Tag: Racketeering

Georgia Senate Introduces Bill Making It a Felony to Block Traffic During a Protest

Peter D'Abrosca

After a summer of rioting nationwide, Georgia lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it a felony to block a sidewalk or a street after being directed to disperse by a police officer.

According to the text of SB 171, “purposely or recklessly obstructing any highway or street in such a way as to render it impassable without unreasonable inconvenience or hazard and fails or refuses to remove the obstruction after he or she receives a reasonable official request or the order of a peace officer to do so,  shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by an imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years or a fine of not less than $1,000.00 nor more than $5,000.00, or both.”

Read the full story

Two Plead Guilty to Racketeering in Ohio’s Nuclear Bailout Scandal

The Center Square

A key strategist for the former Ohio speaker of the house pleaded guilty in federal court as part of what the U.S. government calls a racketeering conspiracy involving a billion-dollar nuclear bailout.

Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, was a longtime campaign and political strategist for State Rep. Larry Householder, R-Glenford, the former House speaker who faces bribery and racketeering charges. Juan Cespedes, 41 of Columbus, a lobbyist the U.S. attorney says was hired by an energy company to funnel money to Householder’s enterprise, also pleaded guilty.

Read the full story

Judge Allows Defamation Lawsuit Against Greenpeace to Proceed

Admin

by Michael Bastasch   A U.S. District Court judge allowed a forestry company’s defamation lawsuit against Greenpeace and affiliated groups to proceed on Tuesday, but dismissed racketeering claims leveled against the environmentalists. It’s the latest development in a multi-year legal battle between Resolute Forest Products and Greenpeace. “Although the Judge did not allow all of Resolute’s claims to proceed, we are pleased the proceedings will now move forward on our defamation and unfair competition claims against Greenpeace,” Seth Kursman, spokesman for Resolute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Resolute filed a $225 million suit against Greenpeace, affiliated groups and individual activists in May 2016 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Resolute also made defamation and unfair competition claims against environmentalists. Resolute’s U.S. lawsuit came after years-long campaigns by Greenpeace and allies against the company’s logging and forestry operations, including challenging the company’s sustainable-certified woodlands. The company said Greenpeace and its allies orchestrated a campaign to intimidate the company and cost it millions of dollars. Greenpeace called Resolute “forest destroyers” causing a “caribou death spiral and extinction” as part of their campaign against the forestry company. Greenpeace also had a webpage that gave Resolute a list of demands,…

Read the full story