DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Donald Trump posts $92 million bond just 3 days before he'd be forced to fork the actual cash over to E. Jean Carroll
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump has posted a bond that will stop E. Jean Carroll from being able to collect $83.3 million from a defamation judgment against him. Trump agreed to the terms of the bond with the Federal Insurance Co. on Tuesday, according to documents filed in court Friday. Trump would have shopped around for the lowest premium, and there may have been more than one carrier competing for his business, Pedersen said. Mandatory costs and interest raise the bond by a standardized 111% above the original judgment in federal cases, Pedersen said. Trump has already put the $5 million in damages he owes in that case into a court-controlled account as he pursues appeals.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Jean Carroll, Trump, Chubb —, Chubb, Neil Pedersen, Pedersen, Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, They're, Carroll Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Federal Insurance Co, Sons, New Locations: Manhattan, New York

A New York judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Donald Trump to delay a $83.3 million civil defamation judgment in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump had asked Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan to pause the latest Carroll case judgment until after he rules on post-trial motions. He later posted $5.6 million in cash as collateral while he appealed the jury verdict ordering him to pay her $5 million in that case. Trump last month was ordered by a state court judge to pay a $454 million judgment in a civil business fraud lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. But that soon could change if an appeals court declines to stay the judgment.

Persons: Donald Trump, E, Jean Carroll, Carroll, Trump, Lewis Kaplan, Alina Habba, Kaplan, Steven Cheung, Cheung, Zak Sawyer, Goodman, Letitia James Organizations: Greensboro Coliseum, Trump, Republican, Circuit, White, New York Locations: Greensboro , North Carolina, A, York, New York, Manhattan

☆ Omnicom agency Merkley+Partners hit with lawsuit accusing ex-creative director of raping a social-media strategist in the bathroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In addition to Diaz, the lawsuit names Merkley+Partners and its parent company Omnicom Group as defendants. Merkley+Partners is a 30-year-old full-service ad firm that has created campaigns for brands including Mercedes-Benz, White Castle, and Florida's Natural. "You went down on me, I went down on you, we had sex," the lawsuit says Diaz told the plaintiff. The lawsuit also says O'Rear was "treated in a cruel and callous fashion" during the firm's investigation. O'Rear's attorney told BI she was no longer working at the ad agency but declined to comment further.

Persons: —, Armando Diaz, Diaz, Merkley, we've, Erin Johnson, Walter Thompson, Mr, O'Rear, I'm, Armando Organizations: Service, New York, Business, Partners, Omnicom Group, Mercedes, Benz, Merkley, WPP, Industry, de Mayo Locations: New York City, Manhattan, White, de

☆ Trump DA Fani Willis' credibility has been shot over messy testimony — but perjury charges are very unlikely: legal experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

DA Fani Willis' credibility has been damaged following a misconduct hearing, legal experts said. Willis' 'credibility is shot'Legal experts have long said that the hearing, and the relationship between Willis and Wade, doesn't look good for Willis. Rahmani said the distraction of it all is enough that Willis should recuse herself from the Trump case. On trips they took together, Willis and Wade testified that Willis paid Wade back for her portion in cash. Ms. Yeager heard District Attorney Willis tell Mr. Bradley: 'They are coming after us.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Wade, it's, Rahmani, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump codefendant Mike Roman, Nathan Wade, Wade —, Daysha Young, Andrew Evans, Alex Slitz, doesn't, Sarah Krissoff, Cozen O'Connor, Krissoff, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Merchant, Bradley, Manny Arora, Cindi Lee Yeager, Cobb County , Georgia —, Trump codefendant David Shafer, Yeager, John Bazemore, Elijah Nouvelage, Mr, Trump codefendant Cathleen Latham, Arora —, Kenneth Chesebro, Arora, Adam Abbate, Abbate Organizations: Service, Fulton, West, Trial, Trump codefendant, Trump, codefendants, Merchant, Wade, Business, USA, Network, Reuters, District Attorney, AP, Washington Post Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, California, Atlanta, Manhattan, Fulton, Cobb County , Georgia

☆ Sen. Bob Menendez faces new obstruction of justice charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is seen after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. New obstruction of justice crimes were added Tuesday to charges against Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife that allege they accepted gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for favors the senator carried out to assist three businessmen. New charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice were added against Menendez and his wife, Nadine. Attorneys for Bob and Nadine Menendez and the other defendants in the case didn't immediately respond to emails requesting comment. Prosecutors allege that Menendez also caused his lawyer to say in the September meeting that Menendez in 2022 had learned that the payments were loans.

Persons: Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez, Nadine, Bob, Nadine Menendez, Prosecutors Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations, Menendez's, Benz, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey, Egypt, Jersey

☆ 'Clean' property, private lenders could be Trump's best option to get $540 million for legal judgments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A more important factor could be whether Trump's real estate assets are already mortgaged, said law professor John Coffee. "He would have to come up with clean real estate property that is not already securing something that some other bank has a lien on," Coffee said. Michele Eve Sandberg | AFP | Getty ImagesIn New York City, the value of Trump's real estate holdings totals $690 million, according to a September 2023 estimate by Forbes. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the fraud case, said she would seize Trump's real estate assets if he cannot pay his civil penalty. They instead offered to post a $100 million bond, but New York appeals court Judge Anil Singh rejected the proposal.

Persons: Donald Trump, Justin Sullivan, Trump, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Chris Kise, haven't, Eric Talley, Talley, Alina Habba, Jean Carroll’s, Carroll, Jane Rosenberg, John Coffee, Jones, Michele Eve Sandberg, Letitia James, Anil Singh, Jean Carroll's, Neil Pedersen, Pedersen, Caitlin Ochs Organizations: Fox News, Greenville Convention Center, Getty, Columbia University, Trump, Manhattan Federal, Trump Organization, Trump National Doral, AFP, Forbes, New York, New, Sons, CNBC Locations: Greenville, Greenville , South Carolina, New York, New York City, Trump National Doral Miami, Miami , Florida, York, Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S

☆ Co-defendant in Sen. Bob Menendez corruption case pleads guilty
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jose Uribe leaves the Federal Court, after a hearing on bribery charges, in New York City, U.S. September 27, 2023. A co-defendant in the criminal corruption case against Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty in New York federal court on Friday and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution of the New Jersey Democrat. Menendez's co-defendant Joe Uribe pleaded guilty to seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud, and obstruction of justice. The other defendants in the case — Menendez, the senator's wife Nadine, and two other New Jersey businessmen — are scheduled to stand trial beginning May 6 in Manhattan federal court. The Clifton, New Jersey, resident and other two businessmen men were accused of having a "corrupt relationship" with Menendez and Nadine Menendez.

Persons: Jose Uribe, Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez's, Joe Uribe, — Menendez, Nadine, —, Uribe, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Wael Hana Organizations: New, New Jersey Democrat, Mercedes, Benz, Agriculture Department, Senate Foreign Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, New Jersey, Jersey, Manhattan, Clifton , New Jersey, Egypt

☆ Crypto exchange Gemini to pay $1.1 billion back to customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Gemini Trust, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, will return at least $1.1 billion to customers of its now shuttered lending program, following a settlement with a New York regulator. NYDFS has the right to “bring further action against Gemini if the company does not fulfill its obligation,” it said in the statement. In a Wednesday blog post, the crypto exchange said that due to the settlement, customers of its lending program, Gemini Earn, would receive 100% of their digital assets back in kind plus any appreciation in value. Gemini Earn marketed itself as a low-risk investment in which customers could lend crypto assets to another firm, Genesis Global Capital (GGC), while earning interest payments as high as 8%. That was when the trillion-dollar crypto market crumbled, due to the collapse of FTX, the once high-flying crypto exchange.

Persons: Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, NYDFS, Meta’s, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Bankman, Fried Organizations: CNN, Gemini Trust, Gemini, New York Department of Financial Services, Facebook, Genesis Global, Bankman, New, GCC, Digital Currency Group Locations: New York, FTX, Manhattan

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers push for 6-year sentence in multibillion-dollar FTX fraud
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Under federal sentencing guidelines, he could face a maximum of 110 years. In the memo, Bankman-Fried’s lawyer, Marc Mukasey, asks the judge overseeing the case to reject the pre-sentencing report prepared by the Probation Department, which recommends a 100-year sentence. Considering Bankman-Fried’s “charitable works and demonstrated commitment to others” Mukasey recommends a prison sentence between five and six-and-a-half years. The judge overseeing the case, Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York, will weigh several factors in deciding Bankman-Fried’s sentence, including arguments from prosecutors, defense counsel and the recommendations from the Probation Department. Typically, in white-collar crimes, the bigger the financial loss, the longer the sentence.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Marc Mukasey, ”, “, ” Mukasey, —, Mukasey, FTX, Lewis Kaplan, Jordan Estes, Kramer Levin, Estes Organizations: New, New York CNN, Probation Department, Southern, of, Department, ”, US Attorney’s, Southern District Locations: New York, Manhattan, FTX, Brooklyn, of New York

☆ FTX fraudster Bankman-Fried seeks less than 7 year sentence, claims he is at risk of 'harm and extortion' in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX Cryptocurrency Derivatives Exchange, arrives at court in New York, US, on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. "The harm to customers, lenders, and investors is zero," Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote. The lawyers wrote that Bankman-Fried has a "neurodiversity" that "greatly affects how he perceives and is perceived." It is not a disease or a condition that needs to be cured," the lawyers wrote. "Individuals with ASD are often at considerably greater risk of physical harm and extortion in prison than other inmates," the lawyers wrote.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Lewis Kaplan, —, Michael Milken, Damian Williams, Williams, Kaplan, Marc Mukasey, Sam, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Milken Organizations: Bankman, Alameda Research, The Manhattan U.S, PSR, Defense, Drexel, CNBC PRO Locations: New York, FTX, Manhattan, Alameda, Brooklyn , New York

☆ OpenAI says New York Times 'paid someone to hack OpenAI's products' in federal court filing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIn response to The New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company is clapping back, saying in a new federal court filing that the Times hired someone to "hack" OpenAI platforms. "The truth, which will come out in the course of this case, is that the Times paid someone to hack OpenAI's products," OpenAI's lawyers wrote in a motion filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday. Not only did the Times pay someone to "hack" OpenAI's products, the filing alleges, but it also gamed the system to produce misleading evidence for the case. "It took them tens of thousands of attempts to generate the highly anomalous results" outlined in the Times' complaint, OpenAI's filing says. "Normal people do not use OpenAI's products in this way," the filing continues.

Persons: —, OpenAI, George R, Martin, Sarah Silverman, John Grisham Organizations: Service, New York Times, OpenAI, Times, Business, Microsoft, The New York Times Locations: Manhattan

"Normal people do not use OpenAI's products in this way," OpenAI wrote in the filing. The news outlet's lawsuit, filed in December, seeks to hold Microsoft and OpenAI accountable for billions of dollars in damages. In the past, OpenAI has said it's "impossible" to train top AI models without copyrighted works. "We expect our ongoing negotiations with others to yield additional partnerships soon," OpenAI wrote in the filing. But in the filing, OpenAI says the content is vital to training today's AI models.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, Axel Springer, — CNBC's Ryan Browne Organizations: Economic, The New York Times, New York Times, Microsoft, House, Times, Bloomberg, CNN, Fox Corp, CNBC PRO Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Manhattan

☆ A timeline of the mounting sexual-misconduct allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A music producer accused Sean 'Diddy' Combs of sexual assault, according to The New York Times. AdvertisementA music producer is the latest to accuse Sean 'Diddy' Combs of sexual assault on the back of several sexual misconduct lawsuits last year. Jones accused Combs of repeated unsolicited groping and forcing Jones to perform sexual acts on prostitutes. Combs' lawsuit troubles began in November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura accused Combs of raping and abusing her during their decadelong relationship. AdvertisementHere's a brief timeline of the sexual assault allegations Combs has faced in the last few months.

Persons: Sean, Diddy, Combs, —, Rodney Jones Jr, Lil Rod, Jones, Shawn Holley, Holley, Tyrone Blackburn, Blackburn, Casandra, Cassie, Ventura, Here's Organizations: The New York Times, Service, Combs Locations: Manhattan

☆ El Chapo gave a briefcase with $1 million to the campaign of the ex-Honduras president now accused of US drug trafficking: witness
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Noah Hurowitz | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At the meeting, El Chapo told Tony Hernández he was looking to open new trafficking routes through Honduras. El Chapo then asked if, under his brother's administration, the Valle brothers or Ardon Soriano himself would be extradited for prosecution. AdvertisementAt that point, El Chapo offered $1 million to Hernández's campaign, Ardon Soriano testified. At a different meeting that year, Ardon Soriano and Tony Hernández met with El Chapo again, and El Chapo personally handed the briefcase with $1 million to Hernández, the convicted drug trafficker testified. "Juan Orlando Hernández told me that he had had them extradited because they had tried to have him killed," Ardon Soriano told the jury.

Persons: Joaquín, Guzmán, Juan Orlando Hernández, El Chapo, Amilcar Alexander Ardon Soriano, El Paraíso, —, Hernández, Ardon Soriano, Soriano, Miguel Arnulfo Valle, Luis Alfonso —, Tony, Tony Hernández, Valle, Juan Orlando, Ardon Organizations: Business, Prosecutors, Honduras —, National Party, El, Miguel Arnulfo Valle Valle Locations: Honduras, Honduran, El, Manhattan, United States, America, Espíritu

☆ Judge allows Sam Bankman-Fried to keep his new lawyers after prosecutors warn of conflict of interest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUS District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Sam Bankman-Fried could retain his new lawyers despite a noted conflict of interest. Questioned thoroughly by Kaplan, Bankman-Fried affirmed that he wanted to keep his new attorneys, waiving his right to "conflict-free representation," as Kaplan put it. They're expected to help Bankman-Fried with his sentencing hearing, scheduled for late March. In their February letter, prosecutors said Kaplan should hold a Curcio hearing, where the judge could ask Bankman-Fried and his lawyers questions to determine whether a legitimate conflict of interest exists and whether they would waive it for the sentencing hearing. This has the potential to create a conflict in the representation of Bankman-Fried and Mashinsky," prosecutors wrote in the letter.

Persons: —, Lewis Kaplan, Sam Bankman, Fried, Kaplan, Marc Mukasey, Torrey Young, waiving, Mukasey, Young, They're, Alex Mashinsky, Caroline Ellison, Mashinsky, Prosecutors, Michael Mukasey, George W, Bush, Eddie Gallagher, Eric Trump, Matt Gaetz, Alexandra Shapiro, Shapiro, Nicolas Roos Organizations: Service, Bankman, Business, Justice Department Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Mashinsky, Navy, New, Trump Locations: Manhattan, Alameda, New York

☆ Ex-Honduras president worked hand in hand with violent traffickers to transport 'massive amounts of cocaine' into the US: prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Noah Hurowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementFormer Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández worked "hand in hand" with violent drug traffickers to send massive loads of cocaine into the United States, a federal prosecutor said on Wednesday in his opening statements at the high-profile New York trial of the fallen political leader. As the trial on drug and weapons charges kicked off, Hernández sat in the courtroom wearing a black suit. AdvertisementHernández's defense attorney, Renato Stabile, told the jury in his opening statements that Hernández "does not sit down with drug traffickers." Advertisement"There's gonna be a lot of talk at this trial, but not a lot of concrete evidence," Stabile continued. Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, Josè Sànchez told jurors of 2013 meetings between Hernández and convicted drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez at the office of the company where Sànchez worked.

Persons: Juan Orlando Hernández, David Robles, Hernández, Joaquín, Moises Castillo, Robles, Renato Stabile, Stabile, they've, San Pedro Sula, Josè Sànchez, Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, Sànchez, Mr, they're Organizations: Prosecutors, Former Honduran, AP Locations: Honduran, United States, Manhattan, Honduras, America, Mexican, San Pedro

☆ Ex-Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernández, former US ally, to stand trial in NY for alleged cocaine smuggling empire
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Noah Hurowitz | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández will stand trial in New York on drug trafficking charges. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández in 2020. Juan Orlando Hernández, center in chains, is shown to the press at the Police Headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. In this courtroom sketch, Juan Orlando Hernández, center, speaks into a microphone while pleading not guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges in 2022. Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández, the brother of Juan Orlando Hernández.

Persons: Juan Orlando Hernández, Hernández, —, Joaquín, Moises Castillo, Hernández's, James D, it's, Elmer Martinez, Hernández —, Juan Carlos Bonilla, Mauricio Hernandez Pineda, " Pineda, Bonilla, Pineda, Juan Antonio, Tony, Tony Hernández, Tony Hernández's, El Chapo, ledgers, Elizabeth Williams Hernández's, Pamela Ruíz, Rúiz, Cachiros, Hondurans, Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga, Alex Ardon, Fernando Antonio, Juan Orlando Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, AP, Embassy, of, Police, Honduran National Police, Central, International, Business, National Party, Sinaloa Cartel, Honduran Locations: Honduran, New York, Honduras, United States, America, Mexican, Manhattan, Tegucigalpa, Hernández, Southern, of New York, Washington, Brooklyn, Tigre, Miami, Colombia, El, Central America, El Paraiso, Guatemala, Sinaloa

☆ A crypto influencer has posted what she says is the first photo of Sam Bankman-Fried hanging out with his fellow inmates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tiffany Fong uploaded a photo of what appears to be a scruffy-looking Sam Bankman-Fried to X. The content creator said she got the photo from an inmate and ex-gang member called "G Lock." Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried looks a lot scruffier in prison, according to a photo obtained by crypto influencer Tiffany Fong. AdvertisementFirst photo of Sam Bankman-Fried in jail at MDC Brooklyn. (December 17, 2023) pic.twitter.com/QlENjjmeQG — Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) February 20, 2024Fong said she'd obscured the faces of the other inmates for privacy reasons.

Persons: Tiffany Fong, Sam Bankman, Fong, Fried, G, He's, I've, Lewis Kaplan, he'd Organizations: MDC Brooklyn, Bankman, Metropolitan Detention Center, of Prisons, Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention, Business Insider Locations: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Brooklyn's

☆ Trump lawyers don't want prospective jurors in 'hush-money' case to be asked if 2020 election was stolen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Todd Blanche, the lead attorney representing Trump in the case, said that jurors should not be asked whether they believe the 2020 election — which Trump lost to now-President Joe Biden — was "stolen." Ahead of the 2016 election, Trump sought to keep Daniels — an adult film actor whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — quiet about an affair she says she had with him. It will also be the first time a former president has ever sat for a criminal trial. Blanche asked Merchan to take a fresh look at the questions jurors should be asked. AdvertisementLast year, Trump went through a three-month civil trial in Manhattan for a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, Todd Blanche, Trump, Joe Biden —, Blanche, Joshua Steinglass, Biden didn't, Steinglass, Juan Merchan, couldn't, Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Stephanie Clifford —, Jean Carroll, defaming, Lewis Kaplan's, Jean Carroll's, Judge Kaplan, Pres, Donald Trump winked, Jeffrey Toobin, Ben Shapiro, Sean Hannity, Jeffrey Toobin —, Susan Necheles, mutter, Carroll, Toobin, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Smith, Letitia James, Arthur Engoron Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, New, Attorney, US, Getty, Prosecutors, New Yorker, CNN, Justice, New York, Trump Organization Locations: Manhattan, Washington, DC, Fulton County, Florida

☆ Trump Media SPAC insider trading defendant hit with new money laundering count
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A man already charged with insider trading related to a shell company's planned merger with Donald Trump's social media firm was hit with a new money laundering count in Manhattan federal court. The new indictment details two money transfers Shvartsman conducted after netting a profit of about $18.2 million from selling Digital World Acquisition Corp . Shvartsman, his brother Gerald Shvartsman and Bruce Garelick were indicted in June on securites fraud charges related to their sale of DWAC securities in fall 2021 and other conduct. The trio of investors allegedly bought DWAC securities after learning on a confidential basis that the so-called special purpose acquisition company was eyeing a merger with Trump Media and Technology Group. TMTG includes the social media platform Truth Social, which is one of the former president's favorite methods for communicating with supporters online.

Persons: Michael Shvartsman, Donald Trump's, Shvartsman, Gerald Shvartsman, Bruce Garelick, DWAC Organizations: Federal, Corp, Trump Media, Technology Group, TMTG, Prosecutors Locations: New York, Manhattan

NEW YORK (AP) — The federal judge who presided over the jury trial that resulted in an $83 million award to writer E. Jean Carroll for her defamation claims against former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his rejection of his lawyer's unusual midtrial mistrial request was not a close call. Habba said a mistrial was in order because Carroll, 80, was confessing that she destroyed evidence that should have been preserved for trial. Out of the presence of the jury one day, the judge even threatened to jail her if she didn't stop talking. The $83.3 million award by the jury two weeks ago came over statements Trump made while he was president. The jury rejected Carroll's rape claim, though the judge later said what the jury found would be considered rape in other jurisdictions.

Persons: E, Jean Carroll, Donald Trump, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Alina Habba's, Carroll, Habba, ” Kaplan, Trump, didn't, ” Habba Organizations: Trump Locations: Manhattan

☆ Three people indicted in $400 million FTX crypto hack conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Three people were indicted for an identity theft conspiracy that allegedly included the $400 million hack from FTX on the same day in November 2022 that the doomed cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy protection, court records show. A source familiar with the case confirmed that FTX was the victim mentioned in the indictment. Later on Nov. 11 and continuing into the next day, "co-conspirators transferred over $400 million in virtual currency from [FTX's] virtual currency walls to virtual currency wallets controlled by the co-conspirators. The indictment says that several weeks before the FTX hack, the scheme looted $293,000 in virtual currency from one victim, and days later, stole more than $1 million in crypto from another person. A day after the FTX hack, the conspirators stole about $590,000 in crypto from an individual's virtual wallet.

Persons: Robert Powell, Carter Rohn, Emily Hernandez, Gal Pissetzky, FTX, Sam Bankman, Fried, Powell, Hernandez Organizations: Washington , D.C, U.S, Attorney's, FTX, CNBC PRO Locations: Krakow, Poland, Chicago, Indianapolis, Colorado, Washington ,, Washington, Manhattan, Texas

☆ How Trump's 'I'm rich!' boasts are coming back to bite him in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Laura Italiano | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The day before awarding Carroll $83.3 million in damages — Trump's penance for calling her a lying "whack job" when she told the world he'd sexually assaulted her — jurors heard, firsthand, how rich he was. AdvertisementTrump's "I'm rich" boasts hurt him in both the Carroll verdict and the upcoming fraud trial verdict, Snell said. Punitive damages in defamation cases are supposed to have a deterrent effect, to stop the defamation from happening again. AdvertisementTrump's wealth also illustrates why the jury imposed enormous punitive damages compared to the $18.3 million to compensate Carroll. The Carroll jury also heard Trump boast about the value of his "brand."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Jean Carroll, Donald Trump, Carroll, Roberta Kaplan, Trump, Letitia James, I'm, Tristan Snell, General's, Snell, Trump's, —, Kaplan, J, Erik Connolly, Connolly, Stephanie Keith, There's, We've, that's, Forbes, Timothy A, Clary, didn't, Chris Mattei, Alex Jones, Mattei, Arthur Engoron, Engoron Organizations: Carroll, Trump, New York Attorney, New, New York, Trump University, Disney, Benesch, NEW, Manhattan Federal Court, E, MSNBC, Trump Organization, Forbes, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Manhattan, Smartmatic, New York City, AFP, New York

☆ Trump's sexual assault on E. Jean Carroll cost him just $2mil. His mouth put him on the hook for nearly $90mil more.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Most of the nearly $100 million Donald Trump owes E. Jean Carroll stems from verbal attacks on her. For the sexual assault, the jury ordered Trump to cough up just over $2 million to the longtime advice columnist. This most recent trial differed from last year's, at which Carroll sued Trump for both the sexual abuse and defamation. AdvertisementE. Jean Carroll with her attorneys Shawn Crowley and Roberta Kaplan following the second trial's jury verdict. Only a massive punitive damages verdict, Carroll's lawyers argued, would get Trump to actually stop.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jean Carroll, Trump, Carroll, —, E, she's, Carroll's, defaming Carroll, Spencer Platt, Chris Mattei, Alex Jones, Mattei, Shawn Crowley, Roberta Kaplan, Yuki Iwamura, wasn't, J, Erik Connolly, Connolly, Carroll —, Donald Trump's, hasn't Organizations: Service, CBS, Trump, Business, Getty, White, AP, Benesch, CNN Locations: Manhattan, New York City

☆ Donald Trump's lawsuit over 'Steele dossier' thrown out by UK court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former US President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan federal court to attend his defamation trial in New York on January 26, 2024. Donald Trump's data protection lawsuit against a British private investigations firm over a dossier which alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russia was thrown out by London's High Court on Thursday. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had sued Orbis Business Intelligence about claims in a dossier written by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who co-founded Orbis. Orbis, however, argued that Trump brought the claim simply to address his "longstanding grievances" against the company and Steele. The London lawsuit is just one of many legal cases involving Trump, who faces four separate criminal prosecutions in the United States.

Persons: Donald Trump, Donald Trump's, Christopher Steele, Karen Steyn, Trump, Steele Organizations: Trump, London's, Orbis Business Intelligence, Orbis Locations: Manhattan, New York, Russia, British, U.S, London, United States

Search resuls for: "Manhattan Federal"

25 mentions found