Will Judge Go Rogue, Reject DOJ Settlement with HSBC?
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — There could be a hitch in the Justice Department’s controversial decision not to prosecute Europe’s largest bank over allegations it laundered money for Mexican drug gangs, rogue states and terrorist…
Narwhal Tusk-Smuggling Ring Cracked, Feds Say
Hemera/ThinkStock(WASHINGTON) — The narwhal, a kind of Arctic whale, has been called “the unicorn of the sea” because of the long, straight, often spiraling tusk that males of the species can grow. It is illegal to import the tusks into th…
Standard Chartered to Forfeit $227M to DOJ over Illegal Transactions
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Standard Chartered has agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for transactions involving clients in Iran, Sudan, Libya and Burma.The British banking giant broke New York state banking laws by moving money …
US Consulate Guard Fails at Spying for China, Pleads Guilty
Getty/George Doyle/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A former Marine who was working at a U.S. consulate office in China has pleaded guilty after trying — and failing — to spy for China, the Department of Justice said Thursday. Bryan Underwood, 32, pleaded gui…
New Mexico Ex-FBI Employee Says Co-Workers Were ‘Jealous’ of Her, Sues Employer
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Erika Bonilla, a professional singer and former FBI employee in New Mexico, is suing the FBI for harassment and discrimination, saying several co-workers were “jealous of her appearance and Latin singing career.” Bonilla,…
Dept. of Justice Files Formal Action Against Florida Over Voter Purge
Photos.com/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice filed a formal lawsuit against the state of Florida to head off the state’s plan to purge ineligible voters from its rolls.It’s the latest salvo in an ongoing legal battle, as t…
‘Hacktivists’ Target Justice Department — Again
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The activist group “Anonymous” claims they’ve hacked into the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics and have leaked 1.7 gigabytes worth of data. Posts on the group’s website claim they have obtain…
DOJ Sues Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Civil Rights Case
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, alleging the police force discriminates against Latinos, uses excessive force, runs…
Apple Pushes Back on E-Book Pricing Charges
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — On Tuesday, the Department Justice announced it was suing Apple and major e-book publishers for collaborating and fixing e-books prices. At the time, Apple did not have a comment on the government suit,…
U.S. Senators Ask Justice Department to Investigate Employers Who Request Facebook Passwords
Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Two U.S. senators are asking the U.S. Justice Department to determine whether employers who request the Facebook login information of potential employees are violating federal law, Bloomberg News reports.Sen. Charles Sc…