New SEC Enforcement Chiefs See Cyber Crime as Biggest Market Threat

Hackers are increasingly breaking into brokerage accounts to steal assets or make illegal trades, prompting U.S. securities regulators to start tracking cyber crimes more closely, two newly appointed enforcement officials said in an interview on Thursday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission named Stephanie Avakian and Steven Peikin as new co-directors of enforcement.

In an exclusive interview ahead of the formal announcement, the two said they were deeply concerned about cyber threats and see the topic as a major enforcement priority.

Bill to Erase Some Dodd-Frank Banking Rules Passes in House

The House approved legislation on Thursday to erase a number of core financial regulations put in place by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, as Republicans moved a step closer to delivering on their promises to eliminate rules that they claim have strangled small businesses and stagnated the economy. read more »

Whistleblower doctor files lawsuit over concurrent surgeries at Massachusetts General Hospital

A former Massachusetts General Hospital anesthesiologist has filed a lawsuit that claims she and other doctors kept patients under anesthesia longer than safe or medically necessary while surgeons performed simultaneous surgeries.

In a federal lawsuit filed in Boston, Lisa Wollman, M.D., alleges that at least five orthopedic surgeons at the hospital endangered patients by regularly performing simultaneous or concurrent surgeries. The lawsuit also charges that the doctors defrauded Medicare and Medicaid by billing for surgeries in which they were not in the operating room for critical portions of the procedures.

The suit was filed against the hospital and its parent company, Partners HealthCare System, as well as the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Physicians Organization. read more »

Chiropractor Going Back To Prison For New Ponzi Scheme

A Twin Cities chiropractor who has already spent time in prison for a Ponzi scheme is going back for the same crime.

The United States Attorney’s office says Randy Miland, 63, was convicted Wednesday of one count each of mail fraud and money laundering.

He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for a Ponzi scheme that cost investors more than $500,000. read more »