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Articles Posted in Money

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animal-bank-vole-blur-1010267-300x200After an investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Marshals Service has carried out the seizure of more than $800,000-worth of FDA-regulated goods from J & L Grocery in Alma, Arkansas.

The seizures occurred on November 7 and 8 at the J & L Grocery retail store and warehouse locations in the north of Alma. J & L Grocery is a discount or “salvage” grocery store. Salvage grocery stores sell products considered unfit for sale by traditional retailers. For example, the products may be near their expiration, packaging may be damaged, or items may have been salvaged from truck wrecks.
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bills-cash-collection-47344-300x212Former Illinois police chief Michael Newsome, who has been charged with the theft of over $200,000 in civil asset forfeiture funds, has waived his right to jury trial. Newsome was first arrested in 2012 and has been out on bond ever since.

Newsome has been charged with seven felonies. The charges include the theft of over $100,000 in government property, official misconduct, and the misappropriation of funds. The thefts are alleged to have occurred between 2007 and 2012.
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cleaning-268126_1920-300x200Marcelia Freitas and Marcello Pompa, both of Saugus, Massachusetts, have been indicted in connection with a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme. According to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey, the scheme allowed Freitas and Pompa to avoid paying over $74,000 in insurance premiums.

Freitas and Pompa are owners of M&M Cleaning Inc., a company based in Malden, a city to the north of Boston. According to its website, M&M Cleaning offerings include janitorial, handyman, and special event services. The AG’s office alleges that Pompa falsely claimed work carried out by his company had, in fact, been performed by subcontractors. This enabled Freitas and Pompa to conceal over $2.8 million in payroll from the state.
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justice-2060093_1920-300x200Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned effective immediately. Sessions’ Chief of Staff, Matthew Whitaker, has been named as acting attorney general in his place. Sessions was a champion of civil asset forfeiture—he reinstated a federal forfeiture program that had been restricted by Eric Holder, his predecessor. Without Sessions at the Department of Justice (DOJ), there is uncertainty over the future of this program.

Sessions faced bipartisan opposition for his championing of civil asset forfeiture. “I’m amazed these people don’t get it. We had a reform in early 2001… relieved some of the concerns from our libertarians,” said Sessions in 2017. The Obama administration, he continued, “actually curtailed this program for the last several years, but we’re going to keep it out there. And as long as we can, we will be doing it.”
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police-2122373_1920-300x200A brother and sister in Paramount, California have been charged with workers’ compensation fraud and grand theft of labor. The siblings, who run Ultimate Inc. construction company, are accused of defrauding the State Compensation Insurance Fund of $6 million.

Enrique Vera, 48, is the owner of Ultimate Inc., while his sister, Gloria Vera, 57, is the company’s office manager. Christopher Hartman of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office alleges they falsified payroll records of Ultimate Inc. in order to pay a lower rate of workers’ compensation insurance.
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