DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Ex-FBI official worked for sanctioned Russian oligarch, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Reuters) - A former top FBI official was arrested over the weekend on accusations he worked for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, prosecutors said on Monday. Charles McGonigal, who led the agency's counterintelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, faces four counts including sanctions violations and money laundering. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say McGonigal, 54, received concealed payments from Deripaska, who was sanctioned in 2018, in exchange for investigating a rival oligarch in 2021. He is also charged with unsuccessfully pushing in 2019 for the lifting of the sanctions on Deripaska. The following month, U.S. prosecutors charged British businessman Graham Bonham-Carter with conspiring to violate sanctions by trying to move Deripaska's artwork in the United States overseas.

☆ Former FBI official accused of hiding a $225,000 cash payment from an ex-foreign officer while overseeing an agency counter-intelligence division
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former top FBI official was charged in two jurisdictions on Monday. The ex-counter-intelligence official was charged with secretly receiving cash payments from a former foreign officer. McGonigal also traveled abroad with the official and met with foreign nationals in Europe, where the official had business interests, according to the DOJ. "Covering up your contacts with foreign nationals and hiding your personal financial relationships is a gateway to corruption," US Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves said. "There are no exceptions for anyone, including a former FBI official like Mr. McGonigal," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll said in a statement.

☆ Former top FBI counterintelligence agent Charles McGonigal charged with violating Russia sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

That other person later became an FBI source in a criminal probe of foreign political lobbying, which McGonigal was supervising, authorities said. The former top FBI agent in New York for counterintelligence was arrested with an ex-Russian diplomat and charged with violating U.S. sanctions on Russia after he left the FBI by trying to help the oligarch Oleg Deripaska get off the sanctions list, federal prosecutors said Monday. McGonigal and Shestakov, 69, who also was arrested Saturday evening, are due to appear in court in Manhattan later Monday. McGonigal previously had investigated Deripaska, who made his fortune in Russia's aluminum industry, while at the FBI. McGonigal agreed to help, and told an FBI supervisor who worked for him that he wanted to recruit the Deripaska employee, the indictment says.

☆ How 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova ended up as the only woman on the FBI's most-wanted list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Ruja Ignatova is one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives -- the only woman currently on that list. FBIShe is now one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives, alongside accused gang leaders and murderers, and is the only woman currently on that list. The bureau declined to provide additional details to CNN beyond court documents from the US Department of Justice, which did not list an attorney for Ignatova. “The cryptocurrency OneCoin was established for the sole purpose of defrauding investors,” IRS Special Agent John R. Tafur said in a statement. Less than two weeks later, on October 25, 2017, she boarded a commercial flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, court documents said.

☆ Google's moonshot factory is coming down to Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The project, known internally by its codename, "Valkyrie," was the typical science-fiction-sounding idea that Google's self-described "moonshot factory" was designed to dream up. But amid a lack of successful launches and a tech industry facing economic headwinds, insiders say the lab is now hitting the hard-reset button and rethinking its purpose within Alphabet, Google's parent company. X swapped standard corporate titles like "Communications Lead" and "Manager" for grander and more-nebulous names like "Factory Whisperer" and "Firestarter." Its internet-balloon unit, Google Loon, meant to bring people in rural areas online, was shuttered in January 2021. "I think the infusion of VC people is a good thing," one former senior X employee said.

☆ Google's farm-tech moonshot is becoming a full-fledged company as the unit doubles down on more commercial AI projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Mineral, an agriculture-tech project inside Google's moonshot lab, X, is spinning out into a company. It's launching under the parent company, Alphabet, as X is evolving to be more commercial. Alphabet's moonshot lab, X, has announced it's turning its agriculture-technology project, Mineral, into an official company. Mineral will spin off of X and become a business under the parent company Alphabet, Mineral's CEO Elliott Grant wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. Mineral entered into a partnership last year with the berry seller Driscoll's to help farmers create tastier strawberries, Bloomberg reported at the time.

☆ First woman and LGBTQ person elected Massachusetts governor sworn in
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Maura Healey, the first woman and first open member of the LGBTQ community to be elected governor of Massachusetts, was sworn into office at the Statehouse Thursday, pledging to lead “with empathy and with equity.”Healey’s elevation to governor signals a political shift in the state’s top elected office from GOP to Democratic hands. Kim Driscoll, who served as mayor of Salem, was elected lieutenant governor with Healey and was also sworn in on Thursday. She acknowledged the soaring cost of housing in Massachusetts and vowed in her first 100 days to create a new secretary of housing. She’s only the second Democrat in the past three decades to be elected governor in Massachusetts. Nancy Lane / The Boston Herald via APThe new governor is also part of a record number of women occupying top state elected offices in Massachusetts.

☆ Oil set to close higher in 2022, a turbulent year marked by tight supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: A view shows Chao Xing tanker at the crude oil terminal Kozmino on the shore of Nakhodka Bay near the port city of Nakhodka, Russia August 12, 2022. U.S. West Intermediate crude was at $78.88 a barrel, up 48 cents, or 0.6%, after closing 0.7% lower on Thursday. Brent is set to close 2022 with a 5.76% gain after rising 50.2% in 2021. Also, China’s zero-COVID restrictions, which were only eased in December, squashed oil demand recovery hopes at the world’s No. Looking ahead on supplies, western sanctions will push Russia to divert more crude and refined products exports from Europe to Asia.

☆ Oil set to end turbulent 2022 modestly higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Florence Tan | Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: A view shows Chao Xing tanker at the crude oil terminal Kozmino on the shore of Nakhodka Bay near the port city of Nakhodka, Russia August 12, 2022. Brent looked set to end the year with a 7.6% gain, after jumping 50.2% in 2021. So I think oil prices may fall to $60 next year,” he said. Oil prices cooled quickly in the second half this year as central banks across the world hiked interest rates to fight inflation, boosting the U.S. dollar. Also, China’s zero-COVID restrictions, which were only eased in December, squashed oil demand recovery hopes for the world’s No.

Fawaz Ould Ahmed was taken into custody by the United States and brought to New York on Friday, the Justice Department said in a statement. Ahmed received a death penalty in Mali after pleading guilty to planning and executing the deadly attacks targeting Westerners. The Justice Department said a total of 38 people had died in the three incidents. "The defendant's alleged actions — inhumanely plotting and carrying out ruthless terrorist attacks — were not forgotten and will not be forgiven," said FBI assistant director-in-charge Michael Driscoll. Ahmed told the Malian court that he did not regret the attacks and that he had been seeking revenge for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad printed in Charlie Hebdo.

☆ 'Gossip behind the scenes': Reaction to Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, greet people outside Windsor Castle, following the passing of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor, Britain, September 10, 2022. REUTERS/Paul ChildsLONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Love them, hate them or just don't rate them, Prince Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary split public opinion after its launch on Thursday. In the documentary, Harry said the British royal family had dismissed race-related hounding of Meghan by the media as a rite of passage and the couple delivered a fierce attack on the tabloid press. "I believe that what they're saying is true, but we can't really tell because we don't really know, it's their life," 47-year-old M'chinda said. Customer support assistant Carmel Williams, 33, said she would like to know what has been happening and how they are feeling, calling it "gossip behind the scenes".

☆ Former Trump deputy chief of staff Ornato, a key witness on Jan. 6, to appear before House committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Ryan Nobles | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Tony Ornato, who served as deputy White House chief of staff under Donald Trump, is expected to appear Tuesday for an interview before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, a person familiar with the panel's plans said. Ornato is considered a key witness on the events surrounding the Capitol riot and will likely be questioned about testimony from star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. She said Ornato told her Trump lunged at the steering wheel of the SUV he was in, demanding to be taken down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Officials from the Secret Service have questioned Hutchinson’s testimony, prompting the committee to bring some of them back for questioning under oath. After serving in the Trump White House, Ornato was an assistant director at the Secret Service until he left the agency in August for a job in the private sector.

☆ The CEO of massage startup Squeeze is borrowing Drybar's playbook to build a self-sufficient franchise model. Here's what it looks like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alli Hoff Kosik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Brittany Driscoll is Drybar's former VP of marketing and the current CEO of Squeeze massage studios. When Webb and Landau asked Driscoll to become CEO, Squeeze was born, with Webb still on board as an advisor. Here's how the Squeeze team is doing it. "These are long-lasting partnerships, and we want to make sure we're finding the very best fit for both Squeeze and the franchisees," Driscoll said. It's all seamless and built in so that the operating partner and their team can focus on creating a great experience."

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

☆ Former MoviePass executives face fraud charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The men each face one count of securities fraud and three counts of wire fraud with a maximum of 20 years in prison. Farnsworth had a first appearance in DC District Court Friday after he voluntarily turned himself in. But MoviePass’ business model was at best unsustainable — and at worst nonexistent. Spikes helped found MoviePass before being pushed out in 2018 after selling the company to HMNY. Details remain scarce, but the company says the new MoviePass will have three pricing tiers that will cost $10, $20 or $30, depending on the market.

☆ 7 Chinese nationals charged in alleged plot to repatriate U.S. resident
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Federal authorities have charged seven Chinese nationals over an alleged long-running harassment campaign to try and intimidate a U.S. resident into returning to China. “The United States will firmly counter such outrageous violations of national sovereignty and prosecute individuals who act as illegal agents of foreign states,” he added. Surveillance footage showed Guanyang An, left, and Weidong Yuan visited the victim's residence and took photographs of it, according to the indictment. “That same government sent agents to the United States to harass, threaten, and forcibly return them to the People’s Republic of China,” he added. In 2020, federal prosecutors arrested five people accused of trying to coerce Chinese citizens to go home.

☆ U.S. charges 7 in alleged plot to repatriate U.S. resident to China
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The United States unsealed criminal charges on Thursday against seven Chinese nationals accused of waging a surveillance and harassment campaign against a U.S. resident and his family, in a bid by the Chinese government to repatriate one of them back to China. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe lead defendant, Quanzhong An, and his daughter were arrested on Thursday morning. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with China. The man and his son are identified only as "John Doe-1 and John Doe-2." As part of the plot, the defendants allegedly coerced a relative of the family to travel from China to the United States in a bid to convince John Doe-1 to return to the country.

☆ Russians schemed to send U.S. military technology to Russian defense sector, Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Tom_Winter_Nbc_News.Jpg | Tom Winter | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Two Russian nationals were arrested in a scheme to obtain sensitive U.S. military electronics and technology to provide it to the Russian defense sector, prosecutors said Wednesday, noting that some of the items were found on the battlefield in Ukraine. The men sent the items to sanctioned Russian companies that serve the defense sector, according to federal prosecutors. "This network schemed to procure sophisticated technology in direct support of a floundering Russian Federation military industrial complex," Assistant FBI Director Michael Driscoll said in a statement. When Orekhov and Kuzurgasheva sought to buy the sensitive U.S. military and "dual-use technology," they falsely claimed it was going to the Russian space agency Roscosmos. In an exchange with Soto, Orekhov used colorful language to allay his concerns about dealing with Russian companies.

☆ How Blackstone, the private equity giant behind cult-favorite sunscreen Supergoop, is thinking about its next big consumer bet
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The growth of e-commerce has opened new private equity opportunities, a top investor said. The $941 billion private equity firm took a majority stake in Supergoop last December. The investment valued Supergoop, which makes sunscreen and sun protection-focused makeup, at some $600 million to $700 million at the time, Bloomberg News reported. "What is at work here is the colossal, growing nature of private equity everywhere," said Carter Dougherty, communications director for the progressive advocacy coalition Americans for Financial Reform. Some $78 billion of that is in private equity, with the rest across real estate, hedge fund solutions, and credit and insurance, according to filings.

☆ Woman accused of catfishing mystery CEO and threatening to release sexually explicit pics allegedly used 'multiple identities to target wealthy men'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Blackwood allegedly catfished the CEO of a publicly trade company as part of an extortion ploy. She is accused of threatening to release explicit images and conversations in exchange for money. Sakoya Blackwood allegedly "used multiple online identities to target wealthy and high-profile men" starting in March 2022 at least, according to the DOJ and court documents. According to the DOJ, Blackwood "engaged in a campaign of harassment" against the CEO, which involved "sending numerous intimidating and threatening text messages." In addition to the CEO, several other affluent men were part of the catfishing and extortion scheme, the DOJ claimed.

Search resuls for: "Driscoll"

20 mentions found