According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia’s United States Senator, Saxby Chambliss, has sent a letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the United States Department of Justice investigate the phenomenon of “SWATing,” in which a caller contacts law enforcement to report alleged violent incidents and causes police or SWAT teams to be… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: States
The Trial of Lance Emanuel Brown for the Defenestration of the Columbus Federal Courthouse
Posted in MiscellaneousAs reported in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia convicted Lance Emanuel Brown yesterday of malice mischief, for throwing a brick through the glass door of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Columbus, Georgia. Brown’s act of vandalism resulted in $1,400 worth of damage. Brown… Continue Reading
Southern Union Co. v. United States — Must a Jury, and not the Judge, Find the Facts Necessary to Impose a Criminal Fine?
Posted in Corporate CrimesThe U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), held that the Fifth and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution require that any fact which increases punishment beyond the maximum prescribed by statute must be determined by a jury, rather than a judge. The Court’s holding in Apprendi led to its… Continue Reading
Alabama Pharmacy Owners Acquitted In $29 Million Scheme to Defraud Medicaid
Posted in AcquittalFrom al.com–the owners of a pharmacy in Loxley, Alabama, near Mobile, were found not guilty yesterday following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Tony Eric Mosley and James Goins, owners of Hemophilia Infusion Manager, were charged with other defendants for allegedly scheming to defraud Alabama Medicaid out… Continue Reading
Two Former Georgia Department of Family and Children Services Employees Sentenced for EBT Fraud
Posted in SentencingThe Atlanta Crime Examiner reports that Gene Tell and Kristy Nicole Williams were sentenced last Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Tell and Williams, employees of the DeKalb County office of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), were charged with defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture of nearly… Continue Reading
Georgia Resident and DOD Employee Charged with Bribery
Posted in MiscellaneousAs reported by Reuters, Desi Deandre Wade, of Climax, Georgia, was a chief of fire and emergency services for U.S. Department of Defense, based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Wade has been charged with allegedly accepting a $95,000 bribe from a contractor in exchange for providing the contractor with quotes from competing bidders. Wade was arrested last… Continue Reading
Marietta Executive Pleads Guilty in Rhode Island In Navy Kickback Scheme
Posted in FraudThe Washington Post reports today that Patrick Nagle, of Marietta, Georgia, pled guilty last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island to conspiracy to commit bribery. Nagle was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (AST), which was awarded contracts by the U.S. Navy. The prosecution alleged that… Continue Reading
Former CEO of Kansas Utility Westar Energy Receives $36 Million Settlement, Plus $3.1 Million in Legal Fees for Dismissed Criminal Prosecution
Posted in Fraud, MistrialWestar Energy, the largest electrical utility in the State of Kansas, announced last week that it will pay former Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board, David Wittig $36 million as an arbitration settlement relating to Wittig’s compensation contract, as well as $3.1 million in attorney’s fees and $2.7 million in stock compensation,… Continue Reading
Former PA Attorney Nicholas Panarella Has Honest Services Fraud Conviction Reversed After 10 Years
Posted in FraudIn 2001, Pennsylvania tax attorney Nicholas Panarella, Jr., pled guilty to charges of honest services fraud. Mr. Panarella was alleged to have paid former Pennsylvania State Senator F. Joseph Loeper more than $330,000 as "consulting fees" to take actions which benefitted Mr. Panarella’s tax-collection firm. However, as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision… Continue Reading
Harris County, Texas, Commissioner Faces Second Trial on Bribery and Other Charges Following Mistrial
Posted in Fraud, MistrialJerry Eversole, a Harris County (Houston), Texas, Commissioner, was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas with conspiracy, accepting bribes and filing false income tax returns in 2003 and 2004. Eversole was alleged to have accepted $100,000 in gifts from a developer, Michael Surface, in exchange for being awarded County… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Conrad Black’s Appeal of His Two Remaining Convictions
Posted in FraudThe U.S. Supreme Court yesterday denied the petition for certiorari by former international media mogul, Canadian citizen and British Lord, Conrad Moffat Black, as reported in the Washington Post. Mr. Black was the CEO of Hollinger International, Inc., which owned newspapers worldwide. He was indicted (in an indictment made available by FindLaw which may be viewed… Continue Reading
Kentucky v. King, or The Police Know Exigent Circumstances When They Hear Them
Posted in Searches & SeizuresPolice officers set up a controlled buy of crack cocaine at an apartment complex in Kentucky and observed the deal take place. The officers then moved to intercept the suspect before he re-entered his apartment. The officers heard a door shut and detected an alleged strong odor of marijuana outside of two apartment doors,… Continue Reading
Associate of Former Arizona Representative Rick Renzi Sentenced to 3 Years’ Probation for Conspiracy and Embezzlement; Follows Acquittal of Mr. Andrew Beardall on All Charges
Posted in Acquittal, Corporate Crimes, indictmentYesterday, Dwayne Lequire, a former accountant at an insurance firm run by former Republican U.S. Representative for Arizona Rick Renzi was sentenced to three years probation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, according to KTAR.com. Representative Renzi represented Arizona’s 1st Congressional District until declining to seek re-election in 2008. He is alleged… Continue Reading
Investigations and Numerous Potential Challenges Grow Out of Case Against Former Judge Jack Camp
Posted in Courts and JudiciaryMany are familiar with the case of former Senior United States District Judge Jack T. Camp, who entered a plea of guilty on November 19, 2010, to one count of aiding and abetting a felon’s possession of cocaine, a painkiller and marijuana, as noted in an article in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The charges arose from… Continue Reading
The Acquittal of Army Col. Robert Morris and the Debate Over the Hyde Amendment
Posted in Governmental MisconductIn 1999, United States Army Colonel Robert Morris, then a Lieutenant Colonel, was targeted by the State Department and the Department of Justice over his charitable non-profit organization, Partners International, as Tod Robberson of the Dallas Morning News informed readers in a Monday editorial. At the time, according to Robberson, Federal investigators were investigating whether… Continue Reading
Six Indicted for Alleged Medicare Fraud in South Georgia; Augusta Man Indicted for Alleged Fraud from Federally-Funded Meals for Children Program
Posted in Fraud, indictmentFederal criminal activity has been brisk in the Southern District of Georgia. First, six defendants were charged with conspiracy to defraud Medicare and money laundering, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges were the result of a nationwide investigation which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of… Continue Reading
Federal Prosecutors Observe “No Touch” Ruling on Possible Retrial of San Diego Councilman for Alleged Honest Services Fraud; Former Alaska Chief of Staff to Have Honest Services Conviction Dismissed
Posted in FraudLast week was a good one for public officials charged with Federal crimes. First, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California announced that it would not seek a second trial of former San Diego Councilman Michael Zucchet on alleged honest services fraud charges pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1346, relating to political contributions… Continue Reading
High Crimes, Shrimp and Vodka: The Senate Trial of Judge Thomas Porteous
Posted in Courts and JudiciaryVery balanced pre-trial coverage and background of the U.S. Senate trial of Federal Judge Thomas Porteous can be found on Newsy.com, courtesy of a reader. As reported at NOLA.com, during Judge Porteous’ trial last week, the 12 member Senate committee heard testimony regarding allegations that a bonding company, Bail Bonds Unlimited, provided free vehicle repairs,… Continue Reading
Rascos Give Up the Fight; U.S. Senate Assumes Role of a Court for Impeachment Trial of Louisiana District Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.
Posted in Fraud, Immunity, MiscellaneousWe have commented on the case of Alfredo and Niurka Rasco of South Georgia, who were charged in a $6.5 million Medicare fraud scheme. Well, despite a heated and well-founded defense against the charges based upon illegal use of immunized evidence by the government, Mr. Rasco and his wife pled guilty to the charges against them… Continue Reading
The Government Goes After Wall Street Over the Financial Crisis, Morgan Stanley Now Under Investigation for “Dead President” Deals
Posted in Securities FraudAs reported in the Wall Street Journal and virtually everywhere else, Morgan Stanley has joined Goldman Sachs as the latest target of the federal government’s criminal investigation of financial firms relating to the financial crisis which began in 2007, under the government’s theory of criminality of failing to disclose to investors that the firms were "betting" on… Continue Reading
Justice John Paul Stevens on Criminal Law
Posted in Courts and Judiciary, SentencingSupreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who notified President Barack Obama last week that he will be stepping down from the Court when its current term is over in June or July, has written nearly 400 opinions over his nearly 35 year tenure on the Court. Justice Stevens has weighed in on many occasions on… Continue Reading
DOJ Issues New Discovery Guidelines for Prosecutors
Posted in Governmental MisconductAs set forth in the official DOJ Blog yesterday, Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden issued three Memorandum to DOJ prosecutors no doubt intended to remedy some of the setbacks the Department suffered last year as a result of discovery violations. The subject of one of the Memos is “Guidance for Prosecutors Regarding… Continue Reading
Assistant United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates Nominated by President Obama to Be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia
Posted in Fraud, MiscellaneousLeading the Georgia news today is the nomination of Assistant United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates by President Barack Obama to be the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. The President announced Mrs. Yates’ nomination in a Christmas Eve press release. Mrs. Yates has served as the interim head of the U.S. Attorney’s… Continue Reading