federal prosecutors

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Jack Smith's Team Makes New Request in Mar-a-Lago Case

Prosecutors want Trump barred from making remarks that could endanger law enforcement

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors on Friday asked the judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump to bar the former president from public statements that "pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents" participating in the prosecution. The request to US District Judge Aileen Cannon follows a...

Threats to Federal Judges, Prosecutors by the Numbers

Data from US Marshals Service shows threats more than doubled from 2021 to 2023

(Newser) - Serious threats to US federal judges and prosecutors have more than doubled in recent years, due to what officials say is a growing wave of violence tied to political polarization. Data from the US Marshals Service, responsible for protecting court personnel, shows serious threats against federal judges climbed to 457...

18 Ex-Players Charged in NBA Fraud Scheme

2008 champions Anthony Allen, Ronald Glen Davis are among them

(Newser) - Eighteen former NBA players have been charged with defrauding the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an indictment Thursday in New York. Federal prosecutors planned a news conference to describe the case that was brought in Manhattan federal court, per the AP...

Judge Argues Claim That Rioters Are Treated Unfairly

Seeking racial justice and trying to overthrow the government aren't equivalent, judge tells court

(Newser) - A Texas man who joined the mob that stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6 was sentenced Monday to 45 days behind bars even though prosecutors weren't seeking jail time, after the judge blasted comparisons between the riot that day and the Black Lives Matter protests over racial injustice....

DOJ: Russians Hacked Dozens of Federal Prosecutors

More than 2 dozen US attorney offices had emails breached, per Justice Department

(Newser) - The Russian hackers behind the massive SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign broke into the email accounts some of the most prominent federal prosecutors' offices around the country last year, the Justice Department said. The department noted that 80% of Microsoft email accounts used by employees in the four US attorney offices in...

Barr Slams His Own Prosecutors as 'Headhunters'

He says they need to be reined in

(Newser) - Attorney General William Barr took aim at his own Justice Department on Wednesday night, criticizing prosecutors for behaving as “headhunters" in their pursuit of prominent targets and for using the weight of the criminal justice system to launch what he said were “ill-conceived” political probes. The comments at...

Barr: Trump Has Ousted Top Federal Prosecutor

But Geoffrey S. Berman showed up for work Saturday

(Newser) - Attorney General William Barr on Saturday told the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan that President Trump has removed him from the high-profile job, the AP reports. US Attorney Geoffrey Berman—who has been overseeing investigations of Trump's allies—intends to continue to fight his removal and even showed up...

Report: Pulling of Nomination Linked to Stone, Flynn Cases

Jessie Liu was in line for senior Treasury role

(Newser) - Jessie Liu, the former US attorney for the District of Columbia, had her nomination for a senior Treasury Department role abruptly withdrawn amid controversy over cases linked to Robert Mueller's investigation, insiders say. Liu, who was nominated by President Trump in December for a position overseeing economic sanctions, was...

Opioid Distributor Hit With Federal Charges

Former Miami-Luken execs could get 20 years

(Newser) - Opioid distributors are up on charges—again. Prosecutors indicted an Ohio-based drug distributor and two former executives Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to shovel millions of painkillers into Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio, the Washington Post reports. The distributor, Miami-Luken, allegedly brushed aside "obvious signs" of drugs entering the black...

Cohen Reveals More About Trump's Family Business

Former Trump lawyer and fixer sits down with federal prosecutors

(Newser) - Michael Cohen's recent meetings with federal prosecutors suggest they're expanding an investigation into the Trump Organization, the New York Times reports. Insiders say that in meetings last month, Cohen talked about the company's insurance claims and was asked about Imaad Zuberi, a political fundraiser and venture capitalist...

JPMorgan Execs Unscathed in $1.7B Madoff Settlement

Fines will go to pay off victims

(Newser) - JPMorgan has officially signed off on a $1.7 billion settlement laying to rest complaints about its dealings with infamous Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff. Prosecutors accuse the bank of turning a blind eye to Madoff's frauds—the bank filed a Suspicious Activity Report on Madoff with UK regulators in...

Va.'s McDonnell to Feds: Can You Indict Me Next Month?

US Attorney was ready to charge sitting governor

(Newser) - This was almost the week that, for the first time in state history, a sitting Virginia governor was indicted. US Attorney Dana Boente told Bob McDonnell last week that they were about to file charges against him and his wife related to the ongoing gifts scandal surrounding them, but McDonnell'...

25 Years for a Minor Hack of a Website?
25 Years for a Minor Hack
of a Website?
OPINION
Mar 15, 2013 9:52 AM CDT

25 Years for a Minor Hack of a Website?

Feds overreach in Reuters case, as they did with Aaron Swartz

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors threatening Matthew Keys with 25 years in prison for helping hackers write some goofy vandalism on one LA Times story is so over the top that it's clear feds are just using "garbage charges" as a "bludgeon" to get a plea bargain, writes Justin Peters...

Feds: 'Psychic' Family Scammed $40M

Claimed they spoke to God, made a fortune

(Newser) - If only they were real psychics, maybe they would have seen this coming. A Florida family has been indicted for running a psychic advice business that scammed clients out of $40 million over two decades, reports the Miami Herald . In "Operation Crystal Ball," federal prosecutors charged 10 people...

Johnson & Johnson Charged Over Drug Kickbacks

Firm paid pharmacy tens of millions to push its drugs: feds

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors filed a complaint today against Johnson & Johnson, charging that it paid “tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks” to a major national pharmacy serving nursing homes. In exchange, the government alleges, that pharmacy, Omnicare Inc., would boost the sales of J&J’s drugs, including the...

Feds Will Back Off Medical Pot Operations

No more crackdowns on outlets that comply with state law

(Newser) - The Obama administration will stop cracking down on medical marijuana centers operating legally under state law, according to a new policy expected to be released today. The move is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which continued to bust such operations for breaking federal law. Under the new strategy,...

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