A Graft Machine’s Collapse Sows Chaos in the Caribbean

In the Dominican Republic, the fall of the Odebrecht corruption empire is threatening a power plant—and a presidency. read more »

Wall Street Is Starting to Get Nervous About Venezuela's ‘Hunger Bonds’

Opposition trying to scare off financing for embattled Maduro

National Assembly says it won’t honor any illegal debts

The Venezuelan debt that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bought last month may be known as “hunger bonds” to many in the international community, but they’re earning a different moniker on Wall Street: repudiation bonds. read more »

Feds probe CCS Oncology; whistleblower claims billing fraud

Federal authorities are investigating whether CCS Oncology, one of the region's largest and most prominent providers of cancer care, defrauded taxpayers out of millions of dollars a year, The Buffalo News has learned.

In addition to the federal investigation, a whistleblower has filed a related civil lawsuit against CCS arguing the practice's physicians and other staffers engaged in widespread fraud and other misconduct, costing the government $10 million to $15 million annually, according to a source familiar with the complaint who spoke on the condition of anonymity. read more »

CFTC Charges of Fraudulently Soliciting More than $11 Million from Customers in Connection with Trading Futures

On June 2, 2017, Laurence Hong and Grace Hong were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Seattle Division, on related criminal charges.

The CFTC Complaint specifically alleges that the Hongs fraudulently solicited prospective and current customers at a church gathering, in a subsequent YouTube video of that gathering, and in oral solicitations with one or more customers. The CFTC Complaint alleges that at the church gathering, and as captured in the YouTube video, a Pastor made representations about the amount of money that Laurence Hong has under management and his record as a successful trader. The CFTC Complaint alleges that the Hongs provided the Pastor these misrepresentations prior to the church gathering and did not correct the misrepresentations after hearing the Pastor make the misrepresentations. w