Tag: Region US

Airbus to pay $16 million fine to end French corruption probe (bribery involving Libya and Kazakhstan sales)

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…

FTC shuts down companies that falsely promised to eliminate credit card debt. List of defendants and allegations.

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…

Leader of Oath Keepers and Oath Keepers Member Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy and Other Charges Related to U.S. Capitol Breach

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….

U.S. Complaint Agreement on Jackson, Mississippi Interim Solution to Water Crisis

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…

Students Misled by Saint James Medical School’s Deceptive Marketing Claims

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…

California Acts to Stop Ygrene Energy Fund from Deceiving Consumers About PACE Financing, Placing Liens on Homes Without Consumer Consent

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…

“Cash is King” to Avoiding US Sanctions

Miami – It was a deal that brought together oligarchs from some of America’s top adversaries. ‘The key is the cash,’ the oil broker wrote in a text message, offering a deep discount on Venezuelan crude shipments to an associate who claimed to be fronting for the owner of Russia’s biggest aluminum company. ‘As soon as you are ready with…

Illicit Financing Risks in the Digital Assets Space: Department of the Treasury Releases Three Reports on Digital Assets and Invites Comment

On September 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) published three reports in response to a March 2022 Executive Order concerning the development of digital assets.  The reports address the future of money and payments; implications for consumers, investors, and businesses; and the illicit financing risks of digital assets.  Secretary Yellen described the reports as identifying the challenges…

OFAC Sanctions Virtual Currency Mixer “Tornado Cash”

On August 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctioned virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash for having laundered more than USD 7 billion worth of virtual currency since its founding in 2019.  This includes over USD 455 million worth of stolen virtual currency associated with the Lazarus Group, a “Democratic People’s Republic of…

DOJ Announces New Corporate Enforcement Strategy

On September 15, 2022, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced updated guidelines for the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) corporate criminal enforcement in a speech at New York University Law School. Monaco previously announced in October 2021 that DOJ would take a tougher stance on white collar crime. Shortly thereafter, Monaco formed an advisory group to evaluate potential changes to…

Not being covered in media: Official UK data on adverse reactions to vaccination and “excess deaths”

UK week ending 5 August 2022 Video and notes by Dr. John Campbell 799 deaths involving COVID-19 registered (6.5%) – Down from 923 in the previous week (7.3%) – (First decrease following six weeks of increases) – Lag of three weeks between infection and dying as a result of infection – Total number of deaths registered in the UK, W/E…

Only half of G20 support US-led drive to isolate Russia and China -Bloomberg

Aug 5, 2022. The US-Led Drive to Isolate Russia and China Is Falling Short While the US and its allies have sanctioned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, half of the countries in the Group of Twenty have not signed up. When Group of Seven leaders gathered in the Bavarian Alps in June, they pledged to stand with Ukraine for…

Watch: Warnings Grow over Nuclear Annihilation as Tensions Escalate Between U.S., Russia & China

Democracy Now Video

Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan, China says she is “playing with fire”

Why do we care? China considers Taiwan to be part of China and doesn’t appreciate the political U.S. visit, which China sees as showing support for Taiwan’s democracy. This is exactly what Pelosi just tweeted: Our visit reiterates that America stands with Taiwan: a robust, vibrant democracy and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific. See Tweet by @SpeakerPelosi China, a…

DOJ Opens Probe Into Falsified Data Allegations Against Cassava

Jul 27, 2022. The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the Austin, Texas-based Cassava Sciences regarding allegations that the company falsified data to support Simufilam, its drug candidate for Alzheimer’s disease. The probe could swing both ways, leading to criminal charges or end with no resulting lawsuit. The probe, revealed in an exclusive report by Reuters,…

Billions Keep Flowing to Afghanistan, State Dept. Blocks Audit to Disclose Where Money is Going

Jun 24, 2022.The U.S. has dropped a ghastly $146 billion on Afghanistan reconstruction in the last two decades and billions more continue to be spent, but the Biden administration is blocking federal auditors from conducting their congressionally mandated job of investigating where the money is going. For months the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has been trying to…