Announcements, information & updates from
the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
November 10, 2023
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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody “secured $150,000 from Chargebacks911, a deceptive credit card chargeback mitigation company. The payment comes after Attorney General Moody’s Consumer Protection Division and the Federal Trade Commission reached an agreement with Chargebacks911 over deceptive practices used to prevent consumers from reversing disputed charges and evade fraud monitoring programs.” |
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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that Safe2Tell, Colorado’s platform for anonymous safety concern reporting, released its annual report for the 2022-2023 school year, showing a 16% increase in report volume compared to the previous school year. With a total of 22,486 reports, this is the highest ever report volume since the program launched in 2004. |
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a settlement with “the organizer of a Kickstarter campaign who collected $31,753 from 101 supporters but didn’t deliver the goods he promised in return for pledges. He also failed to turn over donations to the charities identified as the campaign beneficiaries until he received pressure from the Attorney General’s Office and local police.” |
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New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez hosted his second public safety summit this year – this time focusing on behavioral health, rehabilitation, and how these aspects of healthcare impact public safety. The event took place at Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square and consisted of three panels with subject matter experts and specialists from across New Mexico. |
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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that the Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) within his Consumer Protection Division closed 2,037 cases in Fiscal Year 2023, helping patients save or recover over $3.3 million dollars, including more than $2.6 million in appeals and grievances cases. |
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Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued a warning to consumers to “be aware of bank scams because they are on the rise. The Federal Trade Commission has reported a tenfold increase in bank scams in the last three years.” |
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Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark filed an amicus brief asking a federal court to stay, or temporarily pause, a federal PCB lawsuit brought by a group of schools against Monsanto, after the State had already filed a suit in state court against Monsanto for PCB contamination in Vermont schools. |
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office is asking Minnesotans to share their stories about the negative effects social media platforms are having on children and teenagers. Minnesotans are encouraged to visit www.ag.state.mn.us/social-media to share their experiences.
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced dozens of new charges against a western Pennsylvania nurse, who was previously charged with homicide and attempted murder for patients in her care. The nurse allegedly administered lethal doses of insulin to numerous patients at care facilities, beginning in 2020. |
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New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced that a now-defunct New Jersey cosmetology school and its related entities have agreed to pay nearly $640,000 – a majority of which will be used for consumer restitution – to resolve the State’s lawsuit alleging they defrauded students and engaged in substandard business practices that financially harmed students. |
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul hosted a free event for service members and their families to learn how to avoid scams directed at veterans and what to do if they have been a victim of a scam. |
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COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD EXPLOITATION
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South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that on November 1, an individual pleaded guilty in Oconee County before the Honorable R. Lawton McIntosh, to 10 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3rd Degree. |
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Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of two multi-jurisdictional human trafficking operations during the month of October in Hattiesburg and on the Coast that resulted in 18 victim
recoveries and three arrests.
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Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced a Deer Lodge man has been sentenced to three consecutive 100-year sentences in the Montana State Prison after a jury found him guilty of three counts of sexual intercourse without consent with a minor. |
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Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced the indictment of two individuals on charges of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude, Trafficking in Cocaine, and other drug and weapons offenses. |
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton awarded over $35 million in grant funds to nonprofit organizations and local governments across Texas to assist victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. |
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OPIOIDS AND ILLICIT DRUGS |
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New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced that an individual has been sentenced for his conviction of (i) conspiracy to sell fentanyl; and (ii) possession with intent to sell approximately half a kilo of fentanyl. |
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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Lincoln man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with multiple drug trafficking offenses. |
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Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch
announced the “One Pill Can Kill” partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi, a public awareness campaign to educate, support, and empower Mississippians about the dangers associated with fentanyl and the
resources available to save lives.
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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced announced two grants totaling more than $1 million to help prevent and treat opioid addiction in Arkansas as part of his keynote remarks at the Stop Overdose Summit |
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Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced that Montana’s anti-drug task forces are continuing to shatter fentanyl seizure records as nearly two times more fentanyl has already been taken off the streets so far this year compared to all of 2022 which had obliterated previous records. |
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CYBERSECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY |
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New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $450,000 from US Radiology Specialists, Inc. for failing to protect its patients’ personal and health care data. |
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, California Attorney General Rob Bonita, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined the US Department of Justice in a lawsuit against Agri Stats, Inc.
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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led a 19-state coalition asking for a review of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s action related to Engine Pollution Control Standards; Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine
Emission Warranty and Maintenance Provisions; Advanced Clean Trucks;
Zero Emission Airport Shuttle; Zero-Emission Power Train Certification;
Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision, 88 Fed. Reg. 20688 (Apr. 6, 2023).
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sent a letter joined by 19 other state attorneys general commenting on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s “Proposed Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace.” |
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 15 state attorneys general in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service regarding a proposed rule requiring stronger minimum staffing requirements for long-term care facilities. |
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office, joined by Idaho and Kansas, filed suit against the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding the shipment of mifepristone.
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Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Regino v. Staley.
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Attorney General Tim Griffin sent a letter on behalf of a coalition of 20 state attorneys general to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the vetting of foreign student visa holders. |
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Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador led a coalition of 22 states in filing an amicus brief in Loffman v. California Department of Education.
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Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that Brian George, a 27-year law enforcement veteran and enrolled member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, will lead the investigations work for the office’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Cold Case Unit. It is the first unit of its kind in the nation. |
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The Arizona Attorney General’s Office recognized AAG Brian Guerrero who was named “Organized Retail Crime Champion”
by the Arizona Retailers Association for his efforts to fight organized retail crime and criminal enterprises.
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The Times of London recognized Dentons, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells, Kirkland & Ellis, and WilmerHale in its 2024 list of Best Law Firms. |
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