Alleged Crimes and Riskdemeanors — Alleged Drug Kingpin Retains Potentially Conflicted Lawyer, AG Recuses Due to Conflicts Concerns, Salary Scuffle Sullies, Reputation Risk Follow Up


Accused Mexican Drug Kingpin Retains Attorney Who Represented His ‘Turncoat’ Son” —

  • “The criminal prosecution involving the Sinaloa drug cartel has all the makings of an epic mini-series. Power! Untold riches! Dramatic arrests! Betrayal! Court battles! The latest ingredient added to the mix involves a defendant choosing to retain an attorney who represented his son when he testified against the defendant’s former partner. Need more? There’s a possibility of that same son testifying against the defendant father if the current case goes to trial.”
  • “The defendant is Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, age 76. Zambada was believed to be a co-founder and leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, assuming control after Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán was arrested in 2016. Guzmán was convicted in U.S. federal court in 2019 in a trial that included testimony against the druglord from Zambada’s son Vincente Zambada Niebla.”
  • “The charges against Zambada are numerous and serious. He’s accused of leading a continuing criminal enterprise for 35 years. Under his control, the Sinaloa Cartel allegedly manufactured and distributed ‘massive quantities of narcotics’ that generated billions in illegal revenue. The feds allege murders through groups of hitmen called ‘sicarios’ were common. Zambada is also alleged to be responsible for money laundering and creating corruption through bribes and intimidation.”
  • “At the very least, Zambada faces a minimum of life in prison. Given the type and number of charges against him, the death penalty is also on the table.”
  • “During a hearing in a Brooklyn federal court on Jan. 25, 2025, Zambada gave his informed consent to retain his attorney, Frank Perez, acknowledging the attorney’s previous representation of his son in the case against his former partner. It’s an interesting choice.”
  • “There’s no doubt it’s a potential conflict of interest for Perez. The prosecutors for the case have indicated Zambada Niebla will be on their list of potential witnesses. While this doesn’t guarantee he’ll be called, it sets up a situation where Perez might have to defend his current client from the testimony of his former client, who also happens to be his client’s son.”
  • “District Judge Brian Cogan didn’t try to block Zambada’s request. There’s speculation that given his advanced age and the possibility of ending up on Death Row, Zambada may opt for a plea bargain instead. The court encouraged the parties to work on an agreement before the next court date in April.”
  • “Any deal will likely find Zambada behind bars for the rest of his life. At least he won’t have to worry about attending awkward holiday gatherings with his son.”

Attorney-general admits recusal over conflicts of interest” —

  • “The attorney-general [for England and Wales] has admitted that he has had to recuse himself ‘from certain matters’ when giving advice to the government because of potential conflicts of interest.”
  • “Lord Hermer KC, who became the government’s top law officer last July, was paid £30,000 to represent Gerry Adams against IRA bomb victims in a High Court case that is due to go to trial next year.”
  • “Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to repeal the Legacy Act, which would open the door to taxpayer-funded compensation for hundreds of Republicans including the former Sinn Fein leader.”
  • “Labour has already abandoned an appeal against a ruling by Northern Ireland’s High Court that declared that the 2023 act, which included clauses denying payouts to terrorism suspects detained without trial in the Seventies, breached human rights laws.”
  • “Hermer has refused to tell MPs whether he was involved in the decision to drop the appeal or to repeal the legislation, citing rules in the ministerial code.”
  • “The Conservatives called on Hermer to remove himself from any involvement in all cases in which he previously acted as a lawyer, including the Afghanistan inquiry where he represented Afghan families.”
  • “Hermer admitted for the first time on Monday that he has recused himself from some decisions in response to an urgent question in the House of Lords.”
  • “He told peers that there is a ‘rigorous system’ for dealing with potential conflict of interest, adding that his department will ‘always err on the side of caution’.”
  • “He said: ‘It is vital that the public are reassured that the highest standards of propriety are applied by my department and I welcome the opportunity to answer questions today.”
  • “‘As the House will be aware, I am constrained by the law officers’ convention which prohibits me from identifying particular instances in which law officer advice has been sought even by implication.”
  • “‘But I hope reassurance can be found in the description of the rigorous system for managing conflicts provided by the solicitor-general [in the Commons]. And may I make plain, if ever there is or will be reasonable doubt as to whether a law officer should be recused, my department will always err on the side of caution.’”
  • “‘I can assure the House that recusals have no material impact on my department’s work. Where one law officer is conflicted, another is asked to act instead. And I am fortunate to have the support from a solicitor-general and an advocate-general for Scotland with highly successful careers in law.’”
  • “The Cabinet Office has rejected calls for an investigation into Hermer’s potential conflicts of interest over his past clients. Sir Chris Wormald, the cabinet secretary, has written to Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, insisting that appropriate arrangements are in place.”

Dechert sues former lawyer for alleged salary overpayment” —

  • “Dechert has sued a former senior project attorney for more than $90,000, the money that the law firm said it is still owed after a $132,250 salary overpayment.”
  • “The suit says senior project attorney Kathleen Fay continued to receive her regular salary for a 7½ month period ending in May 2024, even though she wasn’t performing billable work at that time. A temporary employment agreement in effect during that period provided that Fay would be paid only for billable work assigned to her and performed.”
  • “The agreement was reached in late September 2023 after Fay asked to remain listed on the firm’s website. Fay’s contract as a project attorney ended without an extension June 30, 2023, but she continued to be paid for three months and was offered consulting services to help with her job search, the suit says.”
  • “When Dechert discovered its mistake in mid-May 2024, it demanded its money back. Fay did not comply, the suit says.”
  • “Fay told Law.com that the suit allegations ‘are baseless and its actions are unethical.’ She worked on the firm’s product liability team for more than a decade ‘and am now a law librarian earning less than a paralegal,’ she said.”
  • “‘It is unfortunate that Dechert has chosen to remove my vested funds from my 401(k) account and to bully me in public,’ Fay told Law.com. ‘However, the equities and the law favor me and I look forward to vindicating my rights and reputation in court.’”

Above the Law updates and weighs in: “Sullivan & Cromwell Attorneys Are NOT Happy The Firm Decided To Suck Up To Trump” —

  • “Back in the day, S&C reportedly refused to represent Trump, allowing them to avoid having to trade deep-pocketed clients anxious to distance their brands from the most toxic client in America, in exchange for the honor of getting stiffed on the bill.”
  • “But this time around, corporate America appears actively interested in currying favor with the White House any way they can and a cozy relationship with Trump is not only no longer a negative, it might actually be a firm selling point. And so Sullivan & Cromwell publicly announced that it’s going to represent Trump as he challenges the hush money conviction.”
  • “Firm leadership might see this matter as an opportunity to show clients that they have Trump’s ear, which remains surprisingly pristine one for a guy who swears it was shot off by a sniper. But the decision is already alienating the firm’s attorneys.”
  • “According to one S&C attorney who purports to have spoken with multiple S&C colleagues, the mood is that everyone is ‘upset with the announcement that we’ll be representing Trump.’ Another notes that it will ‘likely to grow into a morale drain among associates.’”
  • “And while there may be general dismay with representing Trump as a person, for one S&C lawyer it’s less about the client than that client’s history of forcing his lawyers to publicly debase themselves by litigating cases his way.”
  • “‘It does not appear that we are treating this like a normal S&C appeal where we stay quiet and do great legal work. To have the head of the Firm talking about D.A. Bragg ‘target[ing]’ President Trump is completely antithetical to anything I have experienced in my time at the Firm before. I had always been proud that we emphasize precision and accuracy in what we say—eschewing exaggerations, hyperbole and personal attacks. Very alienating to see senior management abandoning that.’”
  • “S&C pays market and provides matching bonuses so they’ll not find themselves bereft of talent right away. But when the next up-and-coming talent weighs their summer offers or a thriving associate gets a call from a recruiter… are they going to be interested in a career with Roy Cohn Lite, LLP or somewhere else?”



Source link

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get our latest articles delivered straight to your inbox. No spam, we promise.


The Frost flipped the script in the third period and overtime Wednesday in Toronto.

While Minnesota took a 2-0 lead in the contest, the ice was tilted in Toronto’s direction for the first two periods. The Sceptres held a heavy advantage in shots on goal.

Toronto Sceptres' Natalie Spooner (centre right) celebrates a goal with Hannah Miller (34) as Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) lays on the ice during the second period of their PWHL hockey game, in Toronto, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Sceptres’ Natalie Spooner (centre right) celebrates a goal with Hannah Miller (34) as Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) lays on the ice during the second period of their PWHL hockey game, in Toronto, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)

But it was all Minnesota late — until it wasn’t.

Tied 2-2 entering the third period, the Frost fired 15 shots on goal to Toronto’s four in the frame to no avail. But Minnesota again controlled play in overtime, only to have a giveaway result in a breakaway.

Renata Fast beat Maddie Rooney with just 3.7 seconds left on the clock to give the Sceptres the 3-2 overtime victory.

“I had no idea (how much time was left),” Fast said in the on-ice, television interview. “When I turned and looked at the clock, I was shocked at the time. … I had no idea.”

Minnesota bested Toronto in a shootout in St. Paul just two weeks ago.

Sophie Jaques scored just 83 seconds into the affair to put the Frost up 1-0, and then assisted on Minnesota’s second tally, a goal from Brooke McQuigge to make it 2-0 in a rematch of last year’s title round.

But Toronto stormed back with a pair of goals in a two-minute span later in the second period — the first from Hannah Miller and the second from Daryl Watts to make it 2-2.

But that’s where the score stood until late in the extra session, and Sceptres goalie Raygan Kirk continued to turn away one Frost opportunity after another en route to her 27-save performance.

Rooney had 19 saves in the loss. The Frost went 0 for 2 on the power play.

While the Frost picked up a point Tuesday, they’ve now lost three of their past five contests, with just one regulation win in that span.

Even amid the struggles, Minnesota remains comfortably in second place in the PWHL standings. The Frost play in Ottawa on Thursday.

Toronto Sceptres' Jesse Compher (18) shoots on Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) during the second period of their PWHL hockey game, in Toronto, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.(Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Sceptres’ Jesse Compher (18) shoots on Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) during the second period of their PWHL hockey game, in Toronto, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.(Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)

Originally Published:



Source link


What is AWS:

AWS refers to Amazon Web Services. As a cloud computing pioneer, Amazon was the first to enter into the cloud services market ten years ago. In terms of customers and products, Aws Leads. When it comes to cloud service quality, it is considered the benchmark. It provides a variety of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings which can be categorized into the database, computing, networking, content delivery, and storage. AWS allows a flexible and smooth data collection flow by using server-less services like AWS Lambda Functions, Amazon SQS Queues, and Amazon Kinesis Streams. AWS offers organizations the ability to select the operating system, database and programming languages, and web application platform according to their needs.

The use of cloud infrastructure resources may be monitored with the help of AWS management tools like Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail to monitor user activity and AWS configuration to manage resource inventory and modifications. AWS helps to improve organizational business growth and productivity significantly. Some disadvantages of AWS include complicated infrastructure and default service limitations that are defined based on average user requirements. The data centers of Amazon are the most important of the three cloud providers, and they are located in 77 areas around the world.

Take your career to next level in AWS with HKR. Enroll now to get  Aws Online Training Demo

What is Azure:

Azure is the product from Microsoft. Azure was designed to build, deploy and manage diverse applications and services across the vast network of data centers managed by Microsoft. Azure’s services include networking, computing, data management databases, and performance. Azure Site Recovery allows organizations of any size to arrange site-to-site duplication and data recovery to virtual machines that are hosted on Azure itself. Azure provides data storage redundancy or Zone redundant Storage in various data center regions.

Azure ExpressRoute makes it easy to connect the data center to Azure via a private link without the help of the Internet, thus offering greater reliability, increased security, and reduced latency. Azure also has expanded networking abilities that include the support of multiple onsite virtual network connections, as well as the possibility of connecting virtual networks through different regions of one another. Azure offered the lowest request-based and discounted instance prices. Specialized developers can test, write and deploy algorithms with the help of the Azure Machine Learning Studio.

We have the perfect professional Azure Course for you. Enroll now!

Google Cloud Training

  • Master Your Craft
  • Lifetime LMS & Faculty Access
  • 24/7 online expert support
  • Real-world & Project Based Learning

What is Google Cloud Platform:

With a responsive interface, reduced costs, flexible compute options, and preemptible instances, GCP is an interesting alternative for AWS and Azure. Google uses complete encryption on all communication and data channels, that includes traffic between data centers. Few areas in which Google Cloud competes strongly with AWS include configurability of instances and payments, privacy and traffic security, profitability, and machine learning. These three cloud providers, while providing discounts of up to 75% for one to three years commitment, Google also offers a sustained usage reduction of up to 30 percent on each type of instance operating for over 25 percent every month. Google has a number of standard APIs for natural language processing, computer vision, and translation. Machine learning engineers can create models using the open-source TensorFlow deep learning library of Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine.

Want to get certified in GCP. Learn from our experts and do excel in your career with HKR’S Google Cloud Online Training

HKR Trainings Logo

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new updates..!

Comparison between Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform:

The differences among the top three cloud services are observed by examining them using various parameters like storage, compute, locations, databases, and documentation.

  • Storage: Amazon web services provide Amazon S3 (S3 indicates Simple Storage Service), which is the best option for storage with complete documentation, proven technology, with appropriate community support. Google Cloud Storage and Microsoft Azure Storage provide reliable storage services too.
  • Compute: AWS provides the Elastic Compute Cloud, which manages all computing services by controlling virtual machines that have pre-configured parameters and which can be configured by users as needed. Azure provides Virtual Machines as well as Virtual Machines Scale sets, whereas GCP offers the Google Compute Engine that carries out the same functions.
  • Databases: Numerous database services and tools options are available from all primary service providers. Amazon’s relational database service will support the main databases like PostgreSQL and Oracle and handles everything from update to patch. The Azure SQL Database provides SQL database management functions for Azure, whereas this is Cloud SQL for GCP.
  • Documentation: All the three cloud service providers provide very high-quality documentation even though AWS performs better than GCP and Azure.
  • Location: Azure, AWS, and GCP provide excellent worldwide coverage and guarantee optimal application performance with the shortest possible route to the target audience. Amazon is available in 77 areas, while Azure is available in 60 regions and Google is available in 33 countries, with more recent regions added on a regular basis.

Enroll in our Big Data on AWS Training program today and elevate your skills!

Google Cloud Training

Weekday / Weekend Batches

Now let us compare the pricing of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud

The following is a comparison of the AWS, Azure, and GCP pricing models according to the type of machine they offer:

Small Instance: In AWS, the small instance includes 8GB RAM and two virtual CPUs. It will cost us about 69 US dollars per month. While for the same instance of 8GB RAM and two virtual CPUs in Azure will cost us about 70 US dollars per month. Compared to AWS, GCP will provide us with a very basic instance that contains two virtual CPUs and 8GB of RAM at a rate of 25 percent cheaper. As a result, it will cost us approximately 52 US dollars per month.

Largest Instance: The biggest instance provided by AWS contains 3.84TB of RAM and 128 virtual CPUs, and it will cost us approximately 3.97 US dollars per hour. While for the same instance of 3.84TB of RAM and 128 virtual CPUs, it will cost us approximately 6.79 US dollars per hour. GCP is leading the way with the largest instance comprising 3.75TB of RAM and 160 virtual CPUs. The cost will be approximately 5.32 US dollars per hour.

Recently AWS has started providing pay-per-minute billing. Azure is already providing the same service, whereas Google cloud is providing pay-per-second billing that saves the users money. It also helps the users by providing a number of discounts which saves the money of Users upto 50 percent.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have compared Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platforms. We hope that you found this information useful and you will be able to decide what is best for you. And If you are seeking any information related to any cloud service platform, you can keep in touch with us.

Related Articles:



Source link



Democrats in the Minnesota House who have boycotted daily sessions are using tactics that lawmakers around the country have tried at least two dozen times before to thwart their opponents. It’s not even a first for the state.

Minnesota Democrats are trying to prevent Republicans from taking advantage of a temporary one-seat majority caused by a vacancy. After a special election, the House likely will be tied at 67. On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court tossed the question of who controls the Minnesota House back to House leaders to figure it out.

In 1857, the issue was Republicans’ desire to move the Minnesota Territory’s capital from St. Paul to a new city, St. Peter, about 75 miles away. A Democratic lawmaker took physical possession of the bill and hid in a local hotel until it was too late to act on the measure.

Here are other notable moments of chaos and impasses in state legislatures over the past 170 years:

1863, Indiana: No legislature? No problem!

Democratic legislators weary of the Civil War tried to wrest control of the state militia from ardently pro-Union Republican Gov. Oliver Morton. Fellow Republicans thwarted the effort by heeding his call to bolt, closing down the state’s General Assembly. Morton ran the state without a legislature through 1864, soliciting private and federal loans to finance state government and doling the funds out from a large safe in his office.

1893, Kansas: The ‘Legislative War’

With several 1892 races in dispute, both Populists and Republicans claimed a majority in the state House. A month into lawmakers’ annual session, Populist lawmakers locked themselves in, and Republicans out, overnight in the House chamber. The next day, the GOP House speaker used a sledgehammer to break down a door so Republicans could go in and chase the Populists out.

The Kansas Supreme Court eventually settled the contested races in Republicans’ favor, giving them the majority. The sledgehammer is on display in the Statehouse.

1924, Rhode Island: A filibuster, riot and gas attack

Democrats sought to end the grossly unequal representation in the state Legislature that had cemented Republican dominance and proposed holding a convention to revise the Rhode Island constitution for that purpose.

They hoped to slip their measure past the GOP’s one-seat Senate majority by filibustering long enough that a few Republicans would fall asleep or leave. They began in January and kept it up for more than five months.

In mid-June, a fight over who could preside over a daily Senate session touched off what accounts called a brief riot among senators. Two days later, a device left in the chamber released noxious gas, clearing it. Republicans eventually fled to a hotel in Massachusetts and stayed there the rest of the year.

1934, North Dakota: A ‘pretended session’

A federal jury convicted GOP Gov. William Langer of political corruption and he called a special legislative session to have lawmakers investigate his conviction. He was ousted from office but declared martial law.

The new governor, Republican Ole Olson, canceled the special session, but a quorum of the House convened anyway, having the first meetings in a new, still-unfinished Capitol. The Senate didn’t have enough members to do business and after five days the House recessed and members went home.

1979, Texas: The ‘Killer Bees’

A dozen liberal Democratic senators, known as the “Killer Bees” for their tactics in derailing legislation, objected to a plan to change the date of the state’s GOP presidential primary in 1980 to help former Texas Gov. John Connally. The “Killer Bees” fled the state Capitol, bunked down in a staffer’s garage and evaded capture by the Texas Rangers for four days. Their absence killed the plan.

Democrats used the same tactic in 2003 — House members went to Oklahoma and senators later fled to New Mexico — but failed to thwart a Republican congressional redistricting plan.

Similarly, in 2021 Democrats were initially successful in killing a restrictive voting measure by walking out just before a midnight deadline to pass it. They couldn’t block it again during a special session when Republicans had law enforcement bring them back after they flew to Washington.

2011, Wisconsin: Democrats flee over union rights

Democratic state senators fled to Illinois, blocking a vote on GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to strip most public workers of their union rights, while pro-union protesters descended on the state Capitol. The stalemate ended several weeks later after Republicans weakened their legislation.

The walkout inspired House Democrats in Indiana to also flee to Illinois to win concessions from Republicans on education and labor bills.

2020-2021, New Hampshire: COVID-19-era rowdiness

In 2020, when the 400-member House met in a university athletic center because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some drank beer inside and defied a local mask mandate outside. A university trustee said they behaved like “juvenile delinquents.”

The following year, with the House meeting in a sports complex, Democrats walked out when an anti-abortion bill came up for a vote, protesting what they saw as a partisan manipulation of the calendar. That prompted the Republican House speaker to lock the doors to maintain a quorum.

2023, Nebraska: Filibustering nearly every bill

The Democratic minority brought the work of the officially nonpartisan, one-chamber Legislature to a near standstill by filibustering nearly every bill. The senator leading the epic filibuster sought to kill even bills she supported, aiming to tank a Republican-led effort to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

Lawmakers eventually voted to ban surgeries and greatly restrict prescribing puberty blockers and hormones but also added a ban on abortion at 12 weeks to their bill. The measure passed and was signed by the governor.

2023, Oregon: A record GOP boycott

Since the early 1970s, Oregon legislators in both parties have boycotted daily sessions to halt work in one or both chambers. After a series of GOP walkouts, voters in 2022 approved an amendment to the state constitution barring lawmakers from seeking reelection if they have more than 10 unexcused absences in a single annual legislative session.

Then, in 2023, Republican senators staged the walkout of all walkouts: a six-week boycott over measures protecting abortion rights and gender-affirming care for transgender people. Ten were barred from the ballot in 2024.

2024, Michigan: Defection dooms session

A Democrat’s decision to join minority Republicans in skipping a daily House session forced an end to a post-election, lame-duck session in December.

Democratic leaders couldn’t act on measures to ban ghost guns or protect the health data of abortion patients, or on funding items sought by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The chaos highlighted broader divisions among Democrats after elections that saw the GOP recapture a House majority.



Source link

Recent Reviews