Aequitas investors score major victory with $234.6 million settlement

Investors burned in the Aequitas financial scandal scored a major victory Tuesday when a handful of accounting firms, securities operations and lawyers accused of aiding and abetting the fraud agreed to settle for $234.6 million.

Investors in the class-action suit were represented by Hagens Berman in Seattle. They accused the defendants of participating in the Aequitas Ponzi scheme or materially aiding it. read more »

$57 Million Money Laundering Conspiracy in Connection with Hospital Pass-Through Billing Scheme

The owner of a Jacksonville, Florida-area substance abuse treatment center pleaded guilty today for his role in a $57 million money laundering conspiracy associated with a pass-through billing scheme involving laboratory testing services. read more »

DNA-Testing Service Exposed Thousands of Customer Records Online

DNA-testing service Vitagene Inc. left thousands of client health reports exposed online for years, the kind of incident that privacy advocates have warned about as gene testing has become increasingly popular.

More than 3,000 user files remained accessible to the public on Amazon Web Services cloud-computer servers until July 1, when Vitagene was notified of the issue and shut down external access to the sensitive personal information, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg. The genealogy reports included customers’ full names alongside dates of birth and gene-based health information, such as their likelihood of developing certain medical conditions, a review of the documents showed. read more »