Inside The Law

16/06/2024

"How to Keep Your Car From Spying on You"

New features on cars and phone apps can track where you go, when and how fast—among many other things. Here’s what to do about it.

13/06/2024

What to do if you lose your passport:

Summer travel season is upon us. Do you know where your passport is?

31/05/2024

Good video overview of the charges, evidence & proceedings related to Trump's felony convictions:

Donald Trump was found guilty of covering up a hush-money payment to p**n star Stormy Daniels after a weekslong trial. WSJ’s Corinne Ramey explains how prosecutors successfully laid out their case. Photo: Justin Lane/Press Pool

27/05/2024

"Turn On This New iPhone Setting to Protect Your Money and Photos"

Apple’s Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 can protect your iPhone if it gets stolen along with your passcode.

18/01/2024

"Know your rights and protections when it comes to medical bills and collections"

via Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

A medical emergency or treatment could turn into an unexpected financial crisis. Learn your rights, how to protect your credit, and how to steer clear of pitfalls.

16/01/2024

“…Turning on two-factor hashtag for your online accounts can be a pain. But like going to the dentist, it’s just something you have to do.

…Two-factor authentication ("2FA") acts like an additional lock on your door.

Your password opens the first, but to get past that deadbolt, you need another key: Typically it’s a code texted to your phone or generated by an app, but sometimes it’s an on-phone prompt or even a physical USB hashtag key.

…an authentication app, such as Google Authenticator or Twilio’s Authy. They generate time-based, constantly changing codes you enter to log in.Security experts recommend apps over text messages because, in the case of high-value targets, the phone number itself can be hijacked via the wireless service provider.

…The most secure type of two-factor is the physical security key, such as Yubico’s $55 YubiKey 5C NFC. When you log into a protected account, you tap it against your phone or insert it into your phone or laptop’s USB port. If you go this route, you should have two or three, in case one gets lost. Security keys are a strongly recommended protection for people at higher risk, such as high-net-worth individuals, social-media influencers and public figures…”

Full article:

The SEC’s X account breach and last year’s 23andMe hack show why everyone needs a second security layer

20/11/2022

04/01/2022

"...In an investigation triggered at first by members of his own family, Charles , one of the most powerful men in New Jersey, the head of a real-estate empire worth as much as $2 billion, pled guilty to eighteen felony counts of tax fraud, election violations, and witness tampering.

In the strangest twist, Charles admitted to taking revenge on a hated brother-in-law by secretly setting up him up with a pr******te, then taping the encounter. He spent sixteen months behind bars for his crimes..."

By Gabriel Sherman
via New York Magazine

https://nymag.com/news/features/57891/

Guilty of a shocking crime against his own brother-in-law, real-estate mogul Charles Kushner has been cast out of power. So his son Jared, the 28-year-old 'Observer' owner, has to carry the ambition for the both of them.

04/01/2022

1985: "GUILTY PLEAS ENTERED IN DEMOLITION AT TIMES SQUARE"

Excerpt: A major Manhattan real-estate company and one of its vice presidents pleaded guilty yesterday to charges resulting from the illegal nighttime demolition of four Times Square buildings in January.

The company, the West 45th Street Macklowe Corporation, and its vice president in charge of construction, John Tassi, were allowed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment without receiving any jail sentence.

In an agreement with the city, Harry Macklowe, the president of the real-estate company and the buyer of the buildings, agreed to give the city $2 million to help build and maintain single-room-occupancy dwellings in the city.

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/08/nyregion/guilty-pleas-entered-in-demolition-at-times-sq.html

AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyGUILTY PLEAS ENTERED IN DEMOLITION AT TIMES SQ.By Marcia ChambersMay 8, 1985Credit...The New York Times ArchivesSee the article in its original context from May 8, 1985, Section A, Page 1Buy ReprintsView on timesm...

04/01/2022

The story of the tax break is in many ways the story of U.S. tax policy writ large. Congress enacts a loophole-laden law whose benefits skew toward the ultrarich. Lobbyists defeat efforts to rein it in. Then creative tax specialists at law, accounting and Wall Street firms transform it into something far more generous than what lawmakers had contemplated.

“Q.S.B.S. is an example of a provision that is on its face already outrageous,” said Daniel Hemel, a tax law professor at the University of Chicago. “But when you get smart tax lawyers in the room, the provision becomes, in practice, preposterous.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/business/tax-break-qualified-small-business-stock.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Business

Once aimed at small businesses, a 1990s-era tax break has become a popular way for Silicon Valley founders and investors to avoid taxes on their investment profits.

04/01/2022

03/12/2021

I lost 17 years of my life, but I’ve lost more than just days. I lost an innocent man who was my husband. My life is dedicated to helping others.

06/10/2021

The pigeon will not be charged: https://ifls.online/3Dh1cWW

28/04/2021

And here's an example of shameless people unfit to wear the badge...

A nearly one-hour booking cell video released Monday shows two Loveland Police Department fist-bumping and laughing about their violent arrest of Karen Garner, 73.

01/03/2021

"All About "

How it works, from the anatomy of a hack to how the groups operate; the role of nation-states, insurers, and regulators; and what to do if your stuff is taken hostage...

Podcast & transcript via Andreessen Horowitz

https://a16z.com/2021/02/24/a16z-podcast-all-about-ransomware/

In just the last couple years, ransomware has grown into a multibillion dollar industry. It has evolved from taking systems and servers hostage to stealing data, and …

01/03/2021

"In his decision in that lawsuit, Judge Rakoff, who has long been critical of bad behavior on Wall Street, wrote that the former directors and officers of Jones Group could be held liable for approving the sale of the company, since it later went bankrupt.

In other words, Judge Rakoff said in his ruling, officers and directors had better think twice before agreeing to sell a company to a buyout firm..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/opinion/business-economics/private-equity-reckoning.html

A recent legal decision may force Wall Street to think twice before saddling struggling companies with debts they can’t handle.

19/10/2020

First ‘Narco-Submarine’ Caught After Crossing the Atlantic

Law-enforcement authorities say a vessel seized in Spain that was carrying tons of co***ne represents a new tactic in trafficking to Europe

"...Narco-subs have ferried co***ne from Colombia to Central America since the 1990s and recently proliferated. Rarely true submarines, they are generally semisubmersibles that float mostly but not completely below the waterline and are nearly undetectable. Most are built out of sight in South American jungles for around $1 million apiece.

The November discovery off Spain’s northwestern coast was the first confirmation of persistent rumors that they can also reach Europe, where the bulk of co***ne arrives hidden in container ships at major ports.

“It’s a game changer,” said Michael O’Sullivan, head of Europe’s Maritime Analysis and Operations Center, which helps coordinate European antidrug agencies..."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-first-narco-submarine-caught-after-crossing-the-atlantic-11603033200

via The Wall Street Journal

Law-enforcement authorities say a vessel seized last year in Spain that was carrying tons of co***ne represents a new tactic in trafficking to Europe.

19/10/2020

In Michigan Plot to Kidnap Governor, Informants Were Key

"Several thousand people in Michigan are currently active in approximately two-dozen private militias, according to researchers and private militia members.

The state has been known for these groups going back to the Michigan Militia, which claimed to have more than 10,000 members in the 1990s and attracted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to its meetings.

Nationwide, researchers put the number of private in the hundreds."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-michigan-plot-to-kidnap-governor-informants-were-key-11603013401

via The Wall Street Journal

Undercover agents and confidential informants like the ones used to disrupt the Michigan plot are key to sussing out violence.

16/10/2020

U.S. Brings ‘Largest Ever Tax Charge’ Against Tech Executive

Federal prosecutors said Robert T. Brockman had used a web of entities based in Bermuda and Nevis, as well as secret bank accounts in Bermuda and Switzerland, to hide $2 billion in income from the I.R.S.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/business/robert-brockman-tax-evasion.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage

Federal prosecutors said Robert T. Brockman had used a web of entities based in Bermuda and Nevis, as well as secret bank accounts in Bermuda and Switzerland, to hide $2 billion in income from the I.R.S.

10/09/2020

NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OR REJECTION OF THE OPINION, JUST SHARING THE QUOTE AND SOURCE:

"Studies carried out over many years show that Black drivers are stopped disproportionately, a gap that cannot be accounted for by factors like differential driving behavior or greater poverty, which might translate into more cars on the road with equipment violations.

Research also suggests that when Black drivers are pulled over, they tend to be treated less respectfully by the police and are given less leniency."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/opinion/police-reform-biden.html

How to end the racial disparity in vehicle stops.

04/06/2020

...Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who took over the case earlier this week, added a charge of second-degree murder Wednesday. He also filed charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder against three other former officers.

“Every single link in the prosecutorial chain must be strong,” Mr. Ellison said. “Winning a conviction will be hard.” He cautioned that it will take months for prosecutors to be ready to take the case to trial.

To support a second-degree murder charge, prosecutors don’t have to show the killing was premeditated or intentional. But they need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer caused the death while committing or trying to commit a felony assault, according to Minnesota law.

For a third-degree murder charge, Minnesota prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer caused the death by acting with a “depraved mind without regard for human life,” while charges against the other former officers require prosecutors to prove that they intentionally helped Mr. Chauvin murder Mr. Floyd.

The video alone may not be enough evidence to secure a conviction, said Richard Frase, a criminal-law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/criminal-charges-in-george-floyds-death-set-up-legal-battle-11590791419

Prosecutors will face a challenging legal battle in pursuing criminal charges against the Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd.

15/05/2020

Calls Mount as Restrictions Linger: ‘No One Can Leave’

The coronavirus has created new tensions. Staying at home has worsened abusive situations. Shelters worry about the spread of the virus.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/us/domestic-violence-coronavirus.html

The coronavirus has created new tensions. Staying at home has worsened abusive situations. Shelters worry about the spread of the virus.

13/05/2020

This has TONS of info and advice on I found really helpful:

https://rolfpotts.com/ferriss-transcript/

What follows is an abridged transcript of Tim Ferriss’s podcasting advice from Deviate with Rolf Potts, Episode One. Sub-section topics within the interview include the following: 1. How Tim Ferriss Got into Podcasting 2. How to Frame Questions in an Interview 3. The Advantages of Doing the Interv...

29/04/2020

...But Sycamore (the buyout firm trying to get out of its deal to acquire a majority share of Victoria's Secret) faces unusually daunting odds, thanks to clever drafting by L Brands’ lawyers at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

In the acquisition agreement, the lawyers carved out specific exceptions to those acts of God, including a pandemic.

That meant that even if a pandemic struck, Sycamore would be legally obligated to complete the deal."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/victorias-secret-sycamore-coronavirus.html?smid=tw-share

A buyout firm is trying to back out of its deal for Victoria’s Secret, citing the coronavirus. The contract’s wording will make that tricky.

28/04/2020

Excerpt:

Amazon has said it has restrictions in place to keep its private-label executives from accessing data on specific sellers in its Marketplace, where millions of businesses from around the globe offer their goods. In interviews, former employees and a current one said those rules weren’t uniformly enforced. Employees found ways around them, according to some former employees, who said using such data was a common practice that was discussed openly in meetings they attended.

“We knew we shouldn’t,” said one former employee who accessed the data and described a pattern of using it to launch and benefit Amazon products. “But at the same time, we are making Amazon branded products, and we want them to sell.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-scooped-up-data-from-its-own-sellers-to-launch-competing-products-11587650015

Contrary to assertions to Congress, employees often consulted sales information on third-party vendors when developing private-label merchandise. “We knew we shouldn’t,” said one former employee who accessed such data.

06/04/2020

"One of the biggest obstacles for consumers and workers is that payouts on individual arbitration judgments don’t justify the costs of mounting a complex case against a big company.

Some of the strategies may be changing that calculus..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/business/arbitration-overload.html

Lawyers and a Silicon Valley start-up have found ways to flood the system with claims, so companies are looking to thwart a process they created.

13/03/2020

"Rethinking Addiction & the War On Drugs"

A trimmed Joe Rogan Interview of The New York Times bestselling author, Johann Hari on drug legalization, addiction and enforcement.

The original is amazing and worthwhile (you'll see the War on Drugs very differently), but nearly 3.5 hours. Even though it's important and worthwhile, I couldn't get people to commit for that long, so I made this hour and fifteen minute version.

The original is great, with lots of fascinating stories - find it at JoeRogan.net (episode #1250).

Keywords: , , , , , , , , ,

FYI The United States Department of Justice, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Preet Bharara, The Howard Stern Show

https://insidethelaw.co/joe-rogan-johann-hari.html

The full-length original episode ( #1250) of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast is fascinating and definitely worth listening to. It includes lots of in-depth stories and insight that's been edited-out of this shortened version.

12/02/2020

"The Hidden Trauma of “Short Stays” in

Every year, thousands of children are removed from their homes by officials who fear for their safety—only to be returned within days."

"It felt like being ...”

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/02/11/the-hidden-trauma-of-short-stays-in-foster-care

Every year, thousands of children are removed from their homes by officials who fear for their safety—only to be returned within days. It “felt like being kidnapped,” one said.

10/02/2020

It May Be the Biggest Tax Heist Ever. And Europe Wants Justice.

Stock traders are accused of siphoning $60 billion from state coffers, in a scheme that one called “the devil’s machine.” Germany is the first country to try to get its money back.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/business/cum-ex.html

Stock traders are accused of siphoning $60 billion from state coffers, in a scheme that one called “the devil’s machine.” Germany is the first country to try to get its money back.