U.S. indicts Russian spies in breach of 500 million Yahoo accounts

Justice Department charging Russian spies and criminal hackers in Yahoo intrusion

The Justice Department is set to announce Wednesday the indictments of two Russian spies and two criminal hackers in connection with the heist of 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014, marking the first U.S. criminal cyber charges ever against Russian government officials.

The indictments target two members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB, and two hackers hired by the Russians.

The charges include hacking, wire fraud, trade secret theft and economic espionage, according to officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the charges have not yet been announced. The indictments are part of the largest hacking case brought by the United States. read more »

Russian whistle-blower 'may have been killed by poisoned soup'

A Russian whistleblower may have been murdered when his lunchtime bowl of sorrel soup was poisoned, a court heard.

Alexander Perepilichnyy collapsed and died while running near his £3 million St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, in 2012.

The 44-year-old had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a £140m Russian money-laundering operation before his death and there have been claims he was deliberately targeted.

His death was originally attributed to natural causes, but traces of a suspect compound resembling one from the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were found in his stomach lining. read more »

Brazil’s Politicians Feel the Heat as Carwash Investigation Closes In

Public prosecutor asks Supreme Court to open investigations

Local media say inquiries requested into 5 cabinet ministers

Brazil’s chief public prosecutor has requested investigations into at least five members of the cabinet, the heads of both houses of Congress and former Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, according to local media reports.

Three years into an epic corruption scandal, prosecutor Rodrigo Janot has handed the Supreme Court a list of dozens of politicians he suspects received bribes. Though the content of the list remains under judicial seal, O Folha de Sao Paulo and O Globo reported on Tuesday evening the names of a wide range of senior Brazilian politicians who are allegedly on the list. read more »

Admiral, seven others charged with corruption in new ‘Fat Leonard’ indictment

The Justice Department unsealed a fresh indictment Tuesday charging eight Navy officials — including an admiral — with corruption and other crimes in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, escalating an epic scandal that has dogged the Navy for four years.

Among those charged were Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, a senior Navy intelligence officer who recently retired from a key job at the Pentagon, as well as four retired Navy captains and a retired Marine colonel. The charges cover a period of eight years, from 2006 through 2014.

The Navy personnel are accused of taking bribes in the form of lavish gifts, prostitutes and luxury hotel stays courtesy of Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis, a Singapore-based defense contractor who has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Navy of tens of millions of dollars. read more »

Bombardier lobbied Canada against Russia sanctions: report

Canadian train manufacturer Bombardier pressured Ottawa to exclude a former Russian railway boss with close ties to the Kremlin from sanctions levied over the annexation of Crimea, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported Tuesday.

Vladimir Yakunin -- a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia's railways from 2005 to 2015 -- appeared in documents filed last week by Swedish prosecutors in a bribery case against Bombardier employees in Russia related to rail deals in Azerbaijan. read more »

South Florida Home Health Owner Charged for Role in $15 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A South Florida home health care owner was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a $15 million health care fraud scheme involving fraudulent claims for home health services. read more »

Auditor Charged With Insider Trading on Client’s Nonpublic Information

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that an auditor based in the Silicon Valley has agreed to settle charges that he traded on inside information about a client on the verge of a merger.

The SEC’s order finds that through his work at an independent audit firm, Nima Hedayati learned that Fremont, Calif.-based Lam Research Corporation was making preparations to acquire Milpitas, Calif.-based KLA-Tencor Corporation.  The two companies manufacture equipment used in the creation of semiconductors. read more »