Student Loan Debt Collected by Federal Marshals
Earlier this month, Texas resident Paul Aker heard a knock at the door of his home in Houston. As a law-abiding citizen, he was reasonably confused when he found that his visitors were U.S. marshals. They weren’t at the wrong address. They were looking for him.
Aker was targeted and placed under arrest by the feds for the heinous crime of — get ready — unpaid student loans. “Gosh,” you might be wondering, “how much money did this guy owe to earn the attention of federal marshals?” Way too much. An absurd amount. Practically a king’s fortune. $1,500. Also, this student loan was 29-years-old. Obviously, this was a case that only the feds could handle.
Did I mention that all seven of them had automatic weapons ready to roll?
Brave U.S. Marshals vs. The Sinister Paul
It’s a classic battle of good versus evil. On one side, you have the courageous underdogs, defenders of peace, the enforcers of federal justice. On the other, you have a wicked, godless embodiment of evil itself — the cretin who calls himself “Paul Akin.” It’s a miracle our troops didn’t have to get involved.
It’s not like rising income inequality, unfair wages, and oppressive student loan debts are shaping the course of the presidential election or anything.
Anyways, 48-year-old Paul Akin hears someone at the door, answers the call, it’s the feds looking for him. How did Akin respond? According to him, the exchange went something like this:
PAUL THE REPROBATE: “What’s this all about?”
FEDERAL MARSHAL: “Shut up, you know what this is all about.”
Of course, the marshals remember it happening differently. According to them, Paul Aker had squandered his chances and dodged their initial attempts at reclaiming the debts by phone. An excerpt from their statement reads as follows:
“The situation escalated when Aker verbally said to the deputies that he had a gun. After Aker made the statement that he was armed, in order to protect everyone involved, the deputies requested additional law enforcement assistance. Additional deputy marshals and local law enforcement officers responded to the scene. After approximately two hours, the law enforcement officers convinced Aker to peacefully exit his home, and he was arrested without further incident.”
As you might have noticed, these are two very different renditions of what should be the exact same story. But who are you gonna believe — the sinister Paul, or our never-do-wrong officers of the law? Keep in mind the stakes are high: $1,500.
Anyways, justice or not, something was served. Paul Akin was escorted to a federal court and forced to sign off on a repayment plan.
A Sign Of What’s To Come…
Sarcasm aside, this isn’t going to be the last you hear of feds collecting student loan debts.
In addition to settling the score on what exactly went down at Paul’s house, U.S. marshals also made it clear that this is just the first of many such arrests. They’ve got a list of 1,500 other people in the Houston area who’ll be getting knocks on their front doors. Warrants have been issued. They have been warned.
If you’re in debt from student loans, whether you live in Houston or not, this new effort on behalf of the feds shouldn’t be shrugged off. The government is letting us know what time it is: collection time. And they mean business.
…But so do these guys.
Resolving Student Loan Debts
So, what are the options for those in debt from student loans? Aside from straight up paying them off, there’s really only a couple of ways to take care of them. Both involve bankruptcy.
The most ideal path toward discharging student loan debts is, naturally, the most difficult to pursue. By filing for bankruptcy and proving undue hardship, debts from student loans can be completely erased. Sounds like a miracle right? For a lot of people, it is. Because you better believe that collectors would rather get money instead of, well, not getting it.
To prove undue hardship, you’ve got to demonstrate how shitty your financial situation is, and furthermore, you have to convince the government that it’s not going to get any better. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but some examples of successful cases for undue hardship can be found here.
The other route is Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which is pretty much exactly what Paul Akin is being forced to do. An oversimplified way to describe the chapter 13 bankruptcy process would be a long-term payment plan. The law calls this “reorganization.” Debtors negotiate a reasonable schedule to pay back their debts over time, and then wait for that time to end. It’s not a quick fix, but it’s better than a visit from the feds.
Nashville Bankruptcy Attorneys
At Turner Law Offices, P.C., our team of attorneys have years of experience working with clients across a wide range of cases related to bankruptcy. In this modern age of rampant student loan debts, it’s crucial that hardworking Americans aren’t crushed under suffocating financial obligations for the rest of their lives. If you have to spend your life in frugality, paying off student loans, what good was your education in the first place?
Call today, or go online to set up your free initial consultation. A skilled lawyer is ready and waiting to guide you toward the justice you deserve.
