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FBI Investigating Judge Stringer Sources Say

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By STEVE ANDREWS | News Channel 8

Published: January 22, 2009

The FBI is investigating financial affairs involving 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Thomas E. Stringer Sr. and Las Vegas stripper Christy Yamanaka, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.

An FBI investigator interviewed a friend of Yamanaka in September, asking questions about a Hawaiian house Stringer says he owned with the stripper from 2004 to 2007, as well as bank accounts set up in his name from which she made house payments.

During that same time period, Yamanaka owed credit card companies more than $315,000. The judge is accused of helping Yamanaka hide assets from her creditors.

The judge failed to disclose on the mortgage loan application that Yamanaka had any interest in the property. The FBI has not returned calls for comment. It is the agency's policy to not discuss ongoing criminal investigations.

In an interview with News Channel 8 and The Tampa Tribune last year, Stringer said that he and Yamanaka were business partners in the purchase and sale of the house in Hawaii but that he was not helping her hide money. He said he allowed her to use accounts that were in his name because "her credit was terrible."

Last week, Florida's Judicial Qualifications Commission charged Stringer with violating the Code of Judicial Conduct. In the JQC's formal charges against the judge, General Counsel Michael Schneider criticized Stringer's ties to the Hawaiian property. "..your actions were designed to hide Ms. Yamanaka's interest in the property from others, including her creditors," wrote Schneider.

Former federal and state prosecutor Lee Atkinson says it's important to note that the JQC has not accused Stringer of any criminal wrongdoing. After reading through the JQC's findings, Atkinson understands why the FBI might be interested.

"Anytime one is involved in a mortgage that has been provided by a federally regulated bank, there are federal laws against making false applications and against providing false information about who the owners of the property are," said Atkinson. "In effect, the federal government is saying if you're cheating the bank, you're cheating us."

The JQC also charged that Stringer allowed Yamanaka to make large cash deposits into accounts and transfer money to other accounts in his name for the purpose of hiding her assets and income from creditors.

"Anyone who tries to avoid judgments and stiff their creditors is engaged in what could be called in the criminal law a garden variety fraud," said Atkinson. "Any time a fraud scheme is perpetrated through the use of the telephone, wire transfers, mailings through the U.S. mail service, those come within federal jurisdiction."

"It's never good news for any citizen to have reason to believe that they are under investigation by any law enforcement agency for any significant matter," said Atkinson.

Atkinson points out a federal investigation does not necessarily mean any charges are coming.

See Steve Andrews report on WFLA-TV at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. News Channel 8 reporter Steve Andrews can be reached at (813) 221-5779.

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