DOJ watchdog finds 187 inmate suicides in federal prisons over 8-year period
Over an eight-year period, 344 inmates in federal prisons died from suicide, homicide, or accidents.
The report identified numerous operational and managerial deficiencies in the federal Bureau of Prisons that contributed to unsafe conditions and deaths in custody. [ more ]
U.S. charges 3 for alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill Iranian defector in Maryland
The U.S. Justice Department has charged an Iranian national and two Canadians for plotting to assassinate an Iranian defector in Maryland.
This is at least the third Iran-based murder-for-hire plot prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department since 2022.
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the Iranian national, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, and described him as a drug trafficker who targets Iranian dissidents for assassination and kidnapping. [ more ]
Speaker Johnson Claims Biden Special Counsel Report Found the President Broke The Law' It Word For Word Says The Opposite
House Speaker Mike Johnson claims Special Counsel Robert Hur found President Biden broke the law but won't be charged due to limitations on his memory.
Johnson accuses the Justice Department of double standards and expresses concern about an unfit president handling classified information. [ more ]
Change Is In The Air For Boston Real Estate Commissions Boston Condos For Sale Ford Realty
The Justice Department pushed for changes in a Boston-based lawsuit over broker commissions to promote competition by eliminating offers to buyer brokers.
Boston condo buyers may have increased responsibility for negotiating costs with buyer brokers due to settlement terms not automatically assigning commission costs to sellers. [ more ]
How Justice Dept. special counsel policies let Hur critique Biden's memory
Special counsel Robert K. Hur's final report concludes that Joe Biden mishandled classified materials in 2017, but there was not enough proof that he intended to break the law.
The report also highlights President Biden's allegedly faulty memory, sparking criticism and backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike. [ more ]
Harris slams politically motivated' comments on Biden's memory
Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the Justice Department report on Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents, calling it politically motivated.
The report found evidence that Biden held onto and shared highly classified information, but did not recommend criminal charges due to lack of intent. [ more ]
Healthcare mogul Esformes cuts plea deal with feds: no more prison time, but heavy fines
Philip Esformes, a convicted healthcare mogul, had his 20-year sentence commuted by President Trump in a Medicare fraud case.
Esformes reached a plea agreement with the Justice Department, pleading guilty to the conspiracy count and seeing five other charges dismissed. [ more ]
As she leaves DOJ, associate AG recalls the cases that will 'stick with me forever'
Vanita Gupta, the associate attorney general, describes the fast-paced nature of her job at the Justice Department and the range of issues she deals with.
Gupta discusses the emotional toll of meeting with victims of gun violence and the importance of supporting survivors and first responders. [ more ]
Apple poised to face antitrust lawsuit from DOJ as early as March
The Justice Department is preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple in March, accusing the company of using anticompetitive practices to protect the dominance of the iPhone.
The DOJ has been investigating whether Apple has leveraged its products to ensure the iPhone's hold on the smartphone market. [ more ]
Wyden pressures Justice Department to let Apple, Google reveal foreign governments' legal demands
Senator Ron Wyden is urging the Justice Department to allow Apple and Google to share information on their users that foreign governments force them to reveal.
Wyden wants the companies to be able to reveal whether they have been compelled to facilitate surveillance, publish aggregate statistics on the demands they receive, and notify specific customers about demands for their data. [ more ]
The Justice Department appointed Jonathan Mayer as its first chief AI officer to address AI's impact on law enforcement.
Mayer will be responsible for building a team of experts in cybersecurity and AI, as well as serving as the chief science and technology advisor. [ more ]
Many Suicides in Prisons Could Have Been Averted, Justice Dept. Watchdog Says
The Justice Department's watchdog report reveals that dozens of inmates, including Jeffrey Epstein, have died in federal prisons due to poor supervision and monitoring.
The report found that many of the deaths, including suicides, could have been prevented with appropriate mental health assessments and adherence to departmental guidelines for housing at-risk inmates. [ more ]
DoJ moves to address disparities in state crime victim funds
The Justice Department proposed changes to state-run programs that provide financial assistance to violent crime victims to address racial disparities and curb subjective denials.
The changes would bar states from considering a victim's criminal history and eliminate subjective reasons for denials. [ more ]
Justice Department finds Cuomo sexually harassed employees, settles with New York state
The U.S. Justice Department has reached a settlement with the state of New York regarding the sexual harassment investigation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The agreement outlines reforms and additional steps the state will take to address sexual harassment claims. [ more ]
Justice Department Report Finds 'Cascading Failures' And 'No Urgency' During Uvalde, Texas, Shooting
Police officials in Uvalde, Texas failed to respond urgently and treat the school shooting as an active shooter situation.
The Justice Department report identifies problems with communication, leadership, technology, and training that contributed to the prolonged crisis. [ more ]
Police response to Uvalde school shooting 'demonstrated no urgency,' plagued by 'cascading failures': Justice Department
Police in Uvalde, Texas, demonstrated no urgency in responding to the deadly school shooting and failed to treat it as an active shooter situation.
The Justice Department report identifies a range of problems, including failed communication, leadership, inadequate technology, and training, that contributed to the prolonged crisis. [ more ]
DOJ to seek death penalty for gunman in Buffalo supermarket mass shooting
The Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the white gunman who killed 10 African Americans in a racially motivated massacre in Buffalo, NY in 2022.
This is the first time the Biden administration has sought the death penalty in a new case. [ more ]
Menendez, in Defiant Speech, Says Bribery Case Against Him Is Baseless'
Senator Menendez denies charges of accepting bribes and accuses the Justice Department of targeting him in a smear campaign.
He warns his colleagues that they could be next and criticizes the government's approach as potentially criminalizing advocating for foreign governments. [ more ]
House Oversight unveils contempt of Congress resolution against Hunter Biden
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has released a contempt of Congress resolution for Hunter Biden, accusing him of breaking federal law by skipping his interview with the committee.
If adopted, the resolution would allow House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to take action and refer Hunter Biden to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. [ more ]
U.S. Charges 4 Russian Soldiers With War Crimes Against an American
The Justice Department has charged four Russian soldiers with torturing an American in Ukraine, using a war crimes statute for the first time in nearly three decades.
The indictment could lead to more charges against Russians involved in atrocities in the region, and the department is investigating the murder of Americans by Hamas fighters in Israel.
The victim in the Ukraine case was brutally beaten and threatened with sexual assault, with one episode involving a mock execution. [ more ]
Prosecutors push back against Hunter Biden's move to subpoena Trump documents in gun case
Prosecutors are opposing Hunter Biden's move to subpoena documents from Donald Trump and former Justice Department officials in his firearms case.
They argue that Hunter Biden doesn't have enough evidence to support his claims of potential political interference in the investigation against him. [ more ]