Category: Corruption

French financial prosecutors say a Paris court has approved an agreement with Airbus that will see the plane maker pay a 15.8-million-euro ($16.3 million) fine A Paris court on Wednesday approved an agreement under which Airbus will pay a 15.8-million-euro ($16.3 million) fine to end a corruption probe focusing on sales to Libya and Kazakhstan over a decade ago, French financial prosecutors said. The agreement comes as an extension to a previous deal in 2020 that led Airbus to pay…

The FTC has temporarily shut down a credit card debt relief scheme operated by Sean Austin, John Steven Huffman, and John Preston Thompson and their affiliated companies that allegedly took millions from people by falsely promising to eliminate or substantially reduce their credit card debt: ACRO SERVICES LLC, a limited liability company, also d/b/a Capital Compliance Solutions, AMERICAN CONSUMER RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, a corporation, also d/b/a Tristar Consumer Law Organization FIRST CALL PROCESSING LLC, a limited liability company MUSIC CITY VENTURES,…

Charges were unsealed today against eight individuals for conspiring to defraud the Georgia Department of Labor of tens of millions of dollars in federal funds intended for unemployment benefits. Seven defendants have been indicted and one defendant has already pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme. According to court documents, Tyshion Nautese Hicks, 30, of Vienna, Georgia; Shatara Hubbard, 34, of Warner Robins, Georgia; Torella Wynn, 30, of Cordele, Georgia; Macovian Doston, 29, of Vienna; Kenya Whitehead, 35, of…

A former agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was charged in a superseding indictment, unsealed today, in the District of Arizona with three counts: a civil rights violation for sexually assaulting and kidnapping a minor victim, kidnapping a minor victim, and misleading state investigators. According to the superseding indictment, on April 25, 2022, Aaron Mitchell, 27, was employed as a CBP agent. The alleged minor victim, referred to in the indictment as M.V., was 15-years-old when the defendant…

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, and Kelly Meggs, the leader of the Florida chapter of the organization, were found guilty by a jury today of seditious conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election. Three additional…

Today, the United States filed a proposal in federal court that — if approved by the court — would appoint an Interim Third Party Manager to stabilize the city of Jackson, Mississippi’s public drinking water system, and build confidence in the system’s ability to supply safe drinking water to the system’s customers. The city and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) have signed this order and agreed to its terms. At the same time, the Justice Department, on behalf…

The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general announced lawsuits against Google LLC and iHeartMedia, Inc. for airing nearly 29,000 deceptive endorsements by radio personalities promoting their use of and experience with Google’s Pixel 4 phone in 2019 and 2020. The proposed FTC orders and the state judgments settling the allegations bar Google and iHeartMedia from similar misrepresentations, and the state judgments also require them to pay $9.4 million in penalties. “Google and iHeartMedia paid influencers to promote products they never…

Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey pleaded guilty today to violating campaign finance laws and conspiring to defraud the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as part of a scheme to benefit his 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress. According to court documents, Kelsey, 44, of Germantown, admitted that he conspired to, and did, secretly and unlawfully funnel money from multiple sources, including his own Tennessee State Senate campaign committee, to his authorized federal campaign committee. Kelsey, who was a practicing attorney, and his…

Dr. John Campbell, long-time WHO employee and Ph.D. health expert, struggles to explain current funding biases in relation to the Gates Foundation and censorship on Google’s Youtube platform, as well as the larger global issue of silencing sound medical advice in response to financial interests and government pressure.

The Federal Trade Commission is sending payments totaling more than $830,300 to 1,376 people who began their enrollment at Saint James School of Medicine between Fall 2016 and Summer 2021. The for-profit medical school in the Caribbean and its Illinois-based operators allegedly misled prospective students about their chances of success—both in passing a medical school standardized test and in matching with a residency program after graduation. In April 2022, the FTC took action against Saint James and its operators, alleging…

U.S. v. Honeywell International Inc., case number 1:08-cv-00961, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Honeywell will pay $3.35 million to settle a long-running False Claims Act suit over allegedly faulty body armor sold to law enforcement, following a circuit court ruling that had significantly limited its potential liability, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The deal resolves allegations that between 2000 and 2005, Honeywell International Inc. had sold “Z Shield” Zylon fiber material to a…

The Federal Trade Commission and State of California are taking action against home improvement financing provider Ygrene Energy Fund Inc. for deceiving consumers about the potential financial impact of its financing, and for unfairly recording liens on consumers’ homes without their consent. The FTC and California allege that Ygrene and its contractors falsely told consumers that the financing wouldn’t interfere with the sale or refinancing of their homes, in many instances relying on high-pressure sales tactics or outright forgery to sign…

Haaretz Daily Newspaper reports: Documents reveal that a corporation implicated in corruption, served as a middleman between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit (publicly traded co), Israel Shipyards (publicly traded co) and Myanmar’s brutal junta, despite international sanctions over the Rohingya genocide. Company Company Relation Location Industry Description Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) Parent Israel Aircraft Engines Elta Systems Ltd Subsidiary of Parent Israel Electronic Navigation/Tracking Systems Iai Asia Pte. Ltd. Subsidiary of Parent Singapore Wholesalers Iai North America Inc. Principal…

Alexander Ozhelskiy, 22, son of Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, posted a video address in which he says that he does not support the war in Ukraine and thinks the sanctions against him are unfair. Alexander states that he has participated in “pro-Ukrainian protests”. Ozhelskiy is the co-founder and general director of Esef Direct Investments LLC, as well as a co-founder and director of Alliance Management Company LLC. He is also co-founder of Esef Development LLC and Esef Properties LLC. His…

Ukraine throws damns this treaty to hell [less dramatic translation: violates the treaty] a year later, and begins attacking the borders of the two republics…Desperate, the two republics send a delegation to Moscow and finally manage to talk to Putin.

Department of Justice  /  Southern District of Florida  /  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / Wednesday, October 19, 2022 MIAMI – A federal judge sentenced two Florida women to prison in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to falsify clinical trial data. Senior U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Analay Rico, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, to 40 months in prison and Daylen Diaz, 44, of Miami, to 24 months in prison. The court also ordered…