Conflict of Interest Declared During Criminal investigation Into Fatal Shooting at Boy Scout Camp

The prosecutor’s office has declared a conflict of interest in the criminal investigation into the death of an 11-year-old who was fatally shot at a Hawaii Boy Scout camp in August.

The prosecutor’s office confirms they notified the state Attorney General’s office last week that staff and their family members were at the rifle range the day of the accidental shooting of Manuel Carvalho—and are considered witnesses.

The state Attorney General’s office will now have to decide if they will keep the criminal investigation or send it to another county agency for review. Carvalho was shot when another boy, who police said was unsupervised, picked up a loaded AK-47 semi-automatic rifle at the range. When the boy set the gun back down, it went off and the bullet struck Carvalho in the head. Police said they referred 23 firearms-related offenses against three men who were at the scene.

All 23 offenses appear to be for alleged gun crimes at the range, mostly unrelated to the accidental shooting death. The Carvalho family indicated in court filings they want more information to help understand the events that unfolded.

This story once again demonstrates the critical importance of investigations in cases like this. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: (READ THE ARTICLE)

by

US DOL Investigation, Litigation Leads to $2M Settlement

Investigation Litigation Leads to $2M Settlement

The fiduciaries of an international design firm in Moorestown, New Jersey must pay more than $2 million to restore mismanaged assets to the company’s retirement plan and in penalties after the U.S. Department of Labor agreed to a settlement following an investigation and litigation.

An investigation by the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration determined that InterArch Inc. and Shirley and Vernon Hill, fiduciaries of the InterArch Inc. Profit-Sharing Plan., violated their fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

“The law requires fiduciaries to discharge their duties solely in the interests of plan participants and beneficiaries in a prudent manner, and to diversify plan investments so the risk of large losses is minimized,” said Employee Benefits Security Administration Acting Regional Director Cristina O’Brien, in Philadelphia.

Following EBSA’s investigation, the department’s Office of the Solicitor in New York filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging that InterArch and the two individual fiduciaries engaged in self-dealing and violated their duties of loyalty and prudence and their duty to diversify, which caused the plan to enter into prohibited transactions.

The court entered a consent judgment and order on Sept. 23, 2022, requiring InterArch Inc. and fiduciaries Shirley and Vernon Hill to pay $1,836,853, to plan participants and $183,685, in penalties to resolve the allegations.

“The Employee Benefits Security Administration is satisfied that this settlement will result in a substantial recovery to plan participants of the losses that the fiduciaries’ actions caused,” added O’Brien.

“This case demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor’s ongoing commitment to recovering losses caused by plan fiduciaries’ failure to comply with the law,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff in New York.

InterArch Inc. and the Hills will additionally pay approximately $1.1 million to the retirement plan to resolve a separate but related private class action lawsuit filed by a former employee and those similarly situated in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on May 27, 2020.

In total, between the department’s settlement and the private class action lawsuit settlement, more than $3 million will be restored to the retirement plan.

This story once again demonstrates how legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: (READ THE ARTICLE)

by

Arizona Police Departments Hiring More Civilian Investigators

Baltimore police made national headlines in April when the city leaders announced they planned to hire 35 civilian investigators and eliminate 30 unfilled sworn officer positions. Now, Arizona police are doing the same thing.

The movement has gained steam recently as departments across the country try to shore up their dwindling ranks of sworn officers. At the time, the Phoenix department had more than 400 unfilled positions for sworn officers.

Civilian investigators have many of the same duties as an officer, such as reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses, taking reports and carrying out administrative tasks at the office. Unlike sworn officers, Davis said, they aren’t authorized to carry a firearm or make arrests.

Unlike a patrol officer, criminal investigation specialists at a crime scene know their suspects are “long gone.” While officers wear black uniforms, these are often gray.

Since civilian investigators are not expected to be in the field as much as patrol officers, they undergo lighter training than sworn officers and learn tactics specific to their bureau. The Phoenix civilian investigator position will be the first job that allows civilians to carry out many of the same tasks as detectives and police officers.

Although patrol officers have a lot of liability and must deal “with a lot of people who just do not like the police—I don’t have to deal with any of that.” said Shannon O’Leary, a new civilian investigator.

No big surprise here because investigations are critical to effective law enforcement. And as we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: (READ THE ARTICLE)
by

KC Property Crimes Investigations to Get New Specialized Sections

The Kansas City Police Department announced Sunday that it has shifted approaches when it comes to investigating and responding to property crimes.

Instead of each patrol division taking a generalized approach by geographic location toward property crime investigations, specialized sections within the department will take charge of the investigations city-wide, depending on the crime.

Three new sections, which were formed in mid-September, consist of an auto crimes section, a burglary section and a stealing section.

The change in the department comes after national research involving nine other police departments, that are of similar size to KCPD. “This research pointed to the advantages of a specialized citywide approach to investigating property crimes,” said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a KCPD spokesperson.

The new system offers several benefits including:

  • Improved identification of offenders responsible for a significant amount of property crimes.
  • Allows for adjustment of staffing based on crime trends.
  • Detectives can work more closely with assigned prosecutors.
  • Detectives have the opportunity to build stronger connections to “Citizen groups they service”.
  • More specialized training is available to detectives.

Investigations are vital to law enforcement. And as we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: (READ THE ARTICLE)

by

How a Student’s Murder Inspired Her Friend to Become a Private Investigator

How a Student’s Murder Inspired Her Friend to Become a Private Investigator

Do you ever wonder why someone chooses the life of PI? This is a STORY about how a student’s murder inspired her friend to become a private investigator. In the case of Sheila Wysocki, a private investigator now in Nashville, it was an unsolved crime story.

Wysocki was a student in college when her friend’s murder went unsolved. The friend, Angela Samota, was found sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed inside her apartment after a night out in October 1984.

The case went cold. Some twenty years later, Wysocki decided to look into it herself and turned her family’s study into a “war room” while calling Dallas police hundreds of times to beg them to reopen the case. She became licensed as a private investigator to keep pushing for answers.

The case reached a turning point when Dallas police eventually tested DNA from the scene and, in 2008, linked it to a man out on parole for a prior rape conviction at the time of Samota’s murder. Due to Wysocki’s tireless work, Donald Bess was convicted in Samota’s killing at age 62 and remains on death row.

So Wysocki decided to keep her PI license after seeing how many other families need help. She’s appeared in People magazine, the BBC and the podcast “Criminal.”

“These families at least deserve a phone call, something I did not have,” Wysocki tells Axios.

Not every investigator has this type of an origin story, but the pursuit of the truth and getting to all of the information is something most of them have in common. As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

KNOW EVER MORE:  Read the Article!

by

Convicted Kidnapping Plotters Seeking New Trial Send Private Investigator to Juror’s Workplace

Convicted kidnapping plotters send private investigator to jurors workplace

According to news sources, a newly unsealed court filing confirms that two convicted kidnapping plotters in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan) case hired a private investigator to go to a juror’s workplace to find out if that juror had it out for them and planned to “hang” them if picked to sit on the jury.

Two of those coworkers were tracked down by the private eye and offered new allegations about the juror, including that the juror was “far-left leaning,” said the defendants were “guilty no matter what,” and texted a family member during deliberations that a verdict had been reached but had not yet been announced, according to the filing.

During the case, the defense got a tip from a juror’s co-worker that the juror had been telling people at work that he/she was hoping to get on the Whitmer trial, and intended to “hang” the defendants if picked. Instead, the judge interviewed the juror privately in his chambers – along with two court staffers – in a seven-minute interview that ended with the judge concluding the juror was not biased and could continue to hear the case.

In allowing the juror to remain on the panel, the judge noted that the person who first contacted the defense was unwilling to identify the person who heard the alleged statements firsthand from the juror. The second tipster also told investigators that one of the juror’s family members also works for the same employer as the juror.

After defense investigators identified the employee who allegedly had firsthand knowledge of juror bias – identified in court records as Person #3 – they asked the employer if they could speak with the worker, though the human resources manager refused to provide access without permission from the company’s general counsel.

“The Supreme Court ‘has long held that the remedy for allegations of juror partiality is a hearing in which the defendant has the opportunity to prove actual bias,’” the defense lawyers argue in their filing.

“The Court has placed the defendants in a classic Catch-22. The Court denied the defendants an opportunity to participate in the questioning of the juror and has ordered that the defendants may not contact the jurors following the verdict,” the defense argued.

This is an interesting use of a private investigator in the defense’s hunt for a new trial. As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: READ THE ARTICLE

by

States’ Two-Year Investigation into Teen Vaping Leads to $440M Settlement from Juul

Two-Year Investigation into Teen Vaping Leads to

According to news sources, electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs will pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 states into the marketing of its high-nicotine vaping products, which have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced the deal Tuesday on behalf of the states plus Puerto Rico, which joined together in 2020 to probe Juul’s early promotions and claims about the safety and benefits of its technology as a smoking alternative.

The settlement resolves one of the biggest legal threats facing the beleaguered company, which still faces nine separate lawsuits from other states. Additionally, Juul faces hundreds of personal suits brought on behalf of teenagers and others who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products.

The state investigation found that Juul marketed its e-cigarettes to underage teens with launch parties, product giveaways, ads and social media posts using youthful models, according to a statement.

“Through this settlement, we have secured hundreds of millions of dollars to help reduce nicotine use and forced Juul to accept a series of strict injunctive terms to end youth marketing and crack down on underage sales,” Tong said in a press release.

The $438.5 million will be paid out over a period of six to 10 years. Tong said Connecticut’s payment of at least $16 million will go toward vaping prevention and education efforts. Juul previously settled lawsuits in Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina and Washington.

Teen use of e-cigarettes skyrocketed after Juul’s launch in 2015, leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare an “epidemic” of underage vaping among teenagers. Health experts said the unprecedented increase risked hooking a generation of young people on nicotine.

As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. And we know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

More on the case:

by

Whistleblower: Twitter misled investors, FTC and underplayed spam issues

According to an explosive whistleblower complaint from its former security chief, Twitter executives deceived federal regulators and the company’s own board of directors about “extreme, egregious deficiencies” in its defenses against hackers, as well as its meager efforts to fight spam.  The whistleblower alleges that Twitter misled investors, the FTC and underplayed spam issues.

The complaint from former Twitter head of security Peiter Zatko, a widely admired hacker known as “Mudge,” depicts Twitter as a chaotic and rudderless company beset by infighting, unable to properly protect its 238 million daily users including government agencies, heads of state and other influential public figures.

Regarding the allegations about spam and bots, Twitter spokeswoman Rebecca Hahn said Twitter removes more than a million spam accounts every day, adding up to more than 300 million per year.

Four people familiar with Twitter’s efforts to fight spam said the company deploys extensive manual and automated tools to both measure the extent of spam across the service and reduce it.

“The claims I’ve received from a Twitter whistleblower raise serious national security concerns as well as privacy issues, and they must be investigated further,” said Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The FTC investigated and sued Twitter in a case that led to one of the first big privacy consent orders with a tech company.

Twitter continued to suffer high-profile hacks and security violations, including in 2017, when a contract worker briefly took over Trump’s account, and in the 2020 hack, in which a Florida teen tricked Twitter employees and won access to verified accounts.

A former FTC official who worked on the case said the agency was badly understaffed at the time, and that the enforcement division had failed to keep a close eye on multiple companies after reaching privacy settlements, including the one with Twitter.

Spam bots – computer programs that tweet automatically – have long vexed Twitter.

Wall Street has pressed Twitter about bots because the company historically included some automated accounts in its quarterly estimate of daily users – even though those accounts don’t see ads and therefore Twitter can’t earn money off them.

In every quarterly SEC filing since, Twitter has estimated that fewer than 5 percent of the monetizable daily users are spam and bots.

Zatko cites a “Sensitive source” who said Twitter was afraid to determine that number because it “Would harm the image and valuation of the company.” He says the company’s tools for detecting spam are far less robust than implied in various statements.

As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

More on the case: (Read the Washington Post Article)

by

Mars Canada Investigates Illicit Cannabis Retailers for Unlawful Use of Skittles Branding

Mars Canada Investigates Illicit Cannabis Retailers for Unlawful Use of Skittles Branding

Candy manufacturer Mars Canada Inc. has won a lawsuit against several illicit online cannabis retailers in Canada who have been selling products using logos and branding associated with Skittles.

The lawsuit, which included a thorough investigation, resulted in a federal judge ruling that three illicit online retailers stop selling and destroy the unlicensed products, and pay more than $45,000 in fines and penalties to Mars Canada Inc. The companies being sued by Mars were King Tut Cannabis, West Coast Supply, Shrooms Online, Flash Buds, and Sure Buds.

Mars used a private investigator to review the websites of those advertising products using the Mars-owned brands, and to purchase the products.

Two of the companies investigated, West Coast Supply and Shrooms Online, said they did not carry the products, although Mars’ representative provided screenshots from those websites showing such products advertised.

A third, Sure Buds, listed the products, but an order placed by investigators was not processed.

Mars’ investigators did buy and receive such products from the fourth, Flash Buds, the court heard.

According to a press release from May 2021, Mars was looking to prevent the illegal misuse of the company’s trademarks in the marketing and sale of THC-infused edibles, which closely resemble Mars Wrigley’s genuine products such as SKITTLES® and STARBURST®. Mars Wrigley does not manufacture or sell any products containing THC. Mars used a private investigator to review the websites of those advertising products using the Mars-owned brands, and to purchase the products.

Black market brands in Canada and the US have often used packaging and branding that mirrors or closely mimics well-known candy brands, and such packaging is readily available for purchase online for products like Skittles, Airheads, Jolly Ranchers, Nerds, and many other candies.

In a press release in 2021, Mars Wrigley said it “Strongly condemns the use of popular candy brands in the marketing and sale of THC products, which is grossly deceptive and irresponsible. The use of Mars Wrigley’s brands in this manner is unauthorized, inappropriate and must cease, especially to protect children from mistakenly ingesting these unlawful THC products.”

Another courtroom win coming from a solid investigation. As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!

Know Even More: READ THE ARTICLE

by

Investigations Lead to Stellantis Paying $300M in Diesel Emissions Cheating Case

The U.S. operating arm of Chrysler parent Stellantis was ordered on Monday to pay about $300 million to settle the criminal portion of its diesel emissions cheating case involving Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs and Ram 1500 pickups.

The dollar figure tracks with the amount listed in connection with the company’s guilty plea in June in U.S. District Court in Detroit to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit wire fraud and violate the Clean Air Act. FCA US LLC was fined $96 million and ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of more than $203 million, according to a Justice Department news release, which noted that the court also imposed a three-year term of organizational probation.

The release noted that the company has agreed to continue to cooperate with related investigations and implement a compliance and ethics program “Designed to prevent and detect fraudulent conduct throughout its operations and will report to the department regarding remediation, implementation and testing of its compliance program and internal controls.”
The vehicles had software designed to make them perform differently during government emissions tests than under normal driving conditions, leading them to pollute more than they were supposed to, with the company working to conceal this, prosecutors said.
Stellantis spokesman Eric Mayne referred a Detroit Free Press reporter back to a statement the company released in June, which said in part that “FCA US LLC has agreed to a settlement that resolves a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation involving approximately 101,482 vehicles from model years 2014 to 2016 equipped with second-generation EcoDiesel V-6 engines. … Consumer claims related to the subject vehicles have already been resolved, and no additional recalls are required.”
As we often see, legal investigations done well can lead to BIG victories in the courtroom or more favorable settlements. We know that success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will make sure you know everything to maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!
by