CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ricky Lee Clark Jr., 29, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 15, 2021, Clark was carrying a loaded Davis Industries, model P380, .380-caliber pistol in his waistband when law enforcement officers encountered him on a residential street in St. Albans.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Clark was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Kanawha County Circuit Court on June 24, 2020.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the assistance provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-59.

 

 

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Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that YI DI LIN, also known as “Johnny Lin,” 49, of Mystic, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to three years of probation, and was ordered to pay restitution of more than $92,000 and a $5,500 fine, for a federal a federal tax offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court today, Lin owns and operates Peking Tokyo, a restaurant in Mystic.  In operating the restaurant, Lin regularly paid several employees wholly or partially in cash.  In mid-2019, Lin began using a payroll processing company to issue payroll checks for certain employees, make appropriate tax withholdings, and file Forms 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Returns) with the Internal Revenue Service.  Lin subsequently failed to inform the payroll company about the existence of the employees he only paid in cash and the amount of cash he paid to employees.  As a result, the payroll company prepared and filed false Forms 941 for four quarters in 2019 and 2020, and appropriate payroll taxes were not remitted to the IRS.  The resulting loss to the IRS was $92,093.

On July 28, 2022, Lin pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. 

Lin has paid $92,093 in restitution.

This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Laraia.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man who was inebriated when he fired a pistol from his apartment patio pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing a stolen firearm.

Reggie L. Teagues, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one count of possessing a stolen firearm.

By pleading guilty today, Teagues admitted that he possessed a Kel-Tec 9mm semi-automatic pistol on Nov. 12, 2020. Independence police officers were called to his residence at approximately 4:05 p.m. that day in response to a neighbor’s 911 report of shots fired. The neighbor heard three gunshots, which he originally thought were fireworks. When he went out to his patio to investigate, he saw Teagues holding a handgun.

When officers arrived, Teagues was slumped over on the living room floor in his apartment, near the sliding glass door leading to the patio. Teagues told officers he had consumed approximately one pint of tequila since noon that day, as well as using PCP. Teagues had an injury to his elbow, which he apparently received when he fell into the bedroom window while on the patio. Officers found two spent shell casings on the patio and another spent shell casing on the floor beside Teagues.

Teagues’s girlfriend told officers the firearm belonged to her and that she had it secured in her bedroom closet on a shelf where Teagues had taken it without permission. She had rushed home after getting a frantic phone call from her daughter. She saw the firearm lying on the kitchen table, put it in her purse, and was attempting to get Teagues into the bedroom when officers arrived.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Teagues agree to a sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson, who is a cross-designated prosecutor from the Missouri Attorney General’s office as part of the Safer Streets Initiative to combat violent crime. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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            CONCORD – Jennifer Bosworth, 31, of Keene, was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and crack cocaine.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 1, 2021, law enforcement officers conducting surveillance of Ms. Bosworth observed her travel by car from her residence in Keene, New Hampshire, to Lawrence, Massachusetts, picking up an associate along the way.  Once in Lawrence, she stopped at an ATM and made multiple cash withdrawals.  She then drove to an area in Lawrence known for its drug activity. Law enforcement observed Ms. Bosworth interact with an individual who walked up to Ms. Bosworth’s vehicle but did not get inside.  Ms. Bosworth then drove back to Keene. Ms. Bosworth was on probation at the time and had violated its terms by traveling out of state, so law enforcement conducted a stop of her car.  After removing Ms. Bosworth from her car, law enforcement observed a baggie containing roughly 15 grams of crack cocaine. A later search of Ms. Bosworth’s car resulted in the seizure of over 85 additional grams of crack cocaine, over 80 grams of fentanyl, and roughly 10 grams of powder cocaine, along with $1,220 in an Arizona Tea can “hide” compartment, and ATM receipts showing numerous large cash withdrawals totaling thousands of dollars. 

            “Drug dealers like the defendant who traffic fentanyl, crack cocaine and other dangerous drugs across our state borders for distribution will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Young.  “Through the efforts of Homeland Security and local law enforcement working with our office, the defendant will no longer be able to sell these lethal drugs that are poisoning residents of Keene and other New Hampshire communities.” 

            This matter was investigated by the Keene Police Department with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande.

           

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The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Vermont resident Erika Desormeaux, 36, was arrested and held in federal custody following the search of her residence on Maple Hill Road in Barton, Vermont this morning. Desormeaux is charged in a criminal complaint alleging she conspired with two other individuals, Nathaniel Jamal “JJ” Jones and Jermaine R. “Bear” Douchette, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including cocaine and fentanyl, between August 28, 2022 and today. Jones and Douchette—both formerly of Springfield, Massachusetts—were not located during the search of the Barton residence, and warrants remain active for their arrest in this case. Desormeaux is scheduled to make her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle in the Burlington federal courthouse tomorrow.

According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, Desormeaux distributed controlled substances from her Barton residence and allowed other individuals to do the same—including Jones and Douchette, whom she regularly hosted at the residence. Investigators arranged the purchase of cocaine and fentanyl from the defendants on multiple occasions between August and October 2022, and most of those transactions occurred at Desormeaux’s residence. As alleged in the affidavit, witnesses described the conspirators’ possession and acquisition of firearms during the investigation, and Desormeaux herself purchased a firearm in June 2022 that she traded for fentanyl.

The charges in the criminal complaint against Desormeaux, Jones, and Douchette are accusations only, and they are each presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in further proceedings. If convicted of the crime of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, each defendant would face a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Northern Vermont Drug Task Force (NVDTF) and thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) for planning and executing this morning’s search. NVDTF and ATF also collaborated with and received support from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, the Newport Police Department (NPD), and Homeland Security Investigations.

“This case involves not only the distribution of deadly substances but also the acquisition and transfer of firearms to the drug distributors,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest. “Our community is too familiar with the drug-fueled violence that has made its way into our cities and into smaller towns throughout Vermont. We will continue to investigate and charge the individuals who host drug dealers in their homes and straw purchase firearms for them.”

Orleans Sheriff Jennifer Harlow commented on the property and violent crime resulting from drug trafficking in Orleans County.  “The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department is committed to working with our state and federal partners to combat drug and firearms trafficking,” she said. “Drug addiction and the often-violent drug dealers taking advantage of our community have a perilous impact on all of us. It is important for us to collaborate to fight dangerous drugs and to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would do harm with them.” 

“We know that violence and drug trafficking are frequently associated with each other,” said Paul Massock, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division. “By working with our local, state, and federal partners in operations like the one today, ATF is one step closer toward reversing the devastating trends of overdoses and drug-related violence threatening Vermont. ATF will continue to work diligently alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that our communities are safe from drug and firearm trafficking, and the violent crime that often goes along with it.”

The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Lasher. Natasha Sen, Esq. has been appointed to represent Desormeaux for her initial appearance. Counsel will be selected by or appointed for Jones and Douchette upon their arrests and initial appearances.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn

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TUCSON, Ariz. –On October 13, 2022, United States Border Patrol (USBP) agents arrested Hugo Alexander Garcia-Sales, 22, of Guatemala, for Assault on a Federal Officer With a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon and Improper Entry by an Alien.

The complaint alleges that on October 13, 2022, USBP agents responded to a remote area near Henrick’s Well after receiving reports of two suspected undocumented noncitizens. When agents arrived on the scene, the individuals ran, and a USBP helicopter was called in to assist in the search. While the pilot hovered above the ground, Garcia-Sales threw five softball-sized rocks at the helicopter. Although Garcia-Sales failed to hit the helicopter, one rock came within several feet of striking the aircraft, creating a severe risk of injury or death to the victim pilot. USBP agents arrested Garcia-Sales and confirmed he was a non-U.S. citizen without legal permission to enter or remain in the United States. The other individual evaded apprehension.

Assault on a Federal Officer carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Improper Entry by an Alien carries a maximum penalty of six months in federal prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nathaniel Walters, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

 

CASE NUMBER:            MJ-22-07776-BGM
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-191_Garcia-Sales

 

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

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SHREVEPORT, La. Dr. Jeffrey L. Evans, Jr., 65, of Mansfield, Louisiana, and Debra E. Craig, 66, of Converse, Louisiana, were each indicted by a federal grand jury in Shreveport today for illegally obtaining and distributing controlled substances, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.

Evans was a physician licensed to practice medicine in the State of Louisiana with an office in Mansfield, and Craig was an LPN who worked in the medical clinic and was assigned to work with Evans.  The indictment alleges that beginning on or about January 2, 2014 and continuing until on or about March 9, 2022, Evans and Craig conspired together and with other persons to obtain hydrocodone and Adderall, both Schedule II controlled substances, by fraud.

It is alleged in the indictment that Evans would write prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances to an unnamed person identified as “Individual 1” and to his co-defendant and LPN, Craig. The controlled substances prescribed included hydrocodone-acetaminophen tablets, hydrocodone-homatropine syrup, and Adderrall.  According to the indictment, Individual 1 would fill the prescriptions at a Mansfield, Louisiana area pharmacy and then provide the Adderrall to Evans, who would split the controlled substance containing hydrocodone with Individual 1.

The indictment further alleges that Craig would fill the prescriptions at a Mansfield, Louisiana area pharmacy using the name “Debbie Craig.” Evans would provide cash to Craig to pay the pharmacy for the Schedule II controlled substances and after filling the prescriptions, Craig would in turn provide them to Evans.

It is alleged in nine counts in the indictment that Evans obtained controlled substances by fraud from December 2017 through August 2018.  In addition, Evans and Craig are both charged with five counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud between September 2020 and March 2022. Finally, the indictment alleges that Evans distributed controlled substances through prescriptions that were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose between February 2018 and August 2018.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, Evans faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.  If convicted, Craig faces a sentence of up to 4 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. 

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Alexander C. Van Hook, Special Counsel to the United States Attorney.

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Jackson, TN – Tommarion Latrez Williams, 28, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for 
being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Kevin G. Ritz, United States Attorney, announced the 
sentence today.

According to the information presented in court, on February 11, 2020, at approximately 10:45 p.m., 
officers with the Bolivar Police Department were dispatched to a disturbing the peace call at E. 
Margin St. in Bolivar. After responding to the scene, one of the officers knocked on the front door 
while another officer walked to the back of the residence. The officer that went to the rear of the 
home heard people talking inside the residence and they appeared to be arguing.

That officer then stepped off the porch and began walking toward the north side of the residence to 
speak with his fellow officers about what he had observed, when he heard someone open the back 
door. The officer pointed his Taser in that direction and observed a man, later identified as the 
defendant, Tommarion Latrez Williams, walk through the back door onto the porch with a gun aimed at 
him. The officer determined that it was too late to draw his firearm, so he deployed his Taser at 
Williams, and Williams fired his gun directly at the officer. Fortunately, Williams did not hit the 
officer with his fired round.

Officers were soon able to subdue Williams and placed him in custody. Williams’ firearm was located 
next to a tree in the backyard. The gun, a Taurus Model PT-111 Millenium Pro, 9mm pistol, was 
reported stolen during an automobile burglary in Bolivar on August 16, 2016.

A check of Williams’ criminal history revealed that he is a convicted felon.  On May 8, 2013, 
Williams was previously convicted of aggravated burglary in Madison County, Tennessee, and he was 
convicted of the same offense in Hardeman County, Tennessee, on May 24, 2017. As a result of his 
prior felony convictions, Williams is prohibited from
possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

An ATF agent conducted an analysis of Williams’ firearm and determined that it was
manufactured outside the state of Tennessee.

On April 7, 2022, Williams pled guilty to being a convicted felon-in-possession of a firearm in 
violation of federal law.

On October 19, 2022, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Williams to 120 months’ 
imprisonment — the highest sentence allowed by law for this offense — to be followed by three 
years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Bolivar Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
(FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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Contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901-544-4231 or [email protected]. Follow @ WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.
 

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A federal jury convicted a Mounds man Wednesday in federal court for shooting his girlfriend when she tried to end their relationship in 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Jeffrey Sutton, 54, was found guilty of carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and assault with dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country.

“More than 4 million American women have reported being threatened with a firearm in homes with domestic violence. Access to firearms by a domestic abuser makes it five times more likely that an abuser will kill his partner,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Thankfully, the victim in this case survived Jeffrey Sutton’s attack and testified against him at trial. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Briden and Kristin Harrington’s dedication to protecting domestic violence victims is to be commended. Together, with our law enforcement partners, they ensured Mr. Sutton’s conviction this week in federal court.”

On December 2, 2021, the defendant, Jeffrey Sutton returned to his Mounds home and found that his girlfriend, the victim, had moved her belongings out onto the front lawn. She had decided to move out of the house after multiple arguments occurred between the two.

Sutton and the victim argued outside their residence. Then Sutton drew a 9mm handgun and fired at least eight times toward the victim. One of the shots stuck the victim in the chest near her armpit. She retreated into the house, and Sutton chased her, threatening to kill her and “all her people in Bixby.”

Sutton continued to threaten to shoot the victim while in the house and refused to call 911.

The victim then fled outside to her neighbor’s house. Sutton again chased her and shouted toward the neighbors, “I’m not trying to shoot you; I’m just trying to shoot her.” The neighbors allowed the victim inside, hid her in a closet and called 911.

A deputy from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department was the first to respond to the scene and found Sutton in the front lawn. Sutton was still carrying the firearm, which was empty at that point. He called the victim an expletive and stated that she “was trying to kick me out of the house.” Sutton was taken into custody.

Law enforcement applied pressure to the victim’s wound at the crime scene and described the victim as “in shock.” She was then transported to the hospital, where it was determined that her chest injury had an entry wound and then a graze pattern, but the bullet was no longer inside her. She was treated and later released from the hospital.

An investigator from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was called to the scene and identified eight shell casings outside near Sutton’s truck. He further found multiple bullet holes and defects in the front of the house, in the victim’s belongings on the front lawn, and inside the house.

A trajectory analysis showed that several shots were fired from the direction of the truck that struck the residence door where the victim was retreating to.

In closing arguments, the defense argued that the victim was not credible and that Sutton was only trying to protect himself and deescalate the situation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Briden reminded the jury that Sutton was the owner of a Bixby gun store and trained in handling a firearm, and that the only one trapped and scared during the shooting incident was the victim. Sutton, he argued, picked out a firearm from his vehicle that was fully loaded with a 17-round magazine then closed the distance between himself and the victim when he chased her and fired at her again and again. He then reminded the jury that the victim’s testimony, witness testimony, and the trajectory analysis at the crime scene all pointed to the same thing— that Sutton was guilty on all counts.

The FBI, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven J. Briden and Kristin F. Harrington are prosecuting the case.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men report having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. Further, about 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men have experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner. Data from U.S. crime reports suggest that over half of female homicide victims in the United States are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.

To learn about domestic violence resources or seek help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233; https://www.thehotline.org/  In a domestic violence emergency, dial 911.

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal jury in Portland found a local man with several prior felony convictions guilty today on multiple drug, gun, and money laundering charges.

Dontae Lamont Hunt, 41, a Portland resident, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute fentanyl analogue, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, and two counts each of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and money laundering.

In September 2005, Hunt was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison and eight years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In October 2016, Hunt was released from prison early after receiving a presidential sentence commutation.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in December 2017, Hunt was shot multiple times outside an apartment building in Eugene, Oregon. A surveillance video of the shooting showed Hunt walking in a nearby parking lot while talking on a cellphone and carrying a satchel. Immediately after the shooting, Hunt’s girlfriend came to his aid, retrieved the satchel, and placed it in a vehicle used to drop Hunt off at a Eugene hospital.

After departing the hospital, the vehicle was stopped by Eugene Police Department officers for a traffic violation and searched. Officers recovered a bloodstained satchel containing two loaded firearms, both of which were determined to have Hunt’s DNA on them. Back at the shooting scene, officers found a large amount of blood and an iPhone near where Hunt was shot.

On the phone, which was linked to Hunt, investigators found evidence of drug trafficking, including text messages and photos of what appeared to be counterfeit Oxycodone pills. Further investigation revealed that Hunt distributed counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing carfentanil, a powerful fentanyl analogue, in and around Portland and that his drug trafficking was connected to a fatal drug overdose in June 2018.

In September 2018, investigators searched three properties linked to Hunt, including his residence in Northeast Portland. At his residence, Hunt refused commands to surrender and remained alone upstairs for approximately 15 minutes. After he was taken into custody, Portland Police Bureau officers found blue pills adjacent to an upstairs toilet, consistent with and indicative of him disposing of evidence. Agents also located several dozen additional blue pills concealed in a jar of baby ointment, three firearms, and a gun box labeled with the make, model, and serial number of one of the firearms found in the bloodstained satchel in Eugene. Lab reports later confirmed the pills seized contained fentanyl analogue. Additional cellphones seized from Hunt’s residence also contained evidence of his drug trafficking activities. Agents also recovered more than $40,00 in cash and seized multiple vehicles.

Hunt will be sentenced on February 10, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut.

While awaiting trial, Hunt was housed at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Sheridan, Oregon. During this time, a federal corrections officer used his position to introduce contraband—including narcotics, designer sneakers, and a cell phone—into the prison for the benefit of Hunt and other inmates. The now-former corrections officer pleaded guilty in May 2022 for his role in the bribery and contraband smuggling scheme.

This case was investigated jointly by the Portland Police Bureau, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and FBI with assistance from U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Eugene Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Peter Sax, Gary Sussman, and Suzanne Miles, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture litigation was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Jarrett.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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Assistant U. S. Attorney Seth Askins (619) 546-6692   

NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 26, 2022

SAN DIEGO – Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Askins will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. 

AUSA Askins has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Southern District of California, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of Election
Day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.  The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).  

U.S.  Attorney Grossman stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Askins will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (619) 546-6692.”

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (858) 320-1800.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .

U.S. Attorney Grossman said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate.  It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

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By Kiyoshi Takenaka

TOKYO (Reuters) – South Korea said on in Wednesday it had agreed with the United States and Japan that a resumption of nuclear testing by North Korea would have to be met with an “unparalleled” response.

Washington and its allies believe North Korea could be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017, but experts say they have few good options for preventing or responding to such a move.

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong discussed the issue with his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Tokyo.

“We agreed that an unparalleled scale of response would be necessary if North Korea pushes ahead with a seventh nuclear test,” he told a joint news conference.

The United States and its allies have offered few details on what new measures they might take in response to a resumption of nuclear testing, which State Department spokesman Vedant Patel reiterated on Wednesday would be “grave escalatory action” that would “seriously threaten regional stability.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told an event hosted by Bloomberg that Washington and its allies were working to strengthen their defences and would work with countries, including at the United Nations, “to exert appropriate pressure on North Korea.”

North Korea’s last nuclear test concerned China and Russia to the extent that they backed toughened United Nations Security Council sanctions, but it is unclear if they would do so again, given the dire state of U.S. relations with both Moscow and Beijing due to the war in Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan.

In May, China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its repeated missile launches, publicly splitting the U.N. Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006.

When asked about a possible nuclear test by North Korea, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Wednesday: “Let’s solve problems as they arrive. I wouldn’t speculate before anything happens. But, of course, the prospect of it is not very welcome.”

At the news conference in Tokyo Sherman urged North Korea to “refrain from further provocations,” calling them “reckless and deeply destabilising for the region.

“Anything that happens here, such as a North Korean nuclear test … has implications for the security of the entire world,” she said. “We hope indeed that everyone on the Security Council would understand that any use of a nuclear weapon will change the world in incredible ways.”

When asked about the comments in Tokyo, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on all the countries to acknowledge “the root causes of the long-standing impasse” over North Korea’s weapons programs and take steps to enhance mutual trust and address the concerns of all parties.

North Korea has been carrying out weapons tests at an unprecedented pace this year, firing more than two dozen ballistic missiles, including one that flew over Japan.

At a regular news briefing, Patel declined to detail how Washington would respond to a resumption of North Korean nuclear testing, but said, using the initials of the country’s official name: “We continue to have tools at our disposal to hold the DPRK accountable.”

He referred to U.S. unilateral sanctions in response to North Korean missile launches this year, as well as joint military exercises with Japan and South Korea, which involved a U.S. aircraft carrier for the first time since 2017.

Mori said the United States, South Korea and Japan had committed to “further strengthen deterrence and response capability” and trilateral security cooperation.

On mounting tensions over Taiwan, a self-administered island China claims as its own, Sherman reiterated the U.S. stance that it does not support Taiwan’s independence, but said it would be doing whatever it could to support Taipei and work with Japan and South Korea to ensure it could defend itself.

At a Communist Party meeting this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an acceleration of plans to build a world-class military and said China would never renounce the right to use force to resolve the Taiwan issue.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith in Seoul, Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis and David Brunnstrom in Washington, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Deepa Babington and Lincoln Feast.)

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By Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Thursday it will deploy 70 soldiers to Britain to help train Ukrainian troops there and ship 30 more armoured vehicles to bolster Kyiv’s war against Russia’s invasion.

Thousands have been killed, and homes and factories destroyed, since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, which he calls a “special military operation” to rid its neighbour of extremists.

Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.

“We expect this now to be a protracted conflict,” Defence Minister Richard Marles told ABC television. The latest package takes Australia’s support for Ukraine to about A$655 million ($425 million) since the conflict began in February.

“We’re mindful that Ukraine needs to now be supported over the longer term if we’re going to put Ukraine in a position where it can resolve this conflict on its own terms,” he said.

Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West’s support for Ukraine, has been supplying aid and defence equipment and has banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia. It has also placed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities.

Australian troops, who will arrive in Britain in January, will join a UK-led international training exercise but will not enter the war zone in Ukraine, Marles said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked Australia for the latest aid.

“(The Bushmaster) armoured vehicles have shown excellent results on the battlefield and we requested more of them. We will always remember Australia’s support!,” he said in a tweet.

Ukrainian forces have advanced into Russian-occupied Kherson province, threatening a major defeat for Moscow, amid a high-profile rehearsal for nuclear war by Russia.

Russia has also accused Kyiv of ordering two organisations to create a dirty bomb, an explosive device laced with radioactive material, without giving any evidence. Kyiv denies any such plans.

($1 = 1.5399 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The chief U.N. lawyer on Wednesday pushed back on a Russian argument that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cannot report to the Security Council on Western accusations that Moscow used Iran-made drones in Ukraine in violation of a 2015 resolution.

Russia has argued that there is no mandate for Guterres to send U.N. experts to Ukraine to inspect the downed drones. Tehran denies supplying the drones to Moscow and Russia has denied its forces used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine.

Guterres reports twice a year to the council – traditionally in June and December – on the implementation of a 2015 council resolution that enshrines the Iran nuclear deal. Any assessment of the drones in Ukraine would be included in that report.

In preparing those reports, U.N. experts have long traveled to inspect evidence. As far back as 2017 they traveled to inspect weapons seized by France and the debris of ballistic missiles fired at Saudi Arabia.

“Absent further guidance by the Security Council, the Secretary-General will continue to prepare these reports in the manner that they have been prepared to date,” U.N. legal affairs chief Miguel de Serpa Soares told the Security Council.

Western council members could block any attempt by Russia to propose new guidance for Guterres.

Russia had requested de Serpa Soares brief the council on Wednesday, but the move appeared to backfire.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States, Britain, France and Germany of violating the U.N. Charter by trying to exert influence over Guterres with written requests that he investigate Russia’s use of drones in Ukraine.

“The Secretariat serves solely as a contact point,” told the Security Council. “The Secretary-General’s report can reflect solely the fact that the letters were received.”

Russia said last week that it will reassess cooperation with Guterres if he sends experts to inspect the drones. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said U.N. experts were always ready to examine and analyze information from U.N. states.

Under the 2015 resolution, a conventional arms embargo on Iran was in place until October 2020.

But Ukraine and Western powers argue that the resolution still includes restrictions on missiles and related technologies until October 2023 and can encompass the export and purchase of advanced military systems such as drones.

U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood described Russia’s argument that Guterres could not investigate as “dumbfounding” and accused Moscow of wasting the Security Council’s time “to deflect attention from its own egregious wrongdoing.”

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Richard Pullin)

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By Nate Raymond and Andrew Chung

(Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Wednesday temporarily blocked the congressional committee investigating last year’s U.S. Capitol attack by then-President Donald Trump’s supporters from obtaining Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward’s phone records while the court further assesses the dispute.

Ward, a Trump ally, had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after lower courts declined to bar telephone carrier T-Mobile from complying with a subpoena issued by the Democratic-led House of Representatives committee seeking three months of her call records. Kagan issued an order effectively putting the litigation on hold and preventing enforcement of the subpoena pending a further order by her or the full court.

Kagan is the justice designated to handle emergency appeals from a group of states including Arizona. Kagan’s order directs the committee to respond to Ward’s request by Friday.

The panel sought the records as part of its investigation into events surrounding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters who sought to block Congress from certifying his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The committee last week sent Trump himself a subpoena, which he is expected to contest. Trump, who is considering another run for the presidency in 2024, has accused the panel of waging unfair political attacks on him.

The panel had already been in the process of seeking records concerning Ward, who the panel said participated in multiple aspects of the attempts to interfere with the electoral count.

The records of calls and text exchanges it sought spanned from Nov. 1, 2020, to Jan. 30, 2021, and covered a period when Ward was part of a group of Republicans who falsely presented themselves as Arizona’s presidential electors.

Her lawyers argued that providing the panel access to her telephone and text message records would violate Republicans’ constitutional rights to free association by giving the committee access to names of party members who spoke with her.

U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa in Arizona on Sept. 22 said Ward provided no evidence to support her claims that producing the records would chill Republicans’ rights or result in harassment of those who interacted with her.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 22 declined to put the subpoena on hold while Ward appealed.

The committee also has subpoenaed Ward herself as one in a group of people who it said had knowledge of or participated in efforts to send false “alternate electors” to Washington for Trump as Congress prepared to certify the election results.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

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(Reuters) – British car production dropped 6% in September, an industry body said on Thursday, as the sector continues to bear the brunt of high energy costs, supply-chain snags and component shortages.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 63,125 units were made in Britain in September, nearly half of the levels seen in 2019, before the pandemic hit.

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) production grew 16.6% in the month, the SMMT said.

The global exports value of electric vehicles, which represents more than a third of all UK car exports, surged to 7.9 billion pounds ($9.13 billion) from 1.3 billion pounds over the last five years.

In September, SMMT said energy costs have emerged as the single biggest concern for British automotive manufacturers, which have collectively racked up more than 300 million pounds in bills during the year to August.

“In the week the UK gets a new prime minister, the sector is calling on the government to work together to create a competitive business environment for UK automotive manufacturing,” SMMT said.

Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who replaced Liz Truss after her brief stint, takes on an economy facing recession at a time when the Bank of England is raising interest rates to tame double-digit inflation.

“Stability, combined with a plan that tackles critical skills shortages, delivers regulatory certainty and brings down the cost of energy in the long-term can help put the UK at the forefront of next-generation automotive manufacturing,” SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said in a statement.

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(Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

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LONDON (Reuters) – Over two-thirds of British adults are planning to cut back on festive spending this year due to a worsening cost of living crisis, according to a survey published on Thursday.

Despite enduring two Christmases under social restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, three quarters of adults are not planning a big celebration, the survey by Accenture showed.

About 49% of those surveyed were looking to cut back on gifts, 46% on eating out, and 35% on both general socialising and food and drink at home.

Of those planning to reduce spending this Christmas, 45% plan to buy food from budget-friendly supermarkets.

“The fact that shoppers are planning to spend less on gifts this year reflects just how low the mood feels in the run up to this Christmas,” Accenture’s retail strategy and consulting lead Kelly Askew said.

With inflation running at 10%, UK consumer confidence remains close to its gloomiest on record and households have been reining in spending.

Another survey by supermarket group Asda on Wednesday showed UK families were 141 pounds ($163.5) worse off in September year-on-year.

The Accenture data is more pessimistic than a survey published by market researcher Kantar on Monday which said half of Britons plan to spend less on Christmas this year.

Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, said earlier this month that Britons would still want to celebrate Christmas but would seek to do it in a more affordable way.

Consumers also face the prospect of a tighter squeeze in 2023 after finance minister Jeremy Hunt scrapped tax cuts previously planned by former Prime Minister Liz Truss and scaled back her vast energy support scheme for households.

($1 = 0.8624 pounds)

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Augusta National Golf Club, the U.S. Golf Association and PGA of America are included in the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust investigation into professional golf, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday that cited people familiar with the matter.

A spokeswoman for the USGA, which is the national governing body for golf in the United States, confirmed to Reuters that the organization has been contacted by the Justice Department and is fully complying with all requests.

The PGA Tour confirmed in July it was part of the U.S. Justice Department’s probe into whether it broke antitrust law in fighting off the rival LIV Golf circuit that is being bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

But the Justice Department’s probe is more expansive than previously known, the Journal reported. Augusta National, which hosts the Masters golf tournament in Georgia each spring, has produced documents for the Justice Department probe, these people said.

The Justice Department declined to comment while Augusta National and the PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson and 10 other golfers sued the PGA Tour in early August over its decision to suspend them for playing on the lucrative and controversial new Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf circuit.

LIV Golf has joined a handful of its players in their antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, according to an amended complaint that showed a number of golfers have dropped out of the lawsuit.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz, Doina Chiacu and Frank Pingue; Editing by Mark Porter and Jonathan Oatis)

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By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The S&P 500 ended a three-day winning streak on Wednesday, closing in negative territory as gloomy earnings guidance added to growing fears of a global economic slowdown.

But those fears, along with a smaller-than-expected interest rate hike from the Bank of Canada, continued to feed hopes that the Fed might consider easing the size of its rate hikes after its Nov. 1-2 policy meeting.

“Today the market is catching up with the move upward over the last week or so,” said Matthew Keator, managing partner in the Keator Group, a wealth management firm in Lenox, Massachusetts. “There are still two Fed meetings ahead of us this year.”

Paul Kim, Chief Executive Officer at Simplify ETFs in New York, agrees.

“Central banks are starting to blink,” Kim said. “It’s part of the larger trend and supports the pivot narrative.”

GRAPHIC: Central banks ramp up fight against inflation https://graphics.reuters.com/EUROZONE-MARKETS/movakmlgxva/chart.png

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended in negative territory, dragged lower by market-leading tech and tech-adjacent companies following results from Microsoft and Alphabet. The blue-chip Dow eked out a nominal gain.

Microsoft and Alphabet shares tanked, falling 7.7% and 9.1%, respectively.

Those downbeat reports brought worries over an impending global economic downturn from simmer to boil, and spread to other high profile megacaps.

Sales of newly constructed U.S. homes plunged in September while mortgage rates hit their highest level in more than two decades, adding to the growing pile of data suggesting a softening economic landscape.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.37 points, or 0.01%, to 31,839.11, the S&P 500 lost 28.51 points, or 0.74%, to 3,830.6 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 228.12 points, or 2.04%, to 10,970.99.

Five of the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500 ended the session in the red, with communications services and tech were suffering the largest percentage losses.

Third quarter earnings season has shifted into high gear, with 170 of the companies in the S&P 500 having reported. Of those, 75% have delivered consensus-beating results, according to Refinitiv.

But they have a low bar to clear. Analysts see aggregate S&P 500 earnings growth of 2.3%, down from 4.5% at the beginning of the month, per Refinitiv.

“There have been pockets of promising corporate earnings announcements this quarter,” Keator added. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a fait accompli that we’re going to continue to see earnings misses across the board.”

Boeing Co reported a deeper than expected third quarter loss, sending its shares sliding 8.8%.

On the plus side, Visa Inc rose 4.6% in the wake of the consumer credit company’s profit beat.

Facebook parent Meta Inc shares fell more than 12% in after-hours trading after posting results.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.71-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.41-to-1 ratio favored advancers.

The S&P 500 posted 25 new 52-week highs and 3 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 113 new highs and 77 new lows.

Volume on U.S. exchanges was 12.26 billion shares, compared with the 11.60 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

(Reporting by Stephen Culp; Additional reporting by Amruta Khandekar and Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; editing by Grant McCool)

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(Reuters) – Electric vehicle startup Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc on Wednesday named Yun Han as its interim finance chief and accounting head, replacing Becky Roof who resigned earlier this month.

Han was previously chief accounting officer at battery technology firm Romeo Power Inc.

Roof, who has served as interim finance chief since March, took over after CFO Walter McBride stepped down due to health reasons. McBride was appointed to the role in November last year.

Los Angeles-based Faraday Future has spent the last few months locked in a fight with its largest shareholders and has been battling high costs and supply-chain disruptions that have delayed the production of its FF 91 vehicle to the fourth quarter of 2022.

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)

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By Marcela Ayres

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil’s central bank on Wednesday held interest rates at a nearly six-year high for the second policy meeting in a row, noting that economic growth seems to be slowing but inflation remains high.

The bank’s rate-setting committee, known as Copom, left its benchmark Selic interest rate at 13.75%, as expected by all 34 economists polled by Reuters.

Economists and traders have been watching for clues about when rates might start falling again. Policymakers paused an aggressive tightening cycle in September after 12 consecutive increases lifted rates from a 2.0% record low in March 2021.

The central bank again stressed on Wednesday that its strategy involves keeping the Selic rate at this level for a “sufficiently long period” to bring inflation back to “around its targets.”

In their statement of Wednesday’s rate decision, Copom said indicators since their September meeting suggested “more moderate” economic growth in Brazil, but consumer inflation remains “high.”

Rafaela Vitoria, chief economist at Banco Inter, said the statement seemed harsh in light of the recent improvement in inflation, with policymakers warning again that they may resume hikes if needed.

“The disinflation outlook is more positive, with a slowing economy and cheaper commodities. I think inflation will continue to fall faster than we expected,” she said, adding that expects a first rate cut as early as March.

Higher borrowing costs and energy tax cuts have contributed to three straight months of deflation through September. In the 12 months through mid-October, inflation fell to 6.85%.

While still above the 3.5% target for this year, inflation has eased sharply after running in double digits from September 2021 until July, fueled by surging commodity prices on the back of the Ukraine war.

In one of the few changes to the statement, the central bank indicated that 2023 and 2024 are now equally weighted on its policy horizon.

Policymakers held their inflation outlook for this year unchanged at 5.8%, but raised their forecast for next year to 4.8%, from 4.6% last month, compared to a 3.25% target.

For 2024, they raised the inflation forecast to 2.9%, from 2.8% last month, compared to a 3% target.

The outlook for government spending, which Copom again flagged as a potential upside risk for inflation, should be clearer after Sunday’s presidential election.

Polls show former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly leading right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Both have made expensive promises on the campaign trail, including the extension of more generous welfare payments, which would tweaking a constitutional spending cap.

After a law established the formal autonomy of the central bank last year, central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto is set to serve out his term through 2024, regardless of the election’s result.

(Reporting by Marcela AyresEditing by Brad Haynes and Josie Kao)

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(Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on Wednesday temporarily blocked the House of Representatives committee investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol from obtaining Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward’s phone records while the court further assesses the dispute.

Ward had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after lower courts declined to bar telephone carrier T-Mobile from complying with a subpoena from the Democratic-led committee seeking three months of her call records.

Kagan issued an order effectively putting the litigation on hold and preventing enforcement of the subpoena pending a further order by her or the full court. Kagan, a member of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 liberal minority, is the justice designated to handle emergency appeals from a group of states including Arizona. Kagan’s order directs the committee to respond to Ward’s request by Friday.

(Reporting by Will Dunham)

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(Reuters) – Skechers USA Inc said on Wednesday its executives escorted Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, out of a Los Angeles corporate office, after the rapper and fashion designer “showed up unannounced and uninvited”.

The footwear maker “has no intention of working with West,” it said in a statement.

Skechers’ comments come a day after sportswear brand Adidas AG ended its partnership with West, following a series of antisemitic comments from the celebrity.

“We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech,” Skechers said.

Reuters was not immediately able to contact Ye’s representatives for comment.

Apparel company Gap Inc, which terminated its tie-up with West in September, is also taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores and shut down YeezyGap.com.

Shares of California-based Skechers were up nearly 1% in extended trading, after closing down nearly 10% on Wednesday.

The company on Tuesday forecast current-quarter sales below Wall Street estimates after missing third-quarter earnings expectations, dented by higher operating costs and a hit from foreign exchange rates.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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By Jonathan Landay

FRONT LINES NORTH OF KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukrainian troops are holding out against repeated attacks by Russian forces in two eastern towns while those at the southern front are poised to battle for the strategic Kherson region, which Russia appears to be reinforcing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Wednesday evening video address that there would be good news from the front but he gave no details.

He did not mention what was happening in Kherson, which officials and military analysts have predicted will be one of the most consequential battles of the war since Russia invaded Ukraine eight months ago.

The most severe fighting in eastern Ukraine was taking place near Avdiivka, outside Donetsk, and Bakhmut, Zelenskiy said.

“This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident. Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes,” he said.

Russian forces have repeatedly tried to seize Bakhmut, which sits on a main road leading to the Ukrainian-held cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

The looming battle for Kherson city at the mouth of the Dnipro River will determine whether Ukraine can loosen Russia’s grip on the south.

SHELLING

While much of the front line remains off limits to journalists, at one section of the front north of the Russian-occupied pocket on the west bank of the Dnipro, Ukrainian soldiers said Russian shelling was stepping up again after having tailed off in recent weeks.

Radio intercepts indicated freshly mobilised recruits had been sent to the front and Russian forces were firmly dug in.

“They have good defensive lines with deep trenches, and they are sitting deep underground,” said Vitalii, a Ukrainian soldier squatting in a weed-choked irrigation canal, concealed from any prowling enemy drones by overhanging trees.

Ukrainian forces advanced along the Dnipro River in a dramatic push in the south at the start of this month, but progress appears to have slowed. Russia has been evacuating civilians on the west bank but says it has no plans to pull out its troops.

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said wet weather and rough terrain were making Kyiv’s counter-offensive in Kherson harder than it was in the northeast, where it pushed Russia back in September.

At the front, intermittent artillery fire echoed from both sides, with towers of smoke rising in the distance.

A Ukrainian helicopter gunship swept low over the fields, loosed rockets at the Russian positions and wheeled around spitting flares to distract any heat-seeking anti-aircraft rockets fired at it.

“In this area, they are very active. They shell every day and are digging trenches and preparing for defence,” a unit commander at the front, who asked to be quoted by his nickname, Nikifor, said of the Russians.

His location in Mykolaiv province could not be identified under Ukrainian military regulations.

The unit holds a network of well fortified trenches dug into tree lines opposite the Russian fortifications, and rain has turned the dirt tracks that access them to mud, especially where tank treads have churned them up.

NUCLEAR REHEARSAL

Since Russia began losing ground in a counter-offensive in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken a series of steps to intensify the conflict, calling up hundreds of thousands of Russian reservists, proclaiming the annexation of occupied land and repeatedly threatening to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia.

This month, Russia launched a new campaign of strikes using missiles and Iranian-made drones against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, also hitting parks and homes across the country.

In Russia, the military staged a high-profile rehearsal for nuclear war, with state television broadcasts dominated by footage of submarines, strategic bombers and missile forces practicing launches in retaliation for an atomic attack.

Moscow has conducted a diplomatic campaign this week to promote an accusation that Kyiv is preparing to release nuclear material with a so-called “dirty bomb”, an allegation the West calls baseless and a potential pretext for Russian escalation.

Both Russia and NATO are holding long-standing annual drills of their nuclear forces this week. But Russia has given the exercises a much higher profile than usual, timing it to coincide with its dirty bomb accusations against Ukraine.

Kyiv says Moscow has been brandishing the prospect of nuclear war to intimidate Western countries into withdrawing their support for Ukraine. Moscow said Putin had personally overseen the nuclear drills remotely.

The Pentagon said a day earlier that Russia had notified it of its intention to carry out the exercises, which reduced the risk of miscalculation at a time of “reckless” Russian nuclear rhetoric.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Grant McCool; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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(Reuters) -Home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc said on Wednesday that interim Chief Executive Sue Gove will keep the role permanently.

Gove, previously the head of the strategy committee and an independent director in the company, was named the interim CEO in June after it replaced Mark Tritton in a management shake-up to reverse a slump in its business.

The company said the appointment was unanimous and Gove will remain on its board.

Once considered a so-called “category killer” in home and bath goods, the big box retailer’s fortunes have dragged after attempts to sell more store-branded products flopped and led to the reshuffle of its management team.

Gove told Reuters one of her biggest long-term goals as CEO will be “regaining market share.”

The changes in the top management came just months after activist investor and billionaire Ryan Cohen had criticized the company for an “overly ambitious” strategy, overpaying top executives and failing to reverse market share losses.

Cohen was the company’s biggest investor until August when he sold out his 9.8% stake.

Late August, Bed Bath & Beyond inked deals for more than $500 million in new financing and said that it would close 150 stores, cut jobs and overhaul its merchandising strategy to turn around its money-losing business.

Gove said that “less than a handful” have been closed since August and that a number of stores will close “closer to the end of this calendar year.”

Last month, the company reported a bigger-than-expected second-quarter loss, but added that there were early signs that efforts to clear excess inventory were working and it expected its cash flow to break even in the fourth quarter.

In September, the company had named accounting head Laura Crossen as interim chief financial officer following the death of finance chief Gustavo Arnal.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Sriraj Kalluvila and Josie Kao)

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