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Va. A.G. Jones Holds Press Conference on Firearm Industry Accountability Legislation
RICHMOND, Virginia, June 23 -- Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Attorney General Jay Jones Holds Press Conference on Firearm Industry Accountability Legislation
Today, Attorney General Jay Jones held a press conference in the historic Barbara Johns Building to announce the Office of the Attorney General's next steps in implementing Virginia's new firearm industry accountability law HB21/SB27. Attorney General Jay Jones was joined by Delegate Dan Helmer, City of Richmond Sheriff Antoinette Irving, Josh Scharff, General Counsel and
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RICHMOND, Virginia, June 23 -- Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Attorney General Jay Jones Holds Press Conference on Firearm Industry Accountability Legislation
Today, Attorney General Jay Jones held a press conference in the historic Barbara Johns Building to announce the Office of the Attorney General's next steps in implementing Virginia's new firearm industry accountability law HB21/SB27. Attorney General Jay Jones was joined by Delegate Dan Helmer, City of Richmond Sheriff Antoinette Irving, Josh Scharff, General Counsel andSenior Director of Program, Brady: Against Gun Violence, and 15-year-old community member Toreign Edmunds.
The new industry accountability law takes effect July 1 and establishes standards of conduct for the firearm industry, requiring them to have reasonable controls to prevent thefts, illegal sales, and gun trafficking. The bill provides a civil cause of action for victims and survivors of gun violence to go after bad actors, prohibitions against illegal marketing practices, and strong enforcement mechanisms for the Office of the Attorney General and localities. As part of the new law, the Attorney General will have new authority to issue Civil Investigative Demands and pursue legal actions against violators.
"Public safety isn't a privilege reserved for a select few. Every Virginian deserves to feel safe, and this law is going to make our communities safer," said Attorney General Jay Jones. "Accountability is the bedrock of our legal system, and firearm industry actors who are negligent and cause harm through unlawful or irresponsible practices will be held accountable by this office. Every victim, every loved one left behind, every neighborhood, deserves justice and this office will always be in service to the people of our Commonwealth."
Senate patron Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy said of the law, "When irresponsible manufacturers allow dangerous actors to bypass the law, or when lives are lost due to firearms getting into the wrong hands, the firearm industry members who distribute those weapons must be held responsible due to their failure to implement reasonable controls that will prevent suicide, mass shootings, and urban gun violence. This legislation is innovative, strategic, and targeted in its approach. The gun industry enjoys exclusive immunity and are shielded from liability from the death and destruction their products cause. Beginning July 1, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, that ends. I'm proud to have carried this groundbreaking bill along with Delegate Dan Helmer, and I'm grateful to collaborate with Attorney General Jones and all of these incredible partners to enforce the law and keep Virginia safe."
"As a veteran and a father, the safety of Virginias children is always my highest priority. Our law ensures that we are finally bringing the firearm industry in line with the same regulations governing nearly every other American manufacturer and distributer and holding them accountable for their products. I'm grateful for the leadership of Attorney General Jones, the law enforcement community, and the parents and advocates who have fight tirelessly to bring us a safer and fairer Virginia," said House patron Delegate Dan Helmer.
City of Richmond Sheriff Antoinette Irving said, "Local law enforcement has the responsibility to speak honestly about what we see. Preventing violence requires looking upstream, not just responding after tragedy occurs. Industry accountability is not about taking firearms away from law-abiding gun owners. It is about ensuring responsible business practices and preventing firearms from being diverted into illegal markets. Every gun that is prevented from reaching the wrong hands is one less shooting to investigate, one less family to notify, and one less victim entering our criminal justice system."
"Now is the time to shift the burden of gun violence away from the communities most impacted by it, and upstream to the gun industry businesses that are irresponsibly flooding communities with crime guns," said Josh Scharff, General Counsel and Senior Director of Program, Brady. "Brady thanks the Office of the Attorney General for its leadership, its choice to prioritize the lives of Virginians, and its commitment to gun violence prevention."
"As young people, we are tired of being told that violence is just a part of our reality," said Toreign Edmunds. "We deserve safe neighborhoods. We deserve to walk to school without fear. We deserve parks, community centers, and opportunities where we can focus on our dreams instead of our survival."
View the full livestream of the event here (https://www.youtube.com/live/o0OlohNqAJI).
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Original text here: https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/3049-attorney-general-jay-jones-holds-press-conference-on-firearm-industry-accountability-legislation
Utah Joins State Coalition Challenging California Plastics Law as Unconstitutional Overreach
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 23 -- Utah Attorney General Derek Brown issued the following news on June 22, 2026:
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Utah joins state coalition challenging California plastics law as unconstitutional overreach
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown has joined a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in support of a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of California to block the state's Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, arguing the law violates the U.S. Constitution and extends California's regulatory authority into every state in the country.
"California
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 23 -- Utah Attorney General Derek Brown issued the following news on June 22, 2026:
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Utah joins state coalition challenging California plastics law as unconstitutional overreach
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown has joined a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in support of a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of California to block the state's Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, arguing the law violates the U.S. Constitution and extends California's regulatory authority into every state in the country.
"Californiahas found a way to regulate the entire American economy without passing a federal law -- hand the authority to a private organization, collect the revenue, and prohibit businesses from telling their customers what it costs them," said Attorney General Brown. "That is not environmental policy. It is an unconstitutional combination of regulatory coercion and compelled silence, and it will not stand."
The Plastics Act imposes sweeping mandates on manufacturers, distributors, and companies that use packaging containing any plastic -- including packaging made from aluminum, cardboard, paper, glass, and wood -- and applies to businesses with no California operations, no California customers, and no meaningful connection to California markets. Businesses that want to continue selling into California must join the Circular Action Alliance, a private organization empowered to collect up to $500 million annually and dictate changes to product design, supply chains, and business practices -- with no meaningful oversight and no right of judicial review.
The lawsuit raises four constitutional claims: that the law violates the Commerce Clause by imposing unfairly apportioned fees and discriminating against interstate commerce; that it violates the Import-Export Clause by taxing goods that merely pass through California; that it violates the First Amendment by prohibiting businesses from disclosing to their customers, as a line item on a receipt, how much the law is costing them; and that it unconstitutionally delegates California's legislative, taxing, and enforcement authority to a private organization controlled in part by the nation's largest corporations.
"California is not entitled to pronounce nationwide policies," said Eric Hoplin, President and CEO of NAW. "Because the Act extends California's regulatory reach far beyond its borders and brings within its sweep conduct wholly unconnected to California, the Act violates principles of federalism, the horizontal separation of powers, and due process."
The coalition is seeking a declaratory judgment that the Plastics Act violates both the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution, and an injunction barring enforcement.
Joining Attorney General Brown are the attorneys general of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia.
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Original text here: https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/utah-challenges-california-plastics-law-constitutionality/
Okla. A.G. Drummond Congratulates Weaver on Appointment as Cleveland County Sheriff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, June 23 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Drummond congratulates Weaver on appointment as Cleveland County Sheriff
Attorney General Gentner Drummond today congratulated Darrell Weaver on his appointment as Cleveland County Sheriff.
"Darrell Weaver has spent his career protecting Oklahomans, and Cleveland County couldn't ask for a more qualified leader.
From his extensive service at Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics to his work in the Oklahoma Senate championing victims' rights, public safety and law enforcement,
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, June 23 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Drummond congratulates Weaver on appointment as Cleveland County Sheriff
Attorney General Gentner Drummond today congratulated Darrell Weaver on his appointment as Cleveland County Sheriff.
"Darrell Weaver has spent his career protecting Oklahomans, and Cleveland County couldn't ask for a more qualified leader.
From his extensive service at Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics to his work in the Oklahoma Senate championing victims' rights, public safety and law enforcement,Darrell has consistently shown what it means to serve with integrity and purpose.
I've been proud to work alongside him on issues that matter to Oklahomans, and I have no doubt he will bring that same commitment to excellence to the sheriff's office.
I congratulate Darrell on this well-deserved appointment and look forward to continuing our work together to keep Oklahoma communities safe."
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Original text here: https://oklahoma.gov/oag/news/newsroom/2026/june/drummond-congratulates-weaver-on-appointment-as-cleveland-county-sheriff.html
N.H. A.G. Formella: Former Attorney Justin Nadeau Sentenced to 7.5 to 15 Years in Prison for Financial Exploitation of a Disabled Adult, Falsifying Physical Evidence, and Forgery
CONCORD, New Hampshire, June 23 -- New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Former Attorney Justin Nadeau Sentenced to 7.5 to 15 Years in Prison for Financial Exploitation of a Disabled Adult, Falsifying Physical Evidence, and Forgery
Attorney General John M. Formella announces that former attorney Justin Nadeau of Rye, New Hampshire, has been sentenced in Rockingham County Superior Court following his conviction on April 1, 2026, by a Rockingham County Superior Court jury of one count of Theft by Deception, two counts of Financial
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CONCORD, New Hampshire, June 23 -- New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Former Attorney Justin Nadeau Sentenced to 7.5 to 15 Years in Prison for Financial Exploitation of a Disabled Adult, Falsifying Physical Evidence, and Forgery
Attorney General John M. Formella announces that former attorney Justin Nadeau of Rye, New Hampshire, has been sentenced in Rockingham County Superior Court following his conviction on April 1, 2026, by a Rockingham County Superior Court jury of one count of Theft by Deception, two counts of FinancialExploitation of a Disabled Adult, eleven counts of Falsification of Physical Evidence, and one count of Forgery.
Mr. Nadeau was sentenced to a total of 7.5 to 15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison. Mr. Nadeau's sentences consisted of two concurrent sentences of 5 to 10 years in the New Hampshire State Prison on the Financial Exploitation charges, as well as a consecutive sentence of 2.5 to 5 years in the New Hampshire State Prison on five of the Falsification of Physical Evidence charges.
Mr. Nadeau was also sentenced to a suspended sentence of 2.5 to 5 years on each of the remaining six Falsification of Physical Evidence charges and a suspended sentence of 3 to 6 years on the Forgery charge.
The evidence at trial established that between August 17 and August 22, 2018, Mr. Nadeau induced his now former client, who had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury, to loan him $275,000 under false pretenses. Mr. Nadeau subsequently induced this same client to provide him with a second loan on December 12, 2018.
After the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline Office ("ADO") began investigating Mr. Nadeau, he undertook efforts to conceal his misconduct from the ADO, including by fabricating documentation, producing false electronic file metadata, by destroying and/or concealing his computer, and by forging his then wife's signature to a backdated promissory note.
Investigator Daniel Mederos investigated the case. Senior Assistant Attorney General Alexander J. Kellermann prosecuted this case, along with victim advocate Courtney Sirois.
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Original text here: https://www.doj.nh.gov/news-and-media/former-attorney-justin-nadeau-sentenced-75-15-years-prison-financial-exploitation
Md. A.G. Brown Issues Updated Immigration Enforcement Guidance for Law Enforcement
BALTIMORE, Maryland, June 23 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Issues Updated Immigration Enforcement Guidance for Law Enforcement
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today released updated guidance for state and local law enforcement outlining their role in federal immigration enforcement. The updated guidance incorporates the requirements of the Community Trust Act, which became State law in May 2026, and other recently enacted laws.
The guidance is designed to help law enforcement agencies throughout
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, June 23 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Issues Updated Immigration Enforcement Guidance for Law Enforcement
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today released updated guidance for state and local law enforcement outlining their role in federal immigration enforcement. The updated guidance incorporates the requirements of the Community Trust Act, which became State law in May 2026, and other recently enacted laws.
The guidance is designed to help law enforcement agencies throughoutMaryland understand and comply with their obligations under both State and federal law while protecting individual constitutional rights and serving all Marylanders.
"Maryland has made clear through the Community Trust Act that our law enforcement agencies have one objective: keeping all Marylanders safe, including members of our immigrant communities," said Attorney General Brown. "This guidance gives every law enforcement agency in the State the clear direction they need to follow the law, keep our communities safe, and protect and serve all Marylanders."
The guidance applies to all State and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities and has been shared with those agencies today. Attorney General Brown is making the document publicly available in the interest of transparency. Key updates reflected in the guidance include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Local correctional facilities (including the pre-trial facilities run by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services) may not notify ICE of the custody status, or provide advance notice of release, of individuals without certain criminal convictions, absent a valid judicial warrant or court order;
* State correctional facilities must notify ICE within 48 hours before releasing an individual who is the subject of a detainer accompanied by a Form I-205 warrant of removal or deportation;
* Law enforcement officers generally may not share information obtained in the course of their duties with federal immigration authorities, with limited exceptions for court orders and criminal investigations. This prohibition does not apply to citizenship or immigration status information; and
* Units of state and local government are prohibited from entering into 287(g) agreements or other agreements authorizing the enforcement of civil immigration laws.
The guidance is available on the Office of the Attorney General's website at https://oag.maryland.gov/FederalActionsResponse/Pages/guidance-on-rights-and-protections-under-maryland-law.aspx.
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General-Brown-Issues-Updated-Immigration-Enforcement-Guidance-for-Law-Enforcement-.aspx
HAWAII A.G. DEPT.: FORMER HONOLULU CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $800,000 HAWAII FOODBANK FRAUD SCHEME
HONOLULU, Hawaii, June 23 -- The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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FORMER HONOLULU CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $800,000 HAWAII FOODBANK FRAUD SCHEME
The Department of the Attorney General's Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) has charged former City and County of Honolulu employee Dexter Kishida with Theft in the First Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in connection with an alleged scheme that caused the Hawaii Foodbank to expend approximately $800,000 based on false
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HONOLULU, Hawaii, June 23 -- The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General issued the following news release on June 22, 2026:
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FORMER HONOLULU CITY AND COUNTY EMPLOYEE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $800,000 HAWAII FOODBANK FRAUD SCHEME
The Department of the Attorney General's Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) has charged former City and County of Honolulu employee Dexter Kishida with Theft in the First Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in connection with an alleged scheme that caused the Hawaii Foodbank to expend approximately $800,000 based on falserepresentations that reimbursement funding was available. He was arrested today by SIPD on the charges.
The felony information case, filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, alleges that between December 2021 and August 2023, Kishida, while employed as the Food Security and Sustainability Program Manager for the City and County of Honolulu's Office of Economic Revitalization, represented to the Hawaii Foodbank that CARES Act funding was available and persuaded the organization to purchase and distribute approximately $800,000 worth of food for O'ahu residents. The Hawaii Foodbank was allegedly never reimbursed for those expenditures.
The charges further allege that Kishida created or altered a City and County purchase order and fabricated emails to make it appear that reimbursement was being processed, despite knowing there was no authorized contract or funding for the project.
"When public officials allegedly misuse their positions and provide false information that causes significant financial harm, we have a responsibility to investigate thoroughly and pursue accountability through the criminal justice system," said Attorney General Anne Lopez.
Theft in the First Degree is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct are class C felonies punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The case, State v. Dexter Kishida, 1CPC-26-0000756, is being prosecuted by SIPD Deputy Attorney General Cheuk Fu Lui. Arraignment is scheduled for June 29, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.
Kishida is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Original text here: https://ag.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/News-Release-2026-35.pdf
Attorney General Griffin Sues Roblox and Discord for Knowingly Profiting from Putting Children at Risk
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, June 23 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Griffin Sues Roblox and Discord for Knowingly Profiting from Putting Children at Risk
Griffin: 'Roblox left the front door unlocked, and Discord handed predators a private room. Arkansas children paid the price. That stops now'
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Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed suit against Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc., two of the most-cited platforms in federal child exploitation prosecutions, for years of deliberate deception and reckless product design that transformed
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LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, June 23 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Griffin Sues Roblox and Discord for Knowingly Profiting from Putting Children at Risk
Griffin: 'Roblox left the front door unlocked, and Discord handed predators a private room. Arkansas children paid the price. That stops now'
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Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed suit against Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc., two of the most-cited platforms in federal child exploitation prosecutions, for years of deliberate deception and reckless product design that transformedthe internet's most popular children's gaming site into one of the most dangerous places online. Griffin issued the following statement:
"These companies didn't stumble into a child safety problem. They engineered one. Roblox built a platform with no age verification, no meaningful parental consent, and an algorithm that routed children directly toward the spaces where predators were waiting. Discord built a platform that lets children override parental monitoring with a single tap and hands anonymous strangers direct access to kids. Both companies knew exactly what was happening on their platforms. Both companies chose profit over the safety of Arkansas children. Both companies told parents -repeatedly and falsely -that their platforms were safe. Roblox left the front door unlocked, and Discord handed predators a private room. Arkansas children paid the price. That stops now."
Background
Roblox, which reports 144 million daily active users with about 40% under age 13, has for years assured parents that its platform is the "#1 safe gaming site for kids." That is simply not true. Roblox deliberately withheld age-verification technology it already possessed, rejected employee proposals to warn children of grooming behavior because such warnings would reduce engagement metrics, suppressed safety costs as its revenue grew, and paid over $900 million annually to the developers who built the sexually explicit "experiences" that pervaded the platform. Roblox's own mandatory reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children documented 675 instances of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2019 alone. By 2023, that number had climbed to more than 13,000 -a nearly twentyfold increase that Roblox's alleged safety investments did nothing to reverse.
Discord, with over 200 million monthly active users and an average user age of 16, has served as the escalation platform in the predatory pipeline. Discord deliberately engineered its product in a way that exposes children: it designed its "Family Center" to put children, not parents, in control of whether any monitoring occurs at all; it set its default message-filtering settings to allow adult "friends" to send unscreened content directly to children; and it made "zero-tolerance" safety representations that it knew to be false. Discord's own transparency reports document that child safety violations on its platform increased 150% in a single quarter.
Roblox and Discord function together as a two-stage predatory pipeline: Roblox serves as the point of first contact, where predators pose as children, build trust, and groom victims. Discord serves as the escalation environment, where predators solicit explicit images, conduct sextortion, and, in dozens of documented cases, arrange in-person meetings that resulted in rape and other violent sexual assault. Both companies are fully aware of this pipeline. Rather than stop it, they have created software that more fully integrates the two products: Roblox permits Discord server links in game pages, allows Discord usernames in user profiles, and Discord enables Roblox account linking. Roblox's own 2017 developer communications acknowledged the danger of linking children to Discord, then reversed course and actively permitted the integration.
The lawsuit is brought under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Arkansas's public nuisance law, and common law unjust enrichment. The State seeks injunctive relief, monetary damages, and the return of each company's wrongful profits derived from Arkansas consumers.
"I want to thank the men and women in Arkansas law enforcement who are fighting on the front lines every day to protect children from the kinds of behavior Roblox and Discord have facilitated," Griffin added. "And I especially thank the staff of my Consumer Protection Division for their work on this case."
To read the complaint, click here.
To download a PDF of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state's 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas's Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master's degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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Original text here: https://arkansasag.gov/news-release/attorney-general-griffin-sues-roblox-and-discord-for-knowingly-profiting-from-putting-children-at-risk/
