Wednesday at 4:43 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Criminal charges,
Litigation
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 »
By Ameet Sachdev
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 19 at 4:55 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Criminal charges,
Media,
Updated
By Ameet Sachdev
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 »
By Reuters
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has scheduled a July 29 hearing into last year’s release of a Libyan convicted for the 1988 bombing of an airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, and related actions by BP.
The committee said Thursday that it will ask officials of BP Plc to testify after the U.K.-based oil giant acknowledged that it had lobbied the British government in 2007 to transfer Libyan intelligence officer Abdel Basset al-Megrahi to Tripoli. The company said it was concerned that his continued imprisonment in Scotland could hurt an offshore oil drilling deal with Libya. Get the full story »
June 15 at 10:17 a.m.
Filed under:
Credit Cards,
Crime
By The Problem Solver | Following a two-year investigation of a global credit card scam initiated in Spain, police in 14 countries have arrested 178 people who were suspected of cloning credit cards.
June 10 at 6:19 a.m.
Filed under:
Crime
Associated Press | Seniors on Medicare should be aware that con
artists may try to trick them into providing personal information to
get a rebate check. Don’t fall for it. That’s the warning Wednesday
from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Get the full story »
June 3 at 8:18 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Crime,
Criminal charges
Associated Press | An Ohio roller derby skater who used the team name “Sadistic Sadie” has admitted in federal court to illegally obtaining more than $400,000 in airline tickets while working for United Airlines. Mercedes Stafford, 34, of Cincinnati pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Covington, Ky., according to court documents.
Get the full story »
May 3 at 5:34 a.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Criminal charges,
Media
From the Winnipeg Free Press | Lawyers for Conrad Black will appear in an Ontario, Canada appeals court today to argue that six libel lawsuits should proceed allowing him to refute statements published on the Sun-Times Media Inc. website about his use of Hollinger shareholder money. One document listed in the suit was a 2004 report from a special committee of Hollinger International that said Black “looted” the company and that he ran a “corporate kleptocracy.”
Get the full story: winnipegfreepress.com
Ricky McCullough, associate ombudsman for the FDIC, talks to the media about the closing of Broadway Bank on Friday, April 23. (Phil Velasquez/ Chicago Tribune)
By Becky Yerak |
Broadway Bank, the family-run lender that helped launch U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias’ political career, was one of seven Chicago-area institutions seized by the U.S. government Friday and sold to healthier companies.
The failure of Broadway, which was unable to raise the $85 million it needed to remain independent, will cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. $394.3 million.
Get the full story »
April 15 at 12:46 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Management,
Real estate
By Greg Burns | Developer Scott Toberman, who attracted worldwide attention with a plan
in the late 1990s to build the world’s tallest building in Chicago, was
sentenced Thursday to 64 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud
charges last year.
The 54-year-old Toberman admitted last summer that he skimmed money from
buildings he was supposed to manage for investors. The indictment
accused him of using other people’s funds to support a lavish lifestyle.
Get the full story »
April 13 at 11:51 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Food
Tribune Newspapers | A federal judge in Sacramento has denied
another bid by tomato mogul Frederick Scott Salyer to be released on
bail and ordered the defense team to stop filing motions on the matter.
The decision Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton means
that Salyer will remain in Sacramento County Jail for now.
Last month, Karlton had set bail at $300,000 in cash and $6 million in
property for Salyer, who has pleaded not guilty to multiple corruption
counts as part of the federal investigation of defunct California
tomato processor SK Foods and a scheme to defraud companies such as
Kraft Foods.
Get the full story »
April 8 at 2:10 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Criminal charges,
Fraud
Associated Press | A federal judge sentenced fallen Minnesota
tycoon Tom Petters to 50 years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating
a $3.7 billion Ponzi scheme that counted hedge funds, pastors,
missionaries and retirees among its victims.
“Every day, I’m filled with pain and anguish for all the lives that
have been destroyed and touched by this episode,” Petters said at his
sentencing hearing.
He apologized to family, friends, co-workers and
others who were hurt but did not concede guilt.
Get the full story »
April 5 at 12:37 p.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Media
From Canada’s National Post | In his weekly newspaper column written from prison, Conrad Black said his 21,000-square-foot, $32 million Palm Beach mansion has not been foreclosed upon and sold, contrary to recent reports.
Black, convicted of
fraud and obstruction of justice during his tenure heading former
Chicago Sun-Times parent Hollinger International said in his April 3 column: “Ann Coulter is a social friend and a neighbour in Palm Beach (and was one of the many commiserators whom I was able to assure last week that there was no substance to a Toronto-area newspaper’s jubilant report that I had sold my house there, and at a large discount to appraised value).”
Get the full story: nationalpost.com
March 25 at 2:59 p.m.
Filed under:
Credit Cards,
Crime,
Internet
Associated Press | A computer hacker from Florida was sentenced
Thursday to 20 years in prison for helping engineer one of the largest
thefts of credit and debit card numbers in U.S. history.
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris sentenced Albert Gonzalez of Miami, who
pleaded guilty last year to breaking into computer systems of major
retailers, including Naperville-based Office Max, as well as TJX Cos. and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Get the full story »
March 25 at 6:09 a.m.
Filed under:
Crime,
Criminal charges,
Executives,
Media
From Canada’s Globe and Mail | The 21,000-square-foot, $32 million Palm Beach mansion owned by former newspaper magnate Conrad Black, who is serving a prison sentence for fraud and obstruction of justice during his tenure heading former Chicago Sun-Times parent Hollinger International, has been transferred to its mortgage company and put up for sale.
Black appealed his convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on the case this spring. He is not expected to get out of prison before the fall of 2013.
Get the full story: globeandmail.ca
