New York
Top legal adviser to mayor quits as investigations swell in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — The top legal adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned abruptly over the weekend, the latest sign of instability in the Democrat’s administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations.
City Hall announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal lawyer.
“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter to Adams.
The resignation comes after the phones of multiple members of Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle were seized by federal investigators, including the head of New York City’s police department, who resigned Thursday.
Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, wasn’t one of the officials who had their phones seized.
The police commissioner, Edward Caban resigned citing the “distraction” created by news of the investigations.
Federal authorities haven’t disclosed the subjects of the investigations. Besides the police commissioner, phones were taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.
Investigators seized devices from Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant who runs a nightclub security business. They also conducted searches related to Terence Banks, who is the brother of Adams’ top deputy on public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.
In separate investigations, federal authorities have previously seized phones from Adams, searched the home of one of his top campaign fundraisers, and searched two homes linked to his director of Asian affairs.
Adams has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.
Adams said an interim replacement for Zornberg would be announced in the coming days.
Maine
After mass shooting, bill would require Army to use state crisis laws to remove weapons
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A bill that’s being introduced Monday after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the bill’s sponsor.
The Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act is aimed at addressing missed opportunities by the military and civilian law enforcement to intervene before an Army reservist who had spiraled into psychosis opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others on Oct. 25, 2023.
“We have a chance to help service members in crisis. We have a chance to help protect our neighbors and families. We have a chance to save lives,” Collins said in a statement. Maine’s other senator, independent Angus King, is a co-sponsor of the bill.
This bill seeks to ensure communication between state agencies and military service branches after criticism that the Army wasn’t as forthcoming as it could’ve been with state law enforcement officials about the gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card, before the shooting rampage. It requires the military to participate in state crisis actions, including so-called red flag or yellow flag laws aimed at removing weapons from someone who’s experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
Law enforcement officials had known about Card’s growing paranoia, and Card had been hospitalized last summer while his reserve unit was training in New York state. Health care providers who assessed him said he was psychotic and had a hit list, and recommended that he not have access to weapons.
Military officials restricted Card’s access to military weapons but Card still had access to privately owned weapons at his home in Bowdoin, Maine.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office was asked to go to Card’s home and check on his well-being after he’d threatened to “shoot up” the home of his Army Reserve unit, but the deputies were unaware of details about what happened in New York state or the extent of his mental health crisis.
This bill wouldn’t affect the military’s existing authority to disarm service members in a broad range of situations, Collins said. Instead, the bill aims to eliminate a gap in communication between military and civilian law enforcement that could’ve prevented the tragedy in Maine.
The mass shooting has been investigated by an independent commission appointed by the governor, along with the Army Reserve and by the Army Office of the Inspector General.
Washington
Walgreens to pay $106M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Walgreens has agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged the pharmacy chain submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed.
The settlement announced on Friday resolves lawsuits filed in New Mexico, Texas and Florida on behalf of three people who had worked in Walgreens’ pharmacy operation. The lawsuits were filed under a whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act that lets private parties file case on behalf of the United States government and share in the recovery of money, the U.S. Justice Department said. The pharmacy chain was accused of submitting false payment claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs between 2009 and 2020 for prescriptions that were processed but never picked up.
Settlement documents say Walgreens cooperated in the investigation and has improved its electronic management system to prevent such problems from occurring again.
In a statement, Walgreens said that because of a software error, the chain inadvertently billed some government programs for a relatively small number of prescriptions that patients submitted but never picked up.
“We corrected the error, reported the issue to the government and voluntarily refunded all overpayments,” the statement by Walgreens said.
In reaching the settlement, the chain didn’t acknowledge legal liability in the cases.
Top legal adviser to mayor quits as investigations swell in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — The top legal adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned abruptly over the weekend, the latest sign of instability in the Democrat’s administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations.
City Hall announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal lawyer.
“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter to Adams.
The resignation comes after the phones of multiple members of Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle were seized by federal investigators, including the head of New York City’s police department, who resigned Thursday.
Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, wasn’t one of the officials who had their phones seized.
The police commissioner, Edward Caban resigned citing the “distraction” created by news of the investigations.
Federal authorities haven’t disclosed the subjects of the investigations. Besides the police commissioner, phones were taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.
Investigators seized devices from Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant who runs a nightclub security business. They also conducted searches related to Terence Banks, who is the brother of Adams’ top deputy on public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.
In separate investigations, federal authorities have previously seized phones from Adams, searched the home of one of his top campaign fundraisers, and searched two homes linked to his director of Asian affairs.
Adams has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.
Adams said an interim replacement for Zornberg would be announced in the coming days.
Maine
After mass shooting, bill would require Army to use state crisis laws to remove weapons
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A bill that’s being introduced Monday after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the bill’s sponsor.
The Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act is aimed at addressing missed opportunities by the military and civilian law enforcement to intervene before an Army reservist who had spiraled into psychosis opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others on Oct. 25, 2023.
“We have a chance to help service members in crisis. We have a chance to help protect our neighbors and families. We have a chance to save lives,” Collins said in a statement. Maine’s other senator, independent Angus King, is a co-sponsor of the bill.
This bill seeks to ensure communication between state agencies and military service branches after criticism that the Army wasn’t as forthcoming as it could’ve been with state law enforcement officials about the gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card, before the shooting rampage. It requires the military to participate in state crisis actions, including so-called red flag or yellow flag laws aimed at removing weapons from someone who’s experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
Law enforcement officials had known about Card’s growing paranoia, and Card had been hospitalized last summer while his reserve unit was training in New York state. Health care providers who assessed him said he was psychotic and had a hit list, and recommended that he not have access to weapons.
Military officials restricted Card’s access to military weapons but Card still had access to privately owned weapons at his home in Bowdoin, Maine.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office was asked to go to Card’s home and check on his well-being after he’d threatened to “shoot up” the home of his Army Reserve unit, but the deputies were unaware of details about what happened in New York state or the extent of his mental health crisis.
This bill wouldn’t affect the military’s existing authority to disarm service members in a broad range of situations, Collins said. Instead, the bill aims to eliminate a gap in communication between military and civilian law enforcement that could’ve prevented the tragedy in Maine.
The mass shooting has been investigated by an independent commission appointed by the governor, along with the Army Reserve and by the Army Office of the Inspector General.
Washington
Walgreens to pay $106M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Walgreens has agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged the pharmacy chain submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed.
The settlement announced on Friday resolves lawsuits filed in New Mexico, Texas and Florida on behalf of three people who had worked in Walgreens’ pharmacy operation. The lawsuits were filed under a whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act that lets private parties file case on behalf of the United States government and share in the recovery of money, the U.S. Justice Department said. The pharmacy chain was accused of submitting false payment claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs between 2009 and 2020 for prescriptions that were processed but never picked up.
Settlement documents say Walgreens cooperated in the investigation and has improved its electronic management system to prevent such problems from occurring again.
In a statement, Walgreens said that because of a software error, the chain inadvertently billed some government programs for a relatively small number of prescriptions that patients submitted but never picked up.
“We corrected the error, reported the issue to the government and voluntarily refunded all overpayments,” the statement by Walgreens said.
In reaching the settlement, the chain didn’t acknowledge legal liability in the cases.
