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Appeals court upholds sentence in Ponzi scheme
Court Watch |
2011/09/16 15:54
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A federal appeals court has upheld the 30-year prison sentence for a man convicted of operating what prosecutors called the largest Ponzi scheme in Louisiana's history.
In a 15-page opinion issued Friday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the sentence for Matthew Pizzolato, of Tickfaw.
Pizzolato also was ordered to make over $15 million in restitution to the 165 victims he defrauded. He had offices in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond and Lake Charles and advertised investment services under several company names, including Gulf Region Guaranty Inc.
Prosecutors said he promised high rates of return and claimed investors' money was protected against losses, but made risky investments they didn't authorize, gave away millions to friends and family and spent much of the money on luxury items for himself. |
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Pa high court to meet in historic chamber
Legal News |
2011/09/15 15:54
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Pennsylvania's highest court plans to convene in a historic chamber in Philadelphia for the first time in more than two centuries.
Tuesday's oral arguments session in the Supreme Court Chamber in Old City Hall will be the first time the justices have used the room since 1802.
The session also will be the first to be videotaped under a court policy announced last month. The Pennsylvania Cable Network plans to record the event and air it Tuesday evening.
Cases to be heard include one involving the state's use of an $800 million surplus from a fund that helps doctors pay medical malpractice premiums to balance the state budget in 2009.
The court is using the historic courtroom as part of a commemoration of Constitution Week, which runs through Saturday. |
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Ga. court upholds Open Meetings fines
Legal Focuses |
2011/09/14 15:55
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Georgia's top court is requiring the city of Statesboro to pay the legal costs of residents who sued it for violating the state's Open Meetings Act.
The unanimous opinion released Monday upholds a Bulloch County judge's ruling that requires the city pay $4,250 in legal fees after it found the Statesboro mayor and city council met outside the Statesboro City Hall chambers to discuss the city's 2011 budget.
A group of residents sued the city, mayor and five council members and sought an injunction barring any more "secret" meetings, and the city appealed after a judge ruled against it in September 2010.
The opinion written by Justice Harold Melton says "the Open Records Act explicitly authorizes the assessment of attorney fees." |
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W.Va. lawyer nominated to federal appeals court
Law Firm Topics |
2011/09/09 15:57
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President Barack Obama has nominated Hamlin native Stephanie Dawn Thacker as a judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Thacker has been a partner in the Charleston law firm of Guthrie & Thomas since 2006.
Before that she spent seven years with the U.S. Department of Justice. Her work as a trial attorney there focused on prosecution and training in connection with child pornography and sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, obscenity and other offenses.
She also served as an assistant federal prosecutor and worked for the state attorney general's office.
The U.S. Senate must now consider Thacker's nomination to the Richmond, Va.-based court. The seat became vacant after the March death of Judge Blane Michael.
The 15-member court covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. |
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Guilty plea for Va. man in $318K Social Security fraud
Court Watch |
2011/09/09 15:56
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A Bristol man has pleaded guilty to stealing Social Security benefits and making false statements in an attempt to hide the thefts.
Seventy-one-year-old David Ross entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Abingdon.
Ross faces a sentence of up to 65 years in prison on all counts.
Federal prosecutors say Ross admitted stealing more than $318,000 in benefits that had been intended for his mother, who died in 1971. He told the Social Security Administration that his mother died in December 2010. |
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