LEGAL NEWSLINE

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that in fiscal year 2023, Massachusetts hospitals and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) contributed $1.2 billion in total Community Benefits expenditures, according to reports submitted by the hospitals and HMOs and published by the AGO.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the indictments of Erica Danielle Watson, 29, of Brooklyn, Maryland; Larry Antonio Marshall, 54, and Shanice Tiera Smith, 34, both of Baltimore, for their alleged involvement in an identity fraud scheme at a Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) branch in Baltimore City.

Andrew Takhistov, 18, of East Brunswick, New Jersey, was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance in court today for allegedly soliciting another individual to destroy energy facilities.

Due to delays in the United States Postal Service, pro se filers are encouraged to utilize the Court’s electronic filing (SCED) system to ensure timely filings. Alternatively, pro se filers who choose to file by conventional paper filing should consider using a third-party commercial carrier for delivery. See Supreme Court Rule 13 (1) (a) and (2) (b). Pro se filers can register to e-file at https://www.gasupreme.us/non-attorney-request-form/.

Attorney General Raoul leads coalition to combat housing discrimination by supporting HUD’s discriminatory effects rule

The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota has announced a naturalization ceremony scheduled to take place in Fargo on Thursday, August 1, 2024. The event will be held at Newman Outdoor Field, located at 1515 15th Avenue North.

An Indiana CPA pleaded guilty yesterday to assisting in the preparation of false tax returns on behalf of clients who participated in an illegal tax shelter.

Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging a federal court to reject a challenge to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Discriminatory Effects Rule. The homeowners insurance industry is challenging the rule, which under the Fair Housing Act, holds insurers and other parties liable for housing practices that may appear neutral but are discriminatory and have a “disparate impact” on certain populations.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced that the Department will host an expungement fair in Marquette on July 12th and 13th. The two-day event will be held at the Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! at 1498 Odovero Drive in Marquette from 11 am to 4 pm.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following its victory in disbanding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group,” America First Legal (AFL) has released documents obtained through litigation that form the basis for its #DeepStateDiaries series, exposing the Brennan-Clapper Intel Group.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Amy Trela, 48, of Winooski, Vermont, and Alicia Russell, 29, of Essex, Vermont, were arraigned today as co-defendants on one count each of felony Medicaid fraud. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), which found that the defendants falsely certified Medicaid timesheets, defrauding Vermont Medicaid of over $62,000 in public healthcare funds since 2019.

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging residents to be vigilant against scammers targeting those affected by the heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. The storm flooded communities, damaged homes, and left thousands without power.

Ten men from three states who attempted to buy sex were arrested this week during an undercover human trafficking operation in Steubenville, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Steubenville Police Chief Ken Anderson announced today.

Idaho has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Hecox v. Little following a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit against Idaho’s 2020 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. Lindsay Hecox, a biological male, sued the State of Idaho after being prohibited from competing in women’s track and field events at Boise State University. With differing Circuit opinions on similar cases across the country, Idaho's filing urges the Supreme Court to grant certiorari to resolve these issues.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 18 attorneys general, has filed an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Discriminatory Effects Rule. This rule was adopted by HUD to enforce the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), which seeks to eliminate racial and other forms of prohibited discrimination in housing and related services. The insurance industry is currently challenging the Discriminatory Effects Rule, which holds insurers and other parties accountable for housing practices that may seem neutral but...

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer delivered remarks at the United Nations' 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on July 11, 2024.

A Maryland man has been sentenced to more than three decades in prison for the fatal shooting of Charles “Jaimie” Kupidlowski in 2023. On June 17, Steven M. Smith of Centreville, MD, pleaded guilty in Kent County Superior Court to Murder 2nd Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Smith, 37, was immediately sentenced to 35 years in prison followed by descending levels of probation. The sentence follows an investigation into the 2023 murder of Charles Kupidlowski in Felton.

The Windham Superior Court in Brattleboro will commence renovations between August 5-12. These renovations are anticipated to last up to one year. The court will remain operational during this period, though there may be instances where hearings will need to either go fully remote or be relocated to a different courtroom.

The Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil Company for Clean Air Act violations at the company's oil and gas production operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The settlement mandates that Marathon pay a civil penalty of $64.5 million, the largest ever for such violations at stationary sources like oil and gas tank systems. Marathon is also required to implement extensive compliance measures aimed at significantly reducing harmful emissions from over 200 facilities across...

Attorney General Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Secures Half a Million Dollars for Florida Medicaid Program