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☆ DOJ charges 18 people — including doctors — in massive Covid health-care fraud takedowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Other cases involved the alleged manufacture and distribution of fake Covid vaccine record cards. But instead of administering the Covid vaccine, the defendants allegedly destroyed vials of the vaccines intended for patients, the DOJ said. Two people in Utah were also charged with allegedly manufacturing and selling about 120,000 fake Covid vaccine cards. The DOJ said the people charged with distributing fake vaccine cards "intentionally sought to obstruct" the federal government's efforts to roll out a nationwide Covid vaccine program. They also follow similar criminal charges related to Covid fraud schemes in April 2022 and May 2021.

☆ U.S. Indicts Four Sons of Imprisoned Drug Lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( José De Córdoba | Anthony Harrup | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel is largely responsible for the manufacture of fentanyl and its distribution in the U.S. The U.S. indicted several members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including four sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, for leading what U.S. officials say is the world’s most prolific fentanyl-trafficking operation. The indictments unsealed Friday came a day after Mexican cabinet members met in Washington with Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior U.S. officials to coordinate cross-border actions against the smuggling of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene defends suspected Pentagon leaker, saying he is 'white, male, Christian, and anti-war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene defended the suspected Pentagon leaker, saying he is "white, Christian, and anti-war." Greene said, "He told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more." download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has defended the man suspected of leaking top-secret Pentagon documents, saying he is "white, male, Christian, and anti-war." Greene said, "He told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more. Teixeira was sitting on his porch reading when he was arrested at his home and taken into custody by FBI agents.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges at a news conference in Washington, alongside Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors. The fentanyl trafficking, weapons and money laundering charges in three indictments involved a total of 28 defendants: 23 of whom are based in Mexico, four in China and one in Guatemala. A senior administration official on a call with reporters on Friday called the reward offers “unprecedented.”“These targets traffic fentanyl from around the world including from Mexico, (China) and Guatemala. These reward offers are part of a government wide attempt to put a halt to trafficking in illicit fentanyl and its precursor,” they added. And in late March, the US Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter version of the opioid overdose antidote Narcan for the first time.

April 14 (Reuters) - The United States has charged leaders of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel with running a fentanyl trafficking operation fueled by Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical companies, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday. Federal prosecutors unsealed three separate indictments charging more than two dozen defendants based in Mexico, China and Guatemala, eight of whom are in custody. Among those awaiting extradition is Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo's sons, who was arrested in Mexico earlier this year. Prosecutors also charged four owners of Chinese companies that allegedly provided precursor chemicals to the cartel. "The PRC government must stop the unchecked flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals that are coming out of China," he said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

☆ MAGA-world is rushing to defend Jack Teixeira, the accused Pentagon leaker who allegedly dumped secret documents online to impress his teenage gamer buddies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The leak represents the worst military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. To them, Teixeira is a martyr for revealing the truth about the stalemated war in Ukraine to the American people. "Tonight, the news media are celebrating the capture of the kid who told Americans what's actually happening in Ukraine," Carlson said. The leaks could hurt Ukraine on the battlefieldThe leak of the documents allegedly perpetrated by Teixeira represents the worst US military intelligence breach in roughly a decade. The secret documents offered details on US spying on friends and foes alike, many of which pertained to the war in Ukraine.

☆ Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira was reading a book on a porch when the feds showed up to arrest him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in connection with the recent leak of secret military documents. Teixeira is a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who worked in the 102nd Intelligence Wing. He was reading a book on a porch when federal agents arrived to arrest him. Teixeira worked in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The secret military documents that were leaked on various social media platforms exposed US spying on allies and adversaries alike.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The FBI on Thursday arrested an employee of the U.S. Air Force National Guard over the leaks online of classified U.S. documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the FBI arrested the man, Jack Teixeira, "in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information." The FBI said its agents had made an arrest and were conducting "authorized law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts." The leaks were a "deliberate, criminal act," the Pentagon said. President Joe Biden earlier on Thursday said investigators were closing in on the source of the online leaks in what is believed to be the most serious security breach in years.

☆ Florida House passes six-week abortion ban backed by DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks, when many women don't know they are pregnant. The bill would only take effect if the state's existing 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court. "Today we stand for life, we stand with mothers, and we stand with Florida families," said Persons-Mulicka. A recent survey suggests the six-week abortion ban isn't popular among Florida residents. The Biden administration will ask the Supreme Court to intervene, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday.

☆ U.S. arrests Jack Teixeira in connection with classified defense information leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The United States arrested Air National Guard employee Jack Teixeira on Thursday in connection with transmission of classified defense information, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident," Garland said at a brief statement at the Justice Department. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US FAA refers more unruly airline passengers to FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The FAA last year said its zero-tolerance policy for addressing unruly passengers would become permanent even after the end of a mask mandate onboard airplanes that was tied to most of the earlier reported incidents. Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said on Thursday the agency has "zero tolerance for unruly behavior." FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada said the agency "will continue to work with our FAA partners to ensure the safety of all passengers and to combat violence aboard commercial flights." Reported unruly passenger incidents rose by almost 500% in 2021 to 5,981, which included 4,290 mask-related incidents. The FAA opened investigations into 831 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, up from 146 in 2019, but down from 1,099 in 2021.

CNN —The US Department of Health and Human Services will propose a new rule on Wednesday, aimed at safeguarding privacy and prohibiting the prosecution of individuals who seek abortions. The new rule proposal comes as Vice President Kamala Harris is set to convene an interagency taskforce meeting on reproductive rights at the White House. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will also attend. After the decision dropped Friday, a senior administration official said the White House immediately began engaging allies on the next steps. Harris has led the administration’s response on abortion rights.

☆ Fact Check-Florida driver who vandalized Pride crosswalk charged with criminal mischief and reckless driving, not hate crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida man pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and reckless driving after using his pick-up truck to vandalize a rainbow-colored Pride road crossing in West Palm Beach, Florida, in June 2021. The caption reads: “Burning rubber on a rainbow street was categorized as a hate crime but a trans terrorist massacring Christian children was not.”U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, introduced a senate resolution to name the Nashville shooting a hate crime (here). John Kennedy, another Republican Senator, asked Attorney General Merrick Garland if a hate crime investigation would be opened on March 28 at a senate hearing (here). Although a man who vandalized a Pride crosswalk in Florida was initially arrested for criminal mischief, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice (also referred to as a hate crime), he was ultimately charged with the first two only.

☆ Trump appeals order requiring Pence to testify in Jan. 6 probe -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Marco BelloWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump has appealed an order requiring his former vice president, Mike Pence, to testify in the special counsel probe of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to media reports on Monday. Trump's lawyers filed the appeal after a ruling related to the Justice Department investigation of efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election that Trump, a Republican, lost to Democrat Joe Biden. In a March ruling, the judge also said Pence can still decline to answer questions related to Jan. 6. Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to handle the two Trump investigations, is presenting evidence to multiple grand juries. Reporting by Kat Jackson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump's team is way more worried about the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and the Georgia elections investigation, Maggie Haberman says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump and his aides are far more concerned about the Georgia elections probe and the Mar-a-Lago case. She added that his aides are privately worried about the Mar-a-Lago case, which is "clearer-cut." "Some of his aides are very worried about the documents investigation that the Justice Department has," Haberman said. She added that the Mar-a-Lago case is a "clearer-cut issue" in comparison to the other investigations. In March, the conservative lawyer and pundit George Conway told Insider that of the cases Trump faces, he's most likely to face prison time over the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

☆ Trump, newly charged, urges defunding US Justice Department and FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. "REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. The FBI, part of the Justice Department, is the U.S. domestic intelligence and security agency. Trump backed spending increases for the Justice Department while serving as president from 2017 to 2021. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ Trump, facing criminal charges, calls for defunding the FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, backed spending increases for the Justice Department and FBI while in office. Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Trump himself appointed the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, after firing the agency's previous chief, James Comey, in 2017. Prosecutors said the payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal constituted an attempt to conceal a violation of election law.

☆ Trump faces more legal threats beyond a hush money case. Here's the status of those probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen has since become a vocal critic of his former boss and testified before the grand jury hearing evidence in Bragg's probe. The grand jury was impaneled in January 2022 to hear evidence in Fulton County DA Willis' probe. Portions of that final report, which were released in February, show the grand jury determined that at least one witness may have lied under oath. New York civil caseTrump is also embroiled in a state-level civil fraud case filed by James, the New York attorney general. (L-R) Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump attend the ground breaking of the Trump International Hotel at the Old Post Office Building in Washington July 23, 2014.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department confirmed on Wednesday it had seized the Russia-linked online criminal marketplace Genesis Market, working in conjunction with international law enforcement and the Treasury Department. The announcements from Justice and Treasury came a day after the FBI and a consortium of international law enforcement authorities shut down Genesis Market. The international marketplace steals private information from victims' devices and offers it for sale, Treasury said in a release Wednesday. "Today's takedown of Genesis Market is a demonstration of the FBI's commitment to disrupting and dismantling key services used by criminals to facilitate cybercrime," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "Treasury will continue to work closely with our law enforcement colleagues to disrupt this activity and hold malign cyber actors accountable."

☆ US rule to allow some inmates to stay home after COVID emergency lifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), which is operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, is pictured, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. The regulations are expected to provide some relief to inmates, who feared they could potentially be hauled back into prison when the public health emergency expires on May 11. Criminal justice and civil rights groups have lobbied the Justice Department and the White House to change those rules to prevent inmates from being returned to prison en masse. The BOP will still be able to impose "proportional and escalating sanctions," including a return to prison, on inmates who commit infractions. Of those, the department said only a fraction of one percent were returned to prison due to new criminal conduct.

☆ Trump may have looked through Mar-a-Lago documents after subpoena was delivered, new evidence suggests, pointing to a big potential difference between his documents case and Biden's: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump may have tried to keep documents after receiving a subpoena from DOJ. The evidence indicates a difference between Trump's investigation and the one into Biden's documents. In August, an FBI search found and seized more than 100 classified documents in Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, home — months after the initial subpoena in May. "When you find improperly stored classified documents, you immediately notify the government — and you turn it over immediately." Cheung pointed to classified documents found in Biden's home, and referenced Hillary Clinton's 2016 email investigation.

☆ DOJ sues Norfolk Southern, calling for fines of $120K per day of Clean Water Act violations tied to East Palestine derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern on Thursday. The DOJ said the company violated the Clean Water Act, and are liable to daily fines of about $120,000. The rail company is already facing lawsuits from East Palestine residents and the state of Ohio. It is not yet determined how many days Norfolk Southern is liable for and if the government considers the violations to be ongoing. "No community should have to go through what East Palestine residents have faced," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement.

☆ Justice Department sues Norfolk Southern over toxic Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. The Justice Department said Friday it filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern , aiming to hold the railway company accountable for alleged Clean Water Act violations that allegedly occurred due to an Ohio train derailment in early February. In February, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed near the Pennsylvania border in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a fire, collisions and local evacuations. Since the derailment, Norfolk Southern has been in hot water with state and federal officials concerning the environmental implications of the derailment. On Thursday, three senators introduced a new rail safety bill in a bid address long-standing concerns that became more acute in light of the Norfolk Southern derailment.

Trump asked Raffensperger to "find" enough votes needed to overturn Trump's election loss in Georgia. Only the Justice Department can decide whether to charge Trump, who has called the Democratic-led panel's investigation a politically motivated sham. Trump has accused the Justice Department of engaging in a partisan witch hunt. NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL CIVIL LAWSUITNew York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and his Trump Organization last September for fraud. The second lawsuit could go to trial on April 25, after a U.S. judge in January called Trump's bid to dismiss it "absurd."

Trump previously said he would continue campaigning for the Republican Party's nomination if charged with a crime. Shortly after, Trump appealed to supporters to provide money for a legal defense. Trump will have to travel to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other processing at that point. The Manhattan investigation is one of several legal challenges facing Trump, and the charges could hurt his presidential comeback attempt. No former or sitting U.S. president has ever faced criminal charges.

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