LEGAL NEWSLINE

Attorney General Ashley Moody has taken legal action against the Atlantic Coast Conference for withholding public records related to ESPN-related agreements. The ACC has allegedly made claims that could potentially cost Florida State University over half a billion dollars. Attorney General Moody initially requested the ACC to produce the contracts in January, but the ACC refused to comply, leading to the lawsuit filed today.In a statement, Attorney General Ashley Moody expressed her concerns, saying, “The ACC is asking a state entity—Florida State University—to...

Director Kristina Rose delivered remarks at the 2024 National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony held on the National Mall. She expressed gratitude to the National Park Service for their partnership in ensuring care for crime victims across national parks. Rose welcomed distinguished guests, including Assistant Attorney General Amy Solomon, recognizing her leadership and support for victims of crime. She also acknowledged the U.S. Postal Inspection Services for their role in raising awareness about victims' rights.Rose referenced Justice Thurgood Marshall's 1978...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, America First Legal’s (AFL) Center for Legal Equality filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Shake Shack, Inc. for alleged race and sex discrimination conducted under the guise of so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI).AFL also sent a cease and desist letter to the CEO and Board of Directors of Shake Shack, demanding the company end its discriminatory employment practices in violation of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.Shake Shack appears to be discriminating...

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has announced the grant of clemency to 16 individuals, including 11 pardons and five commutations. Among those receiving pardons are individuals like Jason Hernandez from McKinney, Texas, Beverly Denise Holcy from Palatka, Florida, and Jeffrey Alan Lewis from Douglasville, Georgia.Hernandez, who was serving a 240-month sentence, had his sentence commuted on December 19, 2013. Holcy, convicted of distributing crack cocaine, was sentenced to 60 months in prison back in June 1994. Lewis, charged with using a communication facility to facilitate...

OVW conducted a live web-based pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2024 Demonstration Program and Trauma-Informed, Victim Centered Training for Law Enforcement on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (Abby Honold) Program solicitation. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed this program’s requirements, discussed the solicitation, and allowed for a brief question-and-answer period.

Attorney General Ashley Moody stressed the importance of participating in the upcoming Drug Take Back Day, urging Floridians to safely dispose of expired or unwanted medications. She emphasized, "Florida is losing thousands of people to drug overdose deaths every year." The event is a way for individuals to help prevent misuse of prescription medications, which can often lead to fatal addictions.During the previous National Drug Take Back Day, law enforcement officers collected nearly 600,000 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs across the country, with over 22,000...

A federal jury in Camden, New Jersey, has convicted Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, both of Burlington County, New Jersey, of forced labor and other crimes related to their coercive scheme. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated, “The defendants confiscated the victims’ passports, threatened them, degraded them, physically abused them and kept them under constant surveillance, all to coerce the victims’ labor and ruthlessly exploit them for the defendants’ own profit.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger added, “Forced labor and human trafficking are...

Former Massachusetts golf course manager, Kevin Kennedy, has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for tax conspiracy and filing false tax returns. As reported by court documents, Kennedy conspired with a luxury home builder in western Massachusetts to evade taxes owed on money received from managing two municipal golf courses owned by the City of Springfield. The scheme involved the construction of custom homes for Kennedy, with payments made in cash from the golf course proceeds.Kennedy's fraudulent activities extended to filing false individual income tax returns for...

A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted a Washington man for tax evasion and filing false tax returns in connection with his commercial property business. The man in question, Steven Loo, is alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to conceal income earned from his real estate ventures.According to the indictment, Loo controlled and operated several companies that owned commercial real estate properties. The indictment states that Loo diverted income by directing property management companies to issue checks to entities under his control, ultimately totaling over $4.8...

America First Legal’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has brought to light documents revealing a radical plan to transform healthcare based on the principle that gender is "multidimensional," not biological. The plan, led by Assistant Secretary of Health "Rachel" Levine, aims to change governmental data and statistics on sex in the name of "gender identity."In an email dated April 27, 2022, Assistant Secretary Levine expressed full support for recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on...

Director Rosie Hidalgo recently delivered remarks at the 24th Annual International Family Justice Center Conference, where she expressed gratitude to The Alliance for HOPE International for hosting the event. Hidalgo, serving as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, highlighted the importance of collective action in shaping policies to combat gender-based violence.Hidalgo acknowledged the progress made in changing societal perceptions of gender-based violence but emphasized the ongoing challenges faced by survivors in accessing necessary resources and...

On April 24, 2024, Attorney General Josh Kaul, alongside a coalition of 21 attorneys general, called on Congress to pass the Access to Family Building Act to protect the right to access assisted reproductive technology (ART) nationwide. The move comes in the wake of a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that placed essential reproductive health services at risk by classifying frozen embryos used during IVF as people.Attorney General Kaul expressed concern over the necessity of such legislation, stating, "It’s stunning that legislation like this has become necessary." He...

A federal jury in Miami has convicted the former Comptroller General of Ecuador, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, for his involvement in a $10 million international bribery and money laundering scheme. According to court documents, Polit solicited and received bribes from Odebrecht S.A. and an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for various favors.Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, stated, “As Comptroller General of Ecuador, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni was entrusted to protect the people of...

Attorney General Jason Miyares hosted the 7th annual Unsung Heroes Award Ceremony, recognizing Virginians who provide exemplary service and support to victims of crime in Virginia. The Office of the Attorney General established these awards to acknowledge Virginians who dedicate their work to support crime victims with trauma-informed responses in their recovery and healing journey."Unsung Heroes wake up each morning, not knowing what horrors or pain the work day could bring, but recognizing that there are crime victims in need of their support, advocacy, and care. The...

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida charging three men for their alleged roles in an approximately $36 million health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme that involved submitting false and fraudulent claims for COVID-19 testing to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program.Enrique Perez-Paris, 47, of Aventura, Florida, and Diego Sanudo Sanchez Chocron, 47, of Venice, California, made their initial appearances today in the U.S....

BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - The family of a woman sent into Boston Harbor in early morning hours when a speedboat crashed is suing the boat's pilot and another one who allegedly struck her while she swam to be rescued has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers are citing a recent Consumer Reports study that found heavy metals in Lunchables in a new lawsuit.

An Illinois woman, Vervia Watts, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for her involvement in preparing and filing false income tax returns for clients. Watts, operating a tax preparation business, filed over 900 fraudulent income tax returns for clients between January 2017 and June 2023. These returns included false education expenses and business income to inflate IRS refunds, totaling approximately $1.3 million.In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins for the Northern District of Illinois has ordered Watts to serve one...

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach dedicated the new “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit during ATF’s Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit. Garland expressed, “As we remember those we have lost to gun violence, the Justice Department promises that we will strive every single day to honor their lives in our work,” emphasizing the commitment to ensuring safety from gun violence for all. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco commended the survivors of gun violence for sharing their stories and engaging in discussions to prevent further...

Two bankruptcy petition preparers have been prohibited from providing bankruptcy-related services after being found guilty of targeting vulnerable consumers facing foreclosure, thanks to the enforcement efforts of the Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program (USTP).In one case, Kafil Hamim Quaiyum Tunsill was permanently barred from acting as a bankruptcy petition preparer in the Middle District of Florida. Tunsill was also fined $12,500 and instructed to refund $1,900 to a debtor. Director Tara Twomey of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees emphasized, "Unscrupulous...