NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today released the following statement in observance of Veterans Day:
“On this Veterans Day, we honor the sacrifices made by our service members and their families. The courageous men and women in uniform overseas carry the highest burden of defending our rights and liberties. We have an obligation to ensure that their bravery is matched with an unending commitment to caring for them and their loved ones long after they have returned home. My office will continue to do all it can to defend the rights of veterans and their families here in New York.”
The Attorney General has taken a variety of measures aimed at protecting the rights of veterans and service members. Since 2011 the office has:
- Announced the sentencing of two individuals charged with stealing over $200,000 from a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel who helped negotiate the release of U.S. Senator John McCain
- Issued a cease and desist letter to LeRay 300, LLC, a Virginia-based rental company which was allegedly charging service members illegal fees and collecting undisclosed, non-refundable "reservation deposits" in violation of New York State law, among other allegations
- Cautioned Watertown-area landlords of the legal protections afforded to servicemembers in the wake of the latest Fort Drum deployments in 2015
- Secured a $24.6 million settlement with one of the country’s largest veterans’ charities, the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, which resolved allegations that the company sent misleading solicitations and failed to disclose conflicts of interest
- Led a settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 13 Attorneys General that obtained approximately $92 million in debt relief from a company that operated a predatory lending scheme against service members, a company that the Attorney General previously reached a $3.5 million settlement with.
- Proposed legislation that would allow New Yorkers who serve on active duty in the military, or their spouses, to apply for a tax exemption on 10 percent of the assessed value of their homes, and worked to ensure that all U.S. military veterans receive state property tax exemptions to which they are legally entitled under New York law
- Reached a $9.5 million settlement with SmartBuy, a retailer and financing firm based in North Carolina, which fraudulently charged thousands of soldiers who purchased electronics near Fort Drum
- Worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Defense and the Federal Trade Commission, to develop a database to combat consumer financial frauds directed at military members, veterans, or their families.
- Announced a series of actions against Buffalo-area debt collectors who preyed on military personnel and vulnerable consumers
A copy of the Attorney General’s Service Members and Veterans Resource Guide can be found here.