LEGAL NEWSLINE

The Hawaii County Bar Association (HCBA) convened in Hilo on June 7 to honor the recipient of its annual essay contest and scholarship program.

The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced today it will engage with the Uvalde Police Department (UPD) through the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative’s Critical Response program.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that his office will pilot a hate crimes hotline in Clark, King, and Spokane counties. The pilot program is set to launch by July 1, 2025, with plans for a statewide rollout by January 1, 2027.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers has announced the first two settlements in his statewide campaign to address the Delta 8 retail market. The settlements involve High Flow Cannabis, Stewart Scott Ritter, and Alejandro Castro, who were selling THC hemp products in Grand Island, Nebraska, and Ms. Vape Shop and Lisa Lomack, who were selling similar products in Crete, Nebraska.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco delivered remarks during the Regional Crime Gun Intelligence Center Annual Conference hosted by the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance. The event was held in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the National Policing Institute.

A Texas man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $529,551 in restitution to the United States for evading taxes on income earned from his business.

Sandra Bachman, 61, of Batavia, Ohio, was sentenced today before Judge Joyce Draganchuk in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County to a prison term ranging from 23 months to five years. The sentencing follows her guilty plea to charges related to leaving a racially and politically motivated death threat for former Michigan State Representative Cynthia A. Johnson in June 2021. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Bachman pled guilty in May to one count each of Threat of Terrorism – Attempt, Ethnic Intimidation, and Malicious Use of Telecommunication Services.

A Philadelphia man previously arrested and convicted in connection with the 2016 police action Operation Smackdown has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for dealing fentanyl-laced heroin (Tier 2) and possession of cocaine (Tier 1).

Attorney General Henry files lawsuit to stop King of Prussia-based company from scamming vehicle owners with after-market warranties

The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, 55, also known as JOH, was sentenced today to 540 months in prison and 60 months of supervised release for cocaine importation and related weapons offenses. The former two-term president was in office until weeks before his extradition to the United States in April 2022. Hernández was convicted on March 8 following a three-week jury trial.

On June 25, Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer and members of her team visited Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Coleman, the largest federal complex in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) located in Sumterville, Florida. The Pardon Attorney and her team provided a series of educational sessions about the federal clemency process and answered questions from FBOP staff and incarcerated individuals at the low-security, medium-security, and minimum-security camp. During their visit, the Pardon Attorney and her team met with approximately 1,200 incarcerated individuals and FBOP...

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel celebrated Pride Month at the White House this afternoon. The event coincided with the ninth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Obergefell decision.

Attorney General Miyares Supports Legislation to Protect Americans from Unlawful Prosecutions by the International Criminal Court

Attorney General William Tong issued a statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Murthy v. Missouri, which preserves the government's ability to collaborate with social media companies to address disinformation and dangerous content.

A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted Amin Timovich Stigal, a 22-year-old Russian citizen, on charges of conspiring to hack into and destroy computer systems and data. The indictment accuses Stigal of targeting Ukrainian government systems and data prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Subsequent targets included computer systems in countries supporting Ukraine, including the United States. Stigal remains at large.

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a suburban Cook County man on Tuesday, alleging he fraudulently received two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for over $46,000 while employed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced today that the United States Supreme Court has permitted his office to obtain additional discovery in his First Amendment case against the Biden administration. The case, Murthy v. Missouri, alleges that federal officials coerced social media companies into infringing on Americans' free speech rights.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost addressed the annual Elder Abuse Awareness Day Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, emphasizing the importance of protecting older residents from abuse and exploitation. The event, held at the Sharonville Convention Center, was attended by 160 advocates and professionals dedicated to elder protection.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with the Secretary of State, issued a warning to Tennesseans about scammers exploiting the name and likeness of celebrities to defraud consumers.

Attorney General Alan Wilson announced efforts his office is making to raise public awareness of crimes against vulnerable adults, including a name change of the unit that investigates and prosecutes the crimes.