Attorney General Charity Clark has initiated legal proceedings against Long Falls Paperboard, citing multiple breaches of Vermont's environmental regulations at their Brattleboro facility. The action, taken on behalf of the Agency of Natural Resources, seeks civil penalties and a mandate for the company to implement corrective measures approved by the agency to ensure compliance with state laws.
Amazon has reached a settlement with the state of Vermont over allegations of violating the state's Delivery Sales Ban, which prohibits shipping tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping items, directly to consumers in Vermont. The settlement was announced by Attorney General Charity Clark.
Katrina LaFoe, a 44-year-old resident of Barton, Vermont, has been arraigned in Orleans County on three counts of felony Medicaid fraud. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The investigation revealed that LaFoe allegedly billed Medicaid for services not provided by her, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $18,000.
Attorney General Charity Clark announced a settlement with Marriott International, Inc. regarding a data breach involving the Starwood guest reservation database. The settlement, part of a larger $52 million agreement reached by 50 attorneys general, includes provisions for enhanced data security measures and consumer protections. Vermont will receive $590,292.25 from this settlement.
Attorney General Charity Clark has filed a lawsuit against TikTok Inc., accusing the company of violating Vermont's Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit, coordinated with 14 other attorneys general across the United States, claims that TikTok uses manipulative design features to engage young users excessively. This legal action follows a similar complaint against Meta Platforms, Inc.
The Attorney General’s Office has announced the arraignment of Joseph Weintraub, a 69-year-old resident of Enosburgh, Vermont. Weintraub faces 10 felony counts for possession of child sexual abuse materials. These charges stem from an investigation by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included contributions from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Vermont State Police.
Following the close of a two-week collective effort, Attorney General Charity Clark, the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO), and the Vermont Foodbank announced the positive impact of the Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive. For the past eight years, legal professionals across the state have come together to run the food drive during 'Hunger Action Month' in September. With economic hardships such as inflation and high housing costs, as well as multiple flooding events, it has been difficult for many households to keep food...
Corey Martin, a 26-year-old resident of Pownal, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Bennington Criminal Division. Martin pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Judge Kerry Ann McDonald-Cady presided over the case and sentenced Martin to 10 years of probation. The conditions include restricted internet access, limited contact with minors, and completion of sex offender programming.
Attorney General Charity Clark, along with Lamoille County State’s Attorney Aliena Gerhard, will host a free expungement clinic on Thursday, October 3, 2024, with appointments available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Expungements remove specific convictions and dismissed charges from an individual's record after a certain period of time has passed. Under Vermont law, many misdemeanors, 14 different felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be expunged or sealed.
Our choice for President of the United States this November will have far-reaching impacts on the U.S. Supreme Court and our entire judicial system. Voters should be asking themselves: what kind of country do you want to live in? What kind of future do you want to leave for the next generation? Because the judicial choices made by President Trump during his first term present a clear – and concerning – picture of what another four years would mean for the bench and for our country.
The Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive will commence its eighth annual event on Friday, September 6th, and run until Friday, September 20th. This year, the drive will again include a collection of diapers to support families experiencing diaper need. The initiative is spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and involves the Vermont Foodbank, the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), and various law offices across the state.
The Attorney General’s Office announced that Andrew Moffitt, 21, of Hartland, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of luring a child. The charge against Mr. Moffitt results from a criminal investigation initially conducted by the Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland and later referred to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, Vermont State Police, and Hartford Police Department. Mr. Moffitt is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a minor on the...
The Attorney General’s Office announced that licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Johan Green, 53, of Williamstown, Vermont, was arraigned on 11 counts of felony Medicaid fraud. The charges against Mr. Green stem from an investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found that Mr. Green had falsely billed Medicaid for services not provided, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $70,000 in public health care funds.
Attorney General Charity Clark announced today that Vermont has joined an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The lawsuit, originally filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and state partners, accuses Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, of forming an illegal monopoly and engaging in anti-competitive practices to maintain that monopoly. Attorney General Clark’s office has been investigating Live Nation-Ticketmaster since May.
The Attorney General’s Office announced that licensed psychotherapist Robert Martin DuWors, Ph.D., 71, of Cotuit, Massachusetts, was arraigned today on three felony counts of Medicaid fraud. The charges against Dr. DuWors result from an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU). The investigation revealed that Dr. DuWors allowed an unlicensed associate to practice psychotherapy on his patients while billing Vermont Medicaid for that time at a licensed clinical full rate. Additionally, Dr. DuWors routinely billed...
The Attorney General’s Office announced that Jason Benn, 35, of Derby, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of luring a child and one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Mr. Benn is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a 13-year-old child. That child disclosed the conversations to a third party, who then made a report to law enforcement. VT-ICAC also received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children relating to a suspect uploading a file of child sexual abuse material to...
The Attorney General’s Office announced that Veronica Lewis, 40, was arraigned today on one felony count of attempted murder in the second degree and two felony counts of aggravated assault. The charges against Ms. Lewis stem from an investigation conducted by the Vermont State Police and the Department of Corrections into an incident that occurred on May 29, 2024, at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
James Beam, 29, of Springfield, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of Attempted Luring of a Child. The charge stems from an undercover investigation by the Hartford Police Department and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC). Beam allegedly initiated contact online via the Grindr application with a Hartford investigator posing as a 14-year-old minor. He engaged in sexual conversations and arranged a meeting to engage in sexual acts.
The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Lavallee, 31, of Bristol, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of luring a child. The charge brought against the defendant is the result of an undercover criminal investigation initially conducted by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois and later referred to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Lavallee communicated online via Facebook with a Henderson County Sheriff’s officer posing as a 13-year-old minor. The...
Jeffrey Newbegin, 67, of Derby, Vermont, was sentenced today in Vermont Superior Court, Orleans Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The Attorney General’s Office announced the sentencing.
