In the past two weeks, security forces have reportedly arrested four journalists, including Shahram Manouchehri, Sahamedin Bourghani, Parastoo Dokouhaki, and Marzieh Rasouli, and Iranian courts confirmed death sentences for bloggers Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, both of whom were not accorded due process and now face imminent execution on charges of ‘spreading corruption.’

Victoria Nuland

Washington

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Wave of Arrests, Harassment, and Death Sentences in Iran

January 26, 2012

We are deeply concerned by the alarming increase in the Iranian regime’s efforts to extinguish all forms of free expression and limit its citizens’ access to information in the lead-up to March parliamentary elections.

In the past two weeks, security forces have reportedly arrested four journalists, including Shahram Manouchehri, Sahamedin Bourghani, Parastoo Dokouhaki, and Marzieh Rasouli, and Iranian courts confirmed death sentences for bloggers Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, both of whom were not accorded due process and now face imminent execution on charges of “spreading corruption.”

The international community has repeatedly raised its concerns regarding Iran’s human rights record, calling on it to abide by its commitments to protect the rights of all its citizens and uphold the rule of law, including the conduct of a transparent electoral process that permits citizens to make their voices heard. We urge Iranian officials to respond to these calls, cooperate with UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Ahmed Shaheed and allow him to enter Iran to conduct his work.

Source: State Department

First Resource and Stern used a telephone sales boiler room to make inflated claims and defraud investors while simultaneously manipulating the price of the stocks and making profits for themselves. The SEC will continue to aggressively pursue perpetrators of microcap stock fraud schemes that hound potential investors to buy stock.

Eric I. Bustillo, Director, SEC Miami Regional Office

Washington

SEC Charges Boiler Room Operators in Florida-Based Penny Stock Manipulation Scheme

 

Washington, D.C., Jan. 26, 2012 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Fort Lauderdale-based firm and its founder with conducting a fraudulent boiler room scheme in which they hyped stock in two thinly-traded penny stock companies while behind the scenes they sold the same stock themselves for illegal profits.

The SEC alleges that First Resource Group LLC and its principal David H. Stern employed telemarketers who fraudulently solicited brokers to purchase stock in TrinityCare Senior Living Inc. and Cytta Corporation. While recommending the securities in these two microcap companies, Stern sold First Resource’s shares of TrinityCare and Cytta stock unbeknownst to investors who were purchasing them – a practice known as scalping. As Stern was selling the stocks, he also purchased small amounts in order to create the false appearance of legitimate trading activity and induce investors to purchase shares in both companies.

“First Resource and Stern used a telephone sales boiler room to make inflated claims and defraud investors while simultaneously manipulating the price of the stocks and making profits for themselves,” said Eric I. Bustillo, Director of the SEC’s Miami Regional Office. “The SEC will continue to aggressively pursue perpetrators of microcap stock fraud schemes that hound potential investors to buy stock.”

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2011, the SEC has filed more than 50 enforcement actions for misconduct related to microcap stocks, and issued 63 orders suspending the trading of suspicious microcap issuers. Microcap stocks are issued by the smallest of companies and tend to be low priced and trade in low volumes. Many microcap companies do not file financial reports with the SEC, so investing in microcap stocks entails many risks. The SEC has published a microcap stock guide for investors and an Investor Alert about avoiding microcap fraud perpetrated through social media.

According to the SEC’s complaint filed against Stern and First Resource in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, they violated federal securities laws by acting as unregistered broker-dealers. Stern hired and trained First Resource’s salespeople and gave them information about TrinityCare to prepare sales scripts and pitch the stock to potential investors. Stern reviewed the draft scripts, made edits, and approved the scripts before the salespeople were allowed to use them.

The SEC alleges that Stern gave the salespeople a list of potential investors to cold call and pitch the stocks. First Resource’s salespeople falsely claimed TrinityCare stock “is going to be $5-7 in 6-12 months” and the company “is going to be a half-a-billion dollar company in five years or roughly a $40 stock.” Stern also disseminated a research report on Cytta to investors and falsely touted: “Sales projections for 2010-2014 should exceed $500 million with a pre-tax net of over $400 million.”

The SEC’s complaint alleges that First Resource Group and Stern violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, and financial penalties as well as a penny stock bar against Stern.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Jorge L. Riera under the supervision of Elisha L. Frank in the SEC’s Miami Regional Office in coordination with an examination of First Resource conducted by Anson Kwong, Michael J. Nakis, George Franceschini, and Nicholas A. Monaco of the SEC’s Miami office. Edward D. McCutcheon will lead the SEC’s litigation efforts.

The SEC’s investigation is continuing.

Source: Justice Department

Ethicist William F. May, in his recent book, argues that the biblical idea of a covenant, which binds people together for a common good, offers a more promising way to deal with national problems than the language of contract, which is grounded in self-interest alone.

Washington

William May to Discuss “Testing the National Covenant,” Feb. 29

January 25, 2012

Ethicist William F. May, in his recent book, argues that the biblical idea of a covenant, which binds people together for a common good, offers a more promising way to deal with national problems than the language of contract, which is grounded in self-interest alone.

May, who held the Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History in 2007 at the Library of Congress’ John W. Kluge Center, will talk about his book “Testing the National Covenant: Fears and Appetites in American Politics” at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 29 in Room 119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by the Kluge Center, the lecture is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed. A reception with special guest Cary Maguire will follow.

May founded and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University and the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility at Southern Methodist University. He also held the Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Chair at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. He is currently a senior fellow at the Institute for Practical Ethics and Public Life at the University of Virginia.

His honors include national service on the subgroup Ethical Foundations for the Clinton Task Force on Health Care Reform and on the President’s Council on Bioethics (2002-2004). He has received distinguished teaching awards from Indiana University, the American Academy of Religion and Southern Methodist University. From the Yale Divinity School, he received the Alumni Award for Distinction in Theological Education. He was selected as a national lecturer by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

The Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History was established to explore the history of America with special attention to the ethical dimensions of domestic economic, political, and social policies. Cary Maguire is Chair and President of Maguire Oil Company and Maguire Energy Company and Chair of Components Corporation of America and Staco Inc. Maguire is a member of the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress.

Source: Library Of Congress

McIntosh is charged with a federal civil rights violation for deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with the death of White. It is alleged in the indictment that McIntosh discovered White in his cell, unresponsive and in apparent need of emergency medical care, and walked away without providing medical care or notifying PGDOC personnel of the emergency, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to White.

Washington

Former Prince George’s County, Maryland, Detention Officer Indicted for Death of Ronnie White

Thursday, January 26, 2012

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Md., has indicted Anthony McIntosh, 48, a former corrections officer at the Prince George’s County Detention Center, in Upper Marlboro, Md., on three charges related to the in-custody death of a pretrial detainee, Ronnie White, on June 29, 2008, and McIntosh’s subsequent attempts to cover-up his involvement in White’s death. Earlier today, McIntosh was arrested in New York City by the FBI.

McIntosh is charged with a federal civil rights violation for deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with the death of White. It is alleged in the indictment that McIntosh discovered White in his cell, unresponsive and in apparent need of emergency medical care, and walked away without providing medical care or notifying PGDOC personnel of the emergency, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to White.

McIntosh also is charged with two counts for destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation, specifically for falsifying an incident report and a witness statement regarding White’s in-custody death.

McIntosh faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for the civil rights offense. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of falsification of records in a federal investigation. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the Baltimore Division of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Forrest Christian and Trial Attorney Carroll McCabe of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

Source: Justice Department

Not inflation-adjusted, the $361 third-quarter 2011 average fares were up 0.5 percent from the previous third-quarter high of $359 in 2008. Unadjusted third-quarter fares dropped to $307 in 2009 during the recession. Third-quarter 2011 fares were up 17.5 percent from the 2009 low, not adjusted for inflation.

Washington

BTS Releases 3rd-Quarter 2011 Air Fare Data

3rd-Quarter Domestic Air Fares Rose 6.2% from 3rd Quarter 2010

Top 100 Airports: Highest Fares at Cincinnati, Lowest Fare at Atlantic City 

January 26, 2012

Average domestic air fares rose to $361 in the third quarter of 2011, up 6.2 percent from the average fare of $340 in the third quarter of 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Cincinnati had the highest average fare, $488, while Atlantic City, NJ, had the lowest, $167. 

Third-quarter fares decreased 2.4 percent from the second quarter. Quarter-to-quarter changes may be affected by seasonal factors. 

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reports average fares based on domestic itinerary fares. Itinerary fares consist of round-trip fares unless the customer does not purchase a return trip. In that case, the one-way fare is included. Fares are based on the total ticket value which consists of the price charged by the airlines plus any additional taxes and fees levied by an outside entity at the time of purchase. Fares include only the price paid at the time of the ticket purchase and do not include other fees, such as baggage fees, paid at the airport or onboard the aircraft. Averages do not include frequent-flyer or “zero fares” or a few abnormally high reported fares.

Not inflation-adjusted, the $361 third-quarter 2011 average fares were up 0.5 percent from the previous third-quarter high of $359 in 2008. Unadjusted third-quarter fares dropped to $307 in 2009 during the recession. Third-quarter 2011 fares were up 17.5 percent from the 2009 low, not adjusted for inflation.

Third-quarter 2011 fares, not adjusted for inflation, were the second highest of any quarter, slightly below the high of $370 in the second quarter of 2011. Adjusted for inflation, third-quarter 2011 fares in 1995 dollars were $244, down 18.0 percent from the third quarter of 2000, which, at $297, was the inflation-adjusted high for any third quarter since 1995. BTS air fare records begin in 1995.

Source: Transportation Department