San Diego, California - A federal grand jury in San Diego has returned an indictment against eight defendants for their alleged roles in a federal racketeering conspiracy. The indictment alleges the defendants were members and associates of a criminal enterprise that defrauded elderly Americans by making them falsely believe that a grandchild (or other close relative) was in trouble and needed their help. The elderly victims each paid thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to the criminal organization in this scheme.

Washington, DC - The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement with Ascension Health Alliance (Ascension), a Missouri-based health care organization with more than 2,600 sites – including 146 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Jackson, Mississippi - A Mississippi pharmacist pleaded guilty today and a Louisiana marketer pleaded guilty on August 12 in the Southern District of Mississippi for their roles in a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary prescriptions. The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings, including more than $50 million paid by federal health care programs. 

Washington, DC - Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State: "On behalf of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes to the people of Malaysia on the occasion of your National Day on August 31.

Escondido, California - 

 

Sacramento, California - At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana, Governor Gavin Newsom today approved the deployment of urban search and rescue (US&R) specialized personnel to the region to assist in life-saving disaster response. California maintains robust search and rescue resources within the state and the deployment does not draw from resources in use to combat wildfires.