Legally Speaking

Ryan Goodrich Title Fraud Case

Ryan Goodrich was a trusted title agent who became a thief. The Utah Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case and sought justice for the victims in October. For years, Goodrich ran Synergy Title in Syracuse and, outwardly, lived an ideal life. In truth, Goodrich stole more than $9 million from real estate buyers, sellers and lenders over two years. And, behind the scenes, Goodrich kept the money he was supposed to pay clients for selling their homes. He didn’t complete financial transactions; he kept the money. He tried to hide it but our Assistant Attorney General prosecuting the case says his scheme buried him in evidence. Wayne Jones of our Mortgage and Financial Fraud Division joins us on this Legally Speaking podcast to share more.

ICAC Cases On the Rise: A Dark Trend

Utah’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is busier than ever, with a steadily rising number of cases coming to our office from the National Institute for Missing and Exploited Children and other sources. In this edition of Legally Speaking, we look at the reasons why there are more cases of child sexual abuse material, more children exploited, and more children harmed by adult contact than ever before in this state. Parents need to know what’s happening and what the trends are in our community, even if it’s uncomfortable to hear. The Utah AG’s ICAC Commander—Sete Aulai—has the facts and an important update for us on this episode.

Identifying Child Sex Abuse Material

Child Sex Abuse Material or CSAM is a legal definition for what we used to refer to as ‘child pornography.’ It is an important distinction that has been codified into Utah State Law, for very good reasons. As we speak to our Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the CSAM distinction is important moving forward. We’ll examine why in this edition of Legally Speaking as we interview Sete Aulai, Commander of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

PFAS Forever Chemicals Update

Our focus on 'Forever Chemicals’ (also known as PFAS) is critical and ongoing because of the health risks that have impacted many people, and for legal cases that have been slow to unfold. PFAS is the substance that makes Teflon non-stick, fire-retardant chemical foam so effective, and degreasing and stain resistant treatments improve clothing and more. Contamination in the human body is permanent—and that’s where the Attorney General’s Office comes in! Learn more about how we've teamed up with other states and the federal government to seek legal remedies for this pollutant. On this edition of Legally Speaking, we speak to Health and Environment Division Director Craig Anderson to clarify this issue.

Kennecott's Case: Investigating Copper Theft in Utah

Copper theft is becoming more common and is a costly loss on construction sites, EV recharging stations, utility work sites, among others. The take offers quick cash for thieves. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is currently prosecuting a unique case in Salt Lake County, where sheriff’s detectives arrested four men—all connected to either stealing copper from Kennecott or buying the stolen property so they could resell it for profit. It's also a heavy case: The copper items weigh more than ten thousand pounds and are valued at $147 thousand. Big money is our focus today, and on crimes like this. So who better to ask than our detectives who see this kind of thing in our Crimes Against Statewide Economy (CASE) unit everyday? Legally Speaking talks to CASE Commander James Russell and State Bureau of Investigation Detective Megan Johnson about this costly trend.