Voting technology firm Smartmatic asked a federal judge to dismiss a criminal money laundering indictment saying the case is political retaliation tied to President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election. The company’s parent SGO Corporation was added last year to charges accusing executives of paying bribes to election officials in the Philippines. Smartmatic said it had cooperated with investigators for years and believed it would avoid prosecution until Trump returned to power. Lawyers argue the Justice Department changed course to support Trump’s narrative that the election was stolen. Prosecutors allege payments between 2015 and 2018 helped secure a Philippine election contract.
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Pope Leo XIV says a Chaldean Catholic bishop has resigned after he was arrested while trying to leave the U.S. following accusations that he embezzled $270,000 from his parish near San Diego. The resignation was announced Tuesday by the Vatican after Bishop Emanuel Shaleta was charged with felonies including money laundering. Shaleta, who pleaded not guilty Monday, was arrested at San Diego International Airport last week. His lawyer says the allegations are false and that the flight was pre-planned. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office says the arrest came after someone from Shaleta’s church provided documentation last August “showing potential embezzlement from the church.” The Chaldean Catholic Church represents more than a million Aramaic-speaking Christians.
Hungary detains 7 Ukrainians and seizes $80 million cash shipment. Kyiv calls move 'taking hostages'
Hungary says it has detained seven Ukrainians working for a state bank and seized armored vehicles full of cash, setting off a sharp dispute with Kyiv. On Friday, Hungarian customs officials say they opened a money laundering case. Ukraine’s foreign minister called the detentions “state terrorism” and accused Hungary of taking the bank employees hostage. Ukraine’s Oschadbank says the shipment included millions in dollars and euros, plus gold. The bank says GPS shows the vehicles in central Budapest, but staff locations stay unclear. The clash adds fuel to a wider dispute over blocked Russian oil flows through Ukraine.
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The three also face charges of obstruction of government proceedings and falsifying documents related to a federal investigation.
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The charges come as the former Clark County sheriff nears the end of a 60-day stay behind bars for contempt of court.
More than 17 people have been arrested or indicted in connection to the drug trafficking organization.
Authorities discovered the murder-for-hire plot because the person whom Sadiqullah hired as kidnapper/murderer was a confidential source for the FBI.
Dr. George Kudmani's name has been stripped off his former OBGYN practice in Pleasure Ridge Park.