Announcements, information & updates from
the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
November 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced charges against three New Mexico State University (NMSU) basketball players for hazing incidents resulting in criminal charges that occurred throughout the fall of 2022. |
|
|
|
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the new “Support Adoption” License Plate and Support Adoption Grant Program, administered by the Office of the Attorney General, which will provide funds to eligible non-profits offering adoption services. |
|
|
|
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a settlement with consumer lender MoneyLion after an investigation by the Colorado Department of Law found the company collected illegal membership fees from Colorado consumers tied to loans. The settlement includes $271,000 in restitution for Coloradans. |
|
|
|
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that action taken by his Special Prosecutions Unit resulted in a guilty plea by an individual from Mount Hermon for election law violations related to the 2022 primary election. |
|
|
|
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced that a successful murder trial has completed the State’s four-year prosecution against a major Wilmington-area gang with a 100% conviction rate. The State’s efforts have secured more than 100 years of confirmed prison time, and several defendants yet to be sentenced face multiple potential life sentences. |
|
|
|
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced additional charges against a Maryland inmate already charged for his role in a drone contraband conspiracy at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI)
in Hagerstown, Maryland. This individual is alleged to have created a fake court commitment document and impersonated a representative from the Office of the State’s Attorney in an attempt to secure his unlawful early release from prison.
|
|
|
|
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced an effort to increase ease of use for law enforcement and transparency for the public through changes to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) training and records portal. |
|
|
|
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has awarded $780,000 to 13 non-profit legal service organizations as part of her Immigrant Legal Services Grant Program. |
|
|
|
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced she filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo Inc. "for harming the public and the environment with its single-use plastic packaging." |
|
|
|
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his Office has reached an agreement with Investment Property Group, UT, Inc., that provides relief to tenants facing utility charges or collections. |
|
|
|
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein sued Oquirrh Mountain Phlebotomy School in Wilmington for allegedly falsely advertising their phlebotomy certification program without telling students the program is not licensed by the state. |
|
|
|
According to a report from ESPN, "[A] law firm engaged by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Wednesday sent a demand letter to the NCAA, obtained by ESPN, that threatens legal action if James Madison's "exclusion from bowl consideration in 2023" isn't reversed." |
|
|
|
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced her Office of Statewide Prosecution secured an eight-year prison sentence and restitution order for the leader of an organized retail theft ring. The individual operated a theft ring in 15 counties, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses to Home Depot stores. In addition to the prison sentence, he was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution on charges of grand theft. |
|
COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD EXPLOITATION
|
|
|
|
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced investigators with his Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit arrested a Blackfoot man for alleged sexual exploitation of a child. |
|
|
|
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that his office "charged a Knox County man with solicitation and possession of child pornography." |
|
|
|
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced several actions taken by his office related to combating child exploitation. |
|
|
|
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced that an individual was arraigned on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. |
|
OPIOIDS AND ILLICIT DRUGS |
|
|
|
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter to local leaders statewide addressing the millions of dollars local jurisdictions will receive from opioid settlements for the specific purpose of abating the opioid crisis. Responding to questions and concerns from local officials, the letter emphasizes the importance of implementing long-term strategies to address the crisis, as well as reinforcing the settlement terms. |
|
|
|
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the plea and sentencing of two individuals, both of Baltimore, Maryland, on charges of participation in a criminal organization and distribution of
fentanyl. The charges relate to a long-term investigation into a criminal enterprise that was operating and distributing large quantities of heroin and fentanyl in Southwest Baltimore
|
|
|
|
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced an individual was sentenced in the 19th Circuit Court in Manistee County to 8-40 years’ incarceration for Delivery Causing Death for providing fentanyl to a 30-year-old Manistee man who overdosed in April of 2020. |
|
|
|
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced he is granting $50 million of the state’s opioid settlement funds to help establish the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR, pronounced ‘encore’) at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. |
|
|
|
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced his Organized Crime Task Force, established earlier this year, seized more than 36 tons of illegal marijuana in searches conducted in Wagoner County and Lincoln County. |
|
|
|
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Woonsocket man has been charged with possessing a ghost gun and drug trafficking following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, the Rhode Island Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Providence Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit. |
|
|
|
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced the finalization of a $102 million settlement with a major drug store chain related to the opioid epidemic. |
|
CYBERSECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY |
|
|
|
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark announced a $6.5 million settlement with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC related to the compromising of the personal information of its customers. |
|
|
|
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes led a coalition of 26 attorneys general in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and congressional leaders, urging the federal government to prioritize and provide financial and humanitarian assistance to Israel. |
|
|
|
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter to all public Virginia College and University Presidents encouraging them to step up and protect their Jewish students. |
|
|
|
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey led an 18-State coalition in filing an amicus brief related to the gag order in United States v Trump. |
|
|
|
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the case of Zurawski v. Texas.
|
|
|
|
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v Food and Drug Administration.
|
|
|
|
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody led a coalition of 26 states in writing a letter to Congress regarding H.R. 1337 - the Immigration Enforcement Partnership Act of 2023. |
|
|
|
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach led a coalition of 24 state attorneys general in sending a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Labor related to the H-2A program. |
|
|
|
California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition of 11 state attorneys general in sending a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Labor related to the H-2A program. |
|
|
|
Each year, Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor presents the Pro Bono Award to a member of the Alaska Bar who provides outstanding pro bono legal representation to victims of domestic violence. This year it went to Alaska AAG Ben Hofmeister based on his long and distinguished pro bono service.
“The Department is proud to have such a selfless and skilled colleague in our ranks,” said Attorney General Taylor. “Ben is cherished by those around him for his camaraderie, vast wealth of knowledge and effortless cool. I couldn’t be more pleased to give Ben this award. Thank you, Ben, for your dedication to Pro Bono work.”
|
|
|
|
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that he has appointed Kevin D. Lutz to serve as Director of the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards. The appointment becomes effective on January 1, 2024, when current director Christina M. Glogoff assumes a senior leadership position within the Division of Law. |
|
|
|
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his appointment of Aaron Nielson as Solicitor General. |
|
|
|
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley congratulated the 44 students who will graduate Friday from the state Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course as they complete a 13-week training program and became fully qualified law enforcement officers in the state.
The training program is taught by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies from across the state.
|
AG Marty Jackley announced that South Dakota Assistant Attorney General Nolan Welker was named as one of the members of the University of South Dakota Alumni's 30 Under 30 Class for 2023! |
|
|
|
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Christine Doktor as Director and Ryan Mingo as Deputy Director of the office’s new Gun Violence Prevention Unit (GVPU). The GVPU is tasked with enforcing the Commonwealth’s gun and consumer protection laws. |
|
|
|
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody inducted Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Lilly Pulitzer and Audrey Schiebler into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame for significant contributions to the citizens of Florida. |
|
|
|
The Snap team will be hosting an LEO Summit where they will share more about how Snapchat works to support law enforcement, best practices for communicating with them, key privacy and safety features, a Q&A session, and more.
The Summit will be on December 6, 2023 from 1-3pm EST.
|
|
|
|
The American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law announced that Stephen Cobb, a member at the law firm of Cozen O’Connor, has been appointed as the section’s inaugural Democracy Fellow to the Defending Democracy Initiative. |
|
|
|
If you are interested in other Attorney General Alliance and Conference of Western Attorneys General newsletters, follow the link below to sign up! |
|
Attorney General Alliance
5050 Laguna Blvd | Ste. 112-323 | Elk Grove, CA 95758
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
