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Former LA County retirement system employee charged with grand theft
Former LA County retirement system employee charged with grand theft

CBS News

time7 hours ago

  • Business
  • CBS News

Former LA County retirement system employee charged with grand theft

The former interim chief security officer for the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association has been charged with allegedly using his position to secure $120,000 worth of contracts for his company. Carmelo Marquez, 42, faces three counts of conflict of interest, two counts of perjury and one count of grand theft. The LA County District Attorney's Office said he made $19,904 from the contracts. If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum of six years and eight months in state prison. "Public service is meant to be a position of trust, not a way for people to enrich themselves through fraudulent actions," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "This is an example of why government employees must sign disclosure forms from the California Fair Political Practices Commission so there is full transparency." Prosecutors said Marquez initially worked as an independent contractor for LACERA before being named the association's interim chief security officer in February 2023. He allegedly failed to disclose that he had a business that sold software products and provided technical support for the county retirement agency. LACERA filed a lawsuit against Marquez alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and conflict of interest, according to the LA County DA.

Why is Labour's pick to be football regulator leading to cries of foul play?
Why is Labour's pick to be football regulator leading to cries of foul play?

The Independent

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • The Independent

Why is Labour's pick to be football regulator leading to cries of foul play?

L isa Nandy, secretary of state for culture, media and sport (DCMS), has decided to recuse herself from the final decision on the appointment of the first official football regulator, David Kogan, the government's preferred nominee. At a relatively late stage in proceedings, Kogan revealed in his confirmation hearing at the DCMS select committee that he had donated 'very small' amounts of money to both Keir Starmer and Nandy. This has led to allegations about a conflict of interest and, now, Nandy's unusual decision to stand aside from the decision-making process. Much more than the 'freebies scandal' in Labour's first days back in power, this is the most prominent case of anything like 'sleaze' or ' cronyism ' touching the Starmer administration. How did this happen? It's not entirely obvious. Had Kogan found a way to make his financial support for Starmer and Nandy clear at the earliest possible opportunity, then his embarrassment, and that of ministers, might have been avoided. Or perhaps Starmer and, more apposite, Nandy might have done so. Why didn't she? We don't know. Arguably, leaving it so late made it look like he had something to hide, but there's no reason to think that he's been given any special treatment by the Labour government. Indeed, Kogan was first 'tapped up' for the transfer by the Conservatives, who first proposed creating such a post. Who is David Kogan? He's well qualified to be the football regulator, to be fair. He's had a long career in the media, having worked for the likes of the BBC, Wasserman Media Group and Magnum Photos, and was later the chief media rights adviser to the Premier League between 1998 to 2015. He has also worked with the English Football League, the International Olympic Committee and the US National Football League. The select committee, despite their misgivings, saw fit to endorse his nomination. The committee chair, Caroline Dinenage, however, noted that: '[His] past donations to the Labour Party will inevitably leave him open to charges of political bias in a job where independence is paramount.' In response, Nandy delegated final approval of Kogan to Stephanie Peacock, a junior DCMS minister. How 'Labour' is Kogan? Very. As a young man, he was co-author of The Battle for the Labour Party (1982). The book, written alongside his uncle Maurice Kogan, is one of the best contemporary accounts of the party's traumas during the Thatcher ascendancy. He has made nine donations to the Labour Party, totalling some £33,000 since 2022, including a payment of £5,000 for Rachel Reeves's activities. He was also chair of LabourList until last month. What are the opposition parties doing about it? Making a small fuss. The Tory spokesperson, Louie French, says that it is a 'potential breach of the Governance Code on Public Appointments' that 'must urgently be investigated' and 'represents a clear discourtesy to both this House and the DCMS select committee'. What does it mean for Nandy? It's not ideal. A few months ago, she was rumoured to be up for the sack by Starmer for her performance, or else dropped if her sprawling department is dismantled in some future reshuffle. She's already been demoted by Starmer while in opposition; she was once shadow foreign secretary after finishing third in the 2020 leadership contest (also behind Rebecca Long-Bailey). Never on the hard left – she was Owen Smith's campaign manager for his futile bid to usurp then-leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2016 – the MP for Wigan has consistently acted as a bit of an advocate for the soft left/northern interests within the party. It's probably fair to conclude that she and her leader have gradually drifted away from one another. On the backbenches, she could easily become an informal leader of dissent and a bigger problem for the leadership than some in Downing Street seem to consider her now. Will Kogan get the job?

Prosecutor asks to have law firm removed from double-murder case
Prosecutor asks to have law firm removed from double-murder case

CBC

time2 days ago

  • General
  • CBC

Prosecutor asks to have law firm removed from double-murder case

A New Brunswick Crown prosecutor has asked that a criminal defence firm be recused from representing a man co-accused of murdering two people whose bodies were found in Chipman, N.B., last fall. Crown prosecutor Robert Johnston told a judge Monday that Nathan Gorham and others in his firm are in a conflict of interest in representing Corey Agnew, who was charged in January with two counts of first-degree murder. Johnston did not say what the exact source of the alleged conflict is when addressing provincial court Judge Natalie LeBlanc, but added that the recusal order should also apply to all other lawyers working for Gorham Vandebeek LLP. "[In] my discussions with Mr. Gorham on Friday ... he was in complete agreement that he is in a conflict of interest, that he will not be continuing," said Johnston. "But the focus of your decisions should be on whether or not other members of his firm may continue." The bodies of Robert Waugh, 47, and Victoria King, 23, were found on Nov. 25 inside a burning vehicle in Chipman, about 60 kilometres northeast of Fredericton. On Jan. 20, RCMP announced Mark Elley had been charged with first-degree murder, and two days later, Agnew was charged. Law firm should be allowed to stay on, says lawyer Lawyers for both sides were supposed to make arguments on the issue Monday, but the matter was adjourned because of Gorham's inability to attend the proceeding. In his place, Alexandra Youssef, an associate at his firm, appeared in court and said issues being dealt with in other cases prevented her firm from adequately preparing for Monday's appearance. However, she offered a brief summary of her argument that the firm should be allowed to continue representing Agnew. "Our position is that if Mr. Waugh's character was required to be impugned in any way, then our office would step off the file," Youssef said. "But if this is a defence, if this is a case where the defence does not require any impugning of Mr. Waugh's character then our position is that it is appropriate for our firm to represent Mr. Agnew." LeBlanc tasked Youssef with having her firm submit written arguments by June 13, giving the Crown a chance to reply in writing by June 16.

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