MS-13 gang leader, members of San Francisco clique plead guilty to RICO charges
A former leader and two other members of the San Francisco branch of La Mara Salvatrucha or the dreaded MS-13 criminal gang have pleaded guilty in federal court to various federal charges that include racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and the use or possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the Department of Justice.
Justice Dept. deals blow to Gambino Family as 14 members, associates plead guilty to various criminal charges
The U.S. Department of Justice has struck a severe blow on the members and associates of the Gambino Organized Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra (the Gambino Family) by securing a guilty pleas from the final two of the 14 defendants, all of whom were charged with crimes that included racketeering, murder, sex trafficking, extortion, and wire fraud in April 2010.
Yum! Brands and Churchill Downs extend Kentucky Derby agreement
Churchill Downs Inc., the race track operators, announced a five-year extension of their sponsorship agreement with Yum Brands Inc, making the restaurant company the presenting operators of the Kentucky Derby.
Howrey struggling with European IP practice
Howrey is struggling with its European intellectual property (IP) practice following the departure of its London-based managing partner Mark Hodgson, who has joined Field Fisher Waterhouse.
Smith & Nephew denies in merger or takeover talks
Artificial knee and hip maker Smith & Nephew said on Friday it was not in talks on a merger or takeover, after a report it was weighing a deal with privately owned U.S. rival Biomet sent its shares higher.
CMS Cameron hires Simmons' Winterfeldt to head new international capital markets group
CMS Cameron McKenna said it has hired Simmons & Simmons US securities partner Daniel Winterfeldt to head its newly launched international capital markets (ICM) group.
BLP hires DLA Piper's Allen to beef up regulatory practice
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has strengthened its regulatory practice with the appointment of DLA Piper's financial services litigation expert Daren Allen.
Freshfields appoint Ashworth as Asia managing partner
Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Robert Ashworth for the role of Asia managing partner.
Legal dramas on TV help ex-con impersonate lawyer, fool clients
Legal dramas on television helped an Illinois ex-con hone his acting skills and pass off as a hotshot lawyer, enabling him to represent paying clients for between $500 and $4500 till a court clerk recognized him and blew the whistle.
Market rises as JPMorgan profit outweighs data
Stronger-than-expected earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co lifted the stock market slightly on Friday, offsetting weak economic data and putting the S&P 500 on track for its seventh straight week of gains.
Holiday Bandit identified, police on his trail
A robber, who has been nicknamed the Holiday Bandit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been identified as Marat G. Mikhaylich and is being sought after pulling his third bank robbery in the New York City over the past few weeks, the federal authorities said.
Nevada governor's general counsel yet to pass state bar
Nevada's new governor-elect and former federal judge Brian Sandoval has named his former clerk Lucas Foletta as his general counsel even though the latter has not passed the Nevada state bar exam.
Pan Am Flight 281 hijacker sentenced to 15 years in prison
A man who had hijacked a Puerto Rico-bound Pan American flight 281 to Cuba four decades ago and then voluntarily returned to the United States in October 2009 and surrendered to federal authorities so that he could see his family again, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole.
BofA settles toxic mortgage claims with Fannie and Freddie for $2.8 bln
Bank of America (BofA) has paid $2.8 billion to mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to settle claims that it had sold mortgages to them that did not meet specifications.
Former Pentagon official's death still a mystery to police
Federal authorities are clueless about the mysterious circumstances in which the dead body of a former Pentagon political appointee in President George W. Bush's administration had landed up in a dumpster.
Seven hospitals settle overbilling allegations for $6.3 mln
Seven hospitals located throughout the southern part of United States have agreed to pay a total of $6.3 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they were overcharging for osteoporosis procedures, said Department of Justice (DOJ).
Fed judge orders Interior Dept. to hold off Microsoft contract, consider Google, others
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to hold off a $60 million contract awarded to Microsoft to integrate 13 DOI e-mail systems and consider competing bids from Google and others.
Shell, others allowed to resume deepwater drilling in Gulf of Mexico
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the federal agency, which oversees U.S. offshore drilling, has allowed Shell Offshore Inc. and 12 other oil and gas companies to resume deepwater drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico without the need to submit revised exploration or development plans for supplemental National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.
Former NASA employee charged with exporting infrared military technology to South Korea
A former and longtime employee at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has been charged with illegally exporting infrared military technology to South Korea, though he is not accused of taking technology or related materials from the research center, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
December consumer prices up 0.5 percent due to gasoline
Sharply higher prices at the pump pushed overall consumer prices up at their fastest pace in a year and a half, though core prices, which strip out volatile food and energy costs, barely budged, a government report released on Friday showed.
Online dating is not just for kids, seniors say
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Jo Ann Montrose-Eichelberger, 55, never thought she would meet her second husband on an online dating site -- especially not one for seniors.
Volcker rule tests new systemic risk council
The new council of U.S. regulators will face a major test on Tuesday when it unveils recommendations on how to enforce one of the most recognizable if inscrutable aspects of the six-month-old Wall Street reform law: the Volcker rule.
Tablet shootout: Motorola Xoom vs RIM PlayBook
CES 2011 is over but Motorola Xoom still continues to wow the media, even as reports tumble out that the Xoom can act as a weatherman too but RIM is closing in with its PlayBook which received rave reviews at the event.
Retail sales rise in December, inflation calm
Sales at U.S. retailers rose slightly less than expected in December while underlying inflation remained calm, government reports showed on Friday.
Hasbro forecasts weak holiday qtr sales, shares fall
Hasbro Inc reported weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter sales as demand for its toys slackened late in the holiday season but backed its forecast for earnings and revenue growth in 2011.
JPMorgan profit rises 47 percent, beating estimates
JPMorgan Chase & Co reported a 47 percent increase in quarterly earnings, and said loan demand and trading profit could grow this year, boosting investor optimism that revenue for major banks will recover.
Aging China offers silver lining for investors
Retired professor Chen Chongyu and his wife Liu Zhenjuan dreamed of coming back to China from their daughter's home in France, but until last year the couple had nowhere to go.
India's Gujarat beckons investments worth $462 bln
As many as 7,936 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were inked at the fifth edition of the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011 in the western Indian city of Gandhinagar envisaging a whopping investment of $462 billion for Gujarat and expecting to create employment opportunities for about 5.2 million citizens.
NVIDIA-based GeForce Graphics Card Goes Wireless
European graphics card maker KFA2 (a subsidiary of Galaxy) has released a wireless graphics card that can transmit high-definition video up to 100 feet, eliminating the need for cables from the PC to the screen.
Markets flat as JPMorgan results offset Intel
U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday following a mixed reaction to earnings from JPMorgan and Intel and a modest rise in retail sales, but the S&P remained on track to notch a seventh straight week of gains.
