By Brian Cox, Special to the Tribune | The lawyer for a Walgreen Co. executive charged with DUI for the second time in 13 months said today he’s sure his client will be cleared. Get the full story »
Filed under: Criminal charges
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Oct. 22, 2010 at 2:59 p.m.
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Filed under: Chicago executives, Crime, Criminal charges, Retail Walgreen Co. executive vows to fight DUI charge
FTC shuts down TV ‘tax relief’ outfit
By Gregory Karp | American Tax Relief LLC, which claims in TV ads that it can reduce your tax debt, has been shut down after bilking consumers nationwide out of more than $60 million, the Federal Trade Commission alleged Wednesday.
“For people having a tough time paying their taxes, the last thing they need is to lose more money to a fraud,” said David C. Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Get the full story »
Aug. 30, 2010 at 11:54 a.m.
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Filed under: Crime, Criminal charges, Exchanges, Fraud, Investigations CFTC settles charges against Naperville trader
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Monday it has settled fraud and unauthorized trading charges against a Naperville floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade whose activities generated a $4 million loss.
The CFTC order permanently bans John Lee Neuman from trading. He had registered with the CFTC as a floor broker from May 1993 until February 2008, and became a local in the CBOT corn options pit in September 1997. Get the full story »
Former Indonesian Playboy editor faces jail time
Prosecutors were searching Thursday for the former editor-in-chief of Playboy Indonesia after the highest court sentenced him to two years in prison for publishing pictures of scantily clothed women.
Erwin Arnada was acquitted by the South Jakarta District Court in April 2007, with judges arguing the photos could not be categorized as pornography under the country’s criminal code. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which issued a guilty verdict in 2009 but only informed the prosecutors on Wednesday. It was not clear why. Get the full story »
Aug. 20, 2010 at 1:59 p.m.
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Filed under: Banking, Criminal charges, Fraud, Investigations, Litigation, M&A BofA, Lewis deny charges in Merrill Lynch deal
Bank of America Corp. and former Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis denied civil fraud charges brought by New York’s attorney general over the bank’s takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co. amid the 2008 financial crisis.
In court papers filed Wednesday, Lewis said the state’s prosecutor Andrew Cuomo had no basis in his lawsuit to allege a conspiracy to mislead the public and shareholders about Merrill’s deteriorating finances and Bank of America’s desire for government assistance. Get the full story »
6 gas station owners charged in sales-tax crackdown
Six Illinois gas station owners have been indicted on charges of pocketing sales taxes customers paid when they fueled up.
The fraud investigation has recovered nearly $13 million in unpaid sales taxes, according to the Illinois attorney general’s office and state department of revenue. The indictments were the first in an ongoing probe of businesses that fail to pay taxes, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan said Thursday. More charges against other tax frauds are expected in coming months, she said. Get the full story »
Aug. 16, 2010 at 3:40 p.m.
Filed under: Criminal charges, Government, Health care, Internet, Updated FTC halts Internet sales of acai supplements
The FTC on Monday announced a court-ordered temporary injunction against Central Coast Nutraceuticals Inc., the maker of Acai Advanced, and four affiliated companies which market a variety of acai berry supplements and “colon cleansers.” The court order halts the allegedly illegal conduct of the company, freezes its assets, and appoints a temporary receiver over the company’s several related companies, the FTC said.
A permanent injunction is to be heard Friday in federal district court in Chicago. The FTC also accused Central Coast and two individuals associated with the company of engaging in deceptive advertising and unfair billing practices.
The FTC claims the marketers deceptively claimed the acai berry supplements will lead to rapid and substantial weight loss and the colon cleansers help prevent colon cancer. Some advertisements falsely claim product endorsements by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey or Rachael Ray. Get the full story »
Barclays Bank to pay $300M over deals with Cuba, Iran
Barclays Bank Plc has agreed to pay nearly $300 million to settle criminal charges that it violated U.S. sanctions in dealings with Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Myanmar, according to U.S. court documents filed Monday.
The London-based bank was charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act in its dealings that involved $500 million from 1995 until September 2006, according to the documents. Get the full story »
Banker pleads guilty in Robin Hood-like scheme
Jeffrey Gonsiewski fancied himself sort of a modern-day Robin Hood at a time when consumers were becoming increasingly delinquent on their bank loans.
The former vice president at First Security Trust & Savings Bank — an Elmwood Park-based lender that’s part of the Wirtz family conglomerate — pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of federal bank fraud.
Jeffrey Gonsiewski, who was charged last month, admitted that he changed the terms of at least 100 loans for more than 50 customers to make it appear that their payments were current when in fact they were overdue. Get the full story »
Former Deloitte exec charged with insider trading
A former Deloitte and Touche LLP partner and his son were charged with insider trading in securities of Best Buy Co. Inc. , Sears Holdings Corp. and other companies, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday.
Thomas Flanagan, a former Deloitte vice chairman, used inside information obtained through his duties at the accounting firm to reap more than $430,000 in illegal profits, the SEC said. Get the full story »
Judge removed from drug case during trial
By Ameet Sachdev and Ray Gibson | In an extraordinary maneuver, the federal appeals court in Chicago removed a judge from an ongoing criminal trial after ruling that he had made an error in the case.
The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals did not give an explanation in its Tuesday order, which dismissed U.S. District Judge James Holderman from the jury trial of a man facing drug charges. The court said it would follow up with an opinion.
The lack of explanation left court watchers wondering what Holderman did to incite such a harsh penalty. The appellate court reverse judges all the time. But removing one in the middle of a trial may be unprecedented. Get the full story »
Judge won’t allow Black to return to Canada
Conrad Black enters the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Friday. (Terrence Antonio James/ Chicago Tribune)
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would not allow Conrad Black, who once controlled a media company that owned the Chicago Sun-Times, to return to his home in Canada until she has more information about his financial condition. She asked to return Aug. 16 with a complete and thorough financial affadavit.
Black arrived in St. Eve’s Chicago courtroom for a 12:30 p.m. hearing to learn the conditions of his recent release from prison. He wore a blue suit and salmon-colored tie, and was accompanied by his wife Barbara Amiel Black. He didn’t say anything, but smiled and gave a thumbs up.
July 21, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
Filed under: Chicago executives, Crime, Criminal charges, Litigation, Media Conrad Black posts bond, leaves prison
Conrad Black left a Florida prison Wednesday, after a Chicago federal judge ordered his release on a $2 million bond pending a review of his 2007 fraud conviction.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve ordered Black, who once controlled a media company that owned the Chicago Sun-Times, to appear in her courtroom at 12:30 p.m. Friday, to go over the conditions of his release. Get the full story »
July 21, 2010 at 1:43 p.m.
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Filed under: Consumer news, Criminal charges, Transportation Illinois AG files fraud suit against bus company
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit Wednesday against a Melrose Park bus company, saying it defrauded a group of hearing-impaired students and their families.
The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claims Sleepless in the City Bus Service Inc., took $1,750 from the Illinois Service Resource Center, then failed to provide transportation for 55 students and their families on April 27, 2009. Get the full story »
Conrad Black to be freed on bond
Conrad Black leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after his sentencing hearing in Chicago in this December 10, 2007 file photo. (Reuters/John Gress/Files)
Conrad Black won his request for bail Monday while a federal appeals court reviews whether to overturn his 2007 fraud conviction related to his one-time control of Hollinger International Inc., the former parent of the Chicago Sun-Times.
It is not clear when Black will be released from prison. He has been in federal custody in Florida for more than two years, serving a 78-month sentence for three counts of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. Get the full story »
