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☆ Luck of the draw: Trump's judge will likely be his appointee Aileen Cannon, who has already handed him victories that had legal experts scratching their heads
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Insider Staff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Judge Aileen Cannon is likely to preside over the first-ever federal trial of a former president. Cannon, 42, has been assigned to oversee Trump's trial, according to a summons cited by numerous news outlets. At that time, a magistrate judge on duty — and not Cannon — is expected to oversee the proceedings. The judge will likely decide whether to set bail, and read the charges against Trump before he enters a plea. "Judge Cannon is a great judge who I am very proud to have enthusiastically supported," Rubio told Insider through his office when asked about the connection.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Trump, —, Aileen Cannon —, Donald Trump —, Cannon, Jon Sale, Sale, Cannon recuses, It's, Cannon's, Nelson Mullins Riley, Fort, Paul G, Donald Trump, ANDY BUCHANAN, Mercedes Cubas, Federalist Society —, Steven Colloton, Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher, Josh Lorence, Lorence, Bobby Flay, Ron DeSantis, Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Rick Scott of, " Rubio, Democratic Sen, Dianne Feinstein, they'd, Nancy Pelosi, Cortez, Paul Hoeffer, Hoeffer Organizations: Service, Department of, Trump, Southern District of, Appeals, Scarborough LLP, Miami Herald, Rogers, Getty, Committee, Duke University, El, El Nuevo Herald, University of Michigan Law School, Federalist Society, Crutcher LLP, Southern, Republican, Senate, Democratic Locations: Department of Justice's, Miami, Mar, Palm Beach , Florida, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach County, Fort Pierce , Florida, West Palm Beach, AFP, Cali , Colombia, Miami , Florida, Cuba, Spain, El Nuevo, Iowa, Washington ,, Florida, Athens, Greece, Vero Beach , Florida, DeSantis, Marco Rubio of Florida, Rick Scott of Florida, Cortez of New York

By charging the case in the Southern District of Florida, the special counsel has wisely pre-empted one other potential defense: improper venue. On the one hand, he has to ensure that Mr. Trump, like any defendant, has sufficient time to file motions challenging the charges and evidence and time to prepare for trial. Special attention is required by Mr. Smith here because the case involves classified evidence. That means the court will probably have to deal with motions under the Classified Information Procedures Act. Ideally, that will happen before the presidential nominating process, but at a minimum, it must take place before the general election.

Persons: ”, Smith, Trump, Justice Juan M Organizations: Southern District of, D.C, Mr, District of Columbia, New, Justice Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Washington, Florida, District, Manhattan

The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, who Mr. Trump appointed to the bench in 2020, is scheduled — at least for now — to preside over the former president’s first appearance in Federal District Court in Miami on Tuesday, the people said. But it was not clear whether Judge Cannon would remain assigned for the entirety of Mr. Trump’s case. Judge Cannon’s involvement was earlier reported by ABC News. The chances that Judge Cannon would randomly receive the assignment were low. There are 15 active Federal District Court judges in South Florida, along with 11 on senior status who are still assigned to hear cases but at a reduced workload.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Aileen M, Cannon, Judge Cannon’s, Angela Noble Organizations: Mr, Court, ABC News, Southern, Southern District of, The New York Times Locations: Miami, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, South Florida

☆ Judge Aileen Cannon may have been appointed by Trump, but he'll turn on her if she ever sides against him during his criminal case, former prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The judge likely overseeing the case is Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Trump appointed. Former prosecutors say Trump could turn on Cannon if she ever sides against him in the case. But former prosecutors told Insider that even though Trump appointed Cannon, he could still turn on her if she ever sides against him in the case. Bederow told Insider that Trump will probably initially see Cannon being assigned to the case as a "good thing" — up until "something goes against him." Trump has not yet spoken out about Cannon likely being assigned the case.

Persons: Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, —, Donald Trump, Mark Bederow, Bederow, Duncan Levin, Levin Organizations: of Justice, Service, US, Manhattan District, Department, White, Southern District of, Attorney's Locations: Florida, Lago, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Manhattan

☆ A Carnival cruise passenger was arrested by the FBI for sexually abusing his 9-year-old daughter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Carnival cruise passenger was arrested by the FBI for sexually abusing his daughter. Justin Sigmon was recorded touching his daughter by a passenger and the ship's CCTV. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has arrested a Carnival cruise passenger for sexually abusing his nine-year-old daughter, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida. On May 26, a passenger recorded Sigmon touching his daughter's thighs, and eventually moved towards her "private area," according to the complaint. According to the passenger, Sigmon covered his crotch with his hands after his daughter had moved away from him.

Persons: Justin Sigmon, Sigmon, Markenzy Lapointe Organizations: FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Southern District of, US, Office Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Miami, Bahamas, Franklin

☆ Man behind guns in Haitian president's assassination sentenced to life in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jaar signed a plea statement in March, which said he provided personnel and funds to kidnap Moise, but the initial plan later turned into a murder plot. Some of the funds were used to buy weapons and pay bribes for the president's security detail, the statement said. Jaar was sentenced on Friday by Southern District of Florida Judge Jose Martinez. Jaar met with the co-conspirators the night before the assassination, according to the plea statement, at which time Haitian-American James Solages stated the aim was to kill Moise. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jovenel Moise, Rodolphe Jaar, Moise, Jaar, Southern District of Florida Judge Jose Martinez, James Solages, Joseph Joel John, Joseph Vincent, German Rivera, Antonio Intriago, Kanishka Singh, Grant McCool Organizations: Southern District of, Southern District of Florida Judge, U.S . Department of, Thomson Locations: Chilean, U.S, Florida, Caribbean, Southern District of Florida, Haitian, Colombian, Venezuelan, Miami, Dominican Republic, Washington

☆ Donald Trump: Michael Cohen has ruined my reputation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday filed a more than $500 million lawsuit in federal court against Michael Cohen, accusing his ex-lawyer-turned-nemesis of ruining his reputation by repeatedly "spreading falsehoods." In the suit, Trump, through his lawyers, alleges that his former fixer Cohen breached his attorney-client relationship and profited off trashing the ex-president. Cohen, who has become one of Trump's harshest critics, "appears to have become emboldened and repeatedly continues to make wrongful and false statements about" Trump, the suit alleges. The lawsuit comes on the heels of Trump's historic indictment by a Manhattan grand jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Wednesday.

☆ The Manhattan DA's likely case against Trump would be far from a 'slam dunk conviction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

New York state prosecutors have never brought an election law case involving a federal campaign, per NYT. If the DA's office brings a criminal case against Trump, it would be far from a "slam dunk conviction," one ex-prosecutor said. Among the charges Trump could face is violating New York's business records statute, which bars individuals from falsifying business records with an intent to defraud. Some legal experts have pointed out that New York has a long history of bringing felony prosecutions based on falsifying business records. If Trump is charged with falsifying business records, "expect to see this defense."

☆ Manafort, U.S. government settle civil case for $3.15 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is escorted into court for his arraignment in New York Supreme Court, June 27, 2019. Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has agreed to pay $3.15 million to settle a civil case filed by the Justice Department over undeclared foreign bank accounts. When the civil case was filed in April 2022, prosecutors alleged that Manafort had failed to disclose more than 20 offshore bank accounts he ordered opened in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Trump pardoned his former campaign chairman in the final weeks of his presidency. Manafort's ties to Ukraine led to his ouster from Trump's campaign in August 2016, less than a month after Trump accepted the Republican nomination.

☆ Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Former President Donald Trump has sued journalist Bob Woodward for copyright violations, claiming Woodward released audio from their interviews without Trump’s consent. Woodward conducted several interviews with Trump for “Rage,” the author’s second book on the former president that hit bookstores in September 2020. Woodward later released “The Trump Tapes,” an audiobook featuring eight hours of raw interviews with Trump interspersed with the author’s commentary. That book, which went on sale October 25, 2022, contains the 20 interviews Woodward conducted with Trump from 2016 through 2020, including those for “Rage.”But Trump, in the lawsuit filed Monday in the Northern District of Florida, claims he did not give Woodward permission to release the audio of the interviews. In that case, US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks of the Southern District of Florida wrote that Trump has demonstrated a “pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes” as he ticked through several other failed lawsuits Trump has brought in recent years.

☆ Venezuela former chief justice indicted in U.S. for money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Venezuela's former chief justice Maikel Moreno has been indicted on money laundering charges related to bribe payments he allegedly received in exchange for influencing court decisions, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Southern District of Florida said. "During his tenure on the Supreme Court, Moreno received bribes in exchange for influencing actions in criminal cases, including dismissing criminal charges and arrest warrants or ordering home confinement for charged defendants," according to the statement. Moreno was replaced as chief justice in 2022, but retains a position as a judge on the court. Moreno is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment of money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property, according to the statement. Reporting by Brian Ellsworth in Caracas; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 3 Florida nursing schools sold 7,600 fake diplomas that helped applicants skip essential steps to becoming licensed nurses, federal prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three schools in Florida sold 7,600 fake credentials to nursing license applicants, officials said. The faux diplomas and transcripts qualified applicants for the national nursing board exam. They would have allowed buyers to potentially skip thousands of clinical trainings, prosecutors said. The fake credentials wouldn't have given the buyer a nursing license, but it would qualify them to sit for the national nursing board exam. The diplomas would state that the buyer had attended the respective school's nursing program, when they never took classes there, prosecutors said.

☆ Trump drops lawsuit against New York AG after judge in same case sanctions him almost $1 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump stands on the 18th green during the Pro-Am tournament before the LIV Golf series at Trump National Doral, Oct. 27, 2022. Former President Donald Trump on Friday morning voluntarily dropped a longshot federal lawsuit in Florida against New York's attorney general — a day after the same judge in the case sanctioned him and his lawyer nearly $1 million for filing another, "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many other defendants. Middlebrooks ordered Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and his lawyer Alina Habba to pay Clinton and other defendants around $938,0000 for filing the suit that the judge previously dismissed. Trump's suit had accused Clinton and the others of conspiring to create a false narrative during the 2016 presidential election that his campaign was colluding with Russia. Middlebrooks in that order cited how Trump has responded in court in New York to James' years-long civil investigation of his company, the Trump Organization, as one of the multiple examples of "a pattern of abuse of the courts" by the Republican former president.

☆ Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a since-dismissed "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many others, which had claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in her favor by smearing Trump. Middlebrooks in his order Thursday noted that "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries." "He knew full well the impact of his actions ... As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, filed his suit in March against Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Middlebrooks earlier dismissed the lawsuit against Clinton and all other defendants "with prejudice," which bars Trump from refiling the complaint.

☆ U.S. court sentences ex-Bolivian interior minister to 6 years in bribery scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - A federal U.S. court sentenced former Bolivian Interior Minister Arturo Murillo to nearly six years behind bars on Wednesday for conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Murillo was sentenced to 70 months in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Another former Bolivian official and three Americans were sentenced in the United States last June after they also pleaded guilty to roles in the same scheme, the department said. Bolivia's government has requested Murillo's extradition to Bolivia, where he faces a host of criminal charges. "Justice has spoken in the United States.

☆ Meet 41-year old Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump-nominated Floridian who will pick the special master to weed through the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Judge Aileen Cannon recently reversed a big win that she had handed Trump's defense team. Judge Aileen Cannon gave her confirmation testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee over Zoom on July 29, 2020. There, she prosecuted cases involving narcotics, fraud, firearms, and immigration cases, according to her Senate confirmation document. Cannon during her confirmation hearing thanked Rubio as well as fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida for their "continued support." "Judge Cannon is a great judge who I am very proud to have enthusiastically supported," Rubio told Insider through his office when asked about the connection.

☆ Billionaire Ken Griffin sues the IRS after his tax records were disclosed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

ProPublica used IRS tax data provided by an anonymous source, and it's unclear how the data was obtained. Griffin reported an average income of $1.7 billion from 2013 to 2018, ProPublica said, citing his tax returns. Griffin was not listed as one of the billionaires who paid zero or low tax rates in any one year, and, in fact, the ProPublica tax information showed Griffin pays a higher effective tax rate than many top earners. The leaked tax returns sparked an uproar in Washington, which continues to escalate. "IRS employees deliberately stole the confidential tax returns of several hundred successful American business leaders," Griffin said in a statement.

CNN —The special master review of evidence seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is no more. Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday formally dismissed the case, which Trump brought to challenge the Mar-a-Lago evidence collection and in which she appointed special master Raymond Dearie, another judge, to make recommendations on whether prosecutors could access evidence. The dismissal of the case now gives the Justice Department full access to tens of thousands of records and other items found among documents marked as classified in Trump’s beach club and private office. The court told Cannon the case must be dismissed and there will be no further proceedings before Cannon in the Southern District of Florida. That critique culminated in a scathing opinion from an appellate court panel – stacked with GOP appointees – that tore apart Trump and Cannon’s rationale for why the special master was necessary.

☆ A flight attendant who says she was fired by Spirit for being overweight is suing the airline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A flight attendant filed a lawsuit against Spirit Airlines claiming she was wrongfully terminated. Chelsia Blackmon claimed the airline fired her for being overweight, court documents showed. On October 8, the flight attendant was asked to buckle into a jump seat that was too small for her, according to the complaint. The flight attendant also said that the airline's actions "were in willful and malicious and in reckless disregard of her civil rights." Spirit Airlines and Blackmon's attorney didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Ex-U.S. lawmaker arrested for conspiring to act as agent of Venezuela
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Former U.S. lawmaker David Rivera was arrested on Monday on charges of conspiring to launder money and to illegally act as an agent of the Venezuelan government, according to a U.S. official and an indictment. Rivera and associate Esther Nuhfer sought to improve bilateral ties and prevent further U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela, without disclosing this as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the indictment. "On November 16, 2022, Rivera was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Florida." In 2020, a PDVSA unit under opposition control sued Interamerican Consulting, stating it received $15 million from PDVSA but performed no meaningful services. Interamerican paid millions of dollars to a company managing yachts for a Venezuelan businessman, according to records that emerged from that lawsuit.

☆ Appeals court vacates order appointing Trump Mar-a-Lago search warrant watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A member of the Secret Service is seen in front of the home of former President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on August 9, 2022. Cannon also temporarily blocked the DOJ to review or use the seized documents for its investigation while Dearie's examination of them was pending. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant," the panel wrote. Accordingly, we agree with the government that the district court improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction, and that dismissal of the entire proceeding is required." That justification would be the fact that Trump "is a former President of the United States," the appeals panel noted.

☆ The SEC is suing real-estate mogul Kent Swig's shady crypto partner for perpetuating a 'pump-and-dump' scheme with a different gold-backed crypto currency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Alex Nicoll | Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Now the SEC is suing the CEO of Swig's company for an earlier, separate gold-backed crypto scam. According to the SEC, Braverman was said to be the chief operating officer of one of two companies the regulator targeted in the complaint. When Swig's company announced Digau, cryptocurrencies were on a sugar high, with bitcoin trading above $60,000. Neither Swig nor Dignity Gold would reveal to Business Insider any of the specific site locations where the company plans to mine. To extract the gold, Swig partnered with a mining company called Apache Mill Tailings.

☆ Florida woman sues Kraft for $5M, saying Velveeta shells & cheese takes longer to prepare than packaging claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Joseph Lamour | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

On Nov. 18, Florida resident Amanda Ramirez sued the Kraft Heinz Company for at least $5 million over what she claims is deceptive and fraudulent packaging. Ramirez says that since Kraft’s Velveeta Shells & Cheese Microwavable Shell Pasta takes longer than 3-and-a-half minutes to prepare even though its packing states “ready in 3½ minutes,” that constitutes fraud. What the plaintiff focuses on is the fifth instruction, “cheese sauce will thicken upon standing” which they say constitutes a longer “ready” time than the packaging claims. “Consumers seeing ‘ready in 3½ minutes’ will believe it represents the total amount of time it takes to prepare the Product,” the suit reads. “However, the directions outlined above show that 3-and-a-half minutes is just the length of time to complete one of several steps.

CNN —The label on a cup of Velveeta’s microwaveable mac and cheese says the meal only takes three and a half minutes to prepare. Amanda Ramirez, of Hialeah, has filed a proposed $5 million class action lawsuit against Kraft Heinz Foods Company alleging the food producer’s Velveeta Shells & Cheese takes longer than advertised to prepare, court documents show. The additional steps mean it’s impossible for the mac and cheese to be ready in just three and a half minutes, according to the complaint. Kraft Heinz Foods Company dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” in a statement. “We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint,” a Kraft Heinz Foods Company spokesperson told CNN Monday.

Two Cambodian wildlife officials were among eight people charged Wednesday with running an international monkey smuggling ring that shipped primates to the U.S. that were poached from the wild and falsely labeled as coming from breeding facilities, federal prosecutors said. Cambodian wildlife officials were paid to help transport the monkeys to the facilities, including the Vanny Bio Research center in Cambodia, the indictment says. One of the Cambodian wildlife officials, Masphal Kry, 46, was arrested Wednesday at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. According to federal prosecutors in Miami, he personally transported the monkeys to the Cambodian facilities and received payments from the other members of the alleged smuggling ring between December 2017 and this September. “The allegations are alarming — the plundering of wild populations of long-tailed macaques and falsely labeling them as captive-bred in order to bypass regulations,” Kite said.

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