CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release: The former Chief Operating Officer of a suburban Chicago company that sold Covid-19 testing kits has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly embezzling at least $1.8 million in company funds. DENNIS W. HAGGERTY, JR. issued fraudulent payments from the Willowbrook, Ill.-based company's bank account for services and goods purportedly provided by hims  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release on Dec. 21, 2023: A federal jury today convicted former City of Chicago Alderman EDWARD M. BURKE on racketeering, bribery, and extortion charges for allegedly abusing his position while an alderman to solicit and extort private legal work and other benefits from companies and individuals with business before the city. Burke, 79, of Chicago, was found guilty on 1  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release on Dec. 21, 2023: An Illinois nurse removed liquid morphine prescribed to a patient and diluted it with another liquid, knowing the diluted substance would be dispensed to the patient, according to a federal indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. NICKOLE BUTLER was employed as a registered nurse at a skilled nursing facility. The indictment  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release: A man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for trafficking heroin and cocaine in the Chicago area. From 2015 to 2022, ALFONSO HIDALGO-GOMEZ obtained heroin and cocaine from Mexico and distributed the narcotics in the Chicago area. During his trafficking activities in the Chicago area, Hidalgo-Gomez was accountable for distributing at least 13.4 k  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release: Two suburban Chicago physicians have been sentenced to federal prison for prescribing opioids to individuals who lacked a legitimate medical need for the drugs. STANLEY DAVID DEMOREST managed Demorest Consultants LLC, a medical practice in Melrose Park, Ill. NICHOLAS RECCHIA was employed there as a physician. From 2015 to 2020, Demorest and Recchia agreed to di  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), today will announce the 22 finalists of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete). Recompete targets the hardest-hit and most economically distressed areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment is significantly lower th  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), today will announce the 22 finalists of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete). Recompete targets the hardest-hit and most economically distressed areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment is significantly lower than the national average, with the goal  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement on Dec. 21, 2023, by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on an action entitled "Data Breach Reporting Requirements, Report and Order" (WC Docket No. 22-21): * * * It has been sixteen years since the Federal Communications Commission last updated its policies to protect consumers from data breaches. Sixteen years! To be clear, that was before the iPhone was introduced. There were no smart phones, there was no  more

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Dec. 21 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will host its seventh annual Regional Economic Conditions Conference on January 12, 2024. The half-day conference will feature Mortenson Construction Chairman David Mortenson, who will talk with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari about the economic challenges and opportunities in the construction sector. The conference will a  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The Chicago Housing Authority issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $778,477 to the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Tuesday for 55 vouchers that will help youth with a history of foster care involvement who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness and families whose lack of adequate housing is the primary reason their children are in foster care. CHA is one of 13 public housing aut  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed a consent decree resolving a lawsuit the office filed against a deli meat processing company based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The settlement requires Greenridge Farm Inc. (Greenridge) to pay $3 million in back wages and damages to resolve allegations that Greenridge failed to pay overtime wages to over 282 now-current and former em  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) are urging the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court's opinion barring employees of a Chicago manufacturing company from recovering overtime wages and penalty fees they argue should have been paid. Raoul, along with the IDOL, filed an amicus brief in Mercado v. S&C Electric Company (S&C) to ensure that the  more

ROMEOVILLE, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news release: In order to celebrate the addition of a new job creator in the community, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, attended the groundbreaking ceremony last week for the new Hollywood Casino at the Rock Run Collection property. The $185 million project is expected to bring nearly a thousand permanent and temporary jobs into the Joliet area as well as millions of dollars in new economic activity. In addi  more

AURORA, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news release: State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, is announcing the release of $95 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to expand Illinois' passenger rail system, including major renovations for Chicago's Union Station. "Illinois, and our region especially, is not only an indispensable link in the supply chain for our entire nation, it is a focal point for public transit via passenger rail. The  more

EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news release: State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is announcing that three local school districts have received a total of over $10,000 in grants from the Secretary of State. "School libraries are indispensable resources that help enrich the lives and careers of everyone in a community," Stuart said. "Helping support them is never not a worthwhile investment, which is why I'm so pleased to share that thr  more

EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois, Dec. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois issued the following news release: A federal grand jury returned an eleven-count indictment charging a former attorney for multiple instances of wire fraud in which he is alleged to have embezzled more than an estimated $1 million from a Belleville law firm and its client trust account. Jason R. Caraway, 49, is facing 11 counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Caraway could face up to 20 year  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- The Illinois State Treasurer issued the following news release: An early holiday gift surprised The Salvation Army of Illinois and will help thousands of people in need. Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned $64,500 in I-CASH missing money to The Salvation Army, the charitable organization with a global reach widely known for its iconic Red Kettle Christmas fundraising campaign. The Salvation Army is the largest non-government provider of social servi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: BioTelemetry Inc. and its subsidiary, LifeWatch Services Inc., headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Rosemont, Illinois, respectively, (collectively LifeWatch), have agreed to pay more than $14.7 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting claims to federal health care programs for a higher level of remote cardiac monitoring than physicians had intend  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 21 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: The Office of the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that the Bureau of Securities has joined a multi-state settlement with two Florida- based broker-dealers that have agreed to pay at least $8.25 million in refunds to investors who were charged unreasonable commission fees on small-dollar transactions. In New Jersey, investors aff  more

NEW YORK, Dec. 21 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2023: New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of attorneys general and localities in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of Kentucky v. EPA (https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/amicus-curiae/air-pollution-amici-br.pdf) to defend the U.S Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority under the Clean Air Act to ensure  more

BETHESDA, Maryland, Dec. 21 -- President Biden issued the following remarks on Dec. 19, 2023, at a campaign reception: * * * THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello. Thank you, Governor Wes Moore, for that introduction. I tell you, I was ready to hear another hour or so. (Laughter.) Thank you very much. And I want to thank you for -- the First Lady, Dawn, for putting up with you all these years. (Laughter.) Look, the fact is that, you know, you have -- do have a great Lieutenant Governor. She i  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois issued the following news release: An Alton, Illinois, man, Randy Bull, 41, was sentenced on December 13, 2023, to 222 months' imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to escape from an institution, and conspiracy to possess contraband in prison. At the sentencing hearing, the government presented eviden  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following news: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) made monumental strides in advancing the clean energy goals of the Biden-Harris Administration. Through hundreds of funding announcements to make clean energy more accessible in every state, investments in scientific research, historic groundbreakings, and celebratory ribbon cuttings, DOE has been hard at work to combat the climate crisis, lower costs   more