Ozarks Electric Cooperative Sued By EEOC For Religious Discrimination

Power Supplier Fired Jehovah’s Witness for Wanting One Day Off to Attend Religious Convention, Federal Agency Charges

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ozarks Electric Cooperative Corporation, an electric power supplier located in Fayetteville, Ark., violated federal law by firing an employee because of her religious practices, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

Jonathan Gonzales-Alvarez Convicted by Jury for Murdering Bar Employee

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the conviction of JONATHAN GONZALES-ALVAREZ, 23, for fatally stabbing a security guard at a restaurant and bar in Washington Heights after the bar’s employees asked him to quiet down. A jury in New York State Supreme Court found GONZALES-ALVAREZ guilty of all of the charges in the indictment: Murder in the Second Degree and Gang Assault in the First Degree. The defendant will be sentenced on February 15, 2012.

Private Sector Bias Charges Hit All-Time High

Pending Inventory Reduced for First Time in 10 Years, Record Amount of Relief Obtained in FY 2011, EEOC Reports

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received a record 99,947 charges of employment discrimination and obtained $455.6 million in relief through its administrative program and litigation in Fiscal Year 2011, the agency announced today. For the second year in a row, despite a record number of receipts, the Commission resolved more charges than it took in with 112,499 resolutions (7,500 more resolutions than FY 2010—an increase of 7%)—leaving 78,136 pending charges, a ten percent decrease in its inventory, the first year the agency has seen a reduction since 2002.

DA VANCE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF FORMER GENERAL COUNSEL OF NYS THRUWAY EMPLOYEES LOCAL 72 FOR STEALING MORE THAN $211,000

Kevin Clor Accused of Submitting 150 Bogus Receipts for CLE Classes, Legal Reference Materials

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of KEVIN CLOR, 40, for stealing more than $211,000 from the New York State Thruway Employees Local 72 (the “Union”) and for submitting forged receipts for reimbursement. CLOR was indicted on two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, 16 counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, and 16 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.

NYPD Officer Pleads Guilty to Extortion and Criminal Civil Rights Violation

Defendant Fabricated Resisting Arrest Charge

Michael Daragjati, an eight-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, pleaded guilty today to violating an African-American victim’s civil rights by charging him with resisting arrest knowing that there was no probable cause to support that charge. Daragjati also pleaded guilty to attempting to violently extort property from another victim. The guilty pleas were entered before United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II, at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. As part of his plea agreement, Daragjati will not oppose termination of his employment by the NYPD and has agreed never to apply for a job in law enforcement in the future. Daragjati faces a maximum sentence of 21 years’ imprisonment.