New Jersey dentist ran ring that harvested bones and tissue
Star-Ledger Mar 18, 08 9:57 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A New Jersey dentist who ran a business plundering body parts from corpses in funeral homes pleaded guilty in Brooklyn today, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Michael Mastromarino, 44, admitted to removing bones and tissue from two dozen corpses, which were sold to tissue processors for use in transplants and other surgery. He now owes $4.68 million and faces up to 54 years in prison.
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Candidate gives the lowdown on his dealings with Chicago tycoon
Chicago Tribune Mar 15, 08 5:13 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama, hoping to head off future controversy, has given newspapers an extensive account of his dealings with indicted Chicago tycoon Tony Rezko. Obama told the Chicago Tribune that Rezko, his first big political donor, raised as much as $250,000 for his campaigns over the years—$90,000 more than his campaign has previously acknowledged.
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Crowds welcome Thaksin back from exile
AFP Mar 12, 08 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra pleaded not guilty to graft charges today in a Supreme Court packed with hundreds of his supporters, AFP reports. Thaksin will not have to attend every hearing in his trial; he has already obtained permission to return to Britain, where he owns a soccer team. Outside the courthouse, many Thaksin loyalists carried roses for the former leader, and several broke down in tears.
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In Medvedev, quirky résumé masks loyal junior partner
New Yorker Mar 4, 08 12:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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Trivia on Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev—that he is a swimmer, a yoga lover, and Deep Purple buff—merely masks a man wholly devoted to Vladimir Putin, New Yorker editor David Remnick writes. "Trivia domesticated even the worst Soviet-era résumés," he reminds us: Catherine the Great loved horses, Nicholas II photography, and Alexander III the French horn. Medvedev's pastimes are just as trivial.
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Jury selection gets under way for accused Chicago businessman with ties to governor, Obama
Chicago Sun-Times Mar 3, 08 9:19 AM CST
(Newser)
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With jury selection beginning for the corruption trial of Chicago businessman and political fundraiser Tony Rezko, the Chicago Sun-Times offers some background on the key facets of the case. Rezko, a Syrian-born real estate and fast-food tycoon who established footholds in the Illinois governor's circles, is accused of pocketing illegal payouts from companies wishing to do business with the state.
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US aluminum giant bribed, defrauded, and overcharged, lawsuit alleges
Wall Street Journal Feb 28, 08 10:47 AM CST
(Newser)
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A company controlled by Bahrain's government has filed a lawsuit in US federal court accusing metals giant Alcoa of a host of shady business practices, the Wall Street Journal reports. Pittsburgh-based Alcoa, one of the world's biggest aluminum companies, systematically overcharged Bahrain Aluminum for raw materials and funneled money to corrupt officials during a 15-year conspiracy, the suit charges.
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Crowds and cops greet Thaksin as he flies home for first time since coup
BBC Feb 28, 08 6:33 AM CST
(Newser)
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Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew home today after 17 months in exile to cheering supporters and police, who quickly escorted him to court to face corruption charges. Thaksin, the billionaire owner of the Manchester City soccer team who was forced from power by a military coup, knelt and touched his native soil with his forehead when he landed in Bangkok.
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Informant's tale rife
with code names
and kidnappings
Der Spiegel Feb 26, 08 5:34 PM CST
(Newser)
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Code names, kidnappings, secrets sold to international intelligence agencies: these staples of a thriller movie come from the real life of Heinrich Kieber, the whistleblower who for $7.4 million sold German authorities the information that exposed a huge tax-evasion ring. Kieber has been given a new identity and is living in hiding, but an exposé by Der Spiegel has uncovered past convictions, international adventures, and one very worried mother.
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Siegelman seeks probe after '60 Minutes' report; Rove denies role
Associated Press Feb 26, 08 8:47 AM CST
(Newser)
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Lawyers for Jim Siegelman want an outside investigator to look into charges that GOP operatives railroaded the ex-governor of Alabama on bribery charges, reports the AP. "60 Minutes" reported Sunday that prosecutors met over 70 times with the aide that helped put Siegelman behind bars, and had him write out his evidence over and over again. Any notes from the aide should legally have been turned over to the defense.
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Ex-operative couldn't deliver 'compromising' photos of Democrat
Associated Press Feb 22, 08 5:30 PM CST
(Newser)
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Karl Rove wanted photos taken of the Democratic governor of Alabama having an affair, but the campaign worker appointed to snap the pics found no evidence he was cheating, she tells CBS. Jill Simpson has testified that Rove was involved in the Justice Department's successful corruption case against Don Siegelman, but the allegation scheduled to air on "60 Minutes" Sunday is new, the AP reports.
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And that's just the official figure: in reality it's even worse
Daily Telegraph (UK) Feb 21, 08 12:53 PM CST
(Newser)
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Zimbabwe's inflation rate is running at 100,000%, according to the government's statistics office—but that's not the worst news. Insane as that number may sound, it's probably an underestimation, writes the Telegraph . In Harare, where shelves are bare and money is being printed at breakneck speed, a single cigarette now costs Z$500,000.
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Alleges Bhutto widower stashed $55M in Swiss bank account
Guardian (UK) Feb 21, 08 10:37 AM CST
(Newser)
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As the battle to control Pakistan heats up, President Pervez Musharraf's lawyers have asked the Swiss government to prosecute Asif Ali Zardari over decade-old corruption charges. Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto and leader of the victorious Pakistan People's Party, is charged with hiding $55 million in kickbacks in a Swiss bank account. Bhutto herself faced similar charges in Switzerland before her assassination.
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