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FBI Eyes Judge, Stripper Finances

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By STEVE ANDREWS

sandrews@wfla.com

Published: January 23, 2009

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

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

During that 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 not to discuss ongoing criminal investigations.

In an interview in 2008, Stringer said 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, the Florida 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," Schneider wrote.

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

"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, Atkinson said. "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 to 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," Atkinson said. "Anytime 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," Atkinson said.

He also said a federal investigation does not always mean charges are coming.

News Channel 8 reporter Steve Andrews can be reached at (813) 221-5779.

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