Government

Recipients of TARP Bailout Funds Could Be Targeted in Criminal Cases

The Troubled Asset Relief Program has only been in effect a few months. But already it is the subject of potential criminal probes, as a special inspector general also announced what amounts to a rewrite of TARP rules requiring recipients of bailout funds to certify, under penalty of law, that…

Feb 6, 2009 1:32 AM CST

Bankruptcy Boom Boost: US Asks Cadwalder to Advise On Automaker Restructuring

An already-hot practice area apparently is being expanded with the help of a deep-pockets noncorporate client: The feds reportedly are paying top partners at a New York law firm for bankruptcy advice, as the government ponders how best to deal with struggling automakers. “The U.S. Treasury Department hired Cadwalader Wickersham…

Feb 5, 2009 10:54 PM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Changed Other Judges’ Sentences, His Successor Says

A suspended judge who formerly served as the president judge of Luzerne County had been changing sentences for some convicted felons, often without the knowledge of the judges who originally imposed the sentences, his successor says. “Former Luzerne County President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. bypassed the rest of the…

Feb 5, 2009 7:24 PM CST

Luzerne County, Pa., Court Shakeup Expands Exponentially

After news that two now-suspended senior Luzerne County judges have agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges, Pennsylvania state lawmakers plan to discuss possible compensation for juveniles that the two judges are accused of sending to detention facilities in exchange for monetary kickbacks. “Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court has agreed…

Feb 4, 2009 7:56 PM CST

Madoff Whistle-blower to Blast SEC in Congressional Testimony Tomorrow

Trying to warn the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about an apparent fraud being perpetrated by Bernard Madoff was not only frustrating but potentially dangerous, a whistle-blower reportedly plans to say in testimony tomorrow before a congressional subcommittee. Despite his repeated warnings to the SEC, starting in 1999 or 2000,…

Feb 4, 2009 1:02 AM CST

Federal Judge Sides With ‘Dorm Dudes’ in Miami Porn House Case

An attempt by the city of Miami to close down a house in which “dorm dudes” are paid by a gay porn website to live there and have sex on schedule has failed. The operation isn’t covered by a city’s zoning restriction banning adult businesses in a residential area, a…

Feb 3, 2009 10:26 PM CST

FBI Ordered to Do DNA Search to Help Suspect in Rape-Murder Case

In what the U.S. Department of Justice describes as an unprecedented ruling, a federal judge in Chicago yesterday ordered the FBI to search its massive national DNA database to see whether it can identify a new suspect in the rape-murder of an 11-year-old Illinois girl. Twice convicted of the 1992…

Feb 3, 2009 8:06 PM CST

‘Broad Doctrinal Shift’ Expected at DOJ as Eric Holder is OK’d as AG

In an expected confirmation, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation’s first African-American attorney general. “Though debate quickly turned partisan when his chief supporter denounced Republicans who sought a pledge not to prosecute intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations, the Senate still confirmed Holder…

Feb 2, 2009 11:57 PM CST

Harvard 3L to Police: ‘Do You Know Who I ... Was?’

A third-year law student at Harvard University allegedly had a few too many one day late last month before leaving a Boston bar and seating himself in a city police cruiser. Authorities say Charles Simpkins, 24, then told officers “Give me a (expletive) ride, I work for the district attorney’s…

Feb 2, 2009 8:15 PM CST

FDA Opens Criminal Probe of Peanut Co.; Obama Calls for Agency Overhaul

The federal Food and Drug Administration has opened a criminal investigation into a closely held Virginia-based company that has been blamed for a salmonella outbreak that allegedly sickened more than 500 people and killed eight. Although Peanut Corp. of America’s own tests in 2007 and 2008 showed that salmonella was…

Feb 2, 2009 5:55 PM CST

German Town to Test Dog DNA to Enforce Pooper-Scooper Law

A small town in Germany is planning to perform a DNA test on every licensed dog to make it easier to enforce a pooper-scooper law. Owners who don’t pick up after pets can then be matched to the evidence that scofflaws leave behind, which a dog warden will collect, reports…

Feb 2, 2009 5:32 PM CST

Suspended Pa. Judge Now at Issue in $3.4M Legal Malpractice Judgment

Accusations that two now-suspended Pennsylvania judges accepted $2.6 million in kickbacks in exchange for incarcerating juveniles at specific detention facilities have spilled over into another multimillion-dollar case. A law firm seeking to overturn a $3.4 million legal malpractice award says in a motion for a new trial yesterday that it…

Jan 30, 2009 8:20 PM CST

Horrified By $20B Bonus Bonanza, Sen. Dodd Calls for Wall Street to Repay

Did U.S. taxpayers help fund nearly $20 billion in Wall Street bonuses at the end of last year while Congress raced to the rescue of embattled companies in the midst of a financial crisis that some consider the worst since the 1930s? If taxpayer money was used, directly or indirectly,…

Jan 30, 2009 12:21 AM CST

Oops. Mass. Inmate Jailed Too Long, Despite State’s Vow to Reform

When Mark Taylor asked about the reduction in his prison sentence that he was supposed to get for good behavior, an official told him, in writing, that he wasn’t eligible as a habitual offender. But last month, the prison realized that it had made a mistake. More than seven months…

Jan 29, 2009 10:24 PM CST

Ill. Senate Ousts. Gov. Blagojevich; Lt. Gov, a Lawyer, Now Takes His Place

A historic impeachment trial of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich ended today and, within a few hours, the state senate voted to remove him from office. They convicted Blagojevich of abusing his power as governor after accusations that he tried to barter the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack…

Jan 29, 2009 9:51 PM CST