Louisiana: Judge holds U.S. gov’t in contempt over drilling ban
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal judge who struck down the Obama administration’s moratorium on deepwater drilling after the Gulf oil spill held the Interior Department in contempt Wednesday, and ordered the federal agency to pay attorneys’ fees for several offshore oil companies.
U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman chided the department for its “dismissive conduct” after he overturned the agency’s decision to halt any new permits for deepwater projects and suspend drilling on 33 exploratory wells after the Deepwater Horizon blast, which killed 11 workers and triggered the massive spill.
After Feldman overturned the government’s moratorium in June, the agency issued a second nearly identical suspension.
“Such dismissive conduct, viewed in tandem with the reimposition of a second blanket and substantively identical moratorium and in light of the national importance of this case, provide this court with clear and convincing evidence of the government’s contempt of this court’s preliminary injunction order,” he wrote.
A magistrate will consider how much the companies’ attorneys should get.
Feldman also is presiding over a separate case challenging the Interior Department’s second drilling moratorium. That suspension was lifted in October, but the agency was sued by other offshore oil companies that want the permitting process to be quickened.
Last month, however, Feldman refused to order the government to move faster. The judge said it’s unclear whether the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must approve or reject drilling permit applications within a specific time.
New York: Feds: woman arrested in Guggenheim scam
NEW YORK (AP) — A woman sought by federal authorities in New York in connection with a scheme to cheat investors by pretending to be part of the Guggenheim family has been arrested in California.
Catarina Pietra Toumei, who is accused of pretending to be a countess and falsely saying she was married to a “Toy Story” actor, surrendered to federal authorities on Wednesday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan said.
Toumei, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., made an initial appearance in federal court in San Diego, U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Ellen Davis said.
Toumei didn’t enter a plea. She was released on $200,000 bond secured by property owned by her parents.
As part of her pitch, authorities say, Toumei told one potential investor that she was married to John Ratzenberger, who played know-it-all postman Cliff Clavin in the classic sitcom “Cheers” and was the voice of Hamm the piggy bank in “Toy Story 3.”
Ratzenberger had “a short-lived relationship” with Toumei, his publicist said, but he was “unaware of this alleged criminal activity and is saddened that her life has taken this turn.”
Two men, David Birnbaum and Vladimir Zuravel, also have been charged in the failed scheme to profit from the name of the Guggenheim family, which is famous for making a fortune in mining and smelting and for its philanthropic contributions to aviation and art, including several museums around the world.
The defendants are alleged to have used the prominent name to promote phony investment opportunities including the sale of $1 billion in diamonds and a vodka distribution venture.
Birnbaum and Zuravel, accused of trying to pass themselves off as Guggenheim descendants, were released on bond following a brief appearance Monday in federal court in Manhattan.
Outside court, Zuravel insisted that Birnbaum was a legitimate billionaire heir of the Guggenheim family. He said Birnbaum considered him a son, taught him about finance and allowed him to use the Guggenheim name for business.
Birnbaum “is an extremely honest person,” he said. “It’s just a simple mixup.”
