Articles

Feds say local gaming company conspired with GOP strategist to make illegal contributions

A Republican strategist who worked for an Annapolis, Maryland-based consulting firm has admitted to taking part in a scheme to funnel corporate contributions to political candidates — including former Indiana Sen. Brent Waltz when he ran for U.S. Congress in 2016 — in a case that is part of a federal crackdown on fraudulent political action committees.

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Prosecutors: Deeply-in-debt Michael Avenatti sought payday

Prosecutors say high-profile California attorney Michael Avenatti was over $15 million in debt when he tried to extort  up to $25 million from Nike, while Avenatti’s lawyers say the money he legally requested to conduct an internal probe of the sportswear giant was a bargain. Both sides made the assertions in court papers filed late Tuesday in advance of a Jan. 22 criminal trial in Manhattan.

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UPDATE: Former Celadon COO, CFO indicted on multiple fraud charges

The former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Indianapolis-based trucking firm Celadon Group Inc. have been indicted for their alleged roles in what the U.S. Department of Justice describes as a “complex securities and accounting fraud scheme that resulted in a loss of more than $60 million in shareholder value.”

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Fraudster Durham wins hearing on whether lawyer’s $1M fee created conflict

Fair Finance fraud felon Tim Durham will get a chance to grill his former trial attorney over whether his $1 million wire fraud defense representation fee created a conflict of interest between money the lawyer could pocket versus paying for witnesses Durham claims could have testified in his favor. A federal judge recently granted a new hearing on that and other grounds as Durham seeks to chisel away at his 50-year prison sentence.

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