WHAT: America’s losses from stolen research and development could be as much as $398 billion. The number of Internet attacks on business data is growing — especially against companies smaller than the Fortune 500.
HOW: The U.S. national intelligence director said China and Russia target U.S. residents having family homeland ties and “insider access to corporate networks to steal trade secrets” using removable media, mobile devices or email.
Read More
WHAT: The latest round of the inspector general’s audits at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria brought to $73 million the discovered total of misappropriated grant funding. The fund claims to have recovered $19 million to date.
WHERE: Donations for treatment of life-threatening Third World illnesses were used for an Indian official’s home renovations and skimmed by a money launderer in Nigeria.
Read More
WHAT: Nicodemo S. Scarfo, 46, a reputed second-generation Philadelphia mob boss, was indicted along with 12 others on charges of pillaging some $12 million in assets from a Texas mortgage company.
HOW: Scarfo and his associates allegedly took over FirstPlus Financial Group, a publicly traded mortgage company in Irving, Texas. Prosecutors said FirstPlus had a lot of cash but not much business sophistication.
WHY: The gang allegedly used traditional mob-style threats to gain company control.
Read More
WHAT: In recent years, shortages of widely prescribed drugs have increased dramatically, rising to at least 232 this year. The list includes some of the most common hospital drugs for cancer patients, heart attack victims and accident survivors.
WHY: Causes vary from drug to drug, but pharmaceutical industry consolidation has left fewer manufacturers for many older, less profitable products.
Read More
WHAT: Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, 60, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty to selling black-market kidneys at a huge markup and became the first person in the first person in the US ever convicted of organ trafficking. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Read More
WHAT: A new FBI report warned that “members of at least 53 gangs” are on military installations and have been involved in “incidents of weapons theft and trafficking.” American gang graffiti has become commonplace in Iraq and Afghanistan.HOW BAD: Army Sgt. Juwan Johnson, 25, died from his injuries after being beaten by eight soldiers in a park near his base in Germany. He was being initiated into the Gangster Disciples, a notorious Chicago-based street gang.
Read More
WHAT: Eight current or retired New York police officers were arrested on federal charges of illegally transporting M-16 assault rifles, shotguns and handguns across state lines for sale.
HOW: The two-year investigation began when three suspects allegedly sold a shotgun to an undercover FBI agent. It expanded into a sting operation, with the agent selling inoperable automatic weapons to the suspects.
Read More
WHAT: Disgruntled traditional parents name thousands of infant girls across India “Nakusa,” which means “unwanted.” To help fight national gender discrimination, the government held a name-changing ceremony for 285 such girls.WHY: Indian families want male offspring so they won’t need to pay enormous dowries to marry off daughters. This results in widespread abortions of female fetuses, or severe neglect leading to a higher death rate among infant girls.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/44232/44232?page=3&type[story]=story
