How did Dennis Quaid quit drugs? 'The Intruder' star opens up about his struggle with cocaine
'When you're done with the addiction, you need something to fill that hole, something that really works, right?' said Dennis Quaid
1970-01-01 08:00
Concerns mount over potential for food crisis amid Russian moves to cripple Ukrainian grain exports
The US and its allies are grappling with how to avert a global food crisis following Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal and its subsequent attacks on Ukraine's ports and storage facilities.
1970-01-01 08:00
Billionaire Joe Lewis pleads not guilty to insider trading in schemes involving girlfriend and private pilots
Joe Lewis, the British billionaire and long-time majority stakeholder in Tottenham Hotspur, pleaded not guilty in New York on Wednesday to charges of insider trading. The previous day, federal officials said the investor “abused his access to corporate boardrooms” and carried out a series of “brazen” instances of financial misconduct, sharing insider information with friends, employees, and former romantic partners. He’s charged with 16 counts of securities fraud and three counts of conspiracy, Reuters reports. “That’s classic corporate corruption,” US attorney Damian Williams said in a video statement on Tuesday. “It’s cheating, and it’s against the law.” Attorneys for the billionaire said he plans to fight the charges. “The government has made an egregious error in judgment in charging Mr Lewis, an 86-year-old man of impeccable integrity and prodigious accomplishment,” David M Zornow said in an email statement to The Independent on Tuesday. “Mr Lewis has come to the US voluntarily to answer these ill-conceived charges, and we will defend him vigorously in court.” In a hearing on Wednesday before US magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo in Manhattan following Mr Lewis’s early-morning arrest by the FBI, new details about the case against the businessman came to light. As part of a $300m bond, Mr Lewis was ordered to surrender his mega-yacht, the Aviva, as well as his private aircraft. He will now be barred from international travel as the case proceeds. Officials also accused two of his pilots, Patrick O’Connor of New York and Bryan Waugh of Virginia, of profiting off illegal tips from Mr Lewis. Both men have pleaded not guilty, and their lawyers declined requests to comment from Reuters. Prosecutors allege Mr Lewis lent the men $500,000 each in 2019, encouraging them to buy stock in an oncology company in which the billionaire had invested. Mr O’Connor allegedly texted a friend “the Boss has inside info”, a seeming reference to a tip that the billionaire allegedly passed on that the company was about to announce promising clinical results. After the company announced the news, the shares the pilots allegedly bought leapt by 16.7 per cent, and prosecutors allege one of the men labeled a payment to Mr Lewis “loan payback” and listed the company’s stock symbol. In an accompanying civil case, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Mr Lewis, the pilots, and the billionaire’s former girlfriend Carolyn Carter of insider trading. Officials allege that in 2019, Mr Lewis told Ms Carter about a biotech company that was about to raise capital and potentially increase its share price, even though he was bound by a confidentiality agreement. She then allegedly bought $701,000 in the company, earning a $172,000 on her investment. The Independent has contacted Ms Carter for comment. “When insiders like Lewis take advantage of their access to such information, it erodes public trust and confidence in the fair and efficient operation of our markets,” SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. “That’s why we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who abuse their positions for personal benefit and the unlawful enrichment of others.” Tottenham Hotspur told The Independent, “This is a legal matter unconnected with the club and as such we have no comment.” Mr Lewis ceased to be a "person with significant control" of the Premier League club last year, following a "reorganisation of the Lewis Family Trusts,” the club said, according to Sky News. He bought a controlling stake in the Premier League club from Lord Alan Sugar in 2001 for £22m. Mr Lewis owns the Tavistock Group, which owns more than 200 assets across 13 countries, including Tottenham Hotspur and UK pub operator Mitchells & Butlers, according to Sky News. The 86-year-old is worth an estimated $6.1bn and lives in the Bahamas, according to Forbes. Read More Who is Joe Lewis? The secretive billionaire Tottenham owner charged with insider trading UK billionaire Joe Lewis, owner of Tottenham soccer team, charged with insider trading in US Football rumours: Tottenham owner tells chairman to sell Harry Kane
1970-01-01 08:00
Explaining the latest heat-associated deaths confirmed amid record highs in Arizona's largest county
Health officials in America’s hottest big metro are reporting that another seven heat-associated deaths were confirmed over the last week amid a blistering heat wave
1970-01-01 08:00
Who is Brittany Brower? 'America’s Next Top Model' star says she didn’t earn a single cent on Tyra Banks' hit show
'We’re putting ourselves on the line and we’re the ones getting attacked, and for what cost?' Brittany Brower said
1970-01-01 08:00
Witness claims NYPD and federal agencies played a role in Malcolm X's assassination
A man who says he was a member of Malcolm X's security detail the day the civil rights leader was assassinated in 1965 told reporters Tuesday he saw New York City police officers trying to prevent supporters from restraining a man thought to be involved in the killing.
1970-01-01 08:00
Pence unveils economic proposal that includes eliminating EPA and CFPB
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday released an economic proposal to tackle high inflation that includes cutting government programs, the Environmental Protection Agency and President Joe Biden's incentives aimed at curbing impacts of climate change.
1970-01-01 08:00
Biden to allow US to share evidence of Russian war crimes with International Criminal Court
President Joe Biden has decided to allow the US to cooperate with the International Criminal Court's investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, two US officials and a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
1970-01-01 08:00
Who is Thomas Middaugh? Michigan man sentenced for fatally shooting and dismembering his neighbor's dog
'Sixty days is better than nothing in our eyes. Nothing is ever going to feel like enough, but it was something,' said Samantha Olds, the dog's owner
1970-01-01 08:00
US senators seek to reverse 'Buy America' waiver for EV charging stations
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Four Republican U.S. senators on Wednesday sought to reverse a Biden administration decision to
1970-01-01 08:00
No new details on Bronny James 2 days after cardiac arrest during USC basketball practice
Neither Bronny James’ family nor the university have offered updates on his condition
1970-01-01 08:00
FACT FOCUS: No head trauma or suspicious circumstances in drowning of Obamas’ chef, police say
Social media users are sharing false claims about the drowning death of former President Barack Obama’s personal chef on Martha’s Vineyard this week
1970-01-01 08:00
