News from February 2019
Unregistered Commodity Pool Operator Arraigned on Fraud Charge
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: ATLANTA -Kevin Perry has been arraigned on charges that he ran a foreign currency investment fraud scheme.
PROJECT CHARLESTON UPDATE: Federal Jury Finds Charleston Meth Dealer Guilty of Drug Crimes
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A federal jury sitting in Charleston returned a guilty verdict today in the trial of a Kanawha County woman for distributing methamphetamine and conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine.
NatureBridge Summer Backpacking Programs for Teens in Yosemite and Olympic National Parks Builds Future Scientists and Leaders
By Interior Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: MEDIA CONTACT: Katie Draude | NatureBridge. 415-598-9832 | kdraude@naturebridge.org. Registration is open for summer backpacking programs. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK - Feb. 28, 2019 - NatureBridge, the largest non-profit educational partner of the National Park Service, leads life-changing backpacking...
Judge sentences Billings man to prison for firearms crimes
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: BILLINGS-A Billings man convicted at trial of firearms crimes was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised release on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Great Falls woman sentenced in meth case
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: GREAT FALLS-Great Falls resident Macedonia Frances Mondragon, who hid methamphetamine inside her body, was sentenced on Wednesday to 66 months in prison and four years of supervised release for conviction of possessing meth, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Beverly Man Arrested for Sending Threatening Letters and White Powder to an Online Dating Website
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: BOSTON - A Beverly man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston for sending nine letters, one of which contained a white powder, to the online dating website OkCupid.com.
Grassley Speaks about Introducing Tax Extenders Package
By Commerce Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: Mr. President, Before the Presidents’ Day recess, I announced that I’d introduce legislation if tax extenders weren’t included in the legislation to keep the government open. Today, I’m following through on that promise with a bill that I’m introducing with Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden.
USDA Announces Investments to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure and Finance Smart Grid Technologies
By USDA Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: More than 6,200 customers will benefit from improved or new service WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2019 – Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that USDA is investing $122 million to expand and upgrade rural electric systems in Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The funding includes more than $7 million to finance smart grid technologies to improve system operations and monitor grid security.
United States Wins WTO Dispute Finding China Provides Excessive Government Support to its Grain Producers
By USDA Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2019 – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel found that China has provided trade distorting domestic support to its grain producers well in excess ...
Perdue Reiterates Need to Restore Original Intent of SNAP: A Second Chance, Not A Way of Life
By USDA Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: (Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today reiterated during a U.S. Senate hearing the need to restore the original intent of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is to be a second chance and not a way of life. Secretary Perdue’s comments ...
Kingsmen President and Nomad, Convicted by a Federal Jury of Murder and Racketeering, Sentenced to Life in Prison
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: A leader and member of the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club (KMC) who committed execution style murders were sentenced for their roles in a major racketeering operation that involved violence and murder.
Justice Department Requires Divestiture of Thales’ General Purpose Hardware Security Module Business in Connection With its Acquisition of Gemalto
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: The Department of Justice announced that it is requiring Thales S.A. to divest its General Purpose Hardware Security Module (GP HSM) business in order for Thales to proceed with its proposed $5.64 billion acquisition of Gemalto N.V. GP HSMs are secure encryption processing and key management devices ...
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against New London Landlords
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney John H. Durham today announced that the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have filed a lawsuit in the District of Connecticut alleging that female tenants and applicants ...
Justice Department Alleges Conditions at Boyd County Detention Center Violate the Constitution
By DOJ Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division concluded an investigation into conditions at the Boyd County Detention Center in Catlettsburg, Kentucky. The Justice Department concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that conditions at the Jail violate the Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments ...
Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement actions with Wintrust Financial Corporation and former employee of OakStar Bank and announces termination of enforcement action with FCB Financial Corporation
By Fed Newswire | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the execution of the enforcement actions listed below: Wintrust Financial Corporation, Rosemont, Illinois Consent order, civil money penalty for internal control deficiencies that resulted in unsafe or unsound practices dated Feb. 25, 2019 Consent prohibition ...
Op-Ed by Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross: Launching Toward a $1 Trillion Space Economy
By Commerce News Now | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: Nearly 60 years ago, a lone American was launched into the great unknown of space — John Glenn had been sent on an orbital mission spanning thousands of miles, skimming the Earth’s atmosphere.
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Q4 and Annual 2018 GDP: Economy Grows 2.9% in 2018
By Commerce News Now | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: Today, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the fourth quarter and annual gross domestic product (GDP) numbers. The Bureau found that the real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 2.9 percent for all of 2018.
U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in New Jersey Restaurant Paying $768,548 for Wage and Visa Program Violations
By Labor Gazette | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: BEACH HAVEN, NJ – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Cramark Inc. – doing business as The Chicken or The Egg restaurant in Beach Haven, New Jersey - will pay $768,548 in back wages, liquidated damages, and penalties for violating the Fair Labor Standards ...
Federal Court Orders New Jersey Gas Stations and Owner to Pay $650,000 After U.S. Department of Labor Investigation and Litigation
By Labor Gazette | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has entered a consent judgment requiring five South Jersey gas stations, and their main owner Gurmeet Singh to pay $325,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 29 current and former employees. The consent judgment comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor.
U.S. Department of Labor Cites Florida Landscaping Company After Employee Suffers Fatal Heat-Related Injury
By Labor Gazette | Feb 28, 2019
News Release: NOKOMIS, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Olin Landscaping – based in Venice, Florida – for failing to protect employees working in excessive heat after an employee succumbed to fatal heat-related symptoms while performing lawn maintenance at a residence in Nokomis, Florida.
