White Collar Crime

• Jury hears audio of Stevens fretting about inquiry
  AP (October 06, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Ted Stevens and wealthy businessman Bill Allen had several phone conversations in 2006 in which they fretted over being the target of an FBI investigation, according to audiotapes played Monday at the senator's corruption trial.
   
  
• Judge lets Stevens trial go on, considers mistrial
  AP (October 06, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge said Monday the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens will go forward despite another request to throw out the case.
   
  
• Democrats question independence of prosecutor
  AP (October 03, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic lawmakers on Friday questioned the independence a veteran federal prosecutor named to investigate whether laws were broken in the partisan political firings of U.S. attorneys.
   
  
• Judge considers mistrial in Stevens case
  AP (October 02, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge angrily halted the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens on Thursday after the Alaska lawmaker's attorney accused prosecutors of withholding evidence that would help their case.
   
  
• Former La. judge gets 10 years for corruption
  AP (October 02, 2008)
  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A former Louisiana judge has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.
   
  
• Senator's thank-you notes seen at corruption trial
  AP (October 01, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal prosecutors on Wednesday showed jurors thank-you notes that they say prove Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens knew he was getting free home renovations from his friend, an Alaska oil pipeline contractor.
   
  
• Prosecutors deny misconduct in Stevens trial
  AP (September 30, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - With the star witness against Sen. Ted Stevens due to testify Tuesday, prosecutors denied allegations they secretly shuttled another key witness back to Alaska so he wouldn't hurt their corruption case against the lawmaker.
   
  
• Judge slams government tactics in Stevens case
  AP (September 29, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge angrily rebuked the Justice Department on Monday for mishandling a witness against Sen. Ted Stevens, a dispute that delayed and initially threatened to derail the case against the Alaska senator.
   
  
• No grand jury likely for Gonzales
  AP (September 29, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A report on a Justice Department investigation into the controversial firings of U.S. attorneys is harshly critical of the politically charged dismissals but does not recommend referring the role of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to a grand jury for possible criminal charges, according to published reports.
   
  
• Cabin remodel detailed at Stevens corruption trial
  AP (September 26, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Employees of an oil services firm testified Friday that they spent hundreds of hours remodeling the Alaska cabin of Sen. Ted Stevens - labor that prosecutors say wasn't paid for or reported by the veteran lawmaker.
   
  
• Appeals court reviews ruling on former Qwest CEO
  AP (September 25, 2008)
  DENVER (AP) - The insider trading conviction of former Qwest Chief Executive Joe Nacchio is going back to court.
   
  
• Court mulls if Jefferson indictment is tainted
  AP (September 24, 2008)
  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A Louisiana congressman accused of taking bribes challenged his indictment before a federal appeals court Wednesday, claiming grand jury testimony infringed on his constitutionally protected activities.
   
  
• Probe: Medicare paid billions in suspect claims
  AP (September 24, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - The government paid more than $1 billion in questionable Medicare claims for medical supplies that showed little relation to a patient's condition, including blood glucose strips for sexual impotence and special diabetic shoes for leg amputees, congressional investigators say.
   
  
• Jury picked in Stevens case; Openings set Thursday
  AP (September 24, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Ted Stevens' jury has been chosen in his corruption trial.
   
  
• Stevens asks to skip court during financial mess
  AP (September 23, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - With Congress rushing to stop a meltdown in the U.S. financial market, Sen. Ted Stevens says he may have to skip out of his corruption trial from time to time.
   
  
• Powerful lawmakers on Stevens trial witness list
  AP (September 22, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - The corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens could provide a parade of powerful witnesses, from former Secretary of State Colin Powell to Sens. Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy.
   
  
• Gov. contractor pleads guilty to passport snooping
  AP (September 22, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A State Department contractor has pleaded guilty to illegally looking at the passport information of nearly 200 celebrities, athletes, actors and politicians over a three-year period.
   
  
• Stevens arrives for start of corruption trial
  AP (September 22, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has arrived in federal court to begin what could be the most important battle of his long career, defending himself against corruption charges in Washington while running for re-election back in Alaska.
   
  
• Fla. authorities say they can't prove Foley case
  AP (September 19, 2008)
  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Florida authorities closed their case against Rep. Mark Foley on Friday, saying he won't face charges for allegedly sending salacious computer messages to underage male pages because prosecutors couldn't prove the authenticity of the chats.
   
  
• Judge: Stevens can get witness's medical records
  AP (September 18, 2008)
  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge says Sen. Ted Stevens can probe the mental health of the government's star witness in the corruption trial against the Alaska icon.
   
  
• Croatian professors snared in bribery probe
  AP (September 18, 2008)
  ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Police raided several universities in the Croatian capital Thursday and questioned dozens of professors suspected of taking bribes to give students passing exam grades.
   
  
• Detroit mayor drives away from mansion on last day
  AP (September 18, 2008)
  DETROIT (AP) - With a wave, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick drove away from the Manoogian Mansion on his last day in office.
   
  
• Detroit mayor's name replaced on zoo water tower
  AP (September 17, 2008)
  ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) - Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's name no longer is in its prominent place at the Detroit Zoo.
   
  
• Special election set to fill Detroit mayor's term
  AP (September 16, 2008)
  DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit City Council says a special election will be held next year to fill the balance of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's term.
   
  
• Attorney: NY swindler who fled still not competent
  AP (September 16, 2008)
  WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - A hedge-fund swindler accused of faking his own death is not yet competent to enter his long-expected guilty plea for skipping out on a 20-year prison term, his attorney said Tuesday.
   
  
• Ex-immigration official pleads to corruption
  AP (September 16, 2008)
  DETROIT (AP) - A former federal official accused of accepting bribes to release illegal immigrants has pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in Detroit.
   
  
• Ex-Ga. rep to serve 63 months for money laundering
  AP (September 16, 2008)
  ATLANTA (AP) - A former Georgia state lawmaker has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for defrauding his church and for money laundering.
   
  
• Man accused of being fake lawyer won't defend self
  AP (September 16, 2008)
  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A man accused of impersonating a lawyer in federal courts in at least 10 states has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges - and won't be representing himself at trial.
   
  
• Greek minister resigns after business allegations
  AP (September 12, 2008)
  ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece's merchant marine minister resigned Friday after days of being accused of unethical business deals, the government said.
   
  
• Israeli leader to resign 'immediately' after vote
  AP (September 11, 2008)
  JERUSALEM (AP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will step down immediately after his party chooses a successor this month, a confidant said Thursday, shooting down speculation the Israeli leader would try to linger in office for months.
   
  
• Judge cuts Abramoff's Fla. sentence by 2 years
  AP (September 10, 2008)
  MIAMI (AP) - A federal judge agreed Wednesday to shave two years from former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff's prison sentence for a fraudulent Florida casino boat deal because of his extensive cooperation in that case and a wide-ranging political corruption probe that upended Washington politics.
   
  
• New Detroit mayor transition begins with meetings
  AP (September 09, 2008)
  DETROIT (AP) - With just under two weeks until disgraced Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick steps down as part of a plea deal in two criminal cases, his successor is putting his own mark on the position of leader of the nation's 11th largest city.
   
  
• French court to try Church of Scientology
  AP (September 09, 2008)
  PARIS (AP) - The Church of Scientology and seven of its top members are to stand trial in Paris on fraud charges after an investigation into allegations by a former member that the church swindled her out of more than $28,000.