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The scheduled April 25 trial relates to Trump's alleged rape of Carroll in late 1995 or early 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. In his Oct. 12 post, Trump said he did not know Carroll, that she made up the rape claim to promote her memoir, and that the claim was a "hoax," "lie," "con job" and "complete scam." Trump said his post amounted to commentary about Carroll's earlier lawsuit and his defenses, and therefore was protected. But the judge said Trump's post was neither a "report of any judicial proceeding" nor a "fair and true report" of such a proceeding that would justify immunity. The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No 22-10016.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried tried to bribe Chinese officials with at least $40 million, prosecutors say in a new charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Bankman-Fried was hit with a new bribery conspiracy charge, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday. He spent $40 million or more in crypto to "influence" Chinese officials, prosecutors said. He’s previously pleaded not guilty to the DOJ’s original charges. Prosecutors have accused Bankman-Fried of spending "at least" $40 million in crypto on "at least one or more Chinese government officials in order to influence them," according to an updated indictment unsealed on Tuesday. In January, Bankman-Fried previously pleaded not guilty to the original 8-count indictment that prosecutors had filed back in December.

☆ Trump Probe Places Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg in Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ’s pursuit of potential criminal charges against former President Donald Trump could provide a case for the history books while also testing one of New York City’s top prosecutors, a newcomer to political office who built his career in state and federal law enforcement. Mr. Bragg, 49 years old, took office in January of last year, becoming the first Black district attorney in Manhattan after winning the nomination in a crowded Democratic field and then triumphing in his first run for public office. He campaigned by touting his lengthy record in law enforcement, which includes stints with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the New York attorney general, as well as sharing his personal experiences living with crime and aggressive policing while growing up in Harlem during the 1980s crack epidemic.

☆ Judge halts Voyager Digital's $1.3 bln sale to Binance.US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 27 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday temporarily stopped bankrupt Voyager Digital (VYGVQ.PK) from completing a proposed $1.3 billion sale to crypto exchange Binance.US, allowing the U.S. government more time to pursue appeals that challenge the legality of the deal. Trustee, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) bankruptcy watchdog, filed appeals in early March over a bankruptcy court's approval of the sale. Binance.US has agreed to pay $20 million in cash to Voyager, and take on crypto assets deposited by Voyager customers. Those assets, valued at $1.3 billion in February, account for the bulk of the deal's valuation, according to Voyager. Binance.US maintains publicly that it is entirely independent of Binance.com, operating as the "U.S. partner" to the world's biggest crypto exchange.

NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - A newly fired Fox News producer is seeking to recant testimony she said network lawyers coerced her into providing as Fox defends against Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit. Grossberg said Fox fired her on Friday, four days after she originally sued and was put on administrative leave. Fox, part of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corp (FOXA.O), said Grossberg "ignored" its warning that she might lose her job if she revealed privileged communications with lawyers. The cases are Grossberg v Fox Corp et al, Delaware Superior Court, No. N23C-03-180; and Grossberg v Fox Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Companies Deutsche Bank AG FollowNEW YORK, March 24 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) has settled a lawsuit in which it accused two offshore funds of reneging on an agreement to sell it $1.6 billion of claims in the bankruptcy of Bernard Madoff's namesake firm. Incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, the Kingate funds funneled client money to Madoff for many years before his Ponzi scheme collapsed in 2008. The funds sold their claims against the former Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC to Deutsche Bank for 66 cents on the dollar in 2011. But the bank said the Kingate funds later got "sellers' remorse" because the value of the claims rose substantially. The case is Deutsche Bank Securities Inc v. Kingate Global Fund Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ A couple is accusing JPMorgan of drilling open their safe deposit boxes and selling $10 million of their jewelry after they failed to pay rent for the boxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A couple is accusing JPMorgan of selling valuables that were placed in the lender's safe deposit boxes. JPMorgan drilled open 4 safe deposit boxes after it did not receive rent for the boxes, per the complaint. The couple estimates the contents of the safe deposit boxes to be worth $8 to $10 million. The Aranetas say they started renting the safe deposit boxes in 2006In their complaint, the Aranetas said they started renting the safe deposit boxes in 2006 and renewed the leases annually. On or around February 17, 2017, JPMorgan drilled open four of their safe deposit boxes without notifying them and removed the contents, per the complaint.

☆ Ex-Morgan Stanley advisor charged with defrauding NBA players out of $13 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Morgan Stanley advisor Darryl Cohen was arrested on Thursday morning for allegedly defrauding current and former NBA players including Jrue Holiday, Chandler Parsons and Courtney Lee. Three others, including former NBA players agent Charles Briscoe, were also charged. Cohen was an advisor for Morgan Stanley from 2015 to 2021, according to his Financial Industry Regulatory Authority profile. The DOJ said in its indictment document that the alleged fraud schemes took place from roughly 2017 to 2020. "We fully cooperated with the investigation and have resolved clients' claims related to Mr. Cohen," Morgan Stanley said in a statement.

☆ 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."

☆ Who is Alvin Bragg? What to know about the Manhattan district attorney investigating Trump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is leading the Trump investigation into Stormy Daniels' hush money payoff. He led the New York attorney general's successful 2018 lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which paid $2 million in court-ordered damages for illegally misusing charitable funds. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after the sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization at the New York Supreme Court in New York City. Bragg is highly controversial for his approach to crimeBeyond the ongoing Trump investigation, Bragg has been harshly criticized for being too lenient while the city struggles with rising crime. Bragg's stance provoked instant blowback in New York City and in conservative media.

NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday denied Archegos Capital Management LP founder Bill Hwang's effort to dismiss an indictment accusing him of fraud in the collapse of his once-$36 billion firm. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan rejected arguments that the 11-count indictment should be tossed because prosecutors deceived Hwang into cooperating with their probe and because Hwang's trading activity had been lawful. Authorities said Hwang concealed the size and riskiness of his bets by spreading his borrowing among several banks. When the prices of some stocks fell, Hwang was unable to meet margin calls, leading banks to dump stocks backing his swaps, and causing losses for Archegos and others. The case is U.S. v. Hwang et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

March 22 (Reuters) - A federal judge in New York ordered Iran's central bank and a European intermediary on Wednesday to pay out $1.68 billion to family members of troops killed in the 1983 car bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon. Victims and their families won a $2.65 billion judgment against Iran in federal court in 2007 over the attack. Six years later, they sought to seize bond proceeds allegedly owned by Bank Markazi and processed by Clearstream to partially satisfy the court judgment. Bank Markazi has argued that the lawsuit was not allowed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which generally shields foreign governments from liability in U.S. courts. A Luxembourg court in 2021 ordered Clearstream not to move the funds until a court in that country recognizes the U.S. ruling.

In a 31-page decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan also dismissed all claims against the billionaire Ma, including for insider trading. Beijing announced an antitrust probe in Dec. 2020, and fined Alibaba $2.75 billion four months later for requiring "merchant exclusivity" to do business. Daniels said Alibaba shareholders lacked standing to sue over Ant, because the IPO did not happen and thus they never bought or sold Ant shares. He said they could sue Alibaba, Chief Executive Daniel Zhang and former Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu over the antitrust compliance statements. The case is In re Alibaba Group Holding Ltd Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Companies Qualcomm Inc FollowMarch 21 (Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled that shareholders suing chip maker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) for allegedly hiding anticompetitive sales and licensing practices may bring their claims as a class action. U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta on Monday rejected Qualcomm's argument that the sales practices were already publicly known. The class covers investors who bought Qualcomm common stock between Feb. 1, 2012 and Jan. 20, 2017 and incurred losses. Qualcomm paid the Korea Fair Trade Commission 1.03 trillion won ($912.34 million) in 2017 for what the regulator called unfair business practices in licensing and chip sales. The case is Shah v. Qualcomm Incorporated et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, No.

☆ Fox News producer files explosive lawsuits against the network, alleging she was coerced into providing misleading Dominion testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A Fox News producer on Monday filed a pair of explosive lawsuits against the right-wing talk channel, alleging that the network’s lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation case against the company. The lawsuits from Grossberg, who has since been placed on administrative leave by Fox, were filed in Delaware Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. “It’s another example of Fox News not only shying away from the truth, but attempting to bury the truth,” Filippatos told CNN. Grossberg named Carlson and members of his staff in the lawsuit filed in New York. “I’ve covered many stories while I have been there,” Grossberg told CNN.

[1/2] A J.P. Morgan logo is seen outside the JPMorgan bank offices in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierNEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Monday JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) must face lawsuits accusing them of enabling Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking. Rakoff's decision gives the plaintiffs a chance to prove that JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank knowingly benefited from involvement in Epstein's sex trafficking. Epstein had been a client of JPMorgan from 2000 to 2013, and Deutsche Bank from 2013 to 2018. The cases in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York are: Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, No.

A Manhattan grand jury weighing evidence for a possible Donald Trump "hush-money" indictment. Here's a timeline of Trump and Daniels' alleged relationship, the $130,000 payment to keep Daniels silent, and the testimonies leading to a possible indictment. Markus Schreiber/APManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg convened a grand jury in mid-January of this year to consider an indictment against Trump. And Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, prosecutors' key witness, has made repeated visits to the DA's office and to the grand jury. What could happen nextThe final witnesses were scheduled to testify before the grand jury on March 20, though it is unclear when the panel may vote.

Carroll and Trump had said combining Carroll's civil lawsuits would be more efficient and avoid juror confusion. He also noted that both sides are awaiting a decision from a Washington, D.C. appeals court on whether Trump was immune from the first lawsuit, making a trial unnecessary. An April 25 trial in her second lawsuit remains on schedule. Her second lawsuit also includes a battery claim under New York's Adult Survivors Act. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried, U.S. prosecutors near new bail agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 17 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried are nearing an agreement with U.S. prosecutors on revised bail conditions for the indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder, who is trying to convince a skeptical judge he should remain free. Bankman-Fried's lawyers have said their client was trying to help, not interfere. At the March 10 hearing, prosecutors and defense lawyers proposed giving Bankman-Fried a flip phone with no internet capability and a basic laptop with limited functions. In Friday's letter, Everdell also sought the judge's permission to let Bankman-Fried in the meantime use a laptop to access some FTX materials. The case is U.S. v. Bankman-Fried, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Norfolk Southern shareholders sue over Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) shareholders have accused the railroad of defrauding them by prioritizing profit over safety prior to last month's derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. A Norfolk Southern spokesman declined to comment, saying the Atlanta-based company does not discuss pending litigation. Norfolk Southern has faced many lawsuits over the Feb. 3 derailment, including cases brought by local residents and Ohio's attorney general. Six of the seven largest U.S. freight railroads use Precision Scheduled Railroading: Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific. The case is Bucks County Employees Retirement System v Norfolk Southern Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, No.

NEW YORK, March 17 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll have agreed to a single trial on whether Trump defamed the former Elle magazine columnist by denying he raped her in the mid-1990s. Carroll has been pursuing separate lawsuits over those statements, with the first scheduled for trial on April 10. Carroll sued again three years later after Trump called the rape claim a "hoax," "lie," "con job" and "complete scam" in a social media post. Both sides proposed asking that court on April 17 to defer any decision until the trial is over. The cases are Carroll v. Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Nos.

Diners said this forced them to pay artificially high prices for meals they ordered elsewhere. In response, the companies said that by accepting the terms of use for their platforms, diners agreed to arbitrate their claims individually and not pursue a class action in court. The diners' claims "are based solely on purchases made directly from restaurants or from non-defendant meal-delivery platforms," Kaplan wrote. Grubhub, Uber Eats, Postmates and their respective lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Grubhub is owned by Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway.com (TKWY.AS), while Uber Eats and Postmates are owned by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N).

March 16 (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy judge declined to delay the $1.3 billion sale of crypto lender Voyager Digital to Binance.US, saying Voyager customers should not be forced to wait out a challenge by the Department of Justice that is unlikely to succeed. The government can "can step in at any time" if it believes illegal transactions are happening, but has not presented any evidence that Voyager's crypto transactions are illegal, Wiles said. They argued that the protections could rubber stamp crypto transactions that might be illegal under U.S. securities laws. Binance.US has agreed to pay $20 million in cash to Voyager, and take on crypto assets deposited by Voyager customers. Reporting by Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Miles Guo, the Chinese tycoon charged with defrauding his fans of more than $1 billion, once starred in a music video where he shadowboxed on a luxury yacht to lyrics like 'take down the CCP'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo, was arrested on 11 counts of fraud and money laundering. Guo, also known as Miles Guo, is credited on Apple Music and Spotify as the artist behind at least 14 hip-hop, pop, and lo-fi songs. One of the political activist's most well-known works is a music video on YouTube, titled "Fight For Hong Kong." Taking down the CCP, the evil CCP, is the only way for us to live without fear," Guo raps in Mandarin. Another video sees Guo hyping up Himalaya Coin, or Hcoin, a cryptocurrency that Guo and Bannon promoted.

☆ Feds arrest Chinese tycoon linked to Steve Bannon and charge him with defrauding online fans to fund his yacht, Ferrari, and $36,000 mattresses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Chinese tycoon was arrested and charged with defrauding his online followers out of over $1 billion. Feds say Guo Wengui used stolen money to buy a $3.5 million Ferrari and two $36,000 mattresses. Wengui is facing various fraud and money laundering charges, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday. He allegedly asked his followers to invest in or give money to GTV, the Himalaya Farm Alliance, and the Himalaya Exchange. He also allegedly used the money to finance a $37 million luxury yacht, according to the charges.

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