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☆ WSJ: Justice Department will sue Live Nation for antitrust violations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The US Department of Justice is preparing to sue the country’s largest concert promoter and ticketing website Live Nation in the coming weeks for breaking America’s antitrust laws, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the Justice Department’s plans. The lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, will allege the ticketing company used its market-leading position to harm competition for live events, the Journal reported. Shares of Live Nation (LYV) dropped nearly 7% in premarket trading Tuesday. Live Nation and the Justice Department didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment about the Journal’s report. Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010, now billing itself as the “largest live entertainment company in the world.”

Persons: Department’s, Justice Department didn’t, Taylor Swift’s, Swift, Joe Berchtold, ”, Jack Groetzinger, SeatGeek Organizations: New, New York CNN, US Department of Justice, Wall Street Journal, Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster, Justice Department, Live, Republicans, Rivals Locations: New York, United States

The high court’s ruling could also affect the federal election subversion criminal case pending against former President Donald Trump, who was also charged with the obstruction crime. The law, Justice Elena Kagan said, could have been written by Congress to limit its prohibition to evidence tampering. Unless the court rules broadly in a way that undermines the charge entirely, the case against Trump may still stick even if Fischer wins his case. The Fischer case has prompted some liberal critics of the court to demand that Thomas recuse himself. “There have been many violent protests that have interfered with proceedings,” Thomas asked Prelogar, pressing on a theme he returned to repeatedly during the arguments.

Persons: Critics, ”, Donald Trump, Joseph Fischer, Trump, “, Fischer, Brett Kavanaugh, Elizabeth Prelogar, John Roberts, ’ ” Roberts, it’s, Prelogar, Kavanaugh, ‘, ” Prelogar, Neil Gorsuch, Jamaal Bowman, Bowman, Samuel Alito, ” Alito, rioter, Elena Kagan, ” Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jeffrey Green, Jackson, Jack Smith, Department’s, Smith, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, That’s, Thomas ’, Ginni Thomas, ” Thomas, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice, Capitol, Court, Department, Riot, ”, New York Democrat, House, Hamas, Trump Locations: Pennsylvania, Gaza, Virginia, DC, Colorado, ”

☆ US transfers thousands of seized Iranian guns, rocket launchers and munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The US transferred thousands of machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine last week, US Central Command announced on Tuesday. CENTCOM said the materiel transferred to Ukraine is enough to equip one Ukrainian brigade — around 4,000 personnel — with small-arms rifles. It is not the first time the US has transferred seized Iranian military equipment to the Ukrainians. The US transferred over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces in October, CNN previously reported. For the last year, the Biden administration has been working to legally send the seized weapons, which are stored in CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East, to the Ukrainians.

Persons: CENTCOM, ” CENTCOM, Biden Organizations: CNN, US Central Command, Russia, Congress, Justice, Iranian, US Navy Locations: Iran, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Yemen

☆ Justice Department Says It Will Reopen Inquiry Into Realtor Trade Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department will reopen an antitrust investigation into the National Association of Realtors, an influential trade group that has held sway over the residential real estate industry for decades. The investigation will focus on whether the group’s rules inflate the cost of selling a home. about broker commissions and how real estate listings are marketed. Pending federal court approval, N.A.R. will pay $418 million in damages and will significantly change its rules on agent commissions and the databases, overseen by N.A.R.

Organizations: Department, National Association of Realtors, U.S ., Appeals, District of Columbia, N.A.R

☆ Another man who threatened then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A man who made threats against then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in 2022 was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Monday, Justice Department officials announced during a news conference on threats to state election workers. The announcement comes less than two weeks after a separate individual was sentenced to three and a half years for making a bomb threat against Hobbs in 2021. Hobbs, a Democrat, is now governor of Arizona. “The right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, relies on the ability of election workers and election officials to perform their duties without fearing for their lives. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who threaten these public servants.”

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Joshua Russell, Hobbs, ”, John Keller, –, “, Arizona Gary Restaino, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Democrat, Force, ”, Department Locations: Arizona, Ohio

These are accusations that the Justice Department leveled against a technology giant it accused of running an illegal monopoly. But they aren’t from this week’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple — they’re from the case the department brought against Microsoft in 1998. And federal prosecutors are explicitly connecting the Apple lawsuit to that earlier fight. “They’re really presenting this case as a successor to that: Microsoft 2.0,” said Gus Hurwitz, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. And it isn’t clear whether the Justice Department will be able to achieve here what it claims to have done by suing Microsoft.

Persons: Apple —, Department’s, Clinton, “ They’re, ”, Gus Hurwitz Organizations: Justice Department, Apple, Microsoft, Google, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case, has set apart an entire day to hear arguments on whether the prosecution should be thrown out on the basis of Trump’s claims about his presidential classification powers. Trump is facing dozens of charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, and for obstructing the Justice Department’s investigation. As president, defense attorneys argue, Trump was the chief classification officer and could mark any documents as “personal” and legally take those documents with him when he left office. Their arguments cite the Presidential Records Act, the federal law that governs how documents from an outgoing presidential administration are handled. The PRA says the moment a president leaves office, the National Archives and Records Administration gets custody and control of all presidential records from their administration.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, –, Joe Biden’s, Department’s, I’m, “ Organizations: CNN, FBI, Records, National Archives, Records Administration, Presidential Records, Trump

☆ Man who made bomb threat against Arizona election official gets 3.5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Afia Barrie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A man who sent a bomb threat in 2021 to Katie Hobbs, then-Arizona’s secretary of state and now Democratic governor, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison. James Clark of Falmouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of making a threatening interstate communication after being indicted the previous summer on three counts, including making a bomb threat, the Justice Department announced. “Those using illegal threats of violence to intimidate election workers should know that the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable under the law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Following Clark’s threats, law enforcement said they conducted partial evacuations and bomb sweeps of the Arizona secretary of state’s office as well as Hobbs’s home and car. The case was brought by the Justice Department’s election threats task force, which was established in June 2021 to address threats of violence against election workers.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, James Clark of, General Merrick Garland, Clark, ”, Hobbs Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Justice Department, DOJ, Boston Marathon Locations: James Clark of Falmouth , Massachusetts, Arizona

I ended up loading all the luggage I had – and he had a bunch of boxes,” Butler said of Nauta. But I also have a bad feeling that what I’m saying is getting him into trouble,” Butler told CNN. Given his long history at Trump’s club, Butler shed light on potentially critical instances related to the disclosure of classified information. De Oliveira hung up the phone, happily, and told Butler that Trump would provide him an attorney, Butler says. I think we went to sit down,” Butler told CNN.

Persons: Kaitlan Collins, CNN —, Donald Trump’s, Brian Butler, “, Jack Smith, Butler, Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, Lago, Donald Trump, CNN Butler, Nauta, De Oliveira, didn’t, ‘, ” Butler, Department’s, he’s, John Irving, Florida Butler, MAGA, Trump’s, ’, I’m, De Oliveria, Brian Butler's, Jeffrey Sloman, De Oliveira nudging, Anthony Pratt, Pratt, there’s, There’s De Oliveira, Melania Trump, putts De Oliveira, Taylor Swift, De, “ Carlos, pats, Butler “, Carlos, ‘ He’s, ’ ” Butler Organizations: CNN, “ Trump, Trump, Mar, Justice Department, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, CNN The Florida, FBI, Southern, Southern District of, Smith’s, Prosecutors Locations: Mar, Palm Beach , Florida, Trump, New Jersey, Nauta, Palm Beach, Lago, West Palm, Florida, Palm, South Florida, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Russian, Butler

☆ Here’s what to know about the Mar-a-Lago documents case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The classified documents case is one of four criminal cases Trump is facing, although it’s unclear when it will go to trial. The case centers around Trump’s handling of classified documents after his presidency and his resistance to the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials he took to Mar-a-Lago from the White House. Part of Trump’s strategy in his federal criminal cases has included attempting to delay trials until after the election. Meanwhile, Trump is attempting to get the entire documents case tossed out. That case is currently on hold as the Supreme Court weighs Trump’s claims of presidential immunity in the matter.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Donald Trump’s, – “, –, Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos de Oliveira, Jack Smith, Nauta, Weeks, Smith, de Oliveira, Aileen Cannon, Cannon Organizations: Washington CNN, – “ Trump, CNN, Mar, National Archives, White, Trump, DOJ, Presidential, Prosecutors Locations: Mar, Lago, Georgia, Atlanta, New York

☆ US has spent about $20 million to maintain superyacht seized from a Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US government is spending nearly $1 million a month to maintain a luxury superyacht seized from a sanctioned Russian oligarch as part of the Justice Department’s effort to put pressure on the Kremlin. The superyacht was seized while docked in a port in Fiji in 2022 by local law enforcement officials and the FBI. Now, federal prosecutors have asked a judge for permission to sell the vessel saying its expenses are excessive and has cost the government about $20 million, according to recent court filings. The monthly costs total roughly $600,000 to maintain the yacht, plus $144,000 in insurance, according to court records. Maintaining the Amadea is certainly expensive, and Claimants never intended for U.S. taxpayers to shoulder that burden.

Persons: Suleiman Kerimov, Eduard Khudainatov, they’ve “ Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, FBI, US Marshals Service, Millemarin Investments, ” Prosecutors Locations: Russian, Fiji, San Diego

☆ Man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases from Mexico into US in first-of-a-kind prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A California man was arrested and charged Monday with allegedly smuggling potent, planet-heating greenhouse gases from Mexico, marking the first such prosecution in the US, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He is then alleged to have sold them for a profit on sites including Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. These greenhouse gases are short-lived in the atmosphere, but powerful — some are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in the near-term. “The illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, undermines international efforts to combat climate change,” said David M. Uhlmann, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. In 2016, nearly 200 nations including the US agreed to the Kigali Amendment to reduce planet-heating pollution from these greenhouse gases.

Persons: Michael Hart, Hart, Todd Kim, HFCs, ”, David M, Tara McGrath, ” Hart Organizations: CNN, US, Office, Southern, Southern District of, Facebook, Justice Department’s, Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA’s, UN Environment, AC, Department of Justice Locations: California, Mexico, Southern District, Southern District of California, San Diego, United States, Kigali

☆ Air Force employee accused of sharing classified information on foreign dating website
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Air Force employee has been charged with sharing classified information on a foreign dating website after prosecutors say he sent sensitive information about Russia’s war in Ukraine to a person who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine. Slater then sent this classified information to someone who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine, according to an indictment. Successfully?”The co-conspirator sent messages for nearly two months, according to the indictment, repeatedly probing Slater for more classified information. Slater faces one count of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. Before working as a civilian in the Air Force, prosecutors say Slater rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army, retiring at the end of 2020.

Persons: David Franklin Slater, Slater, ”, Dave ”, Slater’s, “, Slater “, Matthew G, Olsen, Eugene Kowel Organizations: CNN, An Air Force, Prosecutors, Strategic Command, Justice Department, Operations Center, Air Force, Army, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha Field Office Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Nebraska, Omaha

☆ Live updates: Trump classified documents hearing, Fani Willis case closing arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. Smith said he believes that Trump and his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliviera, should go to trial on July 8, 2024. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Hearing over efforts to disqualify Fani Willis: Defense attorneys in Fulton County will deliver their closing arguments as to why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be dismissed from the election interference case against Trump and his alleged co-conspirators. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Trump, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, Cannon, —, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade Organizations: Trump —, Trump Locations: Fulton County

In Florida, meanwhile, a federal judge could push back Trump’s trial date in the classified documents case. Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Smith has highlighted a myriad of threats made against individuals connected to the documents case, including witnesses, government employees, an FBI agent involved in the initial Mar-a-Lago search and two federal judges, including Cannon herself. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Fani Willis, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, De Oliviera’s, Cannon, —, Biden, – Nauta, De Oliveira, –, Willis, Scott McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, McAfee, Charles Mittelstadt, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Merchant Organizations: CNN, Trump —, White, National Security Council, Prosecutors, Trump Locations: Georgia, Florida, Fulton County, California, Belize, Caribbean

Hunter Biden’s appearance Wednesday represents the most significant testimony to date for the two congressional committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, a probe that’s heavily focused on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. But it comes as a key allegation that launched the impeachment inquiry has been discredited. Sources familiar with terms negotiated between Hunter Biden’s team and congressional Republicans told CNN that Wednesday’s deposition will have several unique features that are different from the other interviews the committees have conducted to date. While Hunter Biden’s lawyers insisted that he would only testify publicly, Comer insisted that a public hearing would follow the private deposition. Republicans repeatedly pointed to Smirnov’s allegations as a reason for opening the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden last fall.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s, –, Hunter, Biden, Hunter Biden’s, James Comer’s, Comer, Joe Biden, Department’s, Alexander Smirnov, Jim Jordan, Jordan, Burisma, wouldn’t, Abbe Lowell, Lowell Organizations: Capitol, CNN, FBI, Republicans, GOP, Justice Department Locations: Washington

☆ Many Suicides in Prisons Could Have Been Averted, Justice Dept. Watchdog Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dozens of inmates, including the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, have died needlessly in federal prisons as a result of lax supervision, access to contraband and poor monitoring of at-risk inmates, according to a report released on Thursday by the Justice Department’s watchdog. The Bureau of Prisons, responsible for about 155,000 inmates, routinely subjects prisoners to conditions that put them at heightened risk of self-harm, drug overdoses, accidents and violence, the department’s inspector general found after analyzing 344 deaths from 2013 to 2021 that had not been caused by illnesses. More than half of those deaths were suicides, and many of them could have been prevented if inmates had received appropriate mental health assessments or been housed with other prisoners in accordance with departmental guidelines instead of being left alone, like Mr. Epstein, the report concluded. The report “identified several operational and managerial deficiencies” that violated standing bureau policies, said Michael E. Horowitz, the inspector general, whose investigators previously concluded that Mr. Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 was the result of gross negligence and inadequate staffing.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Michael E, Horowitz, Epstein’s Organizations: Justice, of Prisons, Metropolitan Correctional Center

The case heads to court separately from another federal lawsuit filed in October by LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates over the aggravated prostitution law. The Republican-carried legislation would only remove the requirement that those convicted of aggravated prostitution must register as a violent sex offender. Court documents in the other federal lawsuit say that more than 80 people are registered for aggravated prostitution in Tennessee. Because she had to register as a sex offender, the woman has experienced periods of homelessness while struggling to find safe housing compliant with sex-registry requirements. Tennessee law also bars her from changing her legal name to match her gender identity, the lawsuit states.

Persons: ”, Kristen Clarke, general's Organizations: U.S . Justice, Justice Department, Republican, Justice Department’s Civil Rights, for Disease Control, The Justice Department Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Shelby County, Memphis

CNN —In a fight over keeping the identity of witnesses protected in the criminal document mishandling case against Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith this week detailed myriad threats against prosecutors, judges and other witnesses. One threat against a witness has prompted a federal investigation, the special counsel’s office wrote in court filings. Possible witnesses against Trump are “routinely” being threatened in a way that could intimidate them from participating in the case, they added. Trump’s lawyers have sought to make public the witness names and related information in the case, since they have included them in court filings. “Their objective is plain—to delay trial as long as possible,” prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday in the case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Witnesses, ”, “, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, ‘, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, FBI, Department, ”, National Archives, Records Administration, Department of Energy, ‘ Trump Locations: Florida, Mar

☆ Biden officials confront limits of federal response in exercise preparing for 2024 election threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Carolyn Kaster/AP/FileUS national security officials have to weigh whether publicly calling attention to disinformation might inadvertently amplify the very message they’re trying to bat down. In both scenarios, federal officials favored a muted public response, largely choosing to let state and local governments take the lead. State and local officials run elections and are more trusted voices in their communities, but how can federal officials act decisively to support them? “It’s a trick box,” said Adam Hickey, who worked on election security issues for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “[W]e prioritize tabletop exercises that integrate the range of cyber, physical, and operational threats election officials may encounter,” Conley said in a statement to CNN.

Persons: “, ”, —, Carolyn Kaster, there’s, Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden, deepfakes, ” Sen, Mark Warner, Kevin Dietsch, Francisco Aguilar, ” Aguilar, Donald Trump’s, Adam Hickey, Hickey, Cait Conley, DHS’s, ” Conley, –, ” CNN’s Evan Perez, Natasha Bertrand, Donie O’Sullivan, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Biden White, Jeffersonville Masonic, New Hampshire, Foreign Ministry, ”, Senate, Committee, White, Senate Intelligence, Virginia Democrat, Republican, Trump, Capitol, Justice Department’s National Security, “, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, National Security Council, US Army, DHS’s Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: China, Jeffersonville, Jeffersonville , Ohio, American, Woodside , California, Nevada, Russia, Iran, Russian, Iranian

CNN —US Capitol Police have received a subpoena in the grand jury investigation into Rep. Cori Bush, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. FEC filings show that from January 19, 2023, through April 3, 2023, Bush’s campaign paid Merritts $15,000 for “security services” in six payments of $2,500. CNN asked Bush’s campaign if either she or Merritts were interviewed by the FBI, and if the campaign could provide timesheets for Merritts. “I also believe in transparency which is why I can confirm that the Department of Justice is reviewing my campaign’s spending on security services. She maintained she has not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services and that she complied with House rules.

Persons: Cori Bush, Bush, Bush hasn’t, Cortney Merritts, Merritts, Bush’s, they’re, “, ” Bush Organizations: CNN, US Capitol Police, Missouri Democrat, Capitol Police, Federal, Security, Foundation, Accountability, Civic Trust, FBI, Merritts, Department of Justice Locations: Washington ,, St, Louis , Missouri

“It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials,” reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding “Operation Money Badger,” an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Within weeks, senior DEA officials plotted to deploy at least three undercover informants to surreptitiously record top officials suspected of converting Venezuela into a narco state. And “to limit or mitigate the exposure of the unilateral activities,” the document advised DEA officials to protect their informants and curtail in-person meetings with targets. I think they figured they had nothing to lose.”RELEASED BY ACCIDENTThe Operation Money Badger memo was never intended to be made public. The DEA memo authorized three informants to secretly record undercover meetings with the targets.

Persons: –, ”, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro’s, Alex Saab, Wes Tabor, “ We’re, Maduro, “, Biden, ” Maduro, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, ” —, Evan Criddle, William & Mary, there’s, Mike Vigil, Manny Recio, John Costanzo Jr, Costanzo, ” Michael Nadler, Washington –, launderer, Jose Vielma, Hugo Chávez, Vielma’s, Luis Motta, Vielma, Motta, Motta’s, Zach Margulis, Hugo Carvajal, Jennifer Farrar Organizations: MIAMI, The Associated Press, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, Justice, AP, CIA, State, Justice Department, U.S, Attorney’s, Democratic, Supreme, William &, Saab, Miami Field Division’s, IRS Locations: Venezuela, United States, U.S, America, Venezuelan, Miami, Manhattan, Russia, China, OPEC, Mexico, Virginia, “, Colombian, New York, Houston, Washington, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Former Contractor Who Leaked Trump’s Tax Returns Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former Internal Revenue Service contractor accused of leaking the tax documents of Donald J. Trump and other wealthy Americans was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison. The former contractor, Charles Littlejohn, known as Chaz, worked for the tax agency from 2017 to 2021, when he stole the tax records of thousands of the country’s wealthiest people, including Mr. Trump, prosecutors said. Mr. Littlejohn then provided the information to The New York Times and ProPublica. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that those who violate laws intended to protect sensitive tax information will face significant punishment,” Nicole M. Argentieri, the acting assistant attorney general who oversees the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement. Prosecutors said the harm from Mr. Littlejohn’s disclosures were “so extensive and ongoing that it is impossible to quantify.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Charles Littlejohn, Chaz, Littlejohn, Prosecutors, Mr, ” Nicole M Organizations: Internal Revenue, New York Times, ProPublica, Justice

☆ Man who stole and leaked Trump tax records sentenced to 5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The man who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump and thousands of other’s tax records has been sentenced to five years in prison. In October, Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns. According to his plea agreement, he stole Trump’s tax returns along with the tax data of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people,” while working for a consulting firm with contracts with the Internal Revenue Service. Reyes was also critical of the Justice Department’s decision to only bring one count against Littlejohn. “I acted out of a sincere misguided belief,” Littlejohn said in court Monday, adding that he was serving the country and that people had a right to the tax information.

Persons: Donald Trump, Charles Littlejohn, Littlejohn, Judge Ana Reyes, ” Reyes, “, …, ”, Prosecutors, Reyes, Department’s, ” Littlejohn Organizations: CNN, Internal Revenue Service, US, Capitol, Apple, Prosecutors Locations: United States

☆ Justice Department settlement concludes Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed state employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Justice Department concluded Friday that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed state employees, supporting the findings of a previous state civil review of allegations against the former governor. The department reached an agreement with the New York State Executive Chamber resolving the claims of sexual harassment and retaliation against the Democratic former governor, according to a release from the Justice Department on Friday. “Governor Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances,” the Justice Department found. In August 2021, the New York attorney general’s office found that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women and created a “hostile” work environment for women.

Persons: Andrew Cuomo, Cuomo, Letitia James ’, Governor Cuomo, Cuomo’s, “, Rita Glavin, Cuomo “, NYS Attorney General’s, ” Rich Azzopardi, Department’s, Mariann Wang, ”, ” Wang, Debra Katz, Charlotte Bennett, Kathy Hochul, Hochul, Kristen Clarke Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, New York Gov, New York, Chamber, Democratic, Justice Department, New, Justice, NYS Attorney Locations: New York

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