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☆ Apple execs lose bid to block testimony at Google antitrust trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Three senior Apple executives have lost their bid to stop the U.S. Justice Department from calling them as witnesses in the government's upcoming trial accusing Alphabet's Google of abusing its search power. Cue oversees Apple Music, Apple TV and other services. The Justice Department declined to comment. Google and its lawyers have denied any wrongdoing in the case, one of two Justice Department antitrust lawsuits against Google. The case is United States v. Google, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No.

Persons: Alphabet's, Eduardo Cue, John Giannandrea, Adrian Perica —, Judge Amit Mehta, Perica, John Schmidtlein, Mehta, Apple Organizations: Apple Computers, Apple, U.S . Justice, Washington , D.C, U.S, Companies, Cue, Apple Music, Google, Justice Department, District of Columbia, APM Locations: Silicon Valley, Cupertino , California, Washington ,, Mehta's court, United States, U.S

☆ Judge narrows case in Google antitrust suits brought by states and DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge narrowed the case that states and the Department of Justice can make in the antitrust trial against Google beginning in September, according to a newly-released decision. The cases both alleged that Google illegally maintained a monopoly by cutting off rivals from search distribution channels. The DOJ and a bipartisan group of AGs from 38 states and territories, led by Colorado and Nebraska, filed similar but separate antitrust suits against Google in 2020. In addition to the allegedly exclusionary contracts for search distribution, the states alleged that Google also violated antitrust law through its product to buy search ads and the way it designed its search results pages. But they will no longer be able to bring the claim that Google harmed competition by designing its search results to push down search engine competitors' results, the judge decided.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, It's, Amit Mehta, Mehta, Google's, Kent Walker, Phil Weiser Organizations: Department, Justice, Google, D.C, Department of Justice, DOJ, AGs, Colorado and, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Street Locations: Rayburn, Washington ,, Colorado, Colorado and Nebraska

Google (GOOGL.O) had asked for summary judgment on all the government's claims in the case, which is to go to trial next month. Google said Friday it appreciated the court's "careful consideration and decision to dismiss claims regarding the design of Google Search" in the case brought by the state attorneys general. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised the decision to allow the states Google search antitrust suit to proceed to trial. Mehta noted Google LLC operates the largest U.S. internet general search engine whose "brand name has become so ubiquitous that dictionaries recognize it as a verb." He noted Google in 2020 had nearly 90% market share and advertisers spend over $80 billion annually alone to reach general search users.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Judge Amit Mehta, Google's, Mehta, William Tong, Tong, Trump, Judge Mehta, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Diane Craft Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Justice Department, Big Tech, Microsoft Corp, Apple, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Verizon, Mozilla, Justice, Department, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON, U.S, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia

☆ Judge narrows Trump-era Google antitrust case brought by states and the Justice Department
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Mehta’s decision is an 11th-hour victory for Google in a case brought jointly by state attorneys general and the federal government. The Justice Department sued the company during the Trump administration over its dominant position in online search. The lawsuit by the states, which followed two months later, had been consolidated with the US government’s case. The effects of being the default search provider on browsers and smartphones “is a hotly disputed issue in this case,” Mehta wrote. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who led the charge on the states’ initial lawsuit, said he was pleased the case will still proceed to trial.

Persons: Judge Amit Mehta, Trump, Biden, Yelp, Mehta, ” Mehta, ”, Kent Walker, Department didn’t, Phil Weiser, “, ” Weiser Organizations: Washington CNN, Google, Court, District of, The Justice Department, Microsoft, Facebook, Justice Department, Department Locations: District of Columbia, Colorado

A spokesperson for Covington said the firm will "review the decision carefully and consider any next steps in consultation with our affected clients." Any final outcome could make it easier for the government to get information on law firm clients in the future, and law firms warn it could chill cooperation between the private sector and authorities investigating cyberattacks. The SEC had sought the names of all the nearly 300 companies affected, but Covington resisted identifying any clients. The agency said it needed the names to probe for securities law violations associated with the attack, arguing that Covington’s law firm status did not shield it from cooperating. Covington told the court a law firm’s clients are part of a “zone of privacy” protected by the U.S. Constitution and legal ethics rules.

Persons: Burling, Judge Amit Mehta, Covington, cyberattacks, Mehta, Andrew Goudsward, David Bario, Susan Heavey Organizations: Covington, Burling, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, U.S, SEC, Circuit U.S, of, Thomson Locations: Covington, Washington

☆ Jan 6. defendant unleashes courtroom rant at sentencing hearing, attacking everything from groceries and gas prices to the prosecutors trying her case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Jan. 6 defendant unleashed a scathing diatribe during her sentencing hearing last week. Several times she spoke directly to Judge Mehta, insisting that her life was being taken from her simply "because people have different politics than mine," the outlet reported. "I wanted to tell you exactly what you want to hear, but I won't," Southard-Rumsey told the judge, per CBS. Audrey Southard-Rumsey refused to apologize for her conduct on Jan. 6 during her sentencing hearing. The judge sentenced her to 72 months in prison, as well as 36 months of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.

Persons: Audrey Southard, Rumsey, forgoing, Southard, Nancy Pelosi, Prosecutors, Amit Mehta, Judge Mehta, Mehta Organizations: Service, Capitol, Capitol Police, US, CBS, Southard, DOJ, Prosecutors, Lawyers Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida

☆ Prosecutors are 'sending a message' by asking for harsher sentences for Oath Keepers defendants: DOJ official
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The DOJ wants harsher sentences for eight Oath Keepers members convicted over the Capitol riot. One department official told Insider the DOJ is "really sending a message" by appealing the 8 defendants' sentences. "It's very unusual for DOJ to appeal, but these are unusual cases and unusual times," said the Justice Department official, who requested anonymity to speak about the cases. The DOJ appeal filing didn't include details laying out prosecutors' reasoning; the department official told Insider those details will be laid out in court later. "Typical DOJ, they got their pound of flesh and still want more," Moerschel's lawyer Scott Weinberg told Insider.

Persons: it's, Andrew Weissmann, Robert Mueller's, Weissmann, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, It's, Moerschel, Scott Weinberg, Elsa, Weinberg, William Shipley, Minuta, Meggs, Harrelson, Watkins, Hackett, Vallejo Organizations: DOJ, Capitol, Service, Department, Justice Department, Organization Locations: Wall, Silicon, Robert Mueller's Russia

☆ Convicted Oath Keeper's attorney says it's 'ridiculous' prosecutors appealed for a harsher sentence and that the feds should 'channel their inner Elsa and just let it go'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A lawyer for a convicted Oath Keeper slammed the DOJ for appealing his client's sentence. Prosecutors requested a 10-year sentence for David Moerschel; he was ultimately sentenced to three. "I wish they would channel their inner Elsa and just let it go." "Typical DOJ, they got their pound of flesh and still want more," Scott Weinberg, who represents David Moerschel, told Insider. The defendants whose sentences the DOJ appealed are Moerschel, Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, and Edward Vallejo.

Persons: David Moerschel, Elsa, Scott Weinberg, Donald Trump, Moerschel, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, Edward Vallejo, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Robert Mueller Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, Justice Department, Capitol, DOJ Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ A lawyer for the far-right Oath Keepers was deemed incompetent and her trial over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will be delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kellye SoRelle was charged with conspiracy related to the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Experts found SoRelle incompetent to stand trial, recommending three to four months of treatment. Prosecutors charged SoRelle with conspiracy in September 2022 related to the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Photos from the riots show SoRelle in attendance alongside Stewart Rhodes, founder and leader of the Oath Keepers. According to the Associated Press, SoRelle — who was acting as the general counsel for the Oath Keepers — was also present at a meeting with Rhodes the night before the Capitol riots.

Persons: Kellye SoRelle, —, Amit Mehta, She's, Stewart Rhodes, Rhodes, SoRelle — Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Prosecutors, Capitol, Politico Locations: Texas

☆ A 'lifelong criminal' who told his wife — and a jury — that he had 'fun' on January 6 was sentenced to 6 years in prison for attacking cops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Associated Press | Chris Kaye | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But the judge who sentenced Maly noted that most of his crimes date back to his 20s. Maly told US District Judge Amit Mehta that he regrets traveling to Washington and following the mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters to the Capitol. It's that you did these things and kept doing them that day," the judge told him. Maly testified at his trial that participating in the Capitol riot was "fun" for him. The judge sentenced Schwartz last month to 14 years and two months in prison, the longest for a Jan. 6 case before Rhodes, and sentenced Brown in April to four years and six months in prison.

Persons: Markus Maly, Maly, —, Markus Maly's, Amit Mehta, Donald Trump's, they're, Stephen Rancourt, Stewart Rhodes, Joe Biden, Christopher Boyle, Rancourt, Peter Schwartz, Jeffrey Scott Brown, Schwartz, Brown, Rhodes, Benjamin Schiffelbein, Schiffelbein Organizations: Service, Justice, Maly, Prosecutors, Capitol, Trump, Republican, Democrat, Metropolitan Police, Associated Locations: Washington, Fincastle , Virginia, West Terrace

Mehta since last week has sentenced six other Oath Keepers members to prison terms ranging from three to 18 years. Both men were among a group of Oath Keepers who breached the Capitol on the day of the attack, clad in paramilitary gear. The men are among six Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Two other Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy, Robert Minuta and Edward Vallejo, were sentenced on Thursday. The judge has delayed the sentencing of Thomas Caldwell, another Oath Keepers member who acquitted on the seditious conspiracy charge but convicted of other crimes.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Judge Amit Mehta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, Mehta, Hackett, Moerschel, Joe Biden's, Hackett's, Stewart Rhodes, Robert Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Minuta, Thomas Caldwell, Jacqueline Thomsen, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Prosecutors, Trump, Republican, Representatives, U.S . Army, Yale University, Thomson Locations: United States, Virginia, Washington, Vallejo

☆ Roberto Minuta: Oath Keepers member who sped to Capitol on a golf cart gets more than four years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Oath Keeper who acted as part of a security detail on January 6 for Roger Stone before rushing to join the riot at the Capitol was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday for seditious conspiracy. Roberto Minuta, who prosecutors described as one of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes’ “most trusted men,” was not initially at the Capitol but sped over in a golf cart when he learned of the breach, prosecutors said. “This isn’t about the words themselves,” Judge Amit Mehta said during the sentencing hearing Thursday. “You weren’t charged and convicted because of your words. The law doesn’t permit that,” Mehta said.

Persons: Roger Stone, Roberto Minuta, Stewart Rhodes ’, ”, ” Prosecutors, Amit Mehta, ” Mehta, Minuta, Mehta, ” Minuta, “, naïve, Rhodes “, ” “, Rhodes Organizations: CNN, Capitol, ” Locations: Washington, DC, New York

☆ More Oath Keepers convicted of sedition in US Capitol attack face sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | 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: +4 min

Federal prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to sentence Roberto Minuta and Edward Vallejo to 17 years in prison each after they were convicted in January alongside two other Oath Keepers members. If the judge follows that recommendation, those would be the second-longest sentences for any of the 1,000-plus people charged in the Capitol attack that was intended to block Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's November 2020 election victory over the Republican Trump. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, convicted in November of seditious conspiracy and other charges, was sentenced by Mehta last week to 18 years in prison, the longest of any of the sentences. Prosecutors said he stayed at a suburban Virginia hotel where the Oath Keepers had staged a "quick reaction force" and stashed firearms to be quickly ferried into Washington if needed. Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel, co-defendants in the trial in which Minuta and Vallejo were convicted - are due to be sentenced on Friday.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Judge Amit Mehta, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joe Biden's, Republican Trump, Stewart Rhodes, Mehta, Rhodes, Trump, Roger Stone, Minuta, Vallejo, Prosecutors, William Shipley, Matthew Peed, Peed, al, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, Hackett, Sarah N, Lynch, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Republican, Minuta, World Trade, Moerschel, Thomson Locations: United States, Virginia, Washington, Vallejo, Minuta

☆ Two Oath Keepers convicted of sedition in US Capitol attack sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | 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: +4 min

Prosecutors said he stayed at a suburban Virginia hotel where the Oath Keepers had staged a "quick reaction force" and stashed firearms to be quickly ferried into Washington if needed. Mehta also ordered Vallejo to serve a year of home confinement after his prison term during a three-year period of supervised release. Minuta told the judge he has since disavowed the Oath Keepers and feels "repulsed" by the lack of remorse shown by Rhodes. In addition to Rhodes, three other co-defendants were sentenced last week to between four and 12 years in prison. Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel, co-defendants in the trial in which Minuta and Vallejo were convicted - are due to be sentenced on Friday.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Judge Amit Mehta, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Mehta, Stewart Rhodes, Vallejo, Prosecutors, Minuta, I'm, Trump, Roger Stone, Rhodes . Rhodes, Joe Biden's, Rhodes, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, Hackett, Sarah N, Lynch, Will Dunham, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Vallejo, Republican Trump, Moerschel, Thomson Locations: United States, Virginia, Washington, Minuta

☆ Judge who sentenced Oath Keeper for her role in the Capitol riot said she could have used her identity as a trans woman to be a role model, rather than a riot leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A judge sentenced Oath Keeper Jessica Watkins to 8-and-a-half years in prison on Friday. He said Watkins could have used her identity as a trans woman to be a role model. US District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Watkins to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Friday. "And you are to be held out as someone who can actually be a role model for other people in that journey. Despite his empathy for Watkins, Mehta said, "Your role that day was more aggressive, more assaultive, more purposeful than perhaps others," CNN reported.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on Friday sentenced Harrelson to four years in prison. Earlier on Friday, the judge imposed a prison sentence of eight and a half years for Watkins. Members of the Oath Keepers, founded in 2009, include current and retired U.S. military personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders. Some of the Oath Keepers, including Watkins and Harrelson, breached the Capitol, a few clad in paramilitary gear. Four other Oath Keepers members convicted of seditious conspiracy in a second trial are due to be sentenced next week.

The founder of the far-right Oath Keepers has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol following his conviction on seditious conspiracy. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in November along with Kelly Meggs, a fellow Oath Keepers member who will be sentenced later Thursday afternoon. "I had no idea that any Oath Keeper was even thinking about going inside or would go inside," Rhodes said. With Trump (preferably) or without him, we have no choice," Rhodes wrote in a message ahead of Jan. 6. "Patriots, it was a long day but a day when patriots began to stand," Rhodes wrote the night of Jan. 6.

Persons: Stewart Rhodes, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, Watkins, Harrelson, Peter Schwartz, Schwartz Organizations: Trump, Patriots Locations: Olive Garden, Virginia

May 10 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve its dispute with law firm Covington & Burling over the agency's demand for the names of 300 clients affected by a cyberattack on the firm. The SEC sued Covington in January to force the prominent Washington-based firm to identify public company clients whose information was accessed or stolen in the breach. Mehta told an SEC lawyer that the subpoena puts Covington in the “very awkward position” of having to identify its clients to an enforcement agency without evidence of wrongdoing. “We’re not targeting any particular party,” SEC lawyer Eugene Hansen responded. A lawyer for Covington, Theodore Boutrous, said the SEC has made Covington a “test case” for new authority to scrutinize public companies through demands on their law firms following a hack.

☆ One of the 'most violent and aggressive' January 6 rioters got the longest sentence of any insurrectionist yet after using stolen pepper spray to attack cops
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Kentucky man with 38 prior convictions received the longest January 6 sentence yet on Friday. Prosecutors said Schwartz used stolen police pepper spray to attack officers several times that day. During the attack, Schwartz stole chemical irritants, including pepper spray that was abandoned by police officers during the chaos, and then used it to attack authorities multiple times that day. "You took it upon yourself to try and injure multiple police officers that day," Mehta said in court on Friday. Schwartz was on probation when he took to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to the AP, stemming from one of his "jaw-dropping" 38 prior convictions since 1991, prosecutors said.

Mehta pressed him, for example, on if being dominant in search means that Google's search engine will improve faster than its competitors. In particular, he said, Google should not have made agreements with Apple that requires that Google be the default search engine. Google argued in court filings that the payments at issue are legal revenue-sharing deals and not illegal efforts to exclude rivals. Since this lawsuit was filed, Google has been hit with other antitrust complaints. The Justice Department filed a second lawsuit in January accusing the company of abusing its dominance of the digital advertising business.

Mehta pressed him, for example, on if being dominant in search means that Google's search engine will improve faster than its competitors. Google's Schmidtlein replied: "Offering a superior product, winning business on the merits is never unlawful." Google has argued in court filings that the payments at issue are legal revenue-sharing deals and not illegal efforts to exclude rivals. Since this lawsuit was filed, Google has been hit with other antitrust complaints. The Justice Department filed a second lawsuit in January accusing the company of abusing its dominance of the digital advertising business.

Google has argued in court filings that the payments are legal revenue-sharing deals and not illegal efforts to exclude rivals. The case is being heard by Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Since this lawsuit was filed, Google has been hit with other antitrust complaints. The Justice Department filed a second lawsuit in January accusing the company of abusing its dominance of the digital advertising business. A group of states led by Texas also sued on ad tech in 2020 while states led by Utah filed a lawsuit in 2021 saying the company broke antitrust law in handling its play store.

☆ Jury convicts four far-right Oath Keeper associates in US Capitol attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Four associates of the far-right Oath Keepers group were found guilty on Monday for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but the Washington jury remained deadlocked on some serious charges for two other defendants who did not enter the building during the chaos. Michael Greene and Bennie Parker, the two who did not enter the Capitol building, were acquitted on the most serious felonies charges, though the jury remained deadlocked on one outstanding felony count for each man. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta instructed the jury to go back and continue to deliberate on the two remaining counts. Greene and Bennie Parker were found guilty, however, on lesser misdemeanor charges of entering a restricted building or grounds. Then-president Trump, a Republican, fired up the crowd on Jan. 6 with false claims that his defeat was the result of widespread fraud.

March 20 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google has denied intentionally destroying evidence in the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit over the company's search business, in a response to the government's bid for sanctions in federal court. The Justice Department last month alleged Google failed to preserve certain internal corporate "chat" communications. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on Monday. Mehta last year denied an earlier Justice Department bid for sanctions against Google over claims it was shielding too many documents from review. The case is United States v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No.

☆ A Florida man supported Obama and didn't vote for Trump. Then he stormed the Capitol, pepper-sprayed cops, broke a $2,900 window, and got 4.5 years in prison.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gardner pepper sprayed Capitol Police and smashed a $2,900 window, according to the DOJ. Before 2020, Gardner was not politically active and voted for Obama twice, his attorneys said. Gardner's attorneys said he voted for Obama "both times" and "did not vote for Donald Trump when he ran for office." It's unclear if Gardner voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election. After entering the window, Gardner handed another rioter a wooden table leg that they used to attack police, the release says.

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