Two weeks after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with a number of immigration advocates, warned all consumers about the possible increased risk of immigration fraud following the recent presidential election, his counterpart in California charged the owner of one such operation that allegedly defrauded countless immigrants. [More]
kamala harris
California Investigating Wells Fargo For Criminal Identity Theft
By 10.20.16
In a piece of heartening consumer justice news, it’s recently become public that the state of California is conducting a criminal investigation against Wells Fargo for identity theft. Earlier this month, the state served a search warrant on the bank, which asks for information about customers with fake accounts, and the identities of the bankers who opened those accounts. [More]
Online Charter School K12 Hit With $169M Settlement For False Advertising Allegations
By 7.8.16
For years now, for-profit colleges have come under fire from federal and state lawmakers and investigators over allegedly misleading and deceiving prospective students into enrolling. Today, the state of California announced a $168.5 million settlement to resolve similar allegations, not with an institution of higher education, but with a for-profit online grade-school operator called K12. [More]
Should Agency That Provided Accreditation To Corinthian Colleges Be Held Accountable In School’s Failure?
By 6.2.16
Up until the day it collapsed in 2015, for-profit education chain Corinthian Colleges Inc. was accredited by Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), one of the nation’s largest federally recognized accrediting bodies. With taxpayers potentially on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in forgiven student loans, the California Attorney General is calling on the Department of Education to revoke federal recognition of ACICS. [More]
California Car Donation Charities Misrepresented Charitable Programs, Misdirected Donations
By 12.1.15
From time to time you may hear of a charity that accepts the donation of older, used vehicles that owners simply no longer have use for, promising to donate the profit of the future sale to a charitable program. While it might seem like a fairly straightforward operation, the state of California claims two such groups weren’t keeping their promises, instead using the funds to pay for their own expenses. [More]
JPMorgan To Pay $100M To Settle Unlawful Debt-Collection Allegations In California
By 11.2.15
Four months after JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay at least $136 million to close the books on state and federal investigations into its credit card collections practices, the company reached a $100 million settlement putting an end to a similar investigation in California. [More]
University Of Phoenix Faces Probe Into Military Recruiting Practices
By 8.10.15
A little more than a week after federal regulators set their sights on the University of Phoenix for possible deceptive and unfair business practices, the California Attorney General’s office is joining the investigation party by opening a probe into the for-profit college’s military recruitment practices. [More]
ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 Must Pay $11.5M To Settle Hazardous Waste Violations
By 5.8.15
Two Texas-based companies have been ordered to pay a total of $11.5 million to close the book on allegations that hundreds of their gas stations may have put local water supplies in California at risk.
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AT&T Agrees To Pay $23.8M, Invest $28M To Settle Claims Of Dumping Hazardous Materials In California
By 11.24.14
AT&T agreed to pay $23.8 million to settle charges brought by the California Attorney General’s office that it unlawfully dumped old electronic devices and other hazardous materials in the state. [More]
California AG Asks Judge To Throw Tax Lady Roni Deutch In Jail
By 4.26.11
Last summer, the California Attorney General filed a $34 million lawsuit against daytime TV mainstay “Tax Lady” Roni Deutch, alleging that her firm defrauded customers out of millions each year. Now, the AG’s office has asked that Deutch be thrown in jail for allegedly destroying important documents and for not refunding money to customers. [More]
