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☆ TIAA Trader Faces Securities Fraud Charges for Alleged Insider Trading Scheme
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Justice Department charged the trader and an associate with securities and wires fraud. The Justice Department on Wednesday charged a Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America trader and an associate with fraud for allegedly using stolen confidential information to profit on trades, yielding what prosecutors said were tens of millions of dollars in illegal gains. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged Lawrence Billimek, 51 years old, and Alan Williams, 77, a retired financial professional and active day trader, with securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy offenses.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried oversaw one of the biggest financial frauds in American history, a top federal prosecutor said in charging that the former chief executive stole billions of dollars from the crypto exchange’s customers while misleading investors and lenders. An indictment by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, unsealed Tuesday, charges Mr. Bankman-Fried with eight counts of fraud. Prosecutors allege that he took FTX.com customers’ money to pay the expenses and debts of Alameda Research, an affiliated trading firm. Mr. Bankman-Fried is charged as well with conspiring to defraud the U.S. and violate campaign-finance rules by making illegal political contributions.

☆ Trump Organization Faces More Legal Battles in New York After Tax-Fraud Verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two Trump Organization corporate entities are scheduled to be sentenced in January after being found guilty of tax fraud. A New York jury on Tuesday found the Trump Organization guilty of criminal tax fraud and other related offenses after a trial in which prosecutors argued the company took part in a yearslong scheme alongside its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, to pay some executives with off-the-books perks. Lawyers for the Trump Organization said Mr. Weisselberg carried out the scheme alone, and with no intent to benefit his employer. Jurors convicted two Trump corporate entities of all 17 counts they faced. Here is a look at where the case goes from here, as well as other legal challenges facing Donald Trump and his businesses.

☆ Trump Organization Found Guilty of Criminal Tax Fraud in New York Trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The two Trump Organization entities that were found guilty could face a total of more than $1.6 million in fines. Former President Donald Trump’s family business was convicted Tuesday of criminal tax fraud, with a New York jury finding the Trump Organization engaged in an off-the-books compensation scheme to pay some executives in car leases, apartments and cash. The jury found two Trump Organization corporate entities guilty of all criminal counts they faced, including conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. The two entities could face a total of more than $1.6 million in fines.

☆ Public-Corruption Charges Dismissed Against Former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A federal judge Monday tossed the bulk of a public-corruption case against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin , finding the Justice Department’s charges didn’t meet the legal bar for prosecuting alleged bribery involving campaign contributions. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan threw out three corruption charges against Mr. Benjamin, a Democrat who was indicted earlier this year on five criminal counts for allegedly soliciting campaign donations from a real-estate developer in exchange for steering $50,000 in state funds to the developer’s education nonprofit in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood.

Khorry Ramey entered the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, on Tuesday morning to visit her father, Kevin Johnson, for a final time. Khorry Ramey with her father, Kevin Johnson, and her son, Kiaus. While she could not be inside the prison, Johnson's witnesses included his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Khorry Ramey and her father, Kevin Johnson. Kevin Johnson at the courthouse in Clayton, Mo., in 2007.

☆ Closing Arguments in Trump Organization Tax Fraud Trial Focus on Company Role
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawyers in the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud case made their final pitches to a New York jury Thursday, with defense attorneys portraying a scheme to evade taxes as confined to a rogue employee and prosecutors calling it a deliberate corporate practice. Much of the trial, which began in late October in state court, focused on the role of former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who served as prosecutors’ star witness and pleaded guilty earlier this year to 15 felonies for his role in the tax fraud scheme. Closing arguments are expected to continue Friday, clearing the way for jury deliberations next week.

☆ Jeffrey Epstein Estate Settles Suit Brought by U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeffrey Epstein’s former home on the island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday settled a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands that accused the disgraced financier of trafficking and sexually abusing girls and young women on his private island in the Caribbean. U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George said in a statement that, under the settlement’s terms, the estate agreed to pay the Virgin Islands government $105 million, as well as one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, one of Epstein’s private islands. The estate also agreed to pay $450,000 to remediate environmental damage around Great St. James, another Epstein-owned island, Ms. George said.

☆ Jeffrey Epstein Estate Settles Suit Brought By U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Missouri inmate convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed for the death of his younger brother was executed Tuesday, officials said. Kevin Johnson, 37, was put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre. The execution began at 7:29 p.m., and Johnson was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m., said Karen Pojmann, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections. “We miss Bill every day of our lives.”Khorry Ramey with her father, Kevin Johnson, and her son, Kiaus. via ACLUOn July 5, 2005, police were searching for Johnson, who was on probation for assaulting his girlfriend.

watch nowMichael Bryand, 35, first got Covid in September 2020. And currently, as many as 23 million Americans have what's considered long Covid, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Long Covid is 'something invisible'Michael Bryand, here with his family, first got Covid in September 2020. Ramey was a nurse in San Antonio for 30 years before she got Covid in 2020. Verduzco-Gutierrez works primarily with Covid patients, including Ramey and Bryand, through the long Covid clinic she established in 2020.

The execution of a Black death row inmate can proceed Tuesday evening after Missouri's highest court rejected a claim that the case was tainted by racial bias and determined the claim would most likely not be successful in legal challenges. The Missouri Supreme Court's decision released late Monday allows the state to continue with its planned execution of Johnson, 37, by lethal injection. Mike Parson, a Republican, said in a statement he would not grant him clemency "for his horrendous and callous crime." Keenan said in a court filing that he also sought a stay in Johnson's execution because the team of prosecutors during his trial has declined to cooperate with his investigation. Johnson was arrested in July 2005 in the fatal shooting of Kirkwood Police Officer William McEntee in suburban St. Louis.

☆ Justice Department Prosecutors Swamped With Data as Cases Leave Long Digital Trails
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams views the data issue as a crisis. When the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan brought securities-fraud charges against executives of cable operator Adelphia Communications Corp. in 2002, its case involved one million pages of evidence. In the office’s recent case against Trevor Milton , the former electric-truck executive who was convicted of fraud charges, prosecutors handed over four times that number to the defense. The numbers are even higher in a pending securities-fraud case stemming from the collapse of Archegos Capital Management LP, where prosecutors already have provided more than seven million pages of evidence to defense attorneys—after asking a court for a six-to-eight week window to produce the material.

A 19-year-old Missouri woman can't be a witness to her father's execution after a judge ruled Friday that a state law barring her from being present because of her age is constitutional. Kevin Johnson, 37, has been in prison since Ramey was 2 for the 2005 killing of William McEntee, a police officer in Kirkwood, Missouri. But Missouri law says that no person younger than 21 can witness an execution. Johnson's fate remains unclear after a motion asking for his execution to be halted was filed by a special prosecutor, Edward Keenan. The Missouri Attorney General's Office, however, believes Johnson's execution should go on and that "the surviving victims of Johnson's crimes have waited long enough for justice."

☆ New York Law Opens Window to Sue Over Decades-Old Sex-Abuse Claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York state on Thursday opened a yearlong window in which people who say they were sexually assaulted as adults can sue their alleged abusers, no matter how long ago the conduct occurred. State lawmakers provided victims the opportunity under the Adult Survivors Act, which allows people to file civil sex-abuse lawsuits without regard to the statute of limitations for such offenses. The legislation comes on the heels of a similar lookback window for people who said they were abused as children. Lawmakers and advocates pushed for the equivalent for adults, arguing that older survivors also faced barriers to immediately coming forward.

☆ New York Law Offers Chance to Sue Over Decades-Old Sex-Abuse Claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ 19-year-old asks court to let her watch father’s execution
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

ST. LOUIS — A 19-year-old woman is asking a federal court to allow her to watch her father’s death by injection, despite a Missouri law barring anyone under 21 from witnessing an execution. Kevin Johnson faces execution Nov. 29 for killing Kirkwood, Missouri, Police Officer William McEntee in 2005. Meanwhile, Johnson has requested that his daughter, Khorry Ramey, attend the execution, and she wants to be there. The ACLU’s court filing said the law barring under 21s serves no safety purpose and violates Ramey’s Constitutional rights. In a court filing last week to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office stated there were no grounds for court intervention.

☆ Wife of Sen. Bob Menendez Draws Scrutiny in Federal Probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bob Menendez has been a U.S. senator since 2006 and is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Federal prosecutors investigating U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez are examining whether his wife received gifts or services from individuals who sought favors from the New Jersey politician, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has subpoenaed associates of Mr. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Arslanian , whom he married in 2020, the people said. Subpoenas issued in recent months have asked for information about both Ms. Arslanian and Mr. Menendez, according to the people.

☆ Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Testifies at Company’s Tax-Fraud Trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg arrive for court Tuesday in New York. Longtime Donald Trump confidant Allen Weisselberg testified Tuesday at the Trump Organization’s criminal tax-fraud trial that during his tenure as the company’s finance chief he and the business evaded paying taxes on benefits he received, including leased cars and a rent-free apartment. Mr. Weisselberg and the Trump Organization were indicted last year in the case, and Mr. Weisselberg in August pleaded guilty to all 15 counts he faced. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to testify at his longtime employer’s trial. Mr. Trump, who has called the case politically motivated, wasn’t charged.

☆ Rudy Giuliani Isn’t Expected to Face Criminal Charges in Ukraine Probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City major who has worked as personal lawyer to Donald Trump, had denied lobbying for anyone in Ukraine or working as an agent of a foreign government . Rudy Giuliani isn’t expected to face criminal charges in a New York federal grand jury investigation into his interactions with Ukrainian officials, the Justice Department said. “Based on information currently available to the government, criminal charges are not forthcoming,” federal prosecutors said Monday in a court filing.

☆ Justice Department Announces Seizure of Bitcoin Once Valued at $3.36 Billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Justice Department said Monday it had seized cryptocurrency once valued at $3.36 billion from a Georgia man who pleaded guilty to stealing bitcoin from the Silk Road online marketplace. The cryptocurrency seizure, which took place in November 2021 and hadn’t been publicly announced, is the second largest in Justice Department history. The government is seeking the forfeiture of the seized bitcoin, which has declined significantly in value since the seizure and is now worth about $1 billion.

☆ Trump Ally Thomas Barrack Acquitted in Foreign Influence Case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Thomas Barrack , a businessman and ally of Donald Trump, was acquitted Friday of charges that he illegally lobbied the former president and his administration on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. The verdict, which also found Mr. Barrack not guilty of lying to federal investigators, handed another blow to the Justice Department, which has faced a series of setbacks in its yearslong push to address what it sees as hidden foreign influence in U.S. politics.

☆ New York Judge Imposes Monitoring Requirements on Trump Business Operations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Laura Kusisto | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A judge said Thursday that New York’s attorney general had presented abundant evidence to support her contention that Trump’s family business had engaged in fraud. A New York judge on Thursday required that Donald Trump’s family business be subject to monitoring requirements while it is facing a civil-fraud lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James . State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said that given what he called “persistent misrepresentations” by the Trump family’s business in its financial statements over the last decade, “the appointment of an independent monitor is the most prudent and narrowly tailored mechanism to ensure there is no further fraud or illegality.”

☆ Trump Organization Trial Delayed Due to Covid-19
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A recent courtroom sketch showing Justice Juan Merchan, defense lawyers and prosecutors at the Trump Organization’s trial in New York. The Trump Organization’s criminal tax-fraud trial was delayed Tuesday after the prosecution’s first witness tested positive for Covid-19. Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney, who testified on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, took a Covid-19 test after coughing through his morning testimony. He didn’t wear a mask in court.

☆ Trump Organization Trial Starts With Sparring over Allen Weisselberg’s Intent
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Michael van der Veen, in red necktie, is a defense attorney in the tax-fraud trial against the Trump Organization. The Trump Organization’s criminal trial began Monday with arguments over whether longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg directed a fraud scheme to help reduce the company’s tax bill or instead was motivated by securing personal benefits including a rent-free Manhattan apartment and paid leases for luxury cars. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has brought tax-fraud charges against two companies—Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp.—that are part of a group of entities collectively referred to as the Trump Organization. The companies were owned by Donald Trump until he became president, and afterward controlled through Mr. Trump’s trust.

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