Feds charge porn-troll lawyers in major fraud, extortion case in Minneapolis

A Minnesota lawyer who has drawn scorn for his tactics in filing porn copyright lawsuits and disability litigation has been indicted alongside a longtime partner in a multimillion-fraud and extortion conspiracy that counted as its victims hundreds of people nationwide and the court system itself.

Authorities arrested Paul Hansmeier, 35, of Woodbury, and John L. Steele, 45, an attorney in Illinois who was a former classmate of Hansmeier’s at the University of Minnesota Law School, shortly before U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced charges Friday morning. Hansmeier was arrested in the Twin Cities; Steele, who has lived off and on in Florida, was arrested in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.startribune.com/feds-charge-porn-troll-lawyers-in-major-fraud-extortion-case-in-minneapolis/407095106/