Corporate home buyouts: homelessness, mortgage & rent crisis rising
Firms now control a significant portion of the rental market in the United States and Canada, raising rents in the service of turning profits. They also continue to receive tax breaks and subsidies. When the US federal government forecloses on homes due to residents’ inability to pay their mortgage, for instance, the homes are then resold to investment firms at…
SEC Charges 8 in Cross-Border Penny Stock Fraud Scheme
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ronald Bauer et al. Case No. 1:22-cv-03089 (S.D.N.Y. filed April 14, 2022) SEC announced charges against eight individuals for participating in a long-running fraudulent scheme that generated over $145 million from unlawful sales of penny stocks and caused significant harm to retail investors in the United States and around the world. Defendants. UK-resident Ronald Bauer…
Congressman Mo Brooks casually explains political corruption on camera
“Elect me, I will charge you less.” “You have to do what the special interest groups require.” Lauren Windsor of The Undercurrent caught GOP Rep Mo Brooks on video saying that says prime committee chairmanships cost a minimum of $1 million and are paid by special interest groups as “a quid pro quo” for favored legislation. NEW: GOP Rep Mo…
Court Orders Five Defendants in International Ponzi Scheme to Pay Over $13.1 Million
Litigation Release No. 25369 / April 15, 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Damon Elliott, et al., Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-10860 (District of Massachusetts, Filed May 6, 2020) Final judgments against defendant Damon Elliott, United Kingdom citizen and French resident Civil action charged that Elliott engaged in a Ponzi scheme and misappropriated money from investors, as well as against multiple relief…
Pandemic Corruption: McSwane exposes government corruption involving AirBoss and other contractors
From Amy Goodman, Democracy Now – 12 Apr 2022 In Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick, ProPublica investigative reporter J. David McSwane tracks pandemic federal relief funds and finds many contracts to acquire critical supplies were wrapped up in unprecedented fraud schemes that left the U.S. government with subpar and unusable equipment. He…
Monero defies crypto market slump, steals show #XMR #newsSummary
Positive content published on the private Monero / XMR cryptocurrency was once hard to come by, what with all the focus on crime and money laundering. It’s worth noting that Monero is a private currency for regular people who value the fundamental right to privacy. We archived some of the positive sources, as such articles tend to disappear shortly after…
Former Goldman Banker Ng Found Guilty in 1MDB Fraud Scheme
Roger Ng convicted on all three counts: The jury convicted Ng of two counts of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) through bribery and circumvention of Goldman’s internal accounting controls, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
ExxonMobil suspends Russian Far East LNG project, Interfax reports
ExxonMobil (XOM.N) has suspended its liquefied natural gas project in Russia’s Far East, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian governor as saying on Monday, after the firm announced plans to quit the country following Western sanctions. ExxonMobil said last month it would exit its Russian oil and gas operations, which it had valued at more than $4 billion, and halt…
#S&P Global transacted with sanctioned #Rosneft, took 82k payment & settled for 78k with #OFAC
S&P Global Inc violated Russian sanctions (E.O. 13662) by receiving payment from sanctioned Russian Rosneft. S&P didn’t voluntarily disclose the violation and received $82,500. They settled with OFAC for $78,750. Here’s the press release.
Hydra market taken down by German police and sanctioned by U.S.
Germany shuts down servers for Russian darknet marketplace Hydra and seizes $25.2 million USD in Bitcoin. (WAPO) The illegal marketplace was a Russian-language Darknet platform that had been accessible via the Tor network since at least 2015. Their focus was on trading in illegal narcotics. In addition, data spied out worldwide, forged documents and digital services were offered profitably via…
Justice Department Files False Claims Act Complaint Against 2 Lab CEOs, Hospital CEO and Others
The Justice Department has filed a complaint against two laboratory CEOs, one hospital CEO and other individuals and entities, alleging False Claims Act violations based on patient referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, as well as claims otherwise improperly billed to federal healthcare programs for laboratory testing. According to the United States’ complaint, laboratory executives…
Australia applies Magnitsky sanctions for first time
On 29 March 2022, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs (the Minister) designated 39 individuals, including a number of Russian individuals engaged in serious corruption and human rights abuses, using the new powers set out in the Magnitsky sanctions amendments. Targeted financial sanctions and travel bans will apply to these persons from 30 March 2022. This is the first time…
U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
History Nuclear weapons owned by the United States have been deployed in Europe since the mid-1950s, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized their storage at allied North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bases on the continent for use against the Soviet Union. Though NATO officially declares itself a “nuclear alliance,” it does not own any nuclear weapons. Historically, the United States…
Is OKX/OKEX Exchange selling imaginary crypto?
OKX was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Seychelles (East Africa), per Investopedia and other sources. “The site claims over 20 million users in more than 100 countries.” An issue of concern for the company is “low liquidity for certain currencies.” Investopedia’s verdict is that “due to some inconsistencies, unclear information, and past customer experiences, it’s a good idea…
New Interpol boss Nasser Al-Raisi investigated in France for ‘torture’ and ‘barbarism’
The new president of Interpol has been placed under investigation in France over allegations of “torture” and “acts of barbarism”. Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi has been accused by an NGO of mistreating one of the main opponents of the Emirati regime. France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (Pnat) has opened a preliminary investigation, AFP sources reported on Friday. Al-Raisi was only appointed Interpol’s…