In the face of mounting pressure, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she is requesting an independent probe into the abrupt firing of two attorneys from her office. Bondi denied that the termination of the two foreclosure fraud investigators was political.
“This decision (to terminate the attorneys) was made by, as it should be, three of my top staff members,” Bondi said. “I trust their judgment.”
Theresa Edwards and June Clarkson, two attorneys who have lead foreclosure fraud investigations from the attorney general’s office were abruptly fired, despite good performance reviews and successful mortgage fraud litigation. The attorneys were summoned by their supervisors and told to resign, failing which they would be terminated.
According to Bondi, the attorneys were let go because of job performance.
“This decision was made on job performance, not politics…If there’s any allegation that I knew about this or was involved in this, I’m asking for an outside I.G. to look at this and report back to me if there should have been more documentation.”
On July 27, Rep. Darren Soto (D-District 49) wrote to Bondi seeking answers as to why Edwards and Clarkson were terminated and requested records related to their job performance. He also requested Bondi to provide a list of active cases the attorneys had managed and the amounts of any settlements that had been obtained.
Reacting today to Bondi’s call from an investigation, Soto said it is a “slow-coming acknowledgement and a step in the right direction.” Soto added that a truly independent investigation is warranted by authorities outside Florida.
“Accordingly, I am considering calling on federal officials, possibly Senator Nelson and the U.S. Department of Justice, for assistance in ensuring that a thorough and truly independent probe is made into these suspicious dismissals,” Soto said.
Edwards and Clarkson’s foreclosure fraud work, which in part sets out how some lenders circumvent the law, was used successfully to prosecute cases in other states, including New York.
