Posted on 02/16/2016 7:43:54 AM PST by TigerClaws
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Believe it or not, the US Marshals Service in Houston is arresting people for not paying their outstanding federal student loans.
Paul Aker says he was arrested at his home last week for a $1500 federal student loan he received in 1987.
He says seven deputy US Marshals showed up at his home with guns and took him to federal court where he had to sign a payment plan for the 29-year-old school loan.
Congressman Gene Green says the federal government is now using private debt collectors to go after those who owe student loans.
Green says as a result, those attorneys and debt collectors are getting judgements in federal court and asking judges to use the US Marshals Service to arrest those who have failed to pay their federal student loans.
Our reliable source with the US Marshal in Houston say Aker isn't the first and won't be the last.
They have to serve anywhere from 1200 to 1500 warrants to people who have failed to pay their federal student loans.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox26houston.com ...
The Marshals didn’t pick him up for failing to repay the loan. He would have been served with a subpoena to appear in court in a civil proceeding and the Marshals picked him up for failing to do so.
Probably because he was served at a 30 year old address.
This is a favorite tactic of some debt collectors-- sue, send a notice of the trial (which the defendant never receives) and the then get a default judgment and a bench warrant when the defendant doesn't show up in court.
It's effectively debtor's prison, which is illegal in the US.
Awesome. Sucker people into debt, and then arrest them for that debt, then cut them a deal where the charges will be suspended if they do what the government wants, or revived if they don’t.
Why would you say it was probably a default judgement?
More likely it was an old student loan that he was ignoring.
I think you're on the wrong website. Go support Bernie who thinks college should be free.
Heh heh. Better pay off them loans, moochers.
We are arresting millions of Americans for defaulting on student loans, meanwhile we give millions of illegal alien foreigners the same amount of money every year in welfare.
Please be aware that we do not have debtor’s prison. That said you can be sued for ignoring a court summons which will make you in “contempt of court”.
“If you receive a notice to appear in court over a debt, do not ignore it, even if you don’t recognize the company suing you, or if you know you cannot pay the debt. At a minimum, show up in court to tell the judge your side of the story.”
Don’t be fooled.
Uh Oh.. I just remembered that I owed about $2000 to a loan from 1988.. Military excused me from the loans.. been here since 1998.. is there an interest rate?
So I guess they have purged all our government workers who have not paid their taxes then, right?
“It probably cost more than $1500 for the seven US Marshalls they sent to bring him in.”
True. . but how much is now being collected from other immature, ungrateful, dead-beat slackers that are now worried that THEY may be arrested for borrowing money and then choosing not to pay it back?
About time. I paid for my tuition without any help from anyone. Why should I be stuck with everyone else’s bill?
Post 34.
I get your point, but we can’t let these guys get a pass on not paying back money they “borrowed” from the government. . .err. . .I mean took from taxpayers.
Think of it as a government jobs program.
At least it wasn't littering.
Post 34.
“It’s effectively debtor’s prison, which is illegal in the US.”
He’s not in prison. He was given a repayment plan that the court approved. Now he can’t say, “I didn’t know.” And he can also start repaying the money he took from all the taxpayers.
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