On Tuesday (Feb. 16), Paul Aker made headlines after a news story broke about his recent arrest by U.S. Marshals. Aker told a Houston-based FOX affiliate that half a dozen U.S. Marshals showed up at his door step and handcuffed him off over a $1500 student loan, which he’d applied for and received almost 30 years ago. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t as it seems. The media totally put a grand spin on it to make thousands of Americans immediately panic. The real story is that Aker was arrested, not for the $1500, but for repeatedly not showing up to court. The back story is that Aker was sued in 2007 by the federal government for $2600 in unpaid student loan debt. Court documents lists Winford P. Aker in the complaint. Aker failed to appear in court after being contacted several times. Several months passed and the judge finally issued a warrant for his arrest. Per Yahoo! Finance… Back in November 2007, Aker was sued by the federal government for nonpayment of more than $2,600 in unpaid federal student loan debt, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (embedded below). The court record shows that Aker, listed as Winford P. Aker in the complaint, did not appear in court to answer the lawsuit and, as is common when student loan borrowers fail to appear, the presiding judge ruled against him and ordered Aker to pay the full balance on April 17, 2007. According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service, Aker repeatedly refused to show up in court after being contacted several times. Disobeying a court order is a criminal offense. Within a few months, the judge issued a warrant for his arrest, which the U.S. Marshals carried out. So, yes, Aker was arrested, but not just because he owed a little student loan debt. He was arrested for disobeying a court order. Aker failed to appear in court. This was the true reason why U.S. Marshals came to get him. Federal debt of any kind can land a person in court. According to the U.S. Marshals, there are approximately 1,500 individuals in Houston who’s missed a court date for unpaid student loans. Circumstantially, a judge has issued warrants for their arrest. To avoid a warrant, the smart thing is to show up for court. To avoid student loan debt, pay the debt or contact the federal government to work out a payment plan.
