This color view of a mineral vein called "Homestake" comes from Opportunity's panoramic camera. Opportunity examined it in November 2011 and found it to be rich in calcium and sulfur, possibly the calcium-sulfate mineral gypsum. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/ASU.

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity has found bright veins of a mineral, apparently gypsum, deposited by water near the rim of Endeavour Crater.

The discovery was presented Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the American Geophysical Union's conference in San Francisco.

“This tells a slam-dunk story that water flowed through underground fractures in the rock,” said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for Opportunity. “This stuff is a fairly pure chemical deposit that formed in place right where we see it.1 It's the kind of thing that makes geologists jump out of their chairs.”

The vein examined most closely by Opportunity is about the width of a human thumb (1 to 2 centimeters) and 40 to 50 centimeters long.

Observations by the rover reveal this vein and others like it within an apron surrounding the rim of Endeavour Crater.

Nothing like it was seen in the 33 kilometers of crater-pocked plains that Opportunity explored for 90 months before it reached Endeavour, nor in the higher ground of the crater's rim.

Last month, researchers used the Microscopic Imager and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer on the rover's arm and multiple filters of the Panoramic Camera on the rover's mast to examine the vein, which is informally named "Homestake."

The spectrometer identified plentiful calcium and sulfur, in a ratio pointing to relatively pure calcium sulfate.

Calcium sulfate can exist in many forms varying by how much water is bound into the minerals' crystalline structure. The multi-filter data from the camera suggest gypsum, a hydrated calcium sulfate. On Earth, gypsum is used for making drywall and plaster of Paris.

Observations from orbit had detected gypsum on Mars previously. A dune field of windblown gypsum on far northern Mars resembles the glistening gypsum dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The origin of that windblown gypsum is, however, uncertain.

"It is a mystery where gypsum sand on northern Mars comes from," said Opportunity science-team member Benton Clark of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. "At Homestake, however, we see the mineral right where it formed. It will be important to see if there are deposits like this in other areas of Mars."

The Homestake deposit, whether gypsum or another form of calcium sulfate, likely formed from water dissolving calcium out of volcanic rocks.

The calcium combined with sulfur that was either leached from the rocks or introduced as volcanic gas, and it was deposited as calcium sulfate into an underground fracture that later became exposed at the surface.

The discovery of gypsum fits the emerging picture of an ancient wet environment.

Throughout Opportunity's long traverse across Mars' Meridiani plain, the rover has driven over bedrock composed of magnesium, iron and calcium sulfate minerals that also indicate the presence of water billions of years ago.

The highly concentrated calcium sulfate at Homestake could have been produced in conditions more neutral than the harshly acidic conditions indicated by the other sulfate deposits observed by Opportunity.

"It could have formed in a different type of water environment, one more hospitable for a larger variety of living organisms," Clark said.

Opportunity has been exploring Mars for nearly eight years, far exceeding than the rover's original 3-month mission, which began in 2004.

Gypsum veins are just the latest example of an important discovery about wet environments on ancient Mars that may have been favorable for supporting microbial life.

Opportunity's equally productive twin, Spirit, stopped communicating in 2010. Opportunity continues exploring, currently heading to a sun-facing slope on the northern end of the Endeavour rim fragment called "Cape York" to keep its solar panels at a favorable angle during the mission's fifth Martian winter.

For more information about the rovers, including NASA's newest rover Curiosity now en route to Mars, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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This close-up view of a mineral vein called "Homestake" comes from the microscopic imager on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The vein is about the width of a thumb and about 18 inches (45 centimeters) long. Opportunity examined it in November 2011 and found it to be rich in calcium and sulfur, possibly the calcium-sulfate mineral gypsum. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/USGS.

The quake was reported at 1:57 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

It was recorded at a depth of 2.2 miles right at the steamfield, six miles west southwest of Cobb and seven miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, the survey reported.

Fifteen quake reports from eight zip codes – Kelseyville, Middletown, Hidden Valley, Calistoga, San Ramon, San Jose, Cloverdale and Geyserville – were submitted to the US Geological Survey.

A 3.0-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers on Nov. 18, as Lake County News has reported.

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A feller-buncher operates cutting trees and gathering them together to move to a landing area in the Alder Springs project area on the Mendocino National Forest. The feller-buncher is one of several types of mechanical equipment that is frequently utilized to complete ecological restoration projects. Courtesy photo.

California’s landscapes are under siege from a host of threats – catastrophic wildfire, climate change, invasive species and increasing human population put these delicate ecosystems at risk.

The U.S. Forest Service has recognized and battled these threats for decades, but recently the agency recognized the need for a more focused approach on ecological restoration as the primary goal for all land management actions.

The goal is to retain and restore ecological resilience of the National Forest lands to achieve sustainable ecosystems that provide a broad range of services and value.

Ecologically healthy and resilient land­scapes, rich in biodiversity, have greater capacity to adapt and thrive in the face of natural disturbances and large scale threats.

The Forest Service recognizes that it cannot achieve its goals alone.

“The emphasis will be placed on expanding and developing partnerships to increase organizational capacity and the use of large-scale stewardship contracts operating at the landscape level to achieve restoration goals,” said Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore.

In Northern California, the Eldorado and Mendocino National Forests and the Lake Tahoe Basin have been working hard on various Ecological Restoration projects.

On the Eldorado National Forest, restoration activities continued this year in the Bassi Falls-Millionaire Camp area on the Pacific Ranger District.

In the past, vehicles drove across a web of user-created roads both on public and private lands to access Bassi Falls.

In 2002, the Pacific Ranger District coordinated with the adjacent land owner, Sierra Pacific Industries, to improve watershed conditions by closing user-created roads, blocking access and replanting denuded areas.

A nonmotorized hiking trail was constructed to allow access to Bassi Falls and a parking area was identified in the Millionaire Camp for access to a popular dispersed camping area along Big Silver Creek.

Shortly after the original restoration project, the private land in the area was acquired by the Forest Service through the Silver-Pearl land exchange.

Restoration efforts on this project have continued over the past several years with a focus on improving conditions on those lands acquired through the land exchange.

There are several areas where large amounts of soil have eroded away from motorized vehicle impacts, and are still eroding despite the removal of motorized vehicles. In addition, much of the hiking trail, which is made up of old user-created roads have poor drainage and erosion issues.

Current restoration activities include repairing hillsides that have old roads that are currently causing problems in various streams and rivers.

The work includes a variety of activities primarily to prevent water running down the middle of roads. In some cases, small dams will be constructed to catch sediment before it gets to streams and rivers.

Water quality problems will be resolved by removing some dirt roads and returning the hillside to a more natural state.

To do this, some roads will be plowed with heavy equipment so trees and other vegetation will grow where the road was located. We will also repair some streams in meadows that are eroding along the streamsides.

The Alder Springs area following a prescribed burn at Long Point on the Mendocino National Forest. Prescribed fire is an important tool for ecological restoration, reintroducing fire into the eco-system during precise weather conditions to safely reduce hazardous fuels, as well as returning nutrients to the soil and improving wildlife habitat. Courtesy photo.

The Mendocino National Forest has a variety of ecological restoration projects, including marijuana site restoration and fuels reduction.

Illegal marijuana cultivation not only poses a risk to public and employee safety, it also directly harms the environment.

The illegal use of pesticides can cause extensive long-term damage to natural resources. For example, the supply of public drinking water for hundreds of miles may be impacted due to one marijuana growing site.

Overall, the negative impact of marijuana sites on natural resources is severe. Human waste and trash are widespread, contamination from sites affects fish and wildlife habitats, and soil erosion is common.

In addition, water usage is extreme because each marijuana plant is estimated to require a gallon of water per day – water that is critical to native vegetation, wildlife and public drinking water sources.

“Reclaiming sites damaged by illegal marijuana cultivation is an important part of Ecological Restoration efforts,” said Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Lee Johnson. “All resources are touched by this activity – water, soils, wildlife and the overall health of the forest. Restoration efforts help not only the forest resources, but also benefit the public that uses the National Forest System lands for recreation, as well as for clean water and clean air.”

Another Ecological Restoration project on the Mendocino National Forest is the Alder Springs Fuel Reduction Project which was begun to thin the dense second-growth conifer stand that developed after a fire in the 1920s.

The intent was to improve forest health and reduce the risk of a stand-replacing fire in the future.

The Alder Springs project also included prescribed burning of adjacent non-conifer vegetation to expand the fuels reduction work and to maintain fire processes.

A carbon budget study was integrated into project implementation in partnership with Wheelabrator and Winrock International.

“The Alder Springs Project is an example of how Ecological Restoration has been essential to managing the resources on the Mendocino National Forest,” said Johnson. “Ecological Restoration on the Forest includes an integrated approach across all resources, utilizing opportunities on a broader landscape for better results, working with partners, finding opportunities for research for further understanding and development, and continuing the project through maintenance and developing a unified vision for future management.”

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit recently completed the latest phase of tree thinning aimed at restoring the health of meadows, aspen groves and forest uplands near Big Meadow Creek.

Contract crews worked to thin conifers on 55 acres surrounding the popular Scotts Lake Trail, off Big Meadow Trailhead near Luther Pass on Highway 89.

In all, the Forest Service expects to treat about 640 acres, piling the material to burn later.

The tree-thinning is part of a larger project, the Big Meadow Creek Watershed Fire Regime Restoration, which will continue for several years.

Prior to the recent practice of actively suppressing fires, ground fires occurred naturally. The Washoe Tribe also deliberately used fire to encourage the growth of desired plant and tree species, such as willow and aspen, and attract the wildlife that depend on this vegetation. Without periodic fires that destroy conifer seedlings, the trees overtake aspen stands and meadows and can lead to forest die-off from insect infestation, drought or fire.

Once the initial thinning and pile burning are complete, the Forest Service will begin meadow burns that more closely simulate the natural role fire once played in the ecosystem.

“Thinning trees reduces competition for water, nutrients and sunlight, which helps meadow vegetation and aspens thrive and allows the remaining trees in forested area to grow larger,” said Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson. “This work, funded through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, will help to restore the Big Meadow ecosystem, providing important wildlife habitat and preserving one of our special places in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

“Ecological Restoration crosses land boundaries and includes many different projects,” said Moore. “Ultimately we want to create landscapes that survive and thrive in a changing environment and provide goods, services and recreation opportunities now and for generations to come.”

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Big Meadow Creek Watershed Fire Regime Restoration area after the project. Courtesy photo.

Kenneth Mark West, 26, a transient who lived between Ukiah and Willits, died after he was hit in an incident that occurred at 8:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of N. State Street, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Smallcomb said the California Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation.

Traffic control was reportedly in effect around the area as the investigation took place.

Reports from the scene indicated a yellow three-axle semi truck seen heading southbound from the crash scene may have been involved.

Shortly before 3 p.m. a CHP officer reportedly made contact with a possible suspect in the incident, but no additional details of that contact were available Thursday night.

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The AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team reported that while the worst of winter will be focused over the Midwest and Northwest, it does not mean other parts of the country are off the hook.

A weak to moderate La Niña is a key factor in the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast with more typical La Nina winter conditions expected.

"La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year's winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast," AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman stated in the initial release of the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.

La Niña winters feature a stronger Northern jet stream, an area of strong winds high above the Earth's surface. This positioning and strength of the jet stream tends to cause storms to track across the northern tier, spelling harsh winters from the Northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.

Typically, the southern tier of the U.S. ends up mild and dry in a La Niña winter. There will be some exceptions to that this year with wet weather anticipated for parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Another big factor in the winter forecast is the potential for a blocking pattern to develop with the NAO, or North Atlantic Oscillation, possibly turning negative for a time. This essentially means that a large area of high pressure could set up over Greenland, forcing cold blasts to reach the U.S.

"The lack of sea ice has been believed to contribute to the development of blocking. This past summer and early fall, sea ice reached near-record low levels," according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Paul Pastelok and the Long-Range Forecasting Team that he leads still think Old Man Winter will leave the biggest impression on the northern Rockies, northern Plains and the Midwest.

It will be a snowier-than-usual season for the Midwest, which will lie to the north and west of the frequent storm track, or in the "sweet spot" of the storms.

Typical of a La Niña year, the harshest cold will blast the northern Plains and northern Rockies.

Winter looking wetter for California, still stormy for Northwest

The 2011-2012 Winter Forecast was updated to show even more rain and snow for northern and central California with the Pacific jet stream expected to hover over this area for most of the winter season.

Farther inland, this winter is expected to be another active one for the northern Sierra and interior Northwest with above-normal snowfall forecast.

In contrast, the Pacific Northwest, including much of Washington and western Oregon, will get some breaks from the wet weather.

"Watch for a 'Pineapple Connection' during the mid- to late season that will send some areas well above-normal precipitation," Pastelok said. This means "snow in the mountains and rain and mudslides in the valleys."

Also known as the "Pineapple Express," the Pineapple Connection is a phenomenon that occurs when a strong, persistent flow of tropical moisture sets up from the Hawaiian islands to the West Coast of the U.S. This phenomenon often leads to excessive rain and incredible snow events.

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Steelhead and Chinook in the Napa River in 2008. Courtesy photo.

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Napa County officials on Friday announced the details of nearly $3.3 million in federal, state and local funding aimed at restoring water quality and riparian and aquatic habitats in the Napa River watershed.

As part of two major restoration efforts covering 15 miles of the Napa River, more than 40 landowners have committed to converting nearly 135 acres of farmland to wildlife habitat.

Regional steelhead and Chinook salmon populations have suffered steep declines as a result of high concentrations of fine sediment in the Napa River, which clouds spawning gravel.

In-stream erosion has degraded the once complex channel, severely reducing rearing habitat for these species.

The river, which runs 55 miles from Mt. St. Helena to the San Pablo Bay, is also prone to seasonal flooding from November to April.

“Despite long-term habitat degradation and falling fish populations, the Napa River represents one of the most important watersheds within the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary for the recovery of regional steelhead populations,” said EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Jared Blumenfeld. “This $1.5 million EPA grant will help manage erosion, improve spawning gravel, and create habitat for critically endangered salmon.”

At a press conference along the banks of the Napa River in Rutherford, with fall run Chinook salmon spawning below, U.S. EPA Administrator Jared Blumenfeld was joined by U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, County Supervisor Diane Dillon, and key federal, state and local officials to highlight the pioneering private-public partnership designed to improve water quality and salmon habitat and address eroding streambanks within this important agricultural area.

The Napa River has cut down so much that it’s up to three times deeper than it once was, creating vertical stream banks up to 30 feet high. In some locations the banks have become unstable and subject to catastrophic collapse. The river channel is also much narrower than before, making flows more erosive.

To stabilize river banks and create wildlife habitat, vineyard owners in the Rutherford area have committed to converting 20 acres of agriculture land back to river habitat.

Landowners are continuing the restoration of the Napa River south of Rutherford between Oakville and Oak Knoll in the Napa Valley and in total, have committed to restoring more than 115 acres.

“Today’s announcement is a win for our environment, wildlife, and economy,” said Rep. Thompson (D-St. Helena). “We are reducing erosion and sediment runoff, we are improving steelhead and Chinook salmon habitat, and we are strengthening the Napa River which is at the heart of our economy, giving life to agriculture and our thriving wine industry that pumps more than $61 billion into our economy every year. I thank the grape growers and landowners for their partnership and commitment to this restoration process.”

The Napa River historically supported a run of 6,000 to 8,000 steelhead, but by the late 1960s those numbers had declined to an estimated 2,000 adults. Today the steelhead run is estimated to be less than a few hundred adults.

The EPA grant will help restore Napa River water quality by implementing several priority actions of the Napa River Sediment total maximum daily load (TMDL) and habitat enhancement plan.

The grant, with nearly $1.8 Million in matching and leveraged funds, will restore a nearly mile-long section of the Napa River in Rutherford to improve steelhead and Chinook habitat and water quality, complete restoration design along an additional 3.9 miles of the Napa River in Oakville and eradicate five acres of invasive non-native Giant Reed and plant native riparian trees.

It also will assist ranchers to reduce erosion on 80 percent of Napa watershed grazing lands in the watershed, implement BMPs to reduce sediment runoff from rural roads and stream crossings throughout the watershed and establish a tracking system to advance water quality improvements through increased accountability.

The primary grant recipient is Napa County, in partnership with the Napa County Resource Conservation District, the California Land Stewardship Institute, U.C. Cooperative Extension and the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team of the Rutherford Dust Society landowner group.

The grant builds on more than two decades of local stewardship involving landowners, the County, elected officials and partner agencies.

“We are very grateful to be receiving this grant from EPA and also grateful to all our other project partners in restoring the Napa River, including the voters in Napa County who approved County Measure ‘A,’ which has been vital in making all this possible,” said Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon.

The Napa River watershed has many active stakeholders showcasing environmental innovation and leadership, and represents an opportunity to succeed in minimizing polluted runoff, restoring impaired waters, maintaining native fisheries and implementing pollution standards.

“The River Restoration Project is striking a balance between economy and ecology,” said local vintner and land manager Davie Pina. “Landowners, the community, and government are investing equitably in the preservation of our environmental and agricultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.”

The EPA has been active in the Napa River watershed providing technical and financial assistance since the early 1990s. Since 2007, Napa has received approximately $4.8 Million in EPA grants for sediment management.

The grant funding source is $22 million appropriated since 2008 for San Francisco Bay, currently supporting 38 projects, with 53 organizations leveraging and matching more than $42 million.

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Steven Greg Humphries, 34, of Kelseyville, Calif., was arrested for drugs, violating his parole and assault on a peace officer on Thursday, November 29, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Kelseyville man is in custody after he assaulted a detective who was attempting to conduct a parole compliance check.

Steven Greg Humphries, 34, was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 29, according to a report from Michelle Gonzalez of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

On Nov. 29 at approximately 4:28 p.m., members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force spotted Humphries walking eastbound across the Main Street Bridge in Kelseyville. Gonzalez reported that Humphries was known by Task Force detectives to be on active state parole.

When one of the task force members approached Humphries and asked him if he was on parole, Humphries attempted to throw a small backpack he was carrying over the edge of the bridge, Gonzalez reported.

She said Humphries was taken to the ground by the detectives, but continued to violently resist their actions. A passing motorist quickly came to the aid of the detectives and assisted in subduing Humphries.

Once handcuffs and leg restraints were placed on the Humphries, medics responded to medically clear him. Gonzalez said he refused medical treatment.

During a search of the backpack Narcotics Detectives located a glass pipe with a white residue, 11 small baggies with a clear crystalline substance, which tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine, weighing a total of one ounce; a digital scale, packaging materials and marijuana.

Humphries was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility where he was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia, violation of his parole, and battery on a peace officer, Gonzalez said.

On Wednesday Humphries remained in custody without bail due to a parole hold. Neither Humphries or the sheriff’s detectives were seriously injured during the altercation, according to Gonzalez.

Anyone with information that can assist the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force in eradicating narcotics is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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These drugs and paraphernalia were allegedly found by narcotics detectives on Steven Greg Humphries, 34, of Kelseyville, Calif., on Thursday, November 29, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff

Todd Allen Drawdy, 45, whose booking sheet lists his occupation as self-employed in the construction business, was arrested on Nov. 30 by Det. Kellie Joseph, who recently joined the sheriff’s office detective division, according to jail records.

Drawdy is being held at at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, oral copulation with a child under 14, oral copulation with a person under 18, sexual penetration with a foreign object, aggravated sexual assault of a minor by force, continuous sexual assault of a minor by force and violation of his probation.

Capt. James Bauman said sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Kelseyville High School on Nov. 18 where faculty had developed information that one of their students had been the victim of sexual abuse.

Further investigation revealed that Drawdy had allegedly been committing continued acts of molestation and sexual abuse on at least one victim for the past eight years. Bauman said the case was then turned over to the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit.

With the assistance of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, on Nov. 29, Lake County detectives coordinated an extensive interview with the victim in Sonoma County where she has been staying with relatives since the investigation began, Bauman said.

The following day, on Nov. 30, sheriff’s detectives located Drawdy at his home in Lucerne and arrested him, according to Bauman.

Earlier this year, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office had turned over two other cases involving Drawdy to the Attorney General’s Office because Don Anderson, elected district attorney last year, had previous legal-related interactions with Drawdy, which created a conflict of interest for his office, as Lake County News reported in April.

The earlier cases turned over to the Attorney General’s Office involved charges against Drawdy of misdemeanor annoying or molesting a child and a probation violation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Because of that existing conflict, Bauman said it’s anticipated the most recent case against Drawdy also will be filed with the Attorney General’s Office.

Sheriff’s detectives also anticipate identifying additional victims as their investigation continues, Bauman said.

Anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Det. Joseph at 707-262-4233.

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This vehicle went off of Highway 20 in Lucerne, Calif., and rolled over but shopped short of going completely into Clear Lake on Thursday, December 8, 2011. Photo by Nicole McQ.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A Thursday vehicle rollover that ended up with a car on the lakeshore resulted in no injuries, according to initial information provided by the California Highway Patrol and witnesses.

The single-vehicle incident occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Highway 20 at Bel Ray Avenue in Lucerne, according to the CHP.

The vehicle, heading eastbound, went off the road, rolled over and came to rest on its wheels on the lake’s edge, about 30 feet off the roadway, according to the CHP and witness reports.

A young man was driving the vehicle with an older man sleeping in the passenger seat when the vehicle went off the road. A witness reported that the driver said he was blinded by the sun, which led to him going off the road.

The car’s two occupants were able to get out of the car and reported they were OK, according to reports from the scene.

The men were seen by medical personnel; the CHP’s preliminary report indicated they were not injured.

A tow truck was called to the scene, as reports indicated the vehicle would need to be pulled up over boulders in order to get it off the shoreline.

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Christopher Fox, 37, of Laguna Niguel and Curtis Melone (AKA Curtis Kubat), 37, of Huntington Beach were arrested Tuesday on 37 felony counts, including conspiracy, grand theft and unlawful collection of advance fees.

They are being held at the Orange County Jail on $500,000 bail and will be arraigned today in Orange County Superior Court, Harris’ office reported.

Fox and Melone – along with King Harris III, 42, of St. Louis, Missouri – allegedly collected more than $6 million in up-front fees through Orange County- based Green Credit Solutions.

The Attorney General's Office will seek extradition of King Harris, who currently faces federal mail and wire fraud charges in Missouri.

"Homeowners continue to struggle throughout California and across the country to hang onto their homes, and this prosecution is another warning to predators who would seek to profit from their distress: this kind of criminal conduct will meet with swift and certain consequences," Attorney General Harris said.

She advised that homeowners should never pay up-front fees to reduce their loans.

“Californians who face mortgage difficulties should instead contact a nonprofit housing counselor, either through www.HUD.gov or a local nonprofit housing clinic, to learn about the mortgage process and their rights as homeowners,” she added.

In June 2009, the Attorney General's Office launched an investigation of Orange County- based Green Credit Solutions – later renamed Guardian Credit Services and Get My Credit Grade – in response to numerous consumer complaints filed with the office, as well as with the Better Business Bureau, the California Department of Real Estate and the State Bar of California.

Through witness interviews, analysis of the company's marketing materials, and its business and financial records, Department of Justice investigators uncovered a scheme in which thousands of victims paid $3,500 for what they believed were attorney-backed loan modification services to reduce their interest rates, monthly payments or principal balance.

From November 2008 to October 2009, Fox, Melone and King Harris collected more than $6 million from thousands of homeowners across California and nationwide.

Victims were told their funds would be held in a so-called "attorney escrow account" until services were completed. In fact, those fees were often deposited into the account of a disbarred attorney and then promptly transferred to GCS.

Likewise, the company fraudulently claimed that loan modification services would be performed by attorneys; King Harris is a disbarred Tennessee attorney and marketing materials referred to his alleged partners at the defunct law firm of "Smith Harris PLLC."

In May, Attorney General Harris formed a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force to investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud. In August, the Strike Force filed its first suit against a law firm that took millions from desperate homeowners.

In California, foreclosure consultants are prohibited by law from collecting money before services are performed.

For more tips on how to avoid mortgage fraud and other resources, and to report fraud or file a complaint, visit http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/loan-modification.

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120711 Green Credit Solutions case