We came across this story that was published in early April in Oregon’s the Washington County News. It seems that the Oregon Department of Justice filed a settlement that prevents a woman who owned a Beaverton (Oregon) based business from offering fraudulent translation and legal services.

State officials say the woman, who operated Access to the System LLC, advertised translation services in a Spanish business directory and accepted money to complete divorce legal forms. Although having no legal certification, Spanish speakers who paid the company believed it had the authority to represent them in their legal matters, according to the Department of Justice.

The business no longer operates. The settlement also requires the company to pay a total of $2,000 in restitution to two victims. Earlier this year, a Washington County judge entered a judgment against the business owner involving similar allegations that it victimized a Spanish speaker by misrepresenting translation services as legal services in connection with a divorce filing, according to the Justice Department.

Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff recently announced plans for starting a translation business upon his release from prison in 2045. Madoff is currently evaluating the relative merits of single- versus multi-language business models.