Crime

Boston-Based Firm and Affiliate to Pay $40 Million to Settle SEC Charges

Washington, D.C., June 8, 2008 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Boston-based Evergreen Investment Management Company LLC and an affiliate with securities law violations for overstating the value of a mutual fund that invested primarily in mortgage-backed securities, and then only selectively telling shareholders about the fund’s valuation problems.

Evergreen agreed to pay more than $40 million to settle the SEC’s charges without admitting or denying the findings in the SEC’s order. This enforcement action is the result of the joint efforts of the SEC and the Massachusetts Securities Division, which also brought related charges against the Evergreen entities today.    » read more »

HARTFORD, CT -- NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous joined with Connecticut House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan to condemn Governor Jodi Rell’s veto of HB-6578.

The NAACP Connecticut State Conference launched a campaign in support of the bill which would have replaced the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole for all capital felonies committed after the bill’s enactment. The bill was recently passed by the Connecticut Judiciary Committee and by both the House and the Senate, but can be vetoed by Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell.    » read more »

Special application cycle for one-time Victim Assistance funds to start June 15

June 08, 2009 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear today announced that nearly $800,000 in stimulus funds would be available for supplemental public safety grants through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Assistance grant. These grant funds will provide funding opportunities for victim services projects throughout the Commonwealth.    » read more »

Couple Allegedly Conspired to Provide Classified Information to Cuban Government

June 5, 2009 -- A former State Department official and his wife have been arrested on charges of serving as illegal agents of the Cuban government for nearly 30 years and conspiring to provide classified U.S. information to the Cuban government.

The arrests were announced today by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Ambassador Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security.    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- The Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas have launched a federal investigation into federal crimes in connection with the murder of Dr. George Tiller. The federal probe will consist of a thorough review of the evidence and an assessment of any potential violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) or other federal statutes.

The federal investigation will be conducted in close coordination with the Office of the Sedgwick County, Kan., District Attorney, and the state's ongoing murder prosecution will have the full support of federal investigators.    » read more »

Defendants Admitted to Conspiring to Defraud Medicare at HIV Infusion Clinics

June 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Four Miami-area residents were sentenced today in connection with a $10 million Medicare fraud scheme involving HIV infusion clinics, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced.

Alexis Dagnesses, 44; Gonzalo Nodarse, 38; Alexis Carrazana, 41; and Dr. Carlos Garrido, 69, all pleaded guilty in March 2009 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck.    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today rejected a challenge to the conviction of James Ford Seale, a former member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi.

Seale was convicted by a federal jury in Mississippi in 2007 and sentenced to three life terms in prison. The jury determined that Seale and other Klansmen conspired to abduct, interrogate, beat and eventually murder Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charlie Eddie Moore, both 19 years old at the time of their murders.    » read more »

Legislation Would Limit Telemarketing Abuse, Provide Redress Against Illegal Debt Collection Practices and Advance Consumer Information Privacy

June 5, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he has submitted three bills to the Legislature to greatly strengthen New York’s consumer protection laws. The legislation focuses on several important areas: telemarketing, sale of sensitive personal information, and debt collection.    » read more »

Former CEO Angelo Mozilo Additionally Charged With Insider Trading

Washington, D.C., June 4, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged former Countrywide Financial CEO Angelo Mozilo and two other former executives with securities fraud for deliberately misleading investors about the significant credit risks being taken in efforts to build and maintain the company's market share.

Mozilo was additionally charged with insider trading for selling his Countrywide stock based on non-public information for nearly $140 million in profits.    » read more »

Former State Representatives Be Released

June 4, 2009 -- The Department of Justice today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to remand the cases of former Alaska State Representatives Victor Kohring and Peter Kott, who were convicted on corruption charges in 2007, to the District Court. The Department also asked the Court of Appeals to release the two on personal recognizance, after the Department uncovered material that appears to be information that should have been, but was not, disclosed to the defense prior to trial.

Attorney General Eric Holder also instructed the Department’s Criminal Division to review the Department’s public corruption investigation in Alaska to ensure that all other discovery obligations have been met.    » read more »

Lt. Governor also unveils sexual assault guidelines; Legislation part of crime prevention package

June 04, 2009 -- NEW BEDFORD– Thursday, June 4, 2009 – Following a meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Domestic and Sexual Violence in New Bedford, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray announced that the Patrick-Murray Administration will file a bill to strengthen protections for crime victims and witnesses today.

The legislation follows bills aimed at gun violence prevention and CORI reform, and completes the administration’s 2009 crime prevention package. The Lieutenant Governor also announced the administration has completed the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Sexual Assault Law Enforcement Model Guidelines.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) was awarded $22.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to administer Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants across Washington.

“These recovery based grants will retain prosecutors, fight gang-related crime, and invest in critical community-based crime prevention programs across the state,” said Gregoire. “At a time when law enforcement and judicial agencies are tightening their belts, this stimulus funding will support these vital programs.”    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today appointments for two key cybersecurity posts at the Department—Greg Schaffer as Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C); and Bruce McConnell as Counselor to the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Deputy Under Secretary. In addition, Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD Philip Reitinger will also serve as Director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC)—a major step toward a cohesive DHS strategy on cyber efforts.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- Washington D.C. -- According to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released today, the nation experienced a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 1.6 percent decline in the number of property crimes for 2008 compared with data from 2007. The report is based on information that the FBI gathered from 12,750 law enforcement agencies that submitted six to 12 comparable months of data to the FBI for both 2007 and 2008.

Violent Crime

* In 2008, all four of the violent crime offense categories declined nationwide compared with data from 2007. Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter declined 4.4 percent, aggravated assault was down 3.2 percent, forcible rape decreased 2.2 percent, and robbery decreased 1.1 percent.    » read more »

Sen. Martinez requests briefing on joint DoJ & HHS health care fraud plan

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today called for a briefing from the departments of Justice (DoJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) on their interagency effort to combat Medicare fraud.

Specifically, Senator Martinez is asking for the departments to provide information about the data-driven approach to prevent and detect Medicare fraud, plans to identify new geographic areas requiring targeted enforcement, the strategy to conduct on-site verification of medical equipment suppliers, compliance training for Medicare providers, and efforts to strengthen compliance and enforcement in Medicare Parts C and D.    » read more »