Announcements, information & updates from
the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
October 27, 2023
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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced the actions that her office will be taking to prosecute election misconduct and fraud cases. |
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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced "the creation of the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC), a new initiative dedicated to reducing the mass incarceration of African Americans and other marginalized groups in Maryland prisons and jails. The goal is to examine the scope and causes of this crisis, and to develop a comprehensive plan for reform and recommendations by January 2025." |
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Hawai'i Attorney General Anne Lopez is asking residential rental tenants on the
island of Maui to inform the Department of the Attorney General if their landlords are
illegally raising rent or threatening them with eviction for failure to pay rent, taxes, or
fees.
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The number of domestic violence fatalities set an all-time high in 2022 according to a comprehensive report from the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board (CDVFRB) released by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. |
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New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced the establishment of the Northern Border Alliance Task Force composed of state, county, and local law enforcement officers. The Task Force will conduct patrols along the northern border to: reduce the instance of crimes and illicit activity; respond to all threats, all crimes, all hazards; and collect, share, and act upon criminal intelligence. |
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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are "taking action against Wisconsin auto dealer group Rhinelander Auto Center, its current and former owners, and general manager Daniel Towne for deceiving consumers by tacking hundreds or even thousands of dollars in illegal junk fees onto car prices and for discriminating against American Indian customers by charging them higher financing costs and fees." |
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced he has secured a $16 million cleanup of millions of pounds of hazardous glass from the owners of two Columbus properties. |
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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, along with other leaders, highlighted recent lead poisoning prevention efforts, including historic legislation passed in 2023, and recommitted to the cause of eradicating childhood lead poisoning in Rhode Island. |
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Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall hosted the 24th Annual Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Summit at the Church of the Highlands in Montgomery. The Summit provided continuing education training for law enforcement and attorneys from around the state. Participants had the opportunity to hear from experts involved in the nationally recognized Murdaugh murder case in South Carolina, receive training on the Alabama Criminal Enterprise Prevention Act, and participate in a memorial recognizing fallen officers. |
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COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD EXPLOITATION
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief in the First District Court of Appeal supporting the right of a survivor of sex trafficking to receive restitution from her trafficker. |
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the arrests of 14 suspects as part of a multi-agency, three-day sexual predator apprehension operation in Fresno County. “Operation Boogeyman” targeted adults seeking to sexually exploit children by using undercover agents and detectives posing as minors offering sex for pay on websites commonly used by victims of sex trafficking. |
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Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced investigators with his Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit arrested an Ammon man for alleged sexual exploitation of a child. |
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the Attorney General’s office has charged an Effingham County man with allegedly possessing and disseminating child pornography. |
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Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of a week-long, multi-jurisdictional cybercrime operation, known as Operation Toil and Trouble, which already led to two arrests on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. |
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Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced his office is charging a Montana man linked to a previously missing Arizona teenager with two felony counts of sexual abuse of children resulting from child sexual abuse material found on his cell phone. |
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a 33-year-old Warren County man has been sentenced to 20 to 50 years in prison for possession of child pornography. |
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South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that on October 16, 2023, Jonathan David Neel pleaded guilty in Fairfield County before Judge Jocelyn Newman to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd degree, and one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 1st degree.
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Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a Yakima County jury convicted an individual of felony attempted second-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. |
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CYBERSECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY |
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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants those whose information may have been compromised in the recent University of Michigan data breach to know what steps they can take to protect their data from scammers and identity thieves. |
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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with law enforcement partners, announced the conclusion of a racketeering investigation, Operation On the Fence, that focused on a large retail theft criminal enterprise operating in South Florida. |
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ILLICIT DRUGS AND OPIOIDS |
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Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers launched a major statewide action against retailers selling mislabeled and deceptive THC-containing products that present a danger to Nebraskans. |
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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has extended the deadline for letters of intent for political subdivisions interested in pursuing opioid abatement grants. Letters are now due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8. |
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West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced artwork by students from the Mid-Ohio Valley, who are regional winners of the office’s seventh Kids Kick Opioids contest, will be on display at the State Capitol building from October 26 to November 2, 2023. |
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Following a nationwide investigation led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, a bipartisan 33-state federal lawsuit was filed against Meta. Additionally, Florida filed a separate lawsuit in federal court.
Several states also filed lawsuits in state court against Meta. Those states included the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed two separate lawsuits against TikTok that assert violations of Indiana law. |
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Connecticut Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the baseball antitrust exemption. |
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MANDATORY REPATRIATION TAX |
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes led a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Moore vs. the United States. |
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Texas v. Biden. |
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California Attorney General Bonta led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in an open letter regarding Yelp's providing information to consumers who utilize the platform to find reproductive healthcare providers. |
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that Branden Rathert will serve as his Deputy Communications Director. |
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry and Campeche Attorney General Renato Sales Heredia kicked off the Alliance Partnership Mexico’s Interdisciplinary training this week in Philadelphia. This week, the AGA Alliance Partnership will provide training to 43 Mexican prosecutors, investigators, forensic scientists and criminal analysts from the Mexican Attorney General Offices of the states of Campeche, Yucatán, Sonora, and Nuevo León. |
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Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joined the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) in compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Geneva, Switzerland.
As part of the Delegation, which includes federal, state and local representatives, Attorney General Ford had the opportunity to speak to the ways human rights and fundamental freedoms are being promoted and protected at the state level.
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North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein offered congratulations to a group of his State Crime Lab scientists for being awarded the 2023 Governor's Award for Excellence in the area of Efficiency and Innovation. |
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The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) honored The Home Depot as the 2023 Illinois Retailer of the Year during the group’s 66th Annual Meeting. |
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If you are interested in other Attorney General Alliance and Conference of Western Attorneys General newsletters, follow the link below to sign up! |
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Attorney General Alliance
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