Lake Co. fraudster sentenced to 5 years on conspiracy charge
A northern Indiana businessman who pleaded guilty to securities fraud in a Ponzi-like scheme has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.
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State seeking $154M from former charter schools accused of enrollment fraud
The state of Indiana is suing to recover more than $154 million from two now-defunct charter schools accused of padding their enrollment numbers to receive extra state funds, then misappropriating those funds to benefit school associates and their private businesses.
Corruption dispute between Marion, financial adviser headed to trial
A dispute between a city administration and a financial advising group that allegedly contributed to corruption in the city is headed to trial after the Indiana Supreme Court reversed the award of summary judgment for the adviser.
Loan relief granted to defrauded for-profit college students
The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it’s erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates’ success in finding jobs. The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration.
Evansville woman pleads guilty to absentee ballot charge
Jan Reed, 69, admitted to illegally mailing hundreds of absentee voter applications before the 2020 Indiana primary election.
COA: No-contact order didn’t protect deceased victim
No-contact orders cannot be issued to protect dead people, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in a Friday reversal for a man who sent an apology letter to a deceased person he previously committed fraud against.
Ex-nursing home CEO taking fight against Barnes & Thornburg to 7th Circuit
James Burkhart, who led American Senior Communities, had argued Barnes & Thornburg failed to disclose a “profound conflict of interest” that compromised its representation of him.
Ponzi schemer Cochran escalates fight for early release on COVID grounds
Jim Cochran, the former Indianapolis businessman serving a 25-year prison term for his role in the massive Fair Finance Ponzi scheme, is asking a Chicago appeals court for early release on the grounds that his health problems could make contracting COVID-19 lethal and that he has undergone a religious conversion that no longer makes him a risk to society.
Justices hear arguments in ‘fraud’ case stemming from missed diagnosis
The distinction between active and constructive fraud has long been established in Indiana law. But should that distinction be abolished, or an exception carved out? That question is before the Indiana Supreme Court in a closely watched medical malpractice lawsuit.
Supreme Court cuts back FTC power to seek ill-gotten gains
A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday cut back the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to recover ill-gotten gains, overturning a nearly $1.3 billion award against a professional race car driver who was convicted of cheating consumers through his payday loan businesses.
Justices to hear in-person arguments next week
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments in person next week in three cases, including a dispute over a missed hepatitis diagnosis and allegations of a breached settlement agreement.
AP source: Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dies in prison
Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in a federal prison early Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Evolving law addresses coverage after hack
In what one justice described as an “emerging area of law,” the Indiana Supreme Court recently issued an opinion that insurance lawyers say provides, for the first time, concrete guidance in Indiana on how far computer fraud insurance can extend against hacks.
Corporations gave over $50M to voting restriction backers
State legislators across the country who have pushed for new voting restrictions, and also seized on former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud, have reaped more than $50 million in corporate donations in recent years, according to a new report.
Indianapolis businessman pleads guilty in $11M Ponzi-style investment scheme
An Indianapolis businessman accused of inducing at least 100 individuals to sink more than $11 million into a fraudulent, Ponzi-style investment scheme has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of federal wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
Intentional misclassification of construction workers causing concern
Workers on construction sites across Indiana can be found nailing plywall from atop scaffolds, scaling roofs or painting newly built homes. But what isn’t evident is whether those workers are part of a shady trend construction industry experts say is a serious concern — payroll tax fraud.
Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.
Indiana Gaming Commission fines Spectacle $530K for slow removal of CEO
The Indiana Gaming Commission has fined Spectacle Entertainment more than a half-million dollars for not initially complying with an order to remove its former CEO and chairman from any ownership or oversight of the company.
IU wins reversal in students’ mold-infestation lawsuit
Indiana University Bloomington claimed a victory in the legal fight over mold infestation in dorms, convincing the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn the denial of the school’s summary judgment motion on all tort claims brought by the affected students.
Lawsuit against Ohio River tolled bridges swerves around motion to dismiss
A lawsuit against the vendors in charge of the tolling system on three of the bridges connecting southern Indiana to Louisville, Kentucky, has been given the greenlight to continue after a federal court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss.