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☆ Department of Justice opens probe of Globe Life, American Income Life
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Susan Antilla | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed Globe Life Inc. and its subsidiary American Income Life seeking documents related to one of its top life insurance agencies — the Pittsburgh-based Arias Organization. Globe Life executives made no mention of the DOJ probe during a quarterly earnings call on February 8. In October, insurance regulators in Pennsylvania fined American Income Life $130,000 for engaging in deceptive consumer practices. "We do not believe the litigation will be material to Globe Life's overall results or American Income Life's agency operations," he said. Darden told the analysts that "as soon as American Income became aware of" the allegations, AIL hired an outside investigator to look into the matter.

Persons: Arias, Renee Zinsky, Michael Russin, Joel Scarborough, Globe's, Trina Orlando, Cathy Seifert, Seifert, Scarborough, Simon Arias, Natalie Price, AIL, Warren Buffett's Berkshire, James Darden, Darden, Zinsky, Janet Hendrick, Phillips Murrah, Kathryn D, Terry, Liz Rita, Susan Antilla Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Inc, Organization, News, Business, BI, CFRA Research, Securities and Exchange Commission, Globe, DOJ, Scarborough, US, Office, Western, Western District of Pennsylvania, Arias Agencies, The, Justice, Warren, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Commission, Department of Justice, AIL, Income, Zinsky, Law Locations: Pittsburgh, Scarborough, Western District, Pennsylvania, Dallas, Globe, Denver, AIL, susan.antilla1@gmail.com

☆ US attorney who initially vetted Biden bribery tip explains why it deserved further scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Marshall Cohen | Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

His testimony sheds new light on how his office vetted the tip, and he disputed past Democratic claims that he “closed” the matter without recommending any further scrutiny. However, it doesn’t bolster the GOP narrative that Joe Biden or his son Hunter Biden were offered or accepted a bribe. The informant described his interactions with Mykola Zlochevsky, a Ukrainian oligarch and owner of the energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden had served on the board. The saga of a once-trusted FBI informant bringing explosive but unverified claims about a presidential candidate is reminiscent of the Christopher Steele debacle in 2016. This time, the political roles are reversed: Republicans are championing the unproven bribery claims, as Democrats try to discredit the material.

Persons: Hunter, Scott Brady, Brady, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Rudy Giuliani, The uncorroborated Biden, ”, Mykola Zlochevsky, Zlochevsky, “, ” Brady, Biden, David Weiss, Weiss ’, Lev Parnas, Petro Poroshenko, Hunter Biden’s, Jamie Raskin, Brady “, ” Raskin, “ Raskin, “ That’s, Weiss, Raskin, “ Mr, Brady’s, James Comer, Comer, Christopher Steele, Steele’s, Trump, he’s Organizations: CNN, Hunter Biden, House Republicans, Biden, Justice Department, Democratic, Trump, FBI, CHS, Giuliani, Ukrainian, White, Democrats, Maryland, Western, Western District of Pennsylvania, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Delaware, Pittsburgh, Western District, America, Russia

☆ CPAP maker Philips agrees to pay at least $479 million to users over recalled devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —CPAP sleep apnea machine maker Philips Respironics agreed to pay at least $479 million in a settlement over alleged health risks from toxic sound reducing foam, lawyers for the plaintiff announced Thursday. The settlement will go toward users who bought or rented the recalled devices and those who incurred out-of-pocket costs or had to reimburse users for those costs, the lawyers said. In 2021, Philips recalled about 10.8 million devices, saying the silicone-based foam they used to reduce sound and vibration can break down and can be breathed in by the user. Philips will pay awards to users for each recalled device, which range from $55.63 to $1,552.25. Philips set aside 575 million euros, or about $615 million, in the first quarter of 2023 to cover the estimated costs, the company said.

Persons: Philips Respironics, “, ”, Philips, ” Philips, They’ll, Claims, Joy Flowers Conti Organizations: New, New York CNN, Philips, Philips Respironics, CNN, FDA, ”, United States, Court, Western, Western District of Locations: New York, Western District, Western District of Pennsylvania

☆ Warren Buffett dumps stock, regulators open probes as claims of abuse and fraud mount against a top Globe Life agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Susan Antilla | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

Five other current or former agents confirmed to Insider that some Arias agents wrote up policies in the names of fictional people or people who were dead. Amy Williamson, an attorney who represents dozens of current and former Arias agents in civil claims, said she received an inquiry from a US attorney's office. With regard to Insider's specific questions about Globe, AIL, and Arias, she said, "It is the Company's policy not to comment." Lusty asked questions about Russin's campaign of aggressive social-media posts since Zinsky filed suit, Williamson said, including posts about his gun purchases. Since Zinsky filed suit against him, Russin has made a string of threatening social media posts featuring firearms.

Persons: Simon Arias, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Arias, Trina Orlando, Michelle Billotte, Billotte, she'd, Orlando, Nancy Andrews, William McKee, McKee, Brett Hambright, Amy Williamson, AIL, Renee Zinsky, Michael Russin, Russin, Jennifer Haworth, Benjamin Webb, Chris Williams, Natalie Price, dialers, DocuSign, Scott Dehning, Steven Greer, Joel Scarborough, Dehning, Haworth, Greer, Zinsky, Abeni Mayfield, Mayfield, Columbia , Maryland Rosem Morton, Abeni Mayfield Orlando, texted, Kailey Andrasko, propositioned, Russin texted, he'd, Kailey, Williamson, Anne Hilbert, Hilbert, Debbie Gamble, Zinsky's, Webb, didn't, interrogatories, Jonathan Lusty, Lusty, I'm Organizations: Arias, . Insurance, Wexford, Berkshire, Globe, Life, American, Arias Organization, Arias Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Insurance, Department of Insurance, Department, Pennsylvania, Globe Life, Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, AIL, Organization, Russin, Insider Orlando, Caesars, Employment, Commission, Caesars Palace, Russin's, Consulting, Court, Western District of Pennsylvania Locations: Wexford , Pennsylvania, Wexford, Morgantown , West Virginia, AIL, Michigan, Scarborough, Columbia , Maryland, Las Vegas, Stockholm, Orlando, Morgantown, Mayfield's, Western District, Pittsburgh

☆ Judge to Impose Death Sentence in Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Campbell Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The gunman who killed 11 worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue will be formally sentenced to death on Thursday morning by the judge who presided over the three-month trial in U.S. district court. Jurors in the case decided on Wednesday that the gunman, Robert Bowers, should be given the death penalty, and the judge, Robert Colville, is bound by the jury’s decision. But the hearing could be more than the imposition of the sentence. Family members of those who were killed will have a chance “to share the impact of their losses, to describe how the defendant’s crimes have impacted them and their families,” said Eric Olshan, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Unlike the penalty phase of the trial, when some relatives were called to testify and asked about the magnitude of their losses, Thursday’s hearing will allow them to speak on their own terms.

Persons: Robert Bowers, Robert Colville, ”, Eric Olshan Organizations: Western, Western District of Locations: Pittsburgh, U.S, Western District, Western District of Pennsylvania

PinnedThe massacre of 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is considered the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. “Finally, justice has been served,” said Leigh Stein, whose father, Dan Stein, was killed in the attack. Image Relatives of the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting spoke on Wednesday after jurors recommended that the gunman be sentenced to death. The defense called no witnesses in that part of the trial, as there was never any dispute that Mr. Bowers had carried out the attack. The police rushed to the synagogue and, after exchanging gunfire with Mr. Bowers, eventually cornered him in a classroom.

Persons: Robert Bowers, “, ”, Leigh Stein, Dan Stein, Biden, ” Merrick, Garland, Robert Colville, Justin Merriman, Howard Fienberg, Joyce Fienberg, we’ve, ” Weeks, Bowers, Dor Hadash —, Cecil, David Rosenthal, Fienberg, Irving Younger, Sylvan Simon, Simon’s, Bernice, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Dor Hadash, Richard Gottfried, Stein, Melvin Wax, Judy Clarke, Satan, Ms, Clarke, ” Eric Olshan, “ It’s, that’s, Doris Dyen, Jon Moss Organizations: “, Justice Department, The New York Times, Jewish Community Center of Greater, ., New, Prosecutors, Western, Western District of Locations: Pittsburgh, U.S, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Western District, Western District of Pennsylvania

The complaint was sent to the US judges' Committee on Financial Disclosure. For now, questions about Thomas's previously undisclosed financial dealings with Harlan Crow, a billionaire Texas real-estate developer, will fall to an obscure committee of sixteen federal judges — the Committee on Financial Disclosure. Koszczuk said the same letterhead was routinely sent to any member of the public who asked for a judge's financial disclosure report. When Ranjan wrote his article, a review of a Thomas biography, the controversies surrounding Thomas had nothing to do with his financial disclosures. Judges' financial disclosures are only updated annually, and until recently, it wasn't easy to get ahold of them.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

☆ Over 3,000 minor victims were targeted in ‘sextortion’ crimes in the past year, U.S. law enforcement says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal law enforcement officers are cracking down on a scheme that aims to extort sexual imagery from children and teens after a dramatic increase in incidents over the past year. Sometimes, a predator shares imagery regardless of whether a victim meets payment demands, according to federal officials. Law enforcement officials say prevention is the best weapon against sextortion. The sextortion cycle generally ends when a victim tells an adult or the offender is discovered by law enforcement. "We will continue to partner with federal, state and local law enforcement to protect children from sexual exploitation in all its despicable forms."

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