Dana's Dispatch: Promoting Gun Safety, Upholding Consumer Protection, Supporting Crime Victims & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- “Registration equals confiscation” | Republican AG challenger Matt DePerno shuns all gun safety measures My opponent does not believe in gun restrictions of ANY KIND WHATSOEVER. The thought of him becoming the top law enforcement official of Michigan is nothing short of terrifying. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 25, 2022) “Registration equals confiscation” | Republican AG challenger Matt DePerno shuns all gun safety measures Retrieved from: [“Registration equals confiscation” | Republican AG challenger Matt DePerno shuns all gun safety measures]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney General Dana Nessel takes on gas-gouging over holiday weekend Bad actors may try to scam Michigan residents this holiday weekend. Attorney General Dana Nessel will make sure that they are held accountable. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 25, 2022) Attorney General Dana Nessel takes on gas-gouging over holiday weekend Retrieved from: [Attorney General Dana Nessel takes on gas-gouging over holiday weekend]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney general investigating price gouging claims after Gaylord tornado Residents who are already struggling in the wake of a natural disaster must be protected from bad actors that are intent on exploiting hardship for their own gain. My department’s investigators are on the ground in Gaylord to ensure the price of goods and services remain fair. The Michigan Attorney General's Office is sending investigators to Gaylord to investigate price gouging complaints since last Friday's devastating tornado. Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office has received information about unfair prices for some basic goods and services over the weekend. She said scammers can take advantage when demand for products increases suddenly. Michigan doesn't have a law specifically banning price fixing after a disaster, but the state's consumer laws already prohibit retailers from charging prices that are "grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold."   Nessel also warned residents affected by Friday's tornado to remain alert for scammers offering to help with the cleanup. She said disasters often bring out unscrupulous people trying to profit from others' misfortune. Anyone who believes a retailer is charging prices well over what other stores are asking for a similar product should call the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-765-8388 or file an online complaint. [READ MORE]( Ryan Jeltema, ABC 12 (May 23, 2022) Attorney general investigating price gouging claims after Gaylord tornado Retrieved from: [Attorney general investigating price gouging claims after Gaylord tornado]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan expands state’s victims fund, increases payouts Without proper resources and assistance, those who survive a crime may never recover. This bipartisan legislation allows victims and their families more time to report crimes and apply for assistance following the event, and increases funding available to help them move forward. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed expansions to Michigan’s crime victim compensation fund. The old law’s eligibility included requirements like reporting the crime to police within 48 hours, which supporters of the new laws said isn’t always possible for individuals after a traumatic event. Michigan has taken steps to fix a problem in the law that has left victims of crimes and their loved ones without access to resources in the aftermath of a crime, the Alliance for Safety and Justice said in a news release Thursday. With bipartisan support, the legislature voted through changes, including cutting out the 48-hour rule and extending the time to apply to the fund after a crime from one year to five years. Those who were the victims of criminal sexual conduct before the age of 18 used to have until their 19th birthday to make a claim, but the new laws will cap the age at 28 if the victim has a reason for the delay. The changes go into effect in August, 2024. [READ MORE]( Anna Liz Nichols, Grand Rapids Business Journal (May 23, 2022) Michigan expands state’s victims fund, increases payouts Retrieved from: [Michigan expands state’s victims fund, increases payouts]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan's Attorney General says she expects to investigate petition fraud It is likely that we will receive a referral on this issue from the Bureau of Elections and Department of State, and that we will undergo some extensive investigations where we see evidence of criminal activity. 7 Action News reached out to the five candidates for governor that the Michigan Bureau of Elections says do not have 15,000 valid signatures required to move forward. James Craig, who was the Republican front runner in the race for governor, says he fell victim to criminals. He is calling on Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate. “At the Bureau of Elections, they say they have never seen fraud at this level before,” said Nessel, agreeing there is something to be investigated. She says elections officials will investigate first with Michigan State Police, and then if necessary send the investigation to her office. She says she expects that to happen. “If you are running for a statewide office for something as important as the Office of Governor, I do think it is incumbent on that candidate to make some level of inquiry as to whether the signatures they are submitting are fraudulent or not,” said Nessel. Nessel says it may be that petition circulators committed fraud that disqualified 5 candidates to make money. Private companies that both Republicans and Democrats hire provide such a service, sometimes paying $20 a signature. “We need stricter laws in place. I personally believe you should never be paying per signature because it lends itself to fraud,” said Nessel. [READ MORE]( Kim Russell, WXYZ (May 24, 2022) Michigan's Attorney General says she expects to investigate petition fraud Retrieved from: [Michigan's Attorney General says she expects to investigate petition fraud]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Dana Nessel Visits Traverse City, Talks Gun, Domestic Violence We have to demand that our legislators are willing to look at reasonable gun laws — whether they are our congressional representatives or state legislators — & prove once-and-for-all they care about their residents, their women and their children, as much as they do their guns. Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Attorney General on Twitter Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel stopped by the Kirkbride Hall in Traverse City Thursday to talk about the connection between gun and domestic violence. Thursday’s discussion was planned prior to Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The discussion comes after the first year of the pandemic saw a 40% increase in domestic violence calls. She also cited that 56% of women murdered by an intimate partner were killed by a firearm. “According to the Center for American Progress the risk of death is five times greater in domestic violence situations when a gun is present,” Nessel states. “I think it’s this perfect storm of influences that came together at the same time and created this exponential rise in domestic violence cases.” She says cases of domestic and gun violence go hand-in-hand. Now two days after the school shooting in Texas and nearly six months after Oxford, she says the issue can be better addressed by keeping guns out of the hands of bad people. “I don’t think the solution to stopping school shootings should be in better doors, better locks, better shatter-proof windows,” Nessel said. “It should be fewer guns. And fewer guns in the hands of the wrong people who should not have those weapons.” [READ MORE]( Zachariah Wheaton & Rhys Jordan, 9 and 10 News (May 26, 2022) AG Dana Nessel Visits Traverse City, Talks Gun, Domestic Violence Retrieved from: [AG Dana Nessel Visits Traverse City, Talks Gun, Domestic Violence]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Detroit Man Charged After Threatening To Kill Macomb County Judge I refuse to disregard threats made against elected officials and their families. Threatening the safety of a member of the bench is inexcusable, and I will not hesitate to use the resources of my office to prosecute such crimes. A 75-year-old Detroit man is charged after officials say he threatened to kill a Macomb County judge. According to the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Marion Williams Richardson is charged with one count of communicating a false threat of terrorism and one count of malicious use of a telecommunications service. Officials say Richardson threatened to go to the home of 41-A District Court Judge Douglas Shepherd and kill him. He allegedly made the threat via phone to staff at the court this week. The case was referred to the Department of Attorney General because the judge serves in Macomb County. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday. [READ MORE]( DeJanay Booth, CBS Detroit (May 26, 2022) Detroit Man Charged After Threatening To Kill Macomb County Judge Retrieved from: [Detroit Man Charged After Threatening To Kill Macomb County Judge]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney General Issues Notice to Gaylord Tree-Trimming Company for Price Gouging My office will not allow bad actors to impose further financial stress on the victims of storm damage in Gaylord by charging exorbitant prices for their cleanup services. Price-gouging will not stand in Michigan. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has issued a Notice of Intended Action to Canary Tree Service, a tree-trimming company, after complaints connected to price gouging and social media posts that show the company operating in Gaylord following an EF-3 tornado last week. According to the Department of the Attorney General, they received six executed affidavits from Michigan consumers that interacted with Canary Tree Service last summer, and there is probable cause that Canary Tree Service is violating the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. The affidavits detail that Canary Tree Service submitted high invoices to their customer’s insurance companies ranging from $20,000 to as high as $38,857.50. After insurance companies declined full payment, Canary Tree Service began pressuring or making threats of litigation or collections activity against consumers related to their unpaid balance. Threats were made either by Canary Tree Service directly or through a collections company, according to the Department of the Attorney General. The Notice of Intended Action states the following: “If Canary Tree Service is going to continue providing tree services in Gaylord, it must be honest with consumers and disclose the nature of the agreements they are being asked to sign and the costs of the services being provided… The Attorney General will not tolerate any effort by Canary Tree Service to persist in imposing inappropriate economic stress upon the victims of storm damage.” [READ MORE]( 9 and 10 News Site Staff, 9 and 10 News (May 27, 2022) Attorney General Issues Notice to Gaylord Tree-Trimming Company for Price Gouging Retrieved from: [Attorney General Issues Notice to Gaylord Tree-Trimming Company for Price Gouging]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! Sending emails is a crucial way to keep supporters like you updated on Dana's fight for justice and progress. Plus, this campaign is fueled by grassroots supporters like you! [Will you chip in today to join Dana in the fight for a better tomorrow?]( [CHIP IN TO RE-ELECT DANA NESSEL >>]( KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. If you have donated with a different email address, with a check, or with a spouse – thank you so much. We have that on file and cannot thank you enough for your support. Paid for by Friends of Dana Nessel Friends of Dana Nessel P.O. Box 11141 Lansing, MI 48901 United States This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. [unsubscribe](