AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that a former Medway man was sentenced to 60 days in jail following his plea of guilty to perjury.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider and Governor Paul R. LePage announced last week that a Task Force has been formed to combat the prescription drug abuse problem in Maine.

Governor LePage signed an executive order Wednesday, February 1 establishing the Maine Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. The formation of the Task Force follows the Prescription Drug Abuse Summit hosted by Attorney General Schneider in October.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider is warning churches and nonprofits about recent reports of calls from individuals claiming to need help with paying rent.

?There are reports from Maine church officials who have received phone calls from individuals requesting help to pay rent,? said Attorney General Schneider. ?One particular caller was very believable and stated that she needed $170 to rent a home in Winthrop. As it turns out, this particular property is a home which was recently listed for sale and the owner was still living there.?

Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that Daniel Gargan, Jr., age 43, of Rockland, was sentenced on January 25, 2012, to 30 days in jail for failing to pay his state income taxes. Gargan pled guilty to failing to pay his Maine Income Taxes from 2005 through 2009 and failing to file his Maine Income Tax Returns for 2005 and 2006.

Gargan, a commercial fisherman, earned an annual income of between $80,000 and $110,000 from 2005 through 2009 yet paid no state income taxes. Gargan had previously failed to pay his state income taxes from 2000 through 2003.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider is warning consumers about recent reports of calls from individuals claiming to represent supplemental health insurance offers.

There are reports from Maine seniors who have received phone calls claiming to be from Medicare or from the ?health office.? The callers ask for the Mainer by name and appear to be offering seniors some sort of supplemental health insurance or prescription coverage.

?Seniors can protect themselves by never giving any personal information to anyone over the phone,? said Attorney General Schneider.

Settlement Ensures Compliance with Maine?s Implied Warranty Laws

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that the Berlin City Auto Group of Portland has settled claims that implied warranty and remedy disclaimers made when selling new cars to Maine consumers were unfair and deceptive.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider, joined by 52 of his fellow state and territorial Attorneys General, is calling on the United States Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (?VAWA?) and ensure that vital programs working to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse continue uninterrupted.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider is warning parents about a series of acting auditions for Maine youngsters scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday at the Clarion Hotel in Portland.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that Andrew Murphy, Sr., 49, of Bangor, was sentenced today to serve five months in jail for 14 counts of tax fraud, including theft of withholding tax, intentional tax evasion, failure to pay over withholding tax, and making false statements in tax returns.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that Sarah E. Fairbanks, 40, of Brunswick, was sentenced today in Cumberland County Superior Court.

Fairbanks was convicted by a jury on November 30, 2011 of one count of Class B theft and two counts of unsworn falsification for providing false information to the Department of Health and Human Services in order to obtain welfare benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or Food Stamps) and Child Care Development Fund Voucher Program (CCDF).