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Florida currency trader is accused in staggering $35M Ponzi scheme targeting elderly church members for their savings - and 'blew the money on luxury cars and private plane trips' Brent Seaman of Naples, Florida was charged in an SEC complaint on Thursday He allegedly fleeced fellow church members in a $35 million Ponzi scheme SEC officials say Seaman guaranteed 'safe' returns but blew the money on luxury lifestyle A currency trader in Florida has been charged with running a $35 million Ponzi scheme targeting elderly and retired churchgoers from his congregation. In a complaint filed by the US Securities and...

Hip surgery in May slowed down former President Jimmy Carter – just a bit. But a bum hip has nothing to do with the hand he uses to hammer, and that means — for the 36th consecutive year — the former president and his wife Rosalynn are scheduled to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. From Oct. 6-11, the Carters will be in Nashville, helping to construct 21 homes. Add that to the more than 4,300 they have helped build in 14 countries since 1984. “There have been many times when people have tried to count President Carter out, and...

RICHMOND, Va. – Two Habitat for Humanity workers were stabbed Saturday afternoon near Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond. The stabbing occurred when the workers were working on a home in the 200 block of W 34th Street. While working, they were approached by a man asking for directions. But within minutes- the suspect was grabbing the neck of his 18-year-old victim- demanding money. "Ron the supervisor threw a hammer at him and he ran out but Ron couldn't get to the door fast enough to close it," said Jane Helfrich, CEO Richmond Region Habitat for Humanity. "The apprentice ran next...

State Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) tonight acknowledged that her husband got help from a non-profit group that assists low-income homeowners in demolishing a shore home severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy that records show had been purchased for nearly a half-million dollars. The owner of the Manasquan home — identified in public records as Richard Stender, the assemblywoman's husband — applied to Monmouth County-based Coastal Habitat for Humanity for help, said Maureen Mulligan, the group's executive director.

OAKLAND -- A group of people working at a Habitat for Humanity construction site in East Oakland that former President Jimmy Carter will visit next week were robbed at gunpoint, police said. The incident happened at the site of a 12-home development at 9507 Edes Ave. about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday. Habitat for Humanity staff members and AmeriCorps workers were accosted by four men who robbed them of cell phones, wallets and tools, police said. One of the robbers fired a shot into the air and pistol-whipped a man, who declined medical attention, authorities said.

He may have served two tours in Afghanistan protecting the freedom of his nation, but double-Bronze Star veteran David Wood has returned home only to battle ungrateful NIMBYS. Gifted a charitable home through the efforts of his local congressman, Aaron Schock for his wartime efforts, Wood, who has lost the hearing in one ear was told that the property plans for his family's house were opposed by his potential neighbors. Indeed, an unidentified cabal of neighbors in the Peoria suburb of Morton, Illinois, has clubbed together to oppose his wooden home saying quite clearly, not in my backyard. The father...

Here’s something that slipped through the cracks thanks to the fake drama that was going on during the fake fiscal crisis coming from our fake government in Washington, DC: Another fake green company boondoggle has resulted in federal dollars being spent on …nothing. According to a report issued by the Department of Energy’s own inspector general, employees at LG Chem, a Korean company that operates a battery plant in Holland, Michigan- a plant that’s supposed to support the Chevy Volt- were paid for playing video games, board games, volunteer work at Habitat for Humanity and other local charities. Another fake-work...

Former US president Jimmy Carter will head to Asia next month to lead thousands of volunteers building homes for the poor in five nations along the Mekong River, a humanitarian group said on Tuesday. The volunteers for Habitat for Humanity will build or repair 166 homes in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on the November 15-20 tour, the Atlanta-based Christian group said. "In an area of the world where many people live in deplorable conditions, we have a chance to help families improve their housing," the 85-year-old former president said in a statement. The project will start in Thailand's...

Three Hurricane Katrina evacuees who bought houses here with the help of Oprah Winfrey appeared in court today on charges they cheated the Federal Emergency Management Agency by lying to continue to obtain rental assistance for storm victims after they moved into the furnished homes.

You’re down and out. Maybe you still lived at home (at 37), mainlined heroin in your parents’ bedroom, and threw up all over the Tibetan-Armenian-Persian-Turkish silk artisan carpeting one too many times, so they tossed you, your Playstation Moon-Ray 6, and your Hitachi 184-inch HDTV out on Park Avenue. Maybe you’ve blown your life savings on BINGO!, LOTTO!, nickel slots, senior lap-dance nights, and several emails from someone claiming to represent the Nigerian government (after all, they can’t ALL be spammers!) and can no longer afford your to-die-for (really) one-bedroom flat in that posh “retirement community.” Maybe your deadbeat husband...

When Fairway Oaks was developed eight years ago, it was praised by HUD Secretary Mel Martinez as "an excellent example of the public sector and private sectors working together to develop decent and affordable housing," said Martinez. "'Sweat equity' programs, like Habitat for Humanity, help more and more low-income families open the door to homeownership." Sweat equity. Right. Now Habitat for Humanity, the "darling of liberal social activists," is being sued for sloppiness and a reckless disregard for the consequences of building on top of uncompressed garbage. 85 residents, dissatisfied at the quality of their free lodgings paid for by...

Carter could be looking for some handouts from somewhere if this story proves true and these lawsuits hit his charitable organization hard:RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes. A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied...

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes. A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and...

Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com) -- After an avalanche of phone calls and emails from pro-life advocates locally and across the country, Habitat for Humanity in Sarasota, Florida has disassociated itself with a proposed Planned Parenthood abortion center. The local Habitat board voted Tuesday night to disengage from the project. Habitat had come under fire from pro-life advocates for helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business.

Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A local Habitat for Humanity chapter accused of helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business is still considering its decision.

Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The Christian non-profit housing ministry Habitat for Humanity stands accused of helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business. A pro-life advocate says Planned Parenthood would have been stymied in building the new center without the group's help. Planned Parenthood has been looking to build a new abortion facility in the Rosemary District north of downtown Sarasota. However, according to local zoning rules, the abortion business can't build the new center unless a multi-family housing unit is built on the back of the lot. According to Jim Sedlak of STOPP...

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn were in New Orleans Wednesday doing their part to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. Video: Watch the Story Carter was among dozens of volunteers helping Habitat for Humanity rebuild a home in the Upper Ninth Ward. Carter and his wife were in the area last May when the 100th home was built – now they are back to celebrate another milestone: the 25th anniversary of the Carter Work Project.

Immigrants must prove they're here legally and have the right to work in the United States before they receive low-cost homes through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis, the nonprofit organization has decided. The organization's board of directors voted to adopt the rules this month, executive director Dwayne Spencer said Tuesday. The decision wasn't based on concern about community reaction, he said. "I think after simply delving into the subject matter ourselves, we realized it was the most responsible thing to do," he said. The action ends uncertainty over Habitat's approach to the area's growing Hispanic population. Spencer said Habitat...

In this tumultuous campaign season, she's always been the inconspicuous presence at her husband's side, standing just behind him, quietly offering support. But anybody who thinks Janet Huckabee is background material, hasn't heard of her high-profile daredevil days as Arkansas' first lady. In those days, Mrs. Huckabee, or Mrs. H -as she's known- could be seen jumping out of planes, playing paintball, paddling in a cardboard canoe and brandishing a rifle (yes, she hunts -- turkey usually, but she's also trapped bears). "Jumping out of the airplane was not something I was afraid to do... The bears were asleep. That's...

TIBURON, Calif. -- Some residents of this upscale San Francisco suburb plan to fight a proposed Habitat for Humanity housing development over concerns that the project would decrease property values and increase traffic. The international nonprofit partnered with the owner of a 16.5-acre tract in the town's Eagle Rock neighborhood to build four single-family homes for low-income families, but neighbors fear negative effects on the community. "Habitat for Humanity is to bring the neighborhood up, not to bring the neighborhood down," said Bill Roberts, a 40-year Eagle Rock resident. Roberts said he and dozens of other neighbors are raising money...