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Int'l Business Times
12-08-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Dev Pragad Accused of Stealing Newsweek in Bombshell Lawsuit
The publisher and chief executive officer of Newsweek , Dev Pragad, is at the center of a blistering lawsuit that paints a picture of betrayal, manipulation, and self-enrichment at the expense of the magazine's founding investors. Filed in the Supreme Court of New York's Westchester County on August 5, 2025, the amended complaint is brought by six of the original co-owners who helped acquire and rebuild Newsweek in 2013 — Winnie Wong, Nancy Lee, Sylvia Lee, Younseok "Titus" Choi, James Yang, and Moonsoo "Martin" Jung. Together, they accuse Pragad of fraud, theft, and a calculated effort to seize the historic brand for himself, while siphoning millions of dollars out of the company and living a luxury lifestyle. The plaintiffs say they, along with other early backers, rescued Newsweek from obsolescence, investing millions of dollars, years of labor, and their professional reputations to revive a magazine whose print edition had been shuttered and whose website did not exist. They relaunched from scratch, returned the title to print, licensed it globally, and rebuilt its editorial operation with top-tier talent. By contrast, they say, Dev Pragad contributed nothing to the acquisition or its early turnaround. His entry came in 2018 — five years after the purchase — when then-leader Etienne Uzac was under legal pressure from a Manhattan District Attorney's investigation into IBT Media, the holding company for Newsweek . According to the lawsuit, Pragad exploited this crisis by lobbying to take over as Newsweek 's owner, telling co-venturers that the DA's office had requested he be given the full ownership in order to "reduce the heat" on the company. Tony Lin, a witness present during key meetings, swore in an affirmation that this claim was made repeatedly in August 2018. Years later, that justification collapsed. In 2023, former lead prosecutor Solomon Shinerock told attorney Adam Kaufmann — and through him, the plaintiffs — that no one in the Manhattan DA's office had ever made such a request to Pragad or anyone else. The plaintiffs now describe Pragad's DA story as pure fabrication, "designed solely to fraudulently induce" them into supporting his takeover. In 2018, the group entered into a Joint Venture Agreement. On paper, Pragad would hold ownership of Newsweek through NW Media Holdings Corp., but only as a steward for the benefit of all joint venturers. He promised to report regularly on operations, share profits and losses equally, and — most critically — to return his stake for a nominal price if he ever left the partnership. For several years, he attended weekly Sunday meetings at the group's Dover Plains, NY offices to brief members and seek approvals. But by early 2022, tensions erupted. The group decided not to renew his three-year term and began preparing to return leadership to Uzac. The complaint alleges that Pragad resisted, tried to renegotiate the agreement to keep Newsweek , then abruptly severed ties in April 2022 — while keeping the magazine. The plaintiffs say Pragad wasted no time consolidating his position and enriching himself. According to court filings, he: They also accuse him of waging a legal and editorial harassment campaign against former partners, including instigating roughly 20 negative articles under the Newsweek brand. In sworn statements, co-founders describe deep personal betrayal. James Kong, who invested $200,000 in 2013, calls Pragad's claim of sole ownership a "clear breach" of their agreement. Developer Moonsoo Jung says Pragad's tenure was marred by a 2018 BuzzFeed-reported digital ad fraud scandal and "shallow schemes for money," while investor David Enwright calls him a "skillful liar" who "shamelessly stole Newsweek " without contributing "a cent" to its creation. Others describe how Pragad courted their trust in small-town Sunday meetings, only to later turn on them. "He was supposed to return Newsweek if he severed ties with us," Sylvia Lee said. "That is what was agreed upon during our Sunday meetings". The lawsuit seeks specific performance — a court order forcing Pragad to return Newsweek to its original ownership group — or alternatively to place it into a Delaware trust with no beneficial owners, ensuring it can never again be taken over for private enrichment. They also seek rescission of the 2018 agreement and restoration of all assets and consideration they gave to Pragad. A parallel federal case in the Southern District of New York, led by Uzac and involving out-of-state investors, makes similar allegations of corporate theft. Together, the two suits depict a years-long strategy to turn a collaborative revival project into a personal empire — and a bitter fight over who truly owns one of the most recognizable names in American journalism. As of publication, Pragad has not publicly responded to the allegations. If proven, the charges could amount to one of the most brazen corporate hijackings in recent media history, tarnishing not only the man at the center of the storm but the institution he now controls.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat city council sues mayor for allowing ICE into major American prison
The Democrat-controlled city council of New York City is suing Mayor Eric Adams for cooperating with the Trump administration by allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations at Rikers Island Prison. The city council is asking the court to declare an executive order by the mayor's office allowing ICE into Rikers Island "illegal, null, and void." The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of New York on Tuesday. In the suit, the city council accuses Adams of engaging in an illegal "quid pro quo" with the Trump administration by allowing ICE into the city prison in exchange for having the federal corruption charges against him dropped. The suit claims that Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, prioritized his own political goals over the city's "prized sanctuary laws," calling the executive order "the poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams's deal with the Trump Administration." Nj Governor Accused Of Harboring Violent Illegal Criminals, Doj Launches Probe "Today, in New York City, a corrupt bargain is taking place in plain view: New York City Mayor Eric Adams … is using his official powers to pay off the Trump Administration for dropping criminal charges against him," the suit claims. "The 'purchase price'- which was agreed to in advance and is now being proffered - is the safety and wellbeing of immigrant communities and all New Yorkers whose rights are protected by our City's prized sanctuary laws." Read On The Fox News App At issue in the suit is an executive order signed by New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro last week that allows federal immigration authorities to operate an office on Rikers Island to help carry out criminal investigations into drug trafficking, organized violence and migrant gang activity plaguing the city. The order states that the safety of New Yorkers has been jeopardized by violent transnational gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua – gangs designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration – and there is a critical need for federal law enforcement to share "real-time" intelligence with the city's corrections department and police. The order allows federal law enforcement agencies to share intelligence with the corrections department and NYPD about criminal gang activity among individuals both inside and outside of custody. Border Crossings Hit Record Low In March Thanks To 'Vigilant' Work Of Agents: Report It does not give ICE permission to carry out civil immigration enforcement and arrest people simply for being undocumented. The order was issued the week after federal charges against Adams were dismissed. He had been accused of using his position as mayor to receive luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals. Adams insisted the case was politically motivated and was pursued in retaliation for his criticism of President Joe Biden's immigration policies. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat who is running to unseat Adams, claimed in a Tuesday statement that the order allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations on criminals at Rikers Island is "a naked attempt by Eric Adams to fulfill his end of the bargain for special treatment he received from the Trump administration." She said the city council's lawsuit is an attempt to "protect the rights and safety of all New Yorkers against attacks by the Trump administration—because the city's mayor won't stop placing his own personal interests ahead of the people of our city." Another Pro-palestine Columbia Protestor Detained By Ice, Sanders And Dems Outraged Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, responded to the lawsuit by calling it "baseless" and "contrary to the public interest." "The City Council appears to be spreading misinformation," Mamelak told Fox News Digital. "So let's be clear: To maintain the trust of the nearly 8.5 million New Yorkers our administration serves and protects every day — and to ensure there was never even the appearance of any conflict — Mayor Adams delegated all powers, responsibilities, and decision-making related to any action authorizing federal officials to investigate crimes at Rikers Island to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro." The spokesperson said that Mastro "conducted a thorough and independent assessment — which included multiple visits to Rikers Island, conversations with federal law enforcement and our own Department of Correction officers, and more — and he independently concluded that a federal presence at Rikers to conduct federal criminal investigations is in New York City's best interest and protects public safety, particularly in our ongoing efforts to target violent transnational gangs now present in our city, including those designated as terrorist organizations." "Executive Order 50 is expressly authorized by New York City's local laws — the very laws enacted by the City Council," said Mamelak. "While we will review the lawsuit, this one seems baseless and contrary to the public interest in protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals. We remain committed to our administration's efforts to reduce crime and keep New Yorkers safe — we hope the City Council will join us in doing so." Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this article source: Democrat city council sues mayor for allowing ICE into major American prison
Fox News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrat city council sues mayor for allowing ICE into major American prison
The Democrat-controlled city council of New York City is suing Mayor Eric Adams for cooperating with the Trump administration by allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations at Rikers Island Prison. The city council is asking the court to declare an executive order by the mayor's office allowing ICE into Rikers Island "illegal, null, and void." The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of New York on Tuesday. In the suit, the city council accuses Adams of engaging in an illegal "quid pro quo" with the Trump administration by allowing ICE into the city prison in exchange for having the federal corruption charges against him dropped. The suit claims that Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, prioritized his own political goals over the city's "prized sanctuary laws," calling the executive order "the poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams's deal with the Trump Administration." "Today, in New York City, a corrupt bargain is taking place in plain view: New York City Mayor Eric Adams … is using his official powers to pay off the Trump Administration for dropping criminal charges against him," the suit claims. "The 'purchase price'- which was agreed to in advance and is now being proffered - is the safety and wellbeing of immigrant communities and all New Yorkers whose rights are protected by our City's prized sanctuary laws." At issue in the suit is an executive order signed by New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro last week that allows federal immigration authorities to operate an office on Rikers Island to help carry out criminal investigations into drug trafficking, organized violence and migrant gang activity plaguing the city. The order states that the safety of New Yorkers has been jeopardized by violent transnational gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua – gangs designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration – and there is a critical need for federal law enforcement to share "real-time" intelligence with the city's corrections department and police. The order allows federal law enforcement agencies to share intelligence with the corrections department and NYPD about criminal gang activity among individuals both inside and outside of custody. It does not give ICE permission to carry out civil immigration enforcement and arrest people simply for being undocumented. The order was issued the week after federal charges against Adams were dismissed. He had been accused of using his position as mayor to receive luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals. Adams insisted the case was politically motivated and was pursued in retaliation for his criticism of President Joe Biden's immigration policies. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat who is running to unseat Adams, claimed in a Tuesday statement that the order allowing ICE to conduct immigration investigations on criminals at Rikers Island is "a naked attempt by Eric Adams to fulfill his end of the bargain for special treatment he received from the Trump administration." She said the city council's lawsuit is an attempt to "protect the rights and safety of all New Yorkers against attacks by the Trump administration—because the city's mayor won't stop placing his own personal interests ahead of the people of our city." Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, responded to the lawsuit by calling it "baseless" and "contrary to the public interest." "The City Council appears to be spreading misinformation," Mamelak told Fox News Digital. "So let's be clear: To maintain the trust of the nearly 8.5 million New Yorkers our administration serves and protects every day — and to ensure there was never even the appearance of any conflict — Mayor Adams delegated all powers, responsibilities, and decision-making related to any action authorizing federal officials to investigate crimes at Rikers Island to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro." The spokesperson said that Mastro "conducted a thorough and independent assessment — which included multiple visits to Rikers Island, conversations with federal law enforcement and our own Department of Correction officers, and more — and he independently concluded that a federal presence at Rikers to conduct federal criminal investigations is in New York City's best interest and protects public safety, particularly in our ongoing efforts to target violent transnational gangs now present in our city, including those designated as terrorist organizations." "Executive Order 50 is expressly authorized by New York City's local laws — the very laws enacted by the City Council," said Mamelak. "While we will review the lawsuit, this one seems baseless and contrary to the public interest in protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals. We remain committed to our administration's efforts to reduce crime and keep New Yorkers safe — we hope the City Council will join us in doing so."
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paul Schrader Accused of Sexually Harassing Former Assistant, Refusing to Honor Settlement
'Taxi Driver' and 'Mean Streets' screenwriter Paul Schrader has been accused by his former assistant of sexually harassing her and then reneging on an agreed-upon confidential settlement. She is now demanding a court force him to honor that agreement. In a motion filed Thursday in the Supreme Court of New York in New York County, the 26-year-old former assistant, identified as an anonymous Jane Doe, accused 78=year-old Schrader of groping her and attempting to force her to kiss him while they were at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. She then says that three days later, he called her over to his hotel room where he exposed his penis to her. Doe alleges Schrader acknowledged repeatedly that he behaved inappropriately, but continued to make advances on her. She then accuses Schrader or firing her in retaliation for refusing them. She then hired an attorney and eventually a Schrader offered a confidential settlement, with the stipulation it be paid out over the course of 7 months. According to Doe, he then 'repudiated the binding agreement,' informing her attorney a few weeks later that he would no longer pay it; Schrader subsequently refused to sign the agreement. Schrader's attorney told Variety their argument is that because he never signed the agreement, it is unenforceable. The attorney also said the complaint was 'loaded with inaccuracies' and 'materially misleading,' and asserted that during the three years Doe worked for Schrader, they attended multiple events and, 'in none of those instances did the plaintiff indicate anything other than enthusiasm about appearing with Mr. Schrader.' The attorney did not explain how that would rebut the accusations of sexual harassment and breach of contract contained in the complaints. Schrader's attorney told Indiewire that Schrader and Doe kissed twice after a night of drinking but that he backed down after she said no. The lawsuit seeks a summary judgment ordering Schrader to pay the agreed upon settlement, as well as court costs and disbursements, additional damages, attorneys' fees, and pre-judgment and postjudgment interest. The post Paul Schrader Accused of Sexually Harassing Former Assistant, Refusing to Honor Settlement appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Luigi Mangione wants access to laptop while awaiting trial in case of United HealthCare CEO killing
Attorneys for Luigi Mangione, the Towson, Maryland, man accused of gunning down a United HealthCare CEO, are requesting he have access to a laptop while in federal custody to review documents and other material related to his case, according to a court filing Monday in the Supreme Court of New York. Without a laptop, counsel would have to print out more than 15,000 pages of discovery for Mangione to keep in his cell pending his trial, his attorneys, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan, said in the court filing. However, prosecutors 'do not plan on consenting to a personal laptop at this time' because of the sensitive nature of many of the documents and alleged threats to witnesses in the case. Mangione, 26, faces federal and state charges in connection with the death of CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione, a 2016 Gilman valedictorian and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is charged with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. 'There is no good reason why Mr. Mangione has not been provided with complete discovery, all of which is entirely in law enforcement's possession,' Mangione's attorney said in the court filing. 'Not only is there no legitimate basis for a protective order to withhold this information from the defense, but there is also no connection between Mr. Mangione and any purported threats to anyone.' Mangione's counsel noted that many other federal inmates at the prison are provided laptops to review their discovery. In those cases, counsel obtains a laptop and provides it to an approved vendor to modify in compliance with the prison's regulations by disabling the laptop's connections to the internet, printers, wireless networks, games, and entertainment programs. Mangione's legal team declined to comment, referring all questions to the latest court filing. This case has generated international interest and has become a rallying cry for those who share Mangione's apparent anger with the health insurance industry. Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4 as he headed to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor meeting. He is accused of carefully planning the murder — traveling to New York to find him, carrying a gun with a silencer to carry out the killing and developing a document that chronicled his disdain for the insurance industry, which law enforcement said they found on him at the time of his arrest. He was later arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a gun suspected of being linked to the three shell casings discovered at the crime scene. Investigators said his fingerprints matched those investigators found on a water bottle and snack bar wrapper. Mangione has 11 New York state charges, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism. Federal charges against him include two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in 'furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years,' according to U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of New York. In addition, he has been charged with gun and forgery offenses in Pennsylvania. He was held there until Dec. 19, when he was extradited from the Blair County Courthouse to New York to face the most serious offenses. Last month, more than 100 mostly female supporters crowded into the hallways of a New York criminal court to support Mangione in a court appearance. His attorneys have questioned whether he will be able to get a fair trial because of the publicity surrounding the case and some tactics by the prosecutors, who allegedly discussed evidence publicly without sharing it with the defense team. 'To make matters worse, while the prosecution is deliberately withholding discovery from the defense, law enforcement is routinely providing information to the public, including confidential Grand Jury information, in clear violation of Mr. Mangione's constitutional rights,' the latest court filing reads. 'Since the inception of this case, the defense has learned a great deal about the discovery in the People's possession from leaks and interviews given by law enforcement, even as recently as 11 days ago in a New York magazine profile of the police commissioner.' A fundraiser on GiveSendGo that is raising funds to help Mangione pay for his legal defense has reached $757,702 toward its goal of $1 million. Officials with the Manhattan district attorney's office could not be reached for comment. Mangione's next federal court hearing is scheduled for April 18. He is set to make another appearance in state court in June. _____
