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National security law experts were struck by the breadth of evidence in the indictment which includes documents, photos, text messages, audio and witness statements. They said this made a strong case for prosecutors’ allegation that Trump illegally took the documents and then tried to cover it up. Trump's greatest peril could lie in the conspiracy to obstruct justice charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Cato's Neily said that based on his reading of the indictment, prosecutors likely have many witnesses who have given them similar accounts of Trump's efforts. Legal experts disagree over whether Trump could pardon himself if he wins.

Persons: Trump, Wilkie D, Ferguson Jr, Walt Nauta, Chris Kise, Todd Blanche, Jane, Read, Donald Trump, ”, Elizabeth Goitein, Clark Neily, Mark MacDougall, Trump's, Jack Smith's, Brennan Center's Goitein, Cato's Neily, “, Todd Huntley, TRUMP, Jack Queen, Sarah N, Lynch, Amy Stevens, Cynthia Osterman, Howard Goller Organizations: U.S, United, REUTERS, White House, FBI, Brennan Center for Justice, DOJ, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cato Institute, Prosecutors, Georgetown University, Trump, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, Florida, New York, Washington ,

☆ Someone brought a severed pig's head to the Miami courthouse where Trump is due to appear on Espionage Act charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Edith Honan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump critics and the MAGA faithful gathered in Miami ahead of the former president's arraignment. "I am here expressing my joy, because in the end the system works," Estrada told the Miami Herald. Osmany Estrada holds the pig's head near a group wearing 'Blacks for Trump 2020' shirts. A Trump impersonator outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse. Win McNamee/Getty ImagesA supporter of former President Donald Trump pulls a trailer around outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. courthouse in Miami.

Persons: MAGA, Trump, —, Donald Trump's, Osmany Estrada, " Estrada, Estrada, Giorgio Viera, Getty Images Trump, Wilkie, Ferguson Jr, Waltine Nauda, Domenic Santana, Win McNamee, Donald Trump, Scott Olson, Stormy Daniels, Joe Biden Organizations: Trump, Service, Miami Herald, Blacks, Getty Images, Federal, White House, Politico, Miami, Miami Police Department, United States, Getty, Manhattan, Attorney's, Prosecutors, Washington Post Locations: Miami, Lago, Cuban, Mar, Florida, Fulton County , Georgia

☆ An Appeals Court Gave the Sacklers Legal Immunity. Here’s What the Ruling Means.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jan Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In exchange, they have agreed to make payments of up to $6 billion to thousands of plaintiffs in now-suspended lawsuits. The ruling was part of a court review of a bankruptcy restructuring plan for Purdue, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in September 2019. Companies in bankruptcy customarily get protection from legal claims; owners who have not filed for personal bankruptcy usually do not. When the company filed for bankruptcy, the Sacklers faced about 400 lawsuits over their role in Purdue’s opioid business. Legal experts say that the ruling, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, has implications for the Purdue case specifically and for owners of companies seeking bankruptcy generally.

Persons: Sackler Organizations: Purdue Pharma, Purdue, Companies, United States, Appeals, Second Circuit

A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits inside the office of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he protest inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. The Arkansas man who was photographed on Jan. 6, 2021, with his feet on a desk in then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office was sentenced Wednesday to four and a half years in prison. Richard 'Bigo' Barnett arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse for jury selection in his trial on January 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. Before he left Pelosi's office, Barnett took an envelope that he later displayed for cameras outside the Capitol. After his arrest, "Barnett sought to profit from his notoriety and criminal conduct," including by selling autographed pictures of himself in Pelosi's office, prosecutors said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Mr, Barnett, Richard, Bigo, Nancy Pelosi's, Richard ' Bigo, Barrett Prettyman, Pelosi, Nancy, he'd, Elect Biden, he's, Ryan J, Reilly, Daniel Barnes Organizations: DC, U.S . Capitol, Capitol, Prosecutors, Washington , D.C Locations: Washington , DC, Arkansas, Washington ,, United States, New York, Washington

☆ Texts tie DeSantis closely to Trump insider Lev Parnas in 2018 race, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

One recipient of Parnas' donations -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- has said he was barely an acquaintance. Six days later, DeSantis told reporters that Parnas "was just like any other donor, nothing more than that." Two sources close to DeSantis during his 2018 campaign confirmed the texter's number belonged to DeSantis at that time. On June 21, 2018, Parnas' company, Global Energy Producers, donated $50,000 to DeSantis' campaign for governor. Pereira later co-hosted a fundraiser for DeSantis with Parnas and his company donated $115,000 to DeSantis' 2018 campaign, campaign finance records show.

☆ Phoenix to Start Clearing Sprawling Downtown Homeless Encampment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s an existence,” Shina Sepulveda, who is homeless and lives in the Zone, told The New York Times recently. City leaders across the West have grappled with how to handle homeless camps when they do not have enough space at shelters or in supportive housing. Patience has worn thin in some communities with significant homeless populations, and residents and business owners have asked their city officials to do more to move people off the streets. BackgroundThe number of unsheltered Phoenix residents has risen dramatically, from 771 in 2014 to 3,096 in 2022, according to the city. The city contended that it had discretion over how to address homelessness, including how best to move people out of camps.

On that unredacted form, Kacsmaryk reported owning about $2.9 million in stock in the Florida-based supermarket company Publix. Federal judges are only required to report financial holdings in ranges, and don’t have to provide exact figures. One possible source of the Publix stock Kacsmaryk reported in 2017 is the judge’s grandmother. In 2020 and 2021, less than 4% of officials required to file judicial financial disclosures requested redaction, according to reports from the Administrative Office of the US Courts. In any case, experts said, the judge’s redacted report prevents transparency that litigants deserve.

New York CNN —A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for a temporary restraining order to stop a House Judiciary Committee subpoena of former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said Pomerantz must appear for a deposition as the House panel investigates Bragg’s recent indictment of former President Donald Trump. Bragg’s office says it will appeal. During the hearing, an attorney for Bragg’s office argued – unsuccessfully – that Pomerantz ignored cautions from the DA before publishing the book, so the district attorney’s office should not be penalized. The clash between federal and state powers began in March when Jordan asked Bragg’s office for documents and communications after news organizations reported that Bragg’s office was moving closer to seeking to indict Trump.

☆ Opinion | How the Oklahoma City Bombing Case (and the O.J. Simpson Case) Shaped Merrick Garland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jeffrey Toobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A few days after he arrived in Oklahoma, Mr. Garland served as prosecutor in Mr. McVeigh’s bail hearing. The Justice Department was embarrassed by its failure to catch the mysterious perpetrator, and Ms. Gorelick told Mr. Garland to take over, which he did. For the trials of Mr. McVeigh and Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing, Mr. Garland helped select a prosecution team led by Joseph Hartzler and Larry Mackey, who never became as famous as the O.J. A fair verdict on Mr. Garland should await the outcome of Mr. Smith’s work. (In my interview with him, Mr. Garland not only refused to draw any comparisons between Mr. McVeigh and the Capitol rioters but also refused even to utter the words “January 6.”)

☆ Supreme Court refuses appeal by lawyer jailed for contempt in $9.5 billion Chevron environmental case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider the appeal of a disbarred lawyer jailed for contempt of court after he won a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron in an environmental lawsuit in Ecuador . A group of Ecuadorians represented by Donziger filed a class-action suit against Chevron in Manhattan federal court in 1993. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were awarded $9.5 billion from Chevron by a judge in Ecuador. Chevron then filed a legal action in Manhattan federal court and won an injunction against the enforcement of the judgment in any U.S. court. In the Chevron case, Gorsuch wrote, "However much the district court may have thought Mr. Donziger warranted punishment, the prosecution in this case broke a basic constitutional promise essential to ourliberty."

On a larger exchange like Binance or Coinbase , for example, many customers opt to let the platform custody their crypto tokens. In the four years that Bitzlato operated, only $52 million moved directly from the exchange to Binance, the same dataset shows. CNBC reviewed transaction data for the ten largest recipients of Bitzlato outflows, which collected over $45 million in Bitzlato-originated funds. Those wallets also received millions more in funds from other exchanges, including Huobi, FTX, Poloniex, Nexo, and WhiteBIT, a Ukrainian exchange. We also asked whether Binance was aware that Bitzlato was allegedly used to launder money and, if so, why funds from Bitzlato were custodied on its platform.

☆ Crypto Platform Bitzlato Charged With Laundering More Than $700 Million of Illicit Money
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. authorities designated cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato Ltd. as a primary money-laundering concern and charged its founder for allegedly facilitating money laundering for criminals. The Treasury Department designated Bitzlato under a section of the USA Patriot Act, a law used to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, for allegedly laundering illicit funds for ransomware actors based in Russia. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. Bitzlato also received more than $15 million of ransomware proceeds, the Justice Department said. “Today the Department of Justice dealt a significant blow to the cryptocrime ecosystem,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities said on Wednesday they have arrested the majority shareholder and cofounder of Hong Kong-registered virtual currency exchange Bitzlato Ltd for allegedly processing $700 million in illicit funds. It also broke rules requiring significant vetting of customers and failed to meet requirements aimed at preventing money laundering, authorities said. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration 1 2Prosecutors said Bitzlato knowingly serviced U.S. customers and conducted transactions with U.S.-based exchanges using U.S. online infrastructure. "Identifying Bitzlato as a primary money laundering concern effectively renders the exchange an international pariah," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said at the news conference. "None of the mainstream financial institutions will deal with an entity identified as a primary money laundering concern," she said.

☆ The Justice Department just shut down little-known crypto exchange Bitzlato and arrested its Russian founder in what authorities claim is a huge blow to crypto crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bitzlato is a little-known crypto exchange that was just shut down by the Justice Department. FBI agents arrested Anatoly Legkodymov, the founder of crypto exchange Bitzlato, on Tuesday. US authorities alleged that the site laundered millions tied to illicit Russian finances. The Justice Department and Treasury Department allege that the Hong Kong-registered platform laundered more than $700 million, some of which were tied to illicit Russian finances. Bitzlato is a small crypto exchange, which hasn't received mainstream attention until Legkodymov's arrest.

☆ Fact Check-U.S. Supreme Court denied petition to hear case alleging fraudulent 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The lawsuit was previously dismissed by a U.S. district court and an appellate court upheld the dismissal (see pages 3-4 in case). The headline came from a Jan. 6 article describing the Brunson case as one the SCOTUS would decide “whether or not the case will receive a hearing” (here). One Facebook user shared the headline on Jan. 10 and said, “Good news, the Supreme Court has chosen to docket the Brunson case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The U.S. Supreme Court is not currently considering Brunson’s case; the Court denied his petition for review of prior rulings on Jan. 9.

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit against casino magnate Steve Wynn, who it accused of acting as a Chinese agent. Wynn defeated the lawsuit in October when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., said the casino tycoon could not be ordered to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent of China. The Justice Department in May sued for a court order forcing Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Casinos, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Wynn's attorneys denied that he was ever an agent of the Chinese government. He also said the Justice Department could pursue criminal sanctions against Wynn for failing to disclose the alleged lobbying, if the statute of limitations had not expired.

The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, California is in addition to the five years in prison that Avenatti, 51, was already serving for two unrelated convictions in Manhattan federal court. Selna also ordered Avenatti to pay $10.8 million in restitution to the clients and the Internal Revenue Service. "Michael Avenatti was a corrupt lawyer who claimed he was fighting for the little guy. Prosecutors had sought a 17-1/2 year prison term, on top of the existing five years, after Avenatti pleaded guilty in June to five charges of wire fraud and obstruction. When trying to help Daniels break a confidentiality agreement over her alleged affair with Trump, Avenatti became a fixture on cable TV news, attacking Trump and flirting with his own presidential run.

☆ Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says the department is 'moving full speed ahead' to implement student debt relief despite an appeals court temporarily blocking the plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Miguel Cardona says student debt relief is "moving full speed" despite a temporary hold on the plan. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday issued an administrative stay for the relief plan. "Already, 22 million people have provided the department with the necessary information we need to review their eligibility for student debt relief." In framing the debt relief plan as one that would benefit working and middle-class families, Cardona criticized efforts by several Republican attorneys general to invalidate Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan. The Biden administration also faces legal challenges from Arizona GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich, the Job Creators Network Foundation, and the Cato Institute over its debt relief plan.

☆ Supreme Court denies Trump bid to void ruling in Mar-a-Lago raid documents case
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied a request by former President Donald Trump to vacate a lower appeals court ruling in a case related to the FBI raid and seizure of documents from his Florida residence last month. Circuit of Appeals barred that watchdog, who was appointed by a federal judge, from examining the classified documents. Trump's lawyers last week asked the Supreme Court to reverse that decision, arguing that it "impairs substantially the ongoing, time-sensitive work of the special master." On Tuesday, the DOJ urged the Supreme Court to deny Trump's appeal. Even if he had prevailed, the DOJ would have continued its review of the classified documents.

☆ Supreme Court rejects Trump's request to intervene in the Mar-a-Lago records case
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sonam Sheth | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Supreme Court refused to grant Trump's request to intervene in the Mar-a-Lago records case. Trump asked the court to vacate part of a lower court ruling granting the DOJ access to a set of classified records. Trump's lawyers had asked that a special master review the records for privileged materials before the DOJ could use them. In its order, the Supreme Court gave no indication of dissents or the reasoning behind its denial of Trump's request. With his request to the Supreme Court, Trump narrowly challenged a decision by a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

☆ Michael Avenatti ordered to pay $148,750 in restitution to Stormy Daniels
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermidCompanies Nike Inc FollowNEW YORK, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Michael Avenatti, the brash celebrity lawyer who rose to fame taking on Donald Trump before a slew of criminal charges destroyed his legal career, was ordered on Friday to pay $148,750 in restitution to his best-known client, porn actress Stormy Daniels. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in June sentenced Avenatti to four years in prison, calling his conduct "brazen and egregious." Avenatti successfully freed Daniels from a non-disclosure agreement with Trump, paving the way for her 2018 memoir "Full Disclosure," where she described the alleged liaison. Lawyers for Avenatti and Daniels did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chief Justice John Roberts defends the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, describes the past year as 'difficult in many respects'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

John Roberts stood in the defense of the Supreme Court's legitimacy during a Friday speech, per CNN. Roberts said the legitimacy of the court shouldn't be questioned due to disagreements on rulings. The high court during its previous term voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The chief justice said that the past year had been "difficult in many respects," but added that he and his colleagues were aiming to advance past previous challenges. Earlier this year, Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court, becoming the high court's first Black female jurist in its 233-year history.

☆ Federal appeals court temporarily halts order for Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in Georgia election investigation
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal appeals court temporarily blocked Graham from appearing before a Georgia grand jury. Fulton County prosecutors want Graham to offer testimony in their probe into the 2020 election. Graham has argued that his status as a sitting federal lawmaker should exempt him from testifying. But on Sunday, the appeals court listed what actions must be performed before Graham would have to testify before a grand jury. The appeals court said they would then hear the issue "for further consideration."

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