Uber’s recent woes — a $20 million text message spamming settlement, an ousted CEO, investigations into sneaky software, and other issues — continue to deepen, as the Department of Justice has now reportedly opened at least five investigations into the company and its business practices. [More]
department of justice
Did Uber Violate Bribery Laws Involving Foreign Officials?
By 8.30.17
Uber’s brand new CEO already has a lot to deal with: The U.S. Justice Department is in the first stages of investigating whether managers at the company ran afoul of a federal law that prohibits companies and their employees from bribing foreign officials in the course of doing business. [More]
DOJ Demands Company Turn Over Info On 1.3 Million Visitors To Anti-Trump Website
By 8.15.17
Since most of us aren’t looking at websites via a Tor connection, we’re leaving digital footprints all over the place. The sites you visit may have a surprising amount of information on you, even if you’re not logged in, and even if you went to that site inadvertently. That’s why the Justice Department is trying to compel a web-hosting company to turn over everything it knows about anyone who ever clicked on a site that is critical of President Trump. It’s also why that company is fighting against this demand. [More]
Victims Of Mortgage Modification Scam Lost More Than Their Homes
By 7.27.17
Each year, fraudsters target vulnerable, trusting Americans by claiming that they can make their lives better. But when all the chips have fallen, these seemingly legit businesses often turn out to be just the opposite. While some of these operations will face the wrath of federal or state regulators, their victims are often left with little. [More]
DOJ Shuts Down Online ‘Dark Market’ Peddling Opioids, Guns, & Hacking Tools
By 7.20.17
The world of criminal marketplaces selling deadly drugs, counterfeit products, malware, and weapons just got a bit smaller: The Department of Justice says it’s shut down AlphaBay, what it calls the largest online “dark market.”
[More]
Whistleblowers Will Receive $3.6M For Reporting Healthcare Company’s False Medicare Claims
By 7.18.17
Less than a week after federal authorities conducted a massive crackdown on medical fraud, arresting more than 400 individuals, the Department of Justice announced that three Ohio-based healthcare companies and their executives would pay $19.5 million to resolve allegations they falsified Medicare claims for unnecessary services that allegedly harmed patients. [More]
Healthcare Fraud Crackdown Leads To Charges Against Hundreds, Including Doctors and Nurses
By 7.14.17
More than 412 individuals were charged for their part in healthcare fraud schemes that have resulted in approximately $1.3 billion in losses to consumers and the government. [More]
$130B DuPont, Dow Merger Approved After Companies Sell Off Some Products
By 6.16.17
The two oldest, biggest chemical companies in the country can now live happily ever after together (minus a few products), as federal antitrust regulators have given the green light to this $130 billion mega-merger. [More]
Motorcycle Gang Members Used Key Codes To Boost $4.5M Worth Of Jeep Wranglers
By 6.2.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
All it took was a few stolen key designs and computer codes for a biker gang to successfully steal more than 150 Jeep Wranglers — valued at $4.5 million — from the U.S. and relocate them to Mexico in a years-long heist. [More]
Justice Dept. May Go After Fiat Chrysler For Skirting Emissions Standards
By 5.18.17
Now that both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have accused Fiat Chrysler of using “defeat device” software to skirt emission standards in more than 100,000 vehicles, the Department of Justice is expected to file a lawsuit against carmaker. [More]
Medical Marijuana Industry Uneasy About Its Future Under Trump Administration
By 5.15.17
Despite the fact that Congress recently passed a new spending bill that included a provision prohibiting the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Agency from interfering in states’ medical marijuana programs, the industry remains wary of President Trump’s administration and its stance on the drug. [More]
Feds Launch Criminal Investigation, Want To Know If Uber’s “Greyball” Broke The Law
By 5.5.17
Uber’s expansion throughout the country and the world has been extremely rapid. Sometimes that’s meant going places where its service isn’t legal, in the hopes that it may eventually be — and using a secret tool, dubbed “Greyball”, to fool law enforcement and avoid getting caught. Until, of course, they did — and now the feds are wondering if Uber crossed a criminal line. [More]
Medical Marijuana Safe From DOJ Prosecution — For Now
By 5.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Although Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not a fan of marijuana, federal law has prohibited the Justice Department from using any of the funding it receives from Congress to prosecute medical marijuana in any state where it’s legal. Thanks to a new omnibus spending bill that just passed the House and Senate, it’ll stay that way — at least for the moment. [More]
American Airlines Workers Targeted In $16.7M Hearing Aid Scheme
By 4.21.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Thousands of American Airlines employees unknowingly became the targets of a multi-million dollar insurance fraud scheme carried out by a father-son duo who claimed to provide the airline workers with free hearing aids for simply taking a test. [More]
Governors Ask Attorney General To Leave Their Legal Marijuana Alone
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
While federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing for legislation to reform marijuana laws, the executive branch of the government has given every indication of a coming crackdown on recreational marijuana, even in states where it’s now legal. The governors of the first four states to legalize pot are now asking the White House to respect their states’ voters and not return weed to the dark ages. [More]
Wells Fargo Still Has A Lot Of Fake Account Fiasco Investigations To Deal With
By 3.31.17
Wells Fargo may believe that its recently announced $110 million settlement will put an end to the many federal lawsuits over the bank’s fake account fiasco, but that may be wishful thinking. In fact, the financial institution is still party to nearly a dozen investigations and lawsuits. [More]
AT&T, Feds Settle Dodgers Lawsuit Over SportsNet LA; Blackout To Continue
By 3.24.17
The Department of Justice and AT&T settled a lawsuit claiming DirecTV — which AT&T purchased in 2015 — colluded unlawfully with other carriers about their negotiations to carry SportsNet LA, the only cable channel in Los Angeles to air most Dodgers games. But that doesn’t mean the cable provider will be adding the channel to its lineup anytime soon. [More]
19 People Indicted For Money Laundering, CEO Scams, Imaginary Car Scams
By 3.1.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Have you ever wondered about the people who lurk behind scam emails asking for mysterious wire transfers, or who post ads for suspiciously cheap cars that never materialize after the buyer sends a payment? Today, the Department of Justice outed a few of these unscrupulous types, indicting 19 people for allegedly laundering money and perpetrating a variety of international financial scams. [More]
