Attorney General Beau Biden today advised Delawareans to be on the lookout for potential scams that claim to be part of the health care reform recently signed into law by President
Obama. Scammers have attempted to prey on residents in other states by selling them fake insurance products.
“Unfortunately, dishonest people always seem to be coming up with new ways to try to trick people out of their hard-earned money,” Biden said. “We should all take common-sense steps to
protect ourselves from being victimized.”
Biden issued a series of suggestions to Delawareans:
• Be skeptical of phone solicitations offering to sell health care plans involving the made-up term “Obamacare”
• Check with the Delaware Department of Insurance at 800-282-8611 or consumer@deins.state.de.us to determine whether an insurance company is licensed with
the state before making any purchase
• Do not believe a caller who claims to be selling the “final spots” on government insurance plans like Medicaid or Medicare
• As always, Biden added, Delawareans should be careful not to disclose personal data over
the phone to parties that may not be trustworthy.
Examples of fraud abound across the country in the short time since the law passed. A woman in Illinois said she received a phone call offering insurance to protect against so-called
“death panels,” which do not exist. Scammers in Alabama have reportedly tried to sell “government health care reform insurance” if customers provided sensitive personal information, such as bank account numbers. Scammers are also claiming to sell the “last” spots on government health plans or plans that allowed customers to more quickly obtain Medicare drug rebates, which is not possible.
“It’s especially important for seniors to be skeptical of phone solicitations,” said Biden, who established the Department’s Senior Protection Initiative in 2008. “Scams often target seniors, and unfortunately most of these frauds go unreported. Seniors are also particularly concerned about medical issues, which is another reason to be extra careful of health insurance solicitations.”
If you suspect you have been contacted by a scam operation, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-220-5424.
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Reflecting the significant steps Delaware has taken in recent years to strengthen thefight against criminals who prey on children, Attorney General Beau Biden announced today that
Delaware has become just the second state in the country to achieve compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act.

“I’m proud that we are being recognized as a national leader in protecting our communities from the worst in society – those who seek to harm our children,” said Biden, who initiated a multiyear effort to strengthen Delaware’s fight against child predators after taking office in 2007. “The tough new registration requirements and protections we have put in place shows how committed we all are to keeping our families safe. I want to recognize the State Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Delaware State Police, and members of the General Assembly for working with us to enact legislation that brought Delaware into compliance with the Adam Walsh Act as well as our ongoing partnership to track offenders and investigate and prevent sex crimes.

We will never stop fighting to get these criminals off the streets and away from our children.”across the states and asks states to place the burden of proof on convicted sex offenders. Under current federal rules, states that fail to substantially implement these provisions by July 26, 2010 Under stand to lose 10% of their annual federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funding.

Attorney General Biden has made protecting children a priority, from creating the Delaware Department of Justice Child Predator Unit to establishing the Delaware Child Predator Task Force
in partnership with the Delaware State police. Biden has fought for tougher sex offender registry laws and led the effort to enact greater penalties for child pornography offenses. As a result of these efforts, over $1.3 million in federal grant funding has already been secured to expand Delaware’s fight against child predators. “This initiative to protect all children in Delaware has been a true partnership. I want to particularly thank the Delaware State Police for their ongoing efforts in maintaining one of the highest sex offender registry compliance rates in the nation. That means 98% of 4,168 sex offenders in Delaware are compliant with the Adam Walsh Act. It is through the vigilance and hard work of the Delaware State Police and its Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit that our State is recognized as a leader in the tracking and monitoring of sex offenders,” said Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro.

“Keeping children safe is everyone’s top priority,” said Senators Carper and Kaufman (both D-Del.). “The announcement that Delaware is the second state to successfully implement the
requirements of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act is a reflection of the strength and determination of our Delaware Attorney General’s office to protect children. The tougher new laws and Child Predator Unit created by Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden and his team through this federally-funded program are making a difference in children’s lives, and we are pleased to commemorate this milestone.” We will never Last week, the US Department of Justice determined that Delaware has substantially implemented the provisions of the sex offender registration and notification provisions of the Adam

Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Act aligns sex offender registry standards.

Bill enhances DNREC’s ability to battle violators
Contact: Patrick Jackson at 744-4046
Drew Volturo at 744-4001
Jason Miller at 577-8949
Melinda Carl at 739-9061

Delaware City –
– Standing at the site of Delaware’s most infamous environmental disaster,
lawmakers and Attorney General Joseph “Beau” Biden III announced legislation improving the state’s ability to crack down on businesses that habitually ignore Delaware’s environmental laws.

Biden, Sen. David McBride, D-Hawks Nest, Rep. Michael Mulrooney, D-Pennwood, and Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Collin O’Mara spoke with reporters

Tuesday outside the now-shuttered site of Metachem Products, which went bankrupt in 2002. The bankruptcy forced taxpayers to bear the full cost of the cleanup. That bill is now in excess of $100 million.

Federal officials have said it could take a century or more to clean up the Metachem site.

Before going under, Metachem battled state and federal efforts to make it help pay the costs of cleaning up the site, which today is fenced off with warning signs telling people the health risks of venturing onto the grounds. “This is going to put more teeth in the law we’ve already got,” said Sen. David McBride, DHawks Nest, the lead sponsor the measure, which will be introduced later this week. “We want any business that thinks they can ignore our laws or who think they can shrug off fines as ‘a cost of doing business’ that we’re coming after them and that we mean business.”

McBride, chairman of the Senate’s Natural Resources and Environmental Control Committee, has been a longtime champion of efforts to crack down on polluters. Biden praised his efforts to protect the environment and said the bill isn’t designed to cramp the state’s business climate. Biden praised the legislators for joining his effort to tighten and improve the law. “Those
who repeatedly violate Delaware’s environmental laws steal from us the ability to enjoy Delaware’s natural resources,” Biden said. “Sen. McBride, Rep. Mulrooney and I are fighting for strong and effective enforcement laws to protect Delaware’s citizens and our natural resources from those who would destroy our environment.”

The proposal refines the law, last updated in 2003, by:

• Clarifying that chronic violator status applies to parties that demonstrating either an inabilityor an unwillingness to comply with Delaware law, or to parties that appear to treat
environmental penalties simply as a business expense rather than an environmental threat it must correct.

Broadening and expanding the standards and criteria DNREC uses to declare a chronicviolator from current standards, which define a chronic violator as a party engaged in a pattern of willful neglect or disregard with respect to DNREC requirements, to include parties that have not adequately funded or modernized their operations, maintenance, training programs and risk management reviews and to parties that have not used recognized and generally accepted engineering and other industry practices to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

• Giving DNREC subpoena power to enforce the law and making technical revisions thatupdate it by clarifying meanings, and making language within the law consistent.

• Updating DNREC’s authority to amend and modify chronic violator regulations andenhances administrative penalties for violators. It significantly increases financial penalties
from the current maximum of $10,000 per day to $10,000 for each separate release of each identifiable pollutant. This increased penalty could be substantially higher and acts as a
more effective deterrent. O’Mara said he thinks the changes to the law will strengthen his department’s ability to enforce the law. “Delaware is a great place to locate for companies that want to work hard and play by fair rules. Chronic polluters don’t. They try and give themselves an unfair economic advantage by skirting the law. It’s not fair to their competitors. It’s not safe for their neighbors, and it’s not something we will tolerate,” O’Mara said. “This legislation will serve as an important tool to help us clean up our environment and protect the health of residents.”

Mulrooney, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, said the legislation would hold chronic violators accountable and protect taxpayers against bearing the burden of cleanup
costs. “DNREC has done its best to make these violators follow our laws, but have been frustrated in their attempts to use what could be a very useful tool,” said Mulrooney. “We hope that these changes will make violators think twice before disregarding our laws and will finally give DNREC the authority to deal with businesses whose irresponsibility damages our environment and leaves taxpayers holding the tab.”

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Attorney General Beau Biden marked National Crime Victims’ Rights Week todayby discussing his office’s efforts to do more to help victims rebuild their lives. Since taking over responsibility for the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program last year, the Department of Justice has significantly increased the amount of financial aid given to victims and their families.

The funding, which does not come from taxpayer dollars, covers a variety of expenses incurred by victims. Biden also said the Program has expanded its operations with a new office to serve New Castle County and Wilmington residents, and expanded outreach to downstate victims and families.

“At the Department of Justice, we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable among
us, from children and the elderly to people with disabilities and victims of crime, Biden said at the new Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) offices on King Street in Wilmington.

“National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an important time for us to acknowledge the struggles of
crime victims, celebrate their triumphs over the adversity of victimization, and stand shoulder to
shoulder with them as we fight back together.”

Biden explained that Department of Justice services to victims of crime and their families do
not end with the prosecution of offenders. He reviewed VCAP’s expanded outreach, the longstanding role of the Department’s Victim/Witness Services Unit, and legislation he is supporting this year to strengthen protections for victims statewide. Specifically:

• VCAP, which became part of the Department in July 2009 and moved into new offices indowntown Wilmington in December 2009, is an important resource for victims on their road
to recovery. VCAP is funded through surcharges on court fines and penalties, as well as
federal grants. These funds pay expenses such as mental health counseling, medical bills,
lost wages, and moving and relocating services for victims of domestic violence. Through
streamlining and enhanced outreach from help desks at courthouses and Department of
Justice offices in each county, VCAP has reached more Delawareans than ever before.
Biden announced that VCAP expects to end the current fiscal year with more than 1,100
applications for assistance – a 60% increase over last year. Moreover, the Program has
awarded over $2.3 million to victims so far this fiscal year, more than was distributed in all
of last year.

• The Department of Justice Victim/Witness Services Unit, part of the Department’s CriminalDivision, helps victims, witnesses, and their families navigate through the criminal justice
process, which can be complicated, confusing, and even intimidating. This team consists of
Social Workers and support personnel who assist victims and witnesses with counseling,
referrals for medical or psychological treatment, transportation, and something that is often
overlooked in the process – encouragement. The unit also provides case notification and
outreach to thousands of Delawareans affected by crime every year.

•The Department has helped craft important legislation that will make the law work harderfor victims of crime, including House Bill 336, which strengthens Protection for Abuse
Orders and allows for their extension indefinitely in the worst cases, and House Bill 348,
which strengthens penalties for more than 60 crimes committed against vulnerable or infirm
adults.

Learn more about the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program and other Department of
Justice services for victims by visiting www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov.
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Attorney General Beau Biden announced that the Sussex County Grand Jury today indicted Earl Bradley on 58 counts of rape and other sexual offenses related to his abuse of 24 girls.
“These charges are the next step forward in our continued efforts to hold Bradley accountable
for his actions,” Biden said at the Delaware Department of Justice’s offices in Georgetown.

“We are working just as hard to ensure the victims and their families have everything they need.”

The 58-count indictment is in addition to the 471-counts Bradley was indicted on in February,
which involved 102 girls and one boy. The charges in today’s indictment, which include rape, unlawful sexual contact, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and sexual exploitation, involve patients he saw from 1999 to 2009. It is based on victim interviews conducted at the Delaware Children’s Advocacy Center at the request of the Delaware Department of Justice and Delaware State Police during the investigation that began in December 2008 and continued through Bradley’s December 2009 arrest. The investigation remains open and ongoing.

Biden continued to highlight the services and support available to victims of Dr. Bradley and
their families through the Delaware Department of Justice and other agencies, including:

The Delaware Department of Justice continues to provide services for victims and their
families through the Delaware Department of Justice Lewes Community Office at (302) 645-4010. Parents can also visit this office, at 105 W 4th Street, to request a copy of their child’spediatric file, share information with investigators, and be connected with counseling and other services that are available. Normal hours of operation are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, but appointments at other times can be accommodated.

The Delaware Department of Justice, Delaware State Police, and other agencies are
coordinating specialized services for victims and their families. Concerned parents and
caretakers are urged to contact the Delaware State Police 24-hour Victim Services Hotline at
1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461) or send an e-mail to Delaware State Police at
mailto:victim1@delaware.gov or www.victim1@delaware.gov.

Callers will speak with a victim service advocate qualified to provideimportant information and make appropriate referrals. They may also be directed to financial assistance provided for counseling and other services through state programs, including the Delaware Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program.

The Delaware Department of Justice reminds the public that an indictment is merely an
allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a jury trial at which the state bears the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

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