Sacramento, California - The California Department of Public Health and California Governor Gavin Newsom today released guidance on the closure of bars for counties on the County Monitoring List. The Department recommends that counties on the County Monitoring List for three or more consecutive days, but less than 14 days, close bars through local health officer order (or do not allow for the opening if bars have not yet been allowed to open in the county). Counties which have been on the list for 14 days or more are required to immediately close bars.

Houston, Texas - A Houston pharmacist and his wife were sentenced Thursday for their roles in an approximately $21.8 million Department of Labor (DOL) - Office of Workers Compensation Programs and Federal Employees Compensation Act fraud scheme.

Washington, DC - Novartis Hellas S.A.C.I. (Novartis Greece), a subsidiary of Novartis AG, a Switzerland-based global pharmaceutical company, and Alcon Pte Ltd, a former subsidiary of Novartis AG and current subsidiary of Alcon Inc., a multinational eye care company, have agreed to pay a combined total of more than $233 million in criminal monetary penalties to resolve the department’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Washington, DC - Assistant Attorney General Beth A. Williams issued the following statement today on the Senate’s confirmation of the 200th Article III judge under the Trump Administration.  Earlier this week, Williams penned an op-ed noting that the administration’s judicial appointments have earned the American Bar Association’s “Well Qualified” rating at nearly the highest rate in five decades.

Washington, DC - A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment Wednesday charging Julian P. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, with offenses that relate to Assange’s alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.

Las Vegas, Nevada - Gareth David Long, 41, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison for running a scheme to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of consumers, the Department of Justice announced.