Latest news with #NorthernDistrictCourt
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal prosecutors say Julie Chrisley's supervised release sentence should be readjusted
While it won't mean that Julie Chrisley will be getting out of federal prison any sooner, federal prosecutors filed a brief Thursday saying the court added two years to her supervised release when she was resentenced in September. Julie and Todd Chrisley were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud back in 2019. Julie Chrisley was also charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The couple were later found guilty. After initially appealing her case, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Julie Chrisley's sentence and sent the case back to the lower court for her to be resentenced. The judge in Georgia's Northern District Court resentenced Julie Chrisley to 7 years in jail. But according to the brief filed on Thursday, she also sentenced her to two more years of supervised release. Prosecutors admitted in the document Thursday, that the judge got it wrong. 'The five-year term of supervised release on counts 7 and 12 is plain error because it exceeds the maximum term authorized by statute,' prosecutors wrote. 'In such situations, this Court vacates the district court's judgment only with respect to the supervised release term and remands with instructions to correct that issue.' RELATED NEWS: Todd Chrisley says prison guard ripped MAGA sticker from jail cell, hopes Trump will pardon him Savannah Chrisley says she's 'scared' where father Todd will end up once prison shuts down Could Todd and Julie Chrisley be pardoned by President-elect Trump? Todd Chrisley stopped from working as chaplain at federal prison for 'associating with inmates' Todd Chrisley 'concerned about Julie's health and welfare' after she was resentenced to 84-months Counts 7 and 12 were for wire fraud and obstruction of justice, respectively. Prosecutors said they too missed the change and neither side objected to the sentence during September's hearing. But now prosecutors are asking the appeals court to have the case sent back to district court to resentence Julie Chrisley to the same terms, but this time with 5 years supervised release. The Chrisleys were initially indicted in August 2019. Prosecutors said the couple submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans. Julie Chrisley sent a fake credit report and bank statements showing far more money than they had in their accounts to a California property owner in July 2014 while trying to rent a home. A few months after they began using the home, in October 2014, they refused to pay rent, causing the owner to have to threaten them with eviction. The money the Chrisleys received from their reality television show, 'Chrisley Knows Best,' went to a company they controlled called 7C's Productions, but they didn't declare it as income on federal tax returns, prosecutors said. The couple failed to file or pay their federal income taxes on time for multiple years. The family had moved to Tennessee by the time the indictment was filed but the criminal charges stem from when they lived in Atlanta's northern suburbs. Channel 2 Action News first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when we learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years. Court documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens. The couple eventually went to trial and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed Class Action Alleges Amazon Allows Third Parties to ‘Covertly Siphon' Consumer Location Data
One California customer is accusing Amazon of getting a little too personal. In a proposed class-action lawsuit filed on Wednesday in California's Northern District Court, Felix Kolotinsky, a California resident, argues that Amazon is illegally tracking and selling consumers' geolocation data to third parties. More from Sourcing Journal UPS Lowers Amazon Volume; Hapag-Lloyd Sees Rise in Container Transport Amazon Makes Plans to Launch Drone Delivery in the United Kingdom Amazon Slapped with $96M Complaint by Chinese Ocean Carrier for Breaking Contract Kolotinsky alleges that the technology and e-commerce giant does so through a software development kit (SDK), which it uses to gain 'backdoor access to consumers' devices.' The complaint further notes that, in order to do so, Amazon allows its SDK, called Amazon Ads SDK, to be integrated into a variety of apps, like NewsBreak and Speedtest by Ookla, without consumers' consent. The plaintiff reportedly used the Speedtest by Ookla app, allegedly exposing him to the Amazon Ads SDK and allowing Amazon to access sensitive data without his understanding. That, he notes, violates consumers' privacy. '[Amazon's] business model is to collect information from consumers and sell access to its ill-gotten data to brands and advertisers,' Kolotinsky said in the complaint. By collecting data like timestamped latitude and longitude geolocation coordinates, Amazon can easily identify a user's identity, the lawsuit states, citing MIT data that shows a handful of data points on location can sufficiently identify an individual. 'Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers' knowledge and consent,' Kolotinsky alleges. The plaintiff proposed a class inclusive of all California residents who downloaded and used a mobile app that had Amazon Ads SDK embedded without publicly disclosing the software in its notices or privacy agreements. Kolotinsky and his counsel estimate that millions of consumers could qualify for the class, should the judge certify it. Kolotinsky alleges that Amazon violated a section of California penal code and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act. Kolotinsky seeks $5,000 per violation from the company on the former claim and additional damages from the latter claim. He also asks the judge to certify the class, appoint Kolotinsky as lead plaintiff, declare that Amazon did violate California law with the SDK and enjoin Amazon from unlawful activities as set out throughout the complaint. 'Ultimately, the Amazon Ads SDK has allowed Amazon to secretly create a detailed log of [Kolotinsky's] and the putative class's precise movement patterns, along with a dossier of their likes and interests, all without their consent or permission,' he alleged. Amazon did not respond to Sourcing Journal's request for comment. Related cases have been popping up across the United States, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) getting involved in some instances. Last year, the agency announced four cases that took issue with how companies collect and use consumers' geolocation data. It filed cases against Mobilewalla, Gravy and its subsidiary Venntel, InMarket and X-Mode and its successor Outlogic and eventually prohibited each of the companies from collecting and selling sensitive consumer location data.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Apple defends Watch bands amid lawsuit over 'toxic' design fail
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's not often that Apple responds to criticism. Even in cases like its disastrous AI news alerts, it preferred to quickly and quietly roll out an update. But the Cupertino tech giant has come out with a public statement in response to fears about the safety of Apple Watch bands triggered by a scathing report and a class action lawsuit. The company insists that all Apple Watch bands are safe to use but notes that it is working to phase out the use of PFAs, the forever chemicals at the centre of the controversy. The lawsuit lodged at California's Northern District Court singles out three Apple Watch bands that are made with fluoroelastomer: the standard sport band along with the Sport band on Nike-branded models and the Ocean band. It cites a study published in December 2024 that found that these along with some watch bands from Google, Samsung, Fitbit, OnePlus, Garmin and others contain high levels of PFAs that can be absorbed through the skin. The discovery should perhaps not be surprising. PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are found in everything from Teflon-coated frying pans to cosmetics, insulation products, firefighting foam and some nylon and Gore-Tex clothing. But these synthetic chemicals have become a major environmental concern because of how long they take to break down. Residues are now widely present in waterways and even in rain and drinking water. They can build up in human and animal bodies and have been associated with some kinds of cancer. Apple announced a plan to phase out PFAs in 2022 but says it will take time to find alternatives. In the meantime, it released a toxicological report on the safety of all Apple products. The company told our sister site Tom's Guide: "Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands."
