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☆ Trump's guilty verdict isn't scaring off his donors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump's conviction yesterday on falsifying business records hasn't dissuaded high-profile supporters on Wall Street — some of whom are newly energized by the historic verdict. "Bluntly, that's part of why I'm supporting him," Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, wrote on X about a potential conviction. AdvertisementTech investor David Sacks, who was reportedly in talks to hold a Trump campaign fundraiser at his San Francisco home, denounced the guilty verdict on X. "A sham trial designed for one purpose: to brand Donald Trump as a 'felon,'" Sacks wrote yesterday on X. AdvertisementIt wasn't only prominent business leaders on Wall Street circling their wagons.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, hasn't, Shaun Maguire, Maguire, David Sacks, Donald Trump, Sacks, Omeed Malik, Farvahar Partners —, Malik, Trump, haven't, Bill Ackman, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, didn't, Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Service, Trump, Republican, Business, Sequoia Capital, Tech, San, Farvahar Partners, CNBC, National Republican, Pershing, Wall Street Journal, he's Locations: White

☆ Biden fundraises off guilty verdict in Trump’s hush money case as GOP rushes to play defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Clare Foran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden was quick to fundraise off the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, while top congressional Republicans rushed to Trump’s defense. In the aftermath of Trump’s conviction, Biden called attention to what’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election and made an appeal for donations to his campaign. “There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,” Biden posted on X, alongside a link for donations. If he defeats Biden in November, he will be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon. Video Ad Feedback Donald Trump convicted of falsifying business records in hush money scheme 03:41 - Source: CNNThe verdict in the hush money trial was announced after jurors deliberated for nearly 12 hours over two days.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald, Biden, “, Donald Trump, ” Biden, Trump, he’s, ” Trump, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Elise Stefanik, ”, ” CNN’s Haley Talbot, Kristin Wilson, Lauren Fox Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, White, CNN, Capitol, Republicans, “, WIN, ”, GOP, America, Democrat Locations: Manhattan, Biden’s

☆ Biden remains silent after Trump verdict, but his campaign underlined the brutal months ahead of the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment," White House Counsel's Office spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement to the White House press pool. Politico reported that last year, Biden directed the White House, the Democratic National Committee, and his reelection campaign to largely avoid commenting on Trump's legal cases. Advertisement"We're not here today because of what's going on over there," Biden campaign communication director Michael Tyler told reporters, according to the Associated Press. AdvertisementThe verdict comes just weeks before Trump and Biden square off in history's earliest televised major presidential debate. It is almost certain that Trump's legal issues will come up again there.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump's, Ian Sams, Donald Trump, Michael Tyler, Trump, I've, Donald, Robert De Niro Organizations: Service, White, Business, Counsel's, White House, Republican, Trump, Politico, Democratic National Committee, Union, Capitol, Biden, Associated Press, Top Republicans, Trump . Polling, Voters Locations: Donald Trump's Manhattan, Manhattan, Fulton County , Georgia, mugshot, history's

☆ How Trump could turn a guilty verdict into a win
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Twelve New Yorkers will then weigh the possibility of a historic verdict: finding the first-ever former president guilty in a criminal trial. Polling shows that a guilty verdict has some potential peril. AdvertisementIn a recent Quinnipiac University nationwide poll, 62% of voters said a guilty verdict would not affect their vote in November. It's not hard to imagine that in responding to a potential guilty verdict Trump lashes out in a way that causes him more problems. During the Manhattan criminal trial, Trump has sent repeated fundraising appeals, including when Justice Juan Merchan found Trump in contempt for violating his gag order.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Jean Carroll, Cook, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump's, Justin Lane, It's, Paul Ryan, couldn't, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Tish James, Justice Juan Merchan Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, Quinnipiac University, Republicans, GOP, Yahoo, New York Times, Siena College, Justice Department, Florida Gov, Politico, New York, Save Locations: Manhattan, Quinnipiac, Donald Trump's Manhattan, weaponized, Florida

☆ Trump will try to spin his Manhattan trial verdict in his favor, no matter what happens
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Twelve New Yorkers will then weigh the possibility of a historic verdict: finding the first-ever former president guilty in a criminal trial. Polling shows that a guilty verdict has some potential peril. It's not hard to imagine that in responding to a potential guilty verdict Trump lashes out in a way that causes him more problems. The easiest prediction is that Trump's verdict will likely spawn a wave of donations. During the Manhattan criminal trial, Trump has sent repeated fundraising appeals, including when Justice Juan Merchan found Trump in contempt for violating his gag order.

☆ Opinion | Justice Alito’s Blame-the-Wife Defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “We’re Suddenly Living in a ‘My Wife Did It’ Moment,” by Gail Collins and Bret Stephens (The Conversation, May 21):Mr. Stephens goes on at length about why Justice Samuel Alito’s wife has “the constitutional right” to express a “Stop the Steal” opinion by hanging a flag upside-down in the Alitos’ front yard, as well as “a moral right” to express her opinion independently of her Supreme Court justice husband. Then, when Ms. Collins challenges the propriety of a political symbol at the home of a justice who might someday have to decide on that very election’s validity, Mr. Stephens demurs with a mild “OK.”Mr. Stephens’s argument is deeply disturbing. Our Supreme Court justices are expected to maintain not just the reality of no conflicts of interest that might influence their rulings, but also the “appearance” of no such conflicts. To neighbors and now the nation, the flag made it appear that Justice Alito believes Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election, and thus would rule in favor of Mr. Trump in related cases. Blaming his wife makes a sham of his own responsibility not to appear political.

Persons: Gail Collins, Bret Stephens, Stephens, Samuel Alito’s, Collins, Mr, Alito, Donald Trump’s, Trump Organizations: Mr

AdvertisementThe first-ever criminal trial of a former American president is now nearing its end after several weeks of witness testimony. Related storiesIn some of those hallway appearances earlier in the trial, Trump has told reporters that he planned to testify. He told jurors that Cohen told him that Trump didn't know anything about the payments. "If you don't like my ruling, you don't give me side-eye, and you don't roll your eyes," Merchan told Costello before he cleared the room. Trump " wasn't thinking about Melania — this was all about the campaign," Cohen told jurors.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Juan Merchan, Trump, Robert Costello, Costello, Emil Bove, muttered, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Susan Hoffinger, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Cohen —, Trump —, Daniels, didn't, Rudy Giuliani, audibly, Judge Juan Merchan, castigates, Elizabeth Williams, Daniel Sitko, Brad Smith, Smith's, Smith, reimbursing Cohen Organizations: Service, GOP, Business, New, Trump, Republican, Manhattan, Attorney's Office, Attorney's, Prosecutors, FBI, AP, Federal, Washington Examiner Locations: New York, American, Manhattan, Trump

☆ The Mrs. defense: powerful men blaming their wives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Alito said in a written statement to The New York Times, which first reported the story this week. A Supreme Court justice being unmasked as having a partisan tilt wouldn’t be illegal – just awkward and icky. Shannon Stapleton/ReutersCouples behaving badlyFormer Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, pioneered the Mrs. defense when he and his wife were both accused of funneling campaign funds for private use. A unanimous US Supreme Court, including Alito, later vacated the governor’s conviction and narrowed the scope by which prosecutors can pursue bribery allegations. The Mrs. defense could conceivably be turned on its head and used by a powerful woman to blame her husband.

Persons: Samuel Alito doesn’t, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Alito, “, ” Alito, Ann, Alito won’t, Clarence Thomas ’, Ginni, Thomas, Menendez ‘, Sen, Bob Menendez, Nadine, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Menendez’s, Shannon Stapleton, Duncan Hunter, Margaret, Trump, Henry Cuellar, Imelda, ”, . Cuellar, Jesse Jackson Jr, Sandra, Bob McDonnell, Maureen, Cori Bush, Bush, Kim Taylor, Jeremy Taylor Organizations: CNN, New York Times, House, New, New Jersey Democrat, California Republican, Texas Democrat, Illinois Democrat, Former Virginia Gov, Republican, Missouri Democrat, Supervisors Locations: New Jersey, New York, Manhattan, New York City, California, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Iowa, Woodbury County

☆ Live Updates: Cross-Examination of Michael Cohen to Continue in Trump Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Michael Wilson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels. Mr. Blanche grilled Mr. Cohen about social media posts. Their defense of Mr. Trump follows a gag order that bars him from attacking jurors and witnesses like Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump has already been cited for 10 violations so far and threatened with jail if he continues.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump’s, Juan M, Merchan, “, Mr, Blanche, ” Mr, Donald J, Mark Peterson, Cohen’s, Mike Johnson of, Johnson, ”, Doug Burgum, Vivek Ramaswamy Organizations: Mr, Prosecutors, Republican Party Locations: Manhattan, Lake, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, North

☆ Why Johnson’s appearance at Manhattan courthouse stands out among Republicans backing up Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —House Speaker Mike Johnson is not waiting for ex-President Donald Trump to be judged by a jury of his peers. Vance, a possible VP contender, was there along with Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a famed former college football coach. The speaker’s appearance is different, given the constitutional heft of his office and the figurative connotations it evokes. Some experts have questioned whether any other defendant besides Trump would face the same indictment at the hands of a prosecutor, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. Trump is exercising his right to mount a defense and is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, He’s, Trump, Johnson, Michael Cohen, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Doug Burgum, ”, he’s, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Cohen, Trump’s, –, ” Johnson, Attorney Alvin Bragg, “ Organizations: CNN —, Republican, Louisiana Republican, Trump, ”, Ohio, Alabama, North Dakota Gov, GOP, Attorney, Democrat Locations: Louisiana, New York, Manhattan

☆ ‘We give birth only to lose them’: Injured Palestinian mothers grieve for babies killed in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sarah Sirgany | Jomana Karadsheh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Hijazi tells her story in a faint voice lying in a hospital bed in Doha, Qatar’s capital. Hijazi was evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment a month after her injury. Doctors Hasan Abuhejleh and Ahmed AlSaadi inspect Gaza patients at the Hamad hospital in Doha, Qatar. Like many patients coming out of Gaza, she has a drug-resistant infection picked up in the territory’s struggling hospitals. Despite the different outcome of their pregnancies, Alqutati and Hijazi describe a similar despair that shackles them to the horrors of the war in Gaza.

Persons: Raneem Hijazi, Azzouz, ”, Khan Younis, “, Mariam, cesarian, Hijazi, ‘, ’ ” Hijazi, hasn’t, I’ve, Hasan Abuhejleh, Ahmed AlSaadi, Hamad, Sanjiv Talreja, Ola, Darren Bull, Shaimaa Al, Ghoul, Hothaifa, Mohamed, Abdullah, Shahed Alqutati, Ali, ‘ Ali, ’, ‘ Shahed, Sham, Alqutati, I’ll, ” Hijazi Organizations: Doha CNN, CNN, Hamad Hospital, United Nations, Shifa Locations: Qatar, Doha, Gaza, Qatar’s, Egypt, orthopedics, Israel, Rafah, Territories, Sabha, Al, Gaza City

☆ He left his desk job in the US to run a food stall in Hong Kong. He earns more now — but plans to walk away from it soon.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Faye Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Toby To Yan Choi left his accounting job in California to help his father run a food stall in Hong Kong. Dai pai dongs — Hong Kong's open-air stalls serving food with a no-frills approach — are disappearing. The number of dai pai dongs in all of Hong Kong has dwindled to just over 20, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The braised white pepper pork hock is one of the signature dishes at Dai Lee Dai Pai Dong. AdvertisementHe's gotten married since moving to Hong Kong and plans to move back to the US if he and his wife have kids.

Persons: Toby, Yan Choi, Dai pai dongs, —, Santa Barbara, Choi, Dai Lee Dai Pai Dong, pai, Hong Kong, He's, Hong Kong Dai pai dongs, Hong, sizzling woks, Agnes Chee Yan, Wei, pai dongs, Tiffany Leung, Faye Bradley, wasn't, Shawn Cai, Law Chun Chuen, Dai Lee Dai Pai, Yan Choi There's, they've, Tony Lee, Mok Wah Ho, Ales, Yan Choi He's, Betty Richardson, dongs, Chee, I'm Organizations: Service, University of California, Kong's, Hong Kong Tourism Board, China Morning Post, Young Locations: California, Hong Kong, Santa, Hong, Sham Shui, Sham, China, Shanghai

☆ Fat Brands and chair Andy Wiederhorn indicted in $47 million 'sham' loan scheme
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Federal authorities on Friday charged Fat Brands and its chair Andy Wiederhorn of committing a brazen scheme that netted him $47 million in bogus loans from the restaurant company that owns Fatburger, Johnny Rockets and Twin Peaks. Fat Brands, Wiederhorn and a few other people were criminally indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles for wire fraud, tax evasion and other counts related to the alleged scheme. "These charges are unprecedented, unwarranted, unsubstantiated and unjust," Fat Brands counsel Brian Hennigan said in a statement. As chief executive of Fat Brands, Wiederhorn, 58, allegedly directed the company to loan its own funds to him, with no intention of ever paying the "sham" loans back, according to the indictment. He also did not report any of the so-called loans from Fat Brands as income, according to the indictment.

Persons: Andy Wiederhorn, Johnny, Brian Hennigan, Wiederhorn, overreach —, Nicola Hanna, Wiederhorn's, Thayer, Ron Roe, Rebecca Hershinger, William Amon Organizations: Brands, Johnny Rockets, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Fat Brands, SEC, Fog, Wiederhorn Locations: Los Angeles, Oregon, U.S

☆ Two political operatives struck plea deals in Rep. Henry Cuellar's bribery case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Zoë Richards | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A pair of political operatives tied to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the Justice Department's bribery case against Cuellar, according to court documents unsealed this week. A pair of political operatives tied to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the Justice Department's bribery case against Cuellar, according to court documents unsealed this week. They devised a "sham consulting contract" with the bank and a plan for Rendon to funnel a majority of its proceeds to Cuellar's wife, according to court documents. Strother used the money to make $10,000 payments every month to Cuellar's wife, totaling $214,890, authorities say. In a statement last week before the charges were unsealed, Cuellar denied any wrongdoing and said he had "proactively sought legal advice" from the House Ethics Committee.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, Cuellar, Mina Colin Strother, Cuellar's, Florencio, Lencho, Imelda, Strother, Rendon, we're, Chris Flood Organizations: Department, Azerbaijan, NBC, Justice Locations: Texas, Mexican, U.S, South Texas

CNN —Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said his forces were “always ready” to combat external threats, as he addressed crowds gathered at Moscow’s Red Square on Thursday to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Around 27 million people in the Soviet Union died in World War II, more than in any other country. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes soldiers as he is driven along Red Square. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS in an interview that “unfriendly countries” were not invited for a third Victory Day since the war in Ukraine began. His Victory Day address comes just days after the Russian leader was inaugurated for a fifth term in office, in a carefully choreographed ceremony.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, ” Putin, ”, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Nemenov, Sefa, Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko of, Emomali, Serdar, Miguel Diaz, Thongloun, Maria Zakharova, ” Zakharova, Mikhail Klimentyev, Reuters Putin Organizations: CNN, Nazi, Russian, Getty, Canel, Russian Foreign Ministry, TASS, Sputnik, Reuters, Kyiv, Kremlin Locations: Soviet, Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, “ Russia, AFP, Red Square, Anadolu, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Laos, Guinea, Bissau, Russian, United States

☆ Isolated From West, Putin Projects Domestic Power at Inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vladimir V. Putin was inaugurated for a fifth term as president on Tuesday in a ceremony filled with pageantry and a televised church service, as the Russian leader tried once more to depict his invasion of Ukraine as a religiously righteous mission that is part of “our 1,000-year history.”Mr. Putin took the presidential oath — he swore to “respect and safeguard the rights and freedoms of man and citizen” — with his hand on a red-bound copy of Russia’s constitution, the 1993 document that guarantees many of the democratic rights that he has spent much of his 25-year rule rolling back. Mr. Putin claimed his fifth term in March in a rubber-stamp election that Western nations dismissed as a sham. If he serves the full six years of his new term, he will become the longest serving Russian leader since Empress Catherine the Great in the 19th century. “Together, we will be victorious!” Mr. Putin said at the end of a speech after he took the oath in the Kremlin’s gilded St. Andrew’s Hall.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, —, ” —, Empress Catherine the Great Organizations: Andrew’s Locations: Russian, Ukraine

CNN —Vladimir Putin has formally begun his fifth term as Russia’s president in a carefully choreographed inauguration ceremony, in a country he has shaped in his image after first taking office nearly a quarter of a century ago. Putin won Russia’s stage-managed election by an overwhelming majority in March, securing for himself another six-year term that could see him rule until at least his 77th birthday. Attendees wait in the Kremlin as Putin arrives for his inauguration ceremony. Putin waves during his inauguration ceremony. To ensure it has enough drones and missiles to bombard Ukraine, Russia has also entered into deeper partnerships with Iran and North Korea.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Putin, – Putin, “, Matthew Miller, Putin’s, Maxim Shemetov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ”, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, US State Department, Reuters, US Embassy, Presidential Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Iran, North Korea

☆ Trump Media hires new auditor after previous accounting firm charged with 'massive fraud'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Trump Media hired a new auditor over the weekend, after its previous public accounting firm was accused Friday of perpetrating a massive fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Trump Media said it had engaged Semple, Marchal & Cooper LLP on Saturday to replace BF Borgers. The ban required Trump Media and other public companies that had used BF Borgers to find new auditors. CNBC also requested comment from Phoenix-based Semple, Marchal, whose website said the firm in its four decades of operation it has "become a preeminent, and highly respected, certified public accounting firm." Trump Media was not yet publicly traded at the time of the alleged conduct by BF Borgers.

Persons: BF, Semple, Cooper, Donald Trump, BF Borgers, Marchal, Benjamin Borgers, Borgers Organizations: Trump Media, Securities and Exchange Commission, CPA, SEC, Marchal, BF, Company, Trump, CNBC Locations: Phoenix, Lakewood , Colorado

☆ Trump Media fires accounting firm after old one accused of being a ‘sham audit mill’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The accounting firm did not respond to a request for comment. Trump Media said in a filing that it “dismissed” BF Borgers as its independent registered public accounting firm on Friday. Firing BF Borgers wasn’t optional for Trump Media or any other public company that used the firm. BF Borgers served as Trump Media’s independent registered accounting firm before the company went public in March. Later in March, Trump Media hired BF Borgers as the public company’s accounting firm.

Persons: Borgers, “, ” BF, ”, Semple, Cooper, BF Borgers Organizations: New, New York CNN, Truth, Trump Media & Technology Group, Trump Media, Securities and Exchange Commission, ” Trump Media, Marchal, BF, SEC, Trump Locations: New York

The auditing firm for Trump Media and the auditor's owner were charged Friday with "massive fraud" by the Securities and Exchange Commission for work that affected more than 1,500 SEC filings, the federal regulator announced. The auditor, BF Borgers CPA and its owner Benjamin Borgers have agreed to be permanently suspended from practicing as accountants before the SEC, and also agreed to pay a combined $14 million in civil penalties, without admitting or denying the allegations, the SEC said. The agency, calling BF Borgers a "sham audit mill," said the company and its owner engaged in "deliberate and systemic failures to comply with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ... standards in its audits and reviews incorporated in more than 1,500 SEC filings from January 2021 through June 2023," according to a press release. BF Borgers during that same time acted as the auditor for Trump Media, which was then privately held and moving toward a planned merger with the publicly traded shell company Digital World Acquisition Corp.Trump Media and DWAC finalized that merger in late March 2024, leading to Trump Media becoming publicly traded under the DJT ticker. The SEC said the Lakewood, Colorado-based BF Borgers and its owner were charged with falsely telling clients that the auditor's work would comply with PCAOB standards, fabricating audit documents to make it seem that the work did comply with those standards, and "falsely stating in audit reports included in more than 500 public company SEC filings that the firm's audits complied with PCAOB standards," the release said.

Persons: Benjamin Borgers, BF Borgers, DWAC Organizations: Trump Media, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, BF, CPA, Company, Corp Locations: Lakewood , Colorado

Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, and his wife were charged with participating in a yearslong $600,000 bribery scheme involving Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank, according to a federal indictment unsealed in Houston on Friday. Mr. Cuellar, 68, and his wife Imelda, 67, are accused of bribery and money laundering in connection with their efforts on behalf of a bank based in Mexico City and an energy company owned by Azerbaijan, according to the 54-page complaint. Mr. Cuellar is also accused of acting as an agent of a foreign entity while serving as a U.S. government official. Payments made from 2014 to 2021 were laundered through “sham consulting contracts,” front companies and shell companies owned by Mrs. Cuellar, who performed “little to no legitimate work” under the contracts, lawyers with the Justice Department’s criminal division wrote.

Persons: Henry Cuellar, Mr, Cuellar, Imelda, . Cuellar Organizations: Justice Locations: Texas, Azerbaijan, Mexican, Houston, Mexico City, U.S

☆ Trump Media stock tumbles as the SEC charges its auditor with 'massive fraud'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump Media's stock price dropped on Friday after its auditor was accused of "massive fraud." The auditor BF Borgers did not comply with common accounting standards, the SEC said. BF Borgers CPA PC, which audited the financials of Trump Media, had "deliberate and systemic failures to comply" with public company accounting standards, the regulatory agency said. BF Borgers settled the SEC charges by paying a $12 million penalty, while Borgers, the owner, paid a separate $2 million penalty. "Trump Media looks forward to working with auditing partners in accordance with today's SEC order," a spokesperson for TMTG said.

Persons: BF, —, Benjamin Borgers, BF Borgers, Borgers, Ben Borgers, Gurbir Grewal, TMTG Organizations: Trump, SEC, Service, Trump Media, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: SEC's

☆ Trump Media’s accounting firm charged with ‘massive fraud’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

“Trump Media looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today’s SEC order,” Trump Media spokesperson Shannon Devine told CNN in a statement. According to filings, Borgers served as Trump Media’s independent registered accounting firm before the social media company went public in March. Later in March, the audit committee of Trump Media approved the hiring of Borgers as the public company’s accounting firm. The SEC review only focused on public companies, meaning BF Borgers’ work for Trump Media when it was private was not included. Trump Media is chaired and majority owned by former President Donald Trump, who is also the most popular user on Truth Social.

Persons: BF, Benjamin Borgers, “ Borgers, ” Gurbir Grewal, Trump Media , “, ”, Shannon Devine, Borgers, BF Borgers, Donald Trump Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump Media & Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Truth Social, Trump Media, BF Borgers, “ Trump Media, ” Trump Media, CNN, Trump, Borgers Locations: New York

☆ Trump Media's auditor charged with 'massive fraud' by SEC
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump Media's auditor, BF Borgers, committed fraud in 1,500 filings, the SEC said. "Trump Media looks forward to working with new auditing partners," a spokesperson said. AdvertisementThe Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday charged accounting firm BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin Borgers, with "massive fraud." "Trump Media looks forward to working with new auditing partners in accordance with today's SEC order," a TMTG spokesperson told Business Insider. AdvertisementDespite losing money and being cagey about how its user base compares to its social media rivals, Trump Media is now valued at over $6.3 billion.

Persons: Trump, BF Borgers, —, Benjamin Borgers, Donald Trump's, Borgers, BF, Grewal Organizations: BF, SEC, Trump Media, Service, Securities, Exchange Commission, Trump Media & Technology, Bloomberg, Public Company, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Business, Truth

☆ New York Woman Gets 18 Years for Funding Terrorism With Cryptocurrency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hurubie Meko | Maia Coleman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A New York woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday for funding terrorism by using cryptocurrency to send financial support to groups operating in Syria. After Judge Althea Drysdale imposed the sentence, the woman, Victoria Jacobs, 44, yelled that the trial had been “a sham” and “Islamophobic” as officers led her from the courtroom. Dressed in a tan sweatshirt and khaki pants, Ms. Jacobs had appeared irritated as soon as she sat down at the defense table and had asked that her handcuffs be removed. In February, a Manhattan jury convicted Ms. Jacobs of three felony counts of providing support for an act of terrorism after a trial that lasted about two weeks. The jury also found her guilty of conspiracy, money laundering and criminal possession of a weapon.

Persons: Althea Drysdale, Victoria Jacobs, ”, Jacobs Locations: York, Syria, Manhattan

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