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☆ 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.

They had hoped to represent a much larger class of artists who filed termination notices with UMG. A provision of U.S. copyright law allows artists to terminate agreements to transfer their copyrights and reclaim them after decades in some circumstances. Kaplan said Friday that the musicians could not represent a broader class of artists who sent termination notices to UMG with effective dates between 2013 and 2031. A related lawsuit filed against Sony Music by musicians including former New York Dolls singer David Johansen has been paused since 2021 for settlement discussions. The UMG case is Waite v. UMG Recordings Inc, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No.

☆ 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.

☆ Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried’s contact with FTX’s ex-general counsel is ‘suggestive’ of witness tampering
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Federal prosecutors said FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried contacted the former general counsel of the crypto trading platform earlier this month in a move they say may constitute witness tampering. They also want the judge to block Bankman-Fried from using any encrypted communication devices out of concerns he will obstruct the ongoing investigation. “Efforts by the defendant to improve his relationship with potential witnesses that may testify against him may itself constitute witness tampering,” prosecutors wrote. Witness-1 participated in Signal and Slack communications with the defendant and a small group of company insiders during the relevant events of November 2022. Several potential witnesses told prosecutors of “incriminating conversations” they had with Bankman-Fried over the messaging platforms that were deleted because Bankman-Fried set the programs to auto-delete after 30 days.

☆ Chinese engineer sentenced to 8 years in U.S. prison for spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A former Chicago graduate student in electrical engineering was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison for spying for the Chinese government. Ji Chaoqun, 31, a Chinese national, was convicted last year of acting as an agent of China's Ministry of State Security and making a material false statement to the U.S. Army. Chinese engineer Ji Chaoqun. During the meetings, he said he could use his military identification to visit and take photos of "Roosevelt-class" aircraft carriers, the Justice Department said. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ FTX creditors include Goldman Sachs, New York Times and Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Newly unsealed bankruptcy documents revealed thousands of creditors to whom FTX owes money after the once-mighty crypto exchange collapsed in November. Wall Street heavyweights including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan were named in the creditor list, which includes businesses, charities, individuals and other entities in a 116-page document filed late Wednesday. In a statement, Goldman Sachs said that it has not filed a claim against FTX. Inclusion on the creditor list doesn’t necessarily mean the parties had an FTX account. FTX is believed to have more than a million creditors, the top 50 of whom are collectively owed more than $3 billion.

Bryant objected to North Carolina requirements that patients obtain abortion pills only in person from physicians in specially certified facilities, and undergo as state-mandated counseling at least 72 hours before having abortions. The offices of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The West Virginia lawsuit was reported earlier by The New York Times, and the North Carolina lawsuit by ABC News. The cases are GenBioPro Inc v Sorsaia et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, No. 23-00058; and Bryant v Stein et al, U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, No.

Companies Genbiopro Inc FollowJan 25 (Reuters) - A maker of abortion pills and a doctor have filed lawsuits challenging state restrictions on the medication, in the first lawsuits of their kind since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion. The doctor, Amy Bryant, filed a separate lawsuit in the federal court in Durham, North Carolina, challenging state-imposed restrictions on obtaining mifepristone, which she said impeded her ability to treat patients. Medication abortions make up more than half of U.S. abortions. Misoprostol is the second drug of the two-drug regimen for medication abortion. Twelve states now ban nearly all abortions, including medication abortions.

☆ U.S. mattress maker Serta Simmons files for bankruptcy protection
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Doraville, Georgia-based company, whose roots date to 1870, filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors on Monday night with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas. Serta Simmons also lined up $125 million in financing to keep operating, including to pay its 3,600 employees. The company's brands include Serta, Simmons, Beautyrest and Tuft & Needle. Serta Simmons' advisers include the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Evercore Group LLC and FTI Consulting Inc. The case is In re Serta Simmons Bedding LLC et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas, No.

☆ Ex-FBI official arrested for alleged money laundering, Russia sanctions, taking money from former foreign agent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan_Dienst_Byline.Jpg | Jonathan Dienst | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Charles McGonigal, 55, was arrested on Saturday after arriving at JFK airport in New York on a flight from the Middle East. From August 2017 through his retirement in September 2018, McGonigal allegedly concealed his relationship with this former foreign security officer from the FBI. Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office. In 2022, federal prosecutors in New York charged Deripaska with violating sanctions. McGonigal joined the FBI in 1996, and was first assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked on Russian foreign counterintelligence and organized crime.

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

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

☆ The filmmakers behind a secretive new Brett Kavanaugh documentary said they got new tips about him as soon as the film was announced: 'I do hope this triggers action'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The filmmakers said they started getting new tips about Kavanaugh right after the film was announced. Programmers of the indie film fest, held annually in Park City, Utah, revealed Thursday that the film "Justice" from director Doug Liman would screen on Friday evening. The film centers on accusations initially made against Kavanaugh in 2018, when he was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump. "I do hope that this triggers outrage, I do hope that this triggers action, I do hope that this triggers additional investigation with real subpoena powers." He previously told the Hollywood Reporter that "the Supreme Court, which is sacred for all of us, holds special meaning for me."

☆ Thinx to pay millions to settle class-action lawsuit alleging its period underwear contained potentially harmful chemicals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a class-action lawsuit announced in November, plaintiffs accused Thinx of failing to tell customers their period underwear contained potentially harmful PFAS. The first report of Thinx underwear potentially containing the chemicals was in January 2020, from Sierra Club magazine columnist Jessian Choy. In her column, Choy said she mailed her Thinx underwear to a nuclear professor who discovered PFAS in the crotch of the item. An editor's note attached to Choy's story Friday suggested the class-action suit as a result of Choy's investigation into the toxicity of her own Thinx underwear. Ten years later, period underwear are still a small part of the menstrual care industry although more companies have come forward to compete with Thinx.

☆ Morning bid: Netflix flickers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With the macro picture turning foggy again, streaming giant Netflix (NFLX.O) generated a rare bright spark in an otherwise gloomy corporate earnings season. But it has bounced back more than 60% from the lows of last June and the leadership shakeup may not shape the road ahead. With aggregate S&P500 earnings tracking a year-on-year contraction of about 3% for the fourth quarter, the Netflix news was welcome. In wider markets, a dour Thursday showed some retreat of the early year optimism on peaking central bank interest rates. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ 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.

☆ Factbox: Crypto's string of bankruptcies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

GENESIS GLOBAL CAPITALOne of the largest crypto lenders, Genesis froze customer redemptions in November after major exchange FTX stunned the financial world with its bankruptcy. Genesis Global Holdco, the parent group of Genesis Global Capital, also filed for bankruptcy protection, along with another lending unit, Genesis Asia Pacific. FTXThe Bahamas-based exchange shocked the crypto world by going bankrupt in November after suffering withdrawals of about $6 billion in just 72 hours and rival crypto exchange Binance ditched a possible rescue. CELSIUS NETWORKA crypto lender brought down by the collapse of terraUSD and luna, Celsius began its U.S. bankruptcy case on July 14. The U.S. affiliate of major crypto exchange Binance said in December it intends to buy Voyager's crypto lending platform in a deal valued at about $1 billion.

☆ Crypto lending unit of Genesis files for US bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The lending unit of crypto firm Genesis filed on Thursday for US bankruptcy protection from creditors, toppled by a market rout along with the likes of exchange FTX and lender BlockFi. Genesis Global Capital, one of the largest crypto lenders, froze customer redemptions on Nov. 16 after FTX stunned the financial world with its bankruptcy, fueling concern that other companies could implode. Genesis’ lending unit said it had both assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion in its filings with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Genesis Global Holdco, the parent group of Genesis Global Capital, also filed for bankruptcy protection, along with another lending unit Genesis Asia Pacific. The two firms are fighting over a crypto lending product called Earn that they jointly offered.

☆ FTC calls on federal court to hold ‘pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli in contempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —The Federal Trade Commission on Friday called for a federal court to hold “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli in contempt after Shkreli allegedly flouted a recent FTC investigation into his business dealings and failed to make a $64.6 million payment he owed for his prior wrongdoings. The FTC’s contempt motion follows what the agency described as its an unsuccessful attempt to verify whether Shkreli has violated a court order barring him from ever working in the pharmaceutical industry again. Shkreli also infamously raised prices for the life-saving medication Daraprim by 4,000% while he was head of Turing Pharmaceuticals. When the FTC emailed Shkreli to get documents from him and to schedule an interview about the matter, Shkreli repeatedly missed deadlines and allegedly slow-walked his responses, according to an FTC court filing Friday. The FTC also said Shkreli had been ordered to make his multimillion-dollar payment — representing a refund of his ill-gotten Daraprim gains — by March 6, 2022.

☆ Bed Bath beefs up legal team ahead of possible bankruptcy filing in New Jersey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A "Store Closing" banner on a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Farmingdale, New York, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Bed Bath has been in discussions to nail down financing that would keep it afloat if it were to file for bankruptcy, CNBC previously reported. Bed Bath also recently hired consulting firm AlixPartners as one of its advisors, replacing Berkeley Research Group, CNBC previously reported. Despite efforts to stave off landing in bankruptcy protection, a filing will likely occur in the weeks ahead, the people said. Earlier this month, Bed Bath warned of a looming bankruptcy as its turnaround plans failed to improve the business and its balance sheet deteriorated.

☆ Crypto lending unit of Genesis files for U.S. bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - The lending unit of crypto firm Genesis filed on Thursday for U.S. bankruptcy protection from creditors, toppled by a market rout along with the likes of exchange FTX and lender BlockFi. Genesis Global Capital, one of the largest crypto lenders, froze customer redemptions on Nov. 16 after FTX stunned the financial world with its bankruptcy, fuelling concern that other companies could implode. Genesis' lending unit said it had both assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion in its filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Genesis Global Holdco, the parent group of Genesis Global Capital, also filed for bankruptcy protection, along with another lending unit Genesis Asia Pacific. The two firms are fighting over a crypto lending product called Earn that they jointly offered.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's 2 mysterious bail sponsors ponied up a total of $700,000 to get the alleged fraudster out of jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In addition to his parents, Sam Bankman-Fried has two anonymous bail sponsors keeping him out of jail. In addition to the anonymous bail sponsors, Bankman-Fried's parents used their $4 million Palo Alto home as collateral to help secure the bond. In court, prosecutors estimated he defrauded more than 1 million customers. Earlier this month, several news organizations, including Insider, asked Kaplan to unseal the identities of the two anonymous bail sponsors, arguing it was in the public interest. A representative for Bankman-Fried declined to comment on the identity of the bail sponsors.

☆ 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.

☆ Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Amazon hid injury rates to fraudulently secure loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Prosecutors are investigating whether Amazon deceived lenders about its injury rates. The citations were the latest in a string of fines leveled against Amazon for putting workers at risk of such injuries. In his first letter to shareholders last April, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy cited misleading statistics to claim that Amazon's injury rate is "sometimes misunderstood." The investigation is taking place as regulators and media have increased their scrutiny of injuries in Amazon warehouses. Workers at Amazon warehouses are four times as likely to suffer such injuries as workers in non-Amazon warehouses, a review of Washington state workers' compensation data showed.

☆ Amazon cited by Labor Department for exposing warehouse workers to safety hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations against Amazon at three of its warehouses for exposing workers to safety hazards, the department announced Wednesday. Amazon also faces a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office's civil division that centers around worker safety hazards at the e-retailer's facilities nationwide. Amazon warehouse workers have previously complained that the company's pace of work prevents them from taking adequate bathroom and rest breaks, and leads to unfair disciplinary actions. In April, workers at an Amazon warehouse on New York's Staten Island voted to form the company's first U.S. union. Workers at another Staten Island facility rejected a union, while a second election at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama is being contested.

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah has been ordered to participate in a mental health treatment program, as part of her probation, following her prison release. Jen Shah on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Shah has said she suffered from depression and was on antidepressant medication during episodes of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." It noted her work with a mental health organization that works within the Polynesian community. "Given her own background, Jen feels deeply empathetic toward anyone marginalized, fearing rejection, and struggling with mental health issues," the memorandum said.

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