New York Paralegal Blog

  Hey everyone, let's dive into something deeply important, something that shapes our nation's foreign policy in profound ways: the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, on the current U.S. administration, particularly on President Trump. This isn't just about politics; it's about the very soul of our democratic process and the direction we take on the global stage. AIPAC is a formidable force. They are a well-oiled lobbying machine, with a singular, laser-focused mission: to bolster the U.S.-Israel relationship and ensure unwavering American support for Israel. They do this through relentless lobbying of Congress and the White House, cultivating relationships with policymakers, and even pouring millions into political campaigns through their PAC. They organize trips to Israel for influential figures, building bonds and shaping perspectives. Now, when we look at President Trump's actions regarding the Middle East, it's ...

There's a lot of talk lately about whether we, as citizens, are being subtly told not to criticize other countries' governments, even while we're still free to speak our minds about our own. This idea sparks some big questions about our rights and how our government operates on the world stage. Let's break it down simply. The Double Standard Dilemma Imagine this: You can complain about your local mayor, your state governor, or even the President of your own country without fear. That's a fundamental part of living in a democracy – the freedom to speak up and hold our leaders accountable. It's written right into our Constitution. But what if you felt pressured not to say anything critical about, say, the government of a country halfway across the world? This is where the current concern comes from. If true, it suggests a new kind of unwritten rule, where criticizing foreign governments might be seen as unhelpful or even problematic by our own governme...

WASHINGTON—Eight former executives and agents of Siemens AG and its subsidiaries have been charged for allegedly engaging in a decade-long scheme to bribe senior Argentine government officials to secure, implement and enforce a $1 billion contract with the Argentine government to produce national identity cards, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York and Ronald T. Hosko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.

Earlier today, Vincent McCrudden, a former commodities trader, pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting threats to kill more than 40 current and former officials of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). McCrudden has been in custody since his arrest on January 14, 2011.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that REZA SAFARHA was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 10 months in prison for violating the Iran Trade Embargo, money laundering, conspiracy, and theft of government money. SAFARHA was found guilty in February 2011 by U.S. District Judge RICHARD J. SULLIVAN, who found, among other things, that SAFARHA illegally transmitted approximately $300,000 through the “hawala” system to Iran and that SAFARHA believed the money was proceeds from criminal conduct. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA stated: “This office takes violations of the United States’ trade embargo with Iran very seriously. Reza Safarha employed a form of financial legerdemain to circumvent the embargo, and added insult to injury by doing this to conceal what he believed were the proceeds from the sale of stolen property.” According to the indictment, the evidence at trial, and Judge SULLIVAN’s public findings: Th...

NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a sweeping new initiative that will give the Attorney General the authority to investigate and potentially prosecute any wrongdoing involving government spending, including member items, contracts, and pension fraud. By working with the Comptroller to police public integrity in Albany, the Attorney General is building on his multi-pronged approach to root out waste, fraud and corruption in state government. “As stewards of the public trust, we are all responsible for doing our part to crack down on public corruption with every tool at our disposal. We need to be smarter, faster and more efficient than what current law allows,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “That is why it is critical we close every loophole that exists in current law as part of comprehensive ethics legislation. We need such legislation now more than ever, and I look forward to working with the Governor and legislative leaders in the coming weeks t...

SEATTLE — The U.S. Department of Labor has debarred HWA Inc., President John Wood and Vice President Barbara Wood from future government contracts for three years, due to significant and repeated violations of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Seattle-based HWA provided security services as a contractor to various federal facilities, government offices and public works projects in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Missouri and New York. "The Labor Department will not allow federal contractors to misuse public funds and exploit hardworking laborers by denying their rightful wages," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Debarring violators such as HWA from future contracts ensures a level playing field, so that honest companies are not placed at a competitive disadvantage for playing by the rules, and paying their workers full and fair prevailing wages." This debarment action is based on HW...

Late Friday evening, President Obama addressed the Nation from the Blue Room at the White House on the bipartisan agreement on the budget. As the President put it, leaders from both parties "acted on behalf of our children’s future" by finding the common ground necessary to keep the government open for business.

WASHINGTON – Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. has agreed to pay the United States an additional $3,718,770, bringing the total paid to resolve civil claims arising from the company’s cost charging practices on some of its contracts with the government to $16,570,018, the Justice Department announced today. The Army and other government agencies contract with the Ft. Worth, Texas-based company to purchase helicopters and parts, modifications, customization, and related goods and services. In August 2004, Bell notified the Defense Department’s Inspector General that its billing of the costs of certain subcontracts, work transfers, and other transactions with its subsidiaries, divisions, and affiliated companies had resulted in overcharges to the government. The company submitted a report in 2006 describing its conduct and the financial impact on the government and paid the government $12,851,248.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today announced that the agreement with the Swiss government has been finalized. As a result of the agreement, the United States will receive substantially all of the accounts of interest when it initiated the John Doe summons against UBS on June 30, 2008. Under the agreement, the IRS will submit a treaty request to the Swiss government describing the specific accounts for which it is requesting information. The Swiss government will then direct UBS to initiate procedures to turn over information on thousands of accounts to the IRS. The IRS will receive information on accounts of various amounts and types, including bank-only accounts, custody accounts in which securities or other investment assets were held and offshore company nominee accounts through which an individual indirectly held beneficial ownership in the accounts. Also, the agreement retains the U.S. Government’s right, if the results are signifi...

The Department of Justice, UBS and the Swiss government have requested a stay with a rescheduled hearing date of Aug. 3, 2009, in the proceedings for enforcement of the summons ordering UBS to turn over records of account holders. The stay was requested in order to provide the parties additional time to discuss a possible alternative resolution of the matter. The parties have agreed that any alternative resolution reached would necessarily include a provision requiring UBS to provide the Internal Revenue Service information on a significant number of individuals with UBS accounts. If an alternative resolution is not reached, the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously pursue enforcement of the summons through the court.

MIAMI, FLA. -- A Miami federal jury convicted Venezuelan national Franklin Duran, on charges of acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ("Venezuela") within the United States, without prior notification to the Attorney General of the United States, as required by law, announced R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Patrick Rowan, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office. In December 2007, Duran, 41, along with co-defendants Moises Maionica, 36, Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, Rodolfo Wanseele Paciello, 41, and Carlos Kauffmann, 36, were charged in a two-Count indictment for their participation in a series of meetings, beginning in August 2007, in South Florida with Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson. More...

Many people look to the government hoping to find out how to apply for a grant or to get "free money," which they have seen advertised on television or in various publications. However, grants usually go to state and local governments or nonprofit organizations, which then use the money to operate assistance programs locally. USA.gov has information about legitimate grant and loan opportunities. Individuals looking for government grants and loans should visit GovBenefits.gov. GovBenefits.gov is the official government benefits web site, encompassing more than 400 federal and 600 state programs funded by various agencies. This site allows you to complete a confidential questionnaire and receive a list of programs that may apply to your situation. States and organizations looking for grants should visit Grants.gov. Another source of information is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), which is a directory of over 15 types of federal assistance, including grants ...