US Marshals Arrest Man for Unpaid Student Loan

[Vitamin C]

Heard this on the radio last night. I was sure I'd have found it in the War Room, but I'm not seeing anything posted yet.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens...st-people-over-unpaid-student-loans-1.3450289

Seems like an inane use of LEO resources, especially when it cost the agency nearly one quarter of the man's total owed on arresting him.

Of course that doesn't matter when you're ordered to pay that cost back as well. Do criminals ever get ordered to pay the wages of the arresting officers I wonder?

 

[Bukowski82]

Wasted resources.

 

[spamking]

The dude is an idiot . . . you take out a student loan in 1987, don't pay it off, and then ignore a court summons.

Pay your student loans off and all is good.

 

[PainIsLIfe]

. Do criminals ever get ordered to pay the wages of the arresting officers I wonder?

It's part of court costs that are added to your fine.

 

[5H3RD0G]

Our security forces suck if they are arresting students for not paying a loan.

 

[Primitivo]

That's... fine?



Next: How to give tickets.

Spoiler

 

[Dolomite]

Do criminals ever get ordered to pay the wages of the arresting officers I wonder?

Looks like this particular criminal will.

What if this had been early in the morning, and you startled me, and I reached for my gun? I would have been shot for $1500.- Paul Aker

People get shot all the time over $10 bags of crack.

What if frogs had springs on their butt's???

I think the effect arrests like these will have is that more little bitches will be able to beg & whine to their parents for money to pay off their student loans finally.

 

[PolishHeadlock]

Our security forces suck if they are arresting students for not paying a loan.

I believe he was arrested for ignoring a court summons.

 

[Vitamin C]

It's part of court costs that are added to your fine.

I've heard of victim surcharges and stuff, those get nailed onto our provincial tickets up here in Canada. Those are specifically set though.

If what this guy said is true, the judge just had one of the marshals spitball a number off the top of his head and tacked that onto the guys outstanding loan, for what was what seems like a gross overuse of resources in the first place.

Do the marshals regularly deploy 8 officers with tactical gear to arrest one man with no violent criminal history? If he ignored one court summons, wouldn't sending 2 officers to knock on the door seem like a more rational next step? It's not this man's fault the agency has no sense in their operating costs.

 

[IGIT]

I believe he was arrested for ignoring a court summons.

hiya PolishHeadlock,

yep.

here is a more complete telling of what happened;

Back in November 2007, Aker was sued by the federal government for nonpayment of more than $2,600 in unpaid federal student loan debt, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (embedded below).

The court record shows that Aker, listed as Winford P. Aker in the complaint, did not appear in court to answer the lawsuit and, as is common when student loan borrowers fail to appear, the presiding judge ruled against him and ordered Aker to pay the full balance on April 17, 2007.

According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service, Aker repeatedly refused to show up in court after being contacted several times. The agency said Aker told them by phone he would not appear in court to answer the summons. Disobeying a court order is a criminal offense.

Within a few months, the judge issued a warrant for his arrest, which the U.S. Marshals carried out. So, yes, Aker was arrested, but not just because he owed a little student loan debt. He was arrested for disobeying a court order.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/paul-aker-us-marshal-student-loan-debt-arrest-212047386.html

Aker was, essentially, a deadbeat who took money from US taxpayers and had decided, unilaterally, that laws simply didn't apply to him.

- IGIT

 

[Bloody Pulp]

Pesky facts.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/paul-aker-us-marshal-student-loan-debt-arrest-212047386.html

 

[7437]

I've heard of victim surcharges and stuff, those get nailed onto our provincial tickets up here in Canada. Those are specifically set though.

If what this guy said is true, the judge just had one of the marshals spitball a number off the top of his head and tacked that onto the guys outstanding loan, for what was what seems like a gross overuse of resources in the first place.

Do the marshals regularly deploy 8 officers with tactical gear to arrest one man with no violent criminal history? If he ignored one court summons, wouldn't sending 2 officers to knock on the door seem like a more rational next step? It's not this man's fault the agency has no sense in their operating costs.

Do you live in America? Minimum usage of force is not exactly something police here are known for.

 

[My Spot]

He wasn't arrested for an unpaid loan, he was arrested for being in contempt.

 

[PainIsLIfe]

I've heard of victim surcharges and stuff, those get nailed onto our provincial tickets up here in Canada. Those are specifically set though.

If what this guy said is true, the judge just had one of the marshals spitball a number off the top of his head and tacked that onto the guys outstanding loan, for what was what seems like a gross overuse of resources in the first place.

Do the marshals regularly deploy 8 officers with tactical gear to arrest one man with no violent criminal history? If he ignored one court summons, wouldn't sending 2 officers to knock on the door seem like a more rational next step? It's not this man's fault the agency has no sense in their operating costs.

I couldn't follow the link (work), but generally here in VA they charge you a fine plus court cost - I think it's $50 now. If it's for a garnishment they usually only add $10-20 to have the officer serve you the summons.

 

[IIIIIIII]

i don't know what's more pathetic and embarrassing: having four u.s. marshalls with machine guns and a battering ram arrest you for $1,500, or a guy who hasn't been able to pay a $1,500 loan in twenty-nine years.

pay off your debts. be an adult and pay what you owe. most of us at one point or another, have had to take out a loan, and have had to pay it back.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Glad taxpayer dollars are going to getting the real criminals off the streets: student scum whose loan payments are delinquent.

 

[Vitamin C]

Pesky facts.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/paul-aker-us-marshal-student-loan-debt-arrest-212047386.html

Well he says the first officer to show up stood outside his house and called his name, he got scared and retreated inside. Why wouldn't the first approach be a couple officers just walk on up and knock on the door? He's not got a violent record, so why treat him like he does? I could understand the tactical approach if he has had gun crimes etc on record.

Do you live in America? Minimum usage of force is not exactly something police here are known for.

I don't. I'm in Canada. This story in particular just strikes me as egregiously over the top in terms of LEO resources. A team of officers with machine guns seems suited to a most wanted arrest, not a $5,700 outstanding loan.

I couldn't follow the link (work), but generally here in VA they charge you a fine plus court cost - I think it's $50 now. If it's for a garnishment they usually only add $10-20 to have the officer serve you the summons.

Allegedly the judge added $1,300 to the owed amount on the verbal estimate of an officer in the court.

i don't know what's more pathetic and embarrassing: having four u.s. marshalls with machine guns and a battering ram arrest you for $1,500, or a guy who hasn't been able to pay a $1,500 loan in twenty-nine years.

pay off your debts. be an adult and pay what you owe. most of us at one point or another, have had to take out a loan, and have had to pay it back.

Oh definitely. It's a pathetic amount even after 28 years of interest, but conversely it's a drop in the bucket for the government to be using tactical teams and shackles on its own citizens.

Glad taxpayer dollars are going to getting the real criminals off the streets: student scum whose loan payments are delinquent.

Really this. It must almost be a zero sum game in this case. Like, what does it cost to pay that judge? And why 3 decades later? You'd think after a year or two of default they'd start action on it, you know, when he's not had 3 decades of address changes and is easier to find.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Well the peasants in the US should know higher education isnt for them. If they cant make those payments expect a crack SWAT team to bash in their door and arrest their arses.

 

[Bloody Pulp]

Seeing as his first reaction to hearing someone call his name in front of his house was to run inside the house and grab a gun, then refuse to come out of the house while telling the cops he had a gun, it may have been a good decision.

"The situation escalated when Aker verbally said to the deputies that he had a gun. After Aker made the statement that he was armed, in order to protect everyone involved, the deputies requested additional law enforcement assistance. Additional deputy marshals and local law enforcement officers responded to the scene. After approximately two hours, the law enforcement officers convinced Aker to peacefully exit his home, and he was arrested."

 

[Bloody Pulp]

So if you can't make those payments, and then ignore a court order, and several verbal notices, and then arm yourself with a gun and hide in your house when police show up and tell them you have a gun while still refusing to come out for two hours... yes, they may, in fact, send a SWAT team to your door.