LEGAL NEWSLINE

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is currently investigating an incident that occurred in the Village of Mount Horeb, Wis. on the morning of Monday, May 1, 2024.According to the DCI, the Mount Horeb School District was placed on lockdown due to a safety threat. The Mount Horeb Police Department responded to a report of an individual with a weapon outside the middle school and subsequently used deadly force to address the threat. The subject involved, who was a student from the Mount Horeb School...

Insight Global LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to implement adequate cybersecurity measures to protect health information obtained during COVID-19 contact tracing.According to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, "The resolution announced today reflects our continuing commitment to ensure that government contractors fulfill their cybersecurity obligations. Failure to do so can compromise sensitive...

"A Pennsylvania man was sentenced yesterday to 14 years and seven months in prison for possessing deepfake child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting numerous child celebrities. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on two separate occasions, James Smelko, 57, of Pittsburgh, possessed and accessed pictures that digitally superimposed the faces of child actors onto nude bodies and bodies engaged in sex acts. Smelko possessed the pictures at his home in Pittsburgh. After law enforcement discovered the pictures during a search of Smelko’s computer, he...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning the concealment of federal records related to Dr. David Morens, former Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). Dr. Morens used a personal email address for official government business, prompting AFL to take legal action.The lawsuit is based on allegations that Dr. Morens intentionally subverted federal custody by using his personal email for official purposes, as...

A California man, Michael Deon Fulcher, 54, of Gardena, has been sentenced to life in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution. Fulcher was found guilty by a jury in January.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the severity of Fulcher's actions, stating, “This significant sentence imposed by the court reflects the severity of the defendant’s abuse and exploitation of the victim.”U.S....

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Health and Human Services have announced an extension of the comment period for the Request for Information on Consolidation in Health Care Markets (RFI) by 30 days. The new deadline for submitting comments is now June 5.According to the announcement, the extension aims to gather more insights into how health care mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions could potentially impact competition in the industry. The agencies are particularly interested in understanding how such...

Attorney General Ashley Moody has taken legal action against the National Collegiate Athletic Association for violating antitrust laws in the midst of actions against Florida universities over alleged NIL violations. Moody's lawsuit was prompted by the NCAA's sudden pursuit of both UF and FSU for purported NIL violations, following the publication of updated NIL guidance on X.Moody emphasized the urgency of the lawsuit, stating, "It appears no one could ever comply with these ever-changing and unfair regulations that limit the ability of student athletes to negotiate in...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Attorney General Ashley Moody is pushing back against the Biden administration's recent firearm regulation aimed at law-abiding citizens in Florida. The new rule, introduced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, requires individuals to register as dealers to engage in private sales of firearms, leading to increased bureaucracy and costs for citizens.In response to this, Attorney General Moody stated, “This is Biden’s latest step in trying to take guns away from law-abiding Americans. We are fighting back against this federal...

A Hopewell man, Azontay Malik Perry, 27, has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The incident took place on Nov. 19, 2022, when Perry was found passed out in the driver's seat of a BMW with the engine running in Hopewell, Virginia.According to court documents, Hopewell Police officers discovered Perry in the intersection of Ashland Street and Oaklawn Boulevard. Perry ignored commands, drove into a parked police vehicle, attempted to flee at high speed, and eventually crashed into a dumpster at...

A former Oregon Department of Human Services caregiver, Zakary Glover, 30, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release for sexually assaulting a woman with developmental disabilities who was under his care.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division condemned Glover's actions, stating, “This defendant engaged in deplorable acts of sexual misconduct and targeted a victim with severe developmental disabilities who was entrusted to his care and could not defend herself."U.S. Attorney Natalie...

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is currently looking into an officer-involved shooting that took place in the Town of Grand Chute, Wis. on the evening of Friday, April 12, 2024.According to the report, Outagamie County Sheriff’s Sergeant Ellis Brooks discharged his firearm, striking William Jae Kil Nelson, 22, who was observed with a knife at the scene. The incident unfolded after deputies responded to a vehicle crash on W. Prospect Avenue in the Town of Grand Chute. Outagamie County Sheriff’s Deputy Noah Yeck attempted...

The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement with Sunrise Senior Living Management Inc., the operator of Sunrise at Fox Hill in Bethesda, Maryland, to address allegations of employment discrimination. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the department's commitment to upholding the law regarding discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, stating, "The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable for unlawfully discriminating against workers because of citizenship, immigration status or national...

A California businessman from Beverly Hills, Haim Jerry Kohen, has pleaded guilty to evading over $1 million in federal and state taxes. Kohen, who owned a business dealing in used clothing, admitted to underreporting or not reporting income on his tax returns for more than a decade. His evasion tactics included diverting cash payments from customers and not reporting rental income from properties he owned.According to court documents, Kohen diverted cash payments received from a significant customer, keeping the money for himself instead of depositing it into his...

An indictment was unsealed yesterday charging Roger Ver, an early investor in bitcoins, with mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns. Ver, formerly of Santa Clara, California, owned MemoryDealers.com Inc. and Agilestar.com Inc., two companies that sold computer and networking equipment. He also avidly promoted bitcoins, earning him the moniker "Bitcoin Jesus."Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California announced the charges. The...

Attorney General Ashley Moody has taken action to address the rising issue of jury duty scams in Florida. In response to reports of scams targeting Floridians, Moody has released a new resource called Scams at a Glance: Sham or Summons. The resource aims to educate individuals on how to recognize and avoid falling victim to these fraudulent schemes.In a statement, Attorney General Ashley Moody expressed concern over the increase in jury duty scams, stating, “There has been a recent uptick in reports of jury duty scams, and I have heard personally from many Floridians who...

Attorney General Jason Miyares has taken a firm stance against the recent actions of the Department of Education, joining a six-state coalition to challenge the overhaul of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act. Miyares expressed his concerns stating, “The Biden Administration's unlawful rule would jeopardize half a century of landmark protections for women, forcing the Administration’s social agenda onto the states by holding federal funding hostage."Miyares emphasized, "We cannot roll back Title IX in the name of false equity." Title IX has been instrumental in...

Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) attorney Mark Black, 50, of Arlington, Virginia, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in sexually exploiting numerous children. According to court documents, Black was part of online groups dedicated to persuading prepubescent girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Black and his co-conspirators recorded these acts and shared the videos among themselves. In one instance, Black induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct on a live-streaming application while another minor was...

Three members of the Hoover Criminal Gang have been convicted for their roles in the murder of a suspected rival gang member, announced federal authorities. Markell Young, Octavius Ferguson, and Jordan Powell, all from Gibson County, Tennessee, were found guilty by a federal jury in connection to the violent crime.The murder took place on Jan. 31, 2017, in Humboldt, Tennessee, when the defendants targeted a suspected member of the rival Gangster Disciples gang. Young ordered Ferguson, Powell, and two other co-defendants to carry out the murder by indiscriminately shooting...

Former defense contractor John Murray Rowe Jr. has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted espionage, admitting to attempting to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. According to court documents, Rowe, who held various national security clearances and worked on sensitive defense projects, disclosed classified information to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian government agent.During a meeting with the undercover agent, Rowe revealed specific operating details of electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets. In...

A California man, Shane Brightpath Mike, has pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employment taxes withheld from the wages of his company’s employees. Mike, who owned and was the president and chief operating officer of Excel Behavioral Services Inc., a business in Campbell, California, provided home care to persons with disabilities.According to court documents and statements made in court, Mike failed to pay over $1 million in withheld taxes to the IRS for the fourth quarter of 2014 through the third quarter of 2015. It was revealed that Mike also used Excel’s funds to...