Just Another Fox in the Minnesota Henhouse

Despite Governor Tim Pawlenty's ability to avoid being found personally guilty for any wrong doing (yet), close associates continue to take the fall for various illegal activities. According to an article in the September 27, 2005 Star Tribune newspaper, Pawlenty's campaign treasurer and friend Ron Esau is stepping down after being fined for illegal and deceptive mortgage schemes.

The campaign treasurer for Gov. Tim Pawlenty resigned Monday after a ruling that a company he ran "misled and deceived" homeowners in a mortgage refinancing scheme. ...

Esau resigned after meeting with the governor following a state Commerce Department ruling Friday that barred him from residential mortgage work and fined his firm $10,000. ...

Authorities say an equity-stripping scheme employed by Esau's lending company, HJE Financial, targeted families facing foreclosure by offering to buy their houses and sell them back for what they owed plus interest.

However, the owners ended up paying full market value or losing their homes.

Attorney General Mike Hatch earlier settled a separate suit against Esau in which he agreed to get out of the mortgage transfer business, pay restitution to a St. Louis Park couple and otherwise revise financing terms.

This is just one one more case of Pawlenty and his associates behaving as if they think laws are just for the little people and they need not be bothered with them.