet the Army's Combat Action Badge requirements by early January, 2012.

"Constituent casework is the most important part of my job and we will continue to work tirelessly towards successful outcomes," Schilling said.  "I encourage anyone having issues navigating federal agencies to contact my offices - we're happy to help."

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