The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California has announced charges against a former building commissioner and building contractor for his alleged involvement in a scheme to steal funds meant for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI).
Rodrigo Santos of San Francisco was charged with bank fraud. He was released on $100,000 bond. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has announced charges against three Tampa Bay-area men accused of conspiring to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and making false statements regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Ghasan Awad of Safety Harbor, Bassam Al Saleh of Tampa, and Ahmad Al Saleh of Tampa are charged with conspiracy to defraud USDA and making false statements to the USDA regarding SNAP. Awad also faces charges of wire fraud and obtaining SNAP benefits in violation of federal statutes. The Al Salehs each face three counts of making certain false statements to the USDA. It is unclear if any of the three has acquired legal representation.
As businesses across the U.S. continue to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of employers have begun wondering what kind of liability they might face from claims that employees contracted the coronavirus at work. What would an infection mean for workers’ compensation law? California Gov. Newsom provided an answer to that question for employers in his state with the recent signing of an executive order that provides new presumption for COVID-19 diagnosis.
According to Executive Order N-62-20, a worker’s coronavirus-related illness will be presumed to arise out of and in the course of employment for purposes of awarding workers’ compensation benefits. An employee can make a claim as long as they test positive for the coronavirus within 14 days of performing “labor of services” at their workplace. The presumption doesn’t apply if the employee worked from home.
The Arizona House of Representatives voted down a measure which would have significantly reformed how civil asset forfeiture is legally handled in the state of Arizona. Just three years ago, reforms were made to the criminal justice system which would have been bolstered by this new bill. However, given its passage in the Arizona Senate and defeat in the Arizona House of Representatives, proponents will have to wait until the next session to get it heard and passed. It is unknown if the bill’s sponsors and supporters plan to re-introduce it at the next appropriate and available opportunity.
A $40,000 Land Rover seized by the state of Indiana in connection with a drug crime has been returned to its owner, Tyson Timbs, pending final determination by judicial authorities as to the appropriateness of the seizure of the vehicle by law enforcement under civil asset forfeiture. This long legal battle has made it to the United States Supreme Court and twice to the Indiana Supreme Court. Mr. Timbs is represented by counsel from the Institute for Justice, which is a law firm that works on prominent public interest cases.
Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog