Ring leader Davit Kudugulyan, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree money laundering in New York State Supreme Court in June 2015. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison and a restitution payment of $750,000 for orchestrating the multi-state scam.
Kudugulyan and three separately convicted codefendants used skimming devices to wirelessly scan and steal credit card details from gas station users in Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. According to prosecutors, the victims were unable to detect the Bluetooth-enabled devices which were installed inside the pumps at several gas stations.
The defendants then used the scanned data to withdraw money from various Manhattan ATMs, usually taking out less than $10,000 in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to the scheme. They then deposited the cash into newly opened bank accounts in New York and later withdrew it at banks in other states. The group laundered more than $2 million between March 2012 and 2013.
In addition to the four main ring organizers, eight other codefendants have been convicted in relation to the crime. Two of Kudugulyan’s codefendants were sentenced to two to six years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree money laundering in December 2014. The fourth codefendant was sentenced to five years’ probation in January for the same charge.
The post Credit card scammer sentenced in $2 million money laundering scheme first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The largest rise in sleep problems has been linked with patients who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat experience or other mental disorders. The same period between 2000 and 2010 has seen PTSD diagnoses triple. University of South Carolina researchers noted the prevalence of sleep disorders among 16 percent of veterans with PTSD. The number is the highest among all health conditions considered.
However the study’s senior author and associate professor Dr. James Burch said in a statement, “Because of the way this study was designed, this does not prove that PTSD caused the increase in sleep disorder diagnoses.” His team conducted subsequent research to study the connection between the two. It found that a history of PTSD was associated with higher chances of experiencing sleep problems.
Former service members with cancer, cardiovascular disease and other chronic health problems also had higher rates of sleep disorder diagnoses in comparison to those without such conditions. Sleep apnea and insomnia were the top two most common types of sleeping problems veterans experienced respectively.
The study examined the medical data of around 9.7 million veterans who sought care in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. The findings were published in the journal Sleep in July.
The prevalence of sleep disorders among veterans is a cause for concern. It indicates the need for sleep disorder management and treatment to be integrated into health care services and caregiving for veterans.
Sources:
Now, a Rand Corporation study has examined the data and found that the theory is unsupported by the evidence. Placing limits on medical malpractice lawsuits does not reduce the volume or cost of emergency room care.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed data from emergency rooms in South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, three states that put strict limits on medical malpractice claims in the past decade.
All three states raised the bar for a medical malpractice claim for emergency care to “gross negligence,” meaning, basically, that doctors had to actually know that they were providing improper care, but provided it anyway. Researchers compared metrics on defensive medicine procedures and costs for Medicare claims in these states, compared to states that did not have higher bars for malpractice claims. Overall, the study found no reduction in the metrics studied. There was only a small reduction in one metric, charges per patient, in one state.
Bob Briskman is a Chicago malpractice attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
The post Study finds that stricter limits on medical malpractice lawsuits do not reduce healthcare costs first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Legal news analysts have been assessing the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, the deceased Dallas Ebola patient. Texas Presbyterian Hospital has admitted that Duncan should have been tested for Ebola upon his first visit to the emergency room, but ER staff mistakenly turned him away. However, most legal analysts agree that his family will not be able to sue the hospital for their mistake.
In 2003, the state of Texas instituted medical malpractice reforms that included tougher standards for suing ER doctors. Those harmed by the actions of ER physicians in Texas have to prove that the doctors knowingly caused harm. It’s a high standard, and one unlike the standards for any other type of medical malpractice in Texas.
At the time, proponents of the reform touted lower healthcare costs for all as a principal benefit of reform. But a major study from the New England Journal of Medicine, which looked specifically at the effects of medical malpractice reform on emergency room care in Texas, Georgia and South Carolina, said that after 10 years, those cost benefits were not realized.
According to the study, medical malpractice reform has not reduced the cost of ER care, nor has it lessened the use of unnecessary tests. In trying to explain why medical malpractice reform has had little or no effect on medical care, the authors of the study suggest that ER physicians may not be as influenced in their actions by the fear of lawsuits as they claim to be.
The study did reveal that the most likely beneficiary of tort reform is insurance companies. While healthcare costs for patients have not dropped as promised, insurance companies are keeping more money in their pockets, with fewer legal medical malpractice actions and fewer payouts to injured and ill patients who have suffered harm in the ER.
The post New study calls the benefits of Texas medical malpractice reform into question first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In 2012, the rate of pedestrian fatalities in Texas was 1.83 per 100,000 population — meaning that nearly two out of every 100,000 Texans were struck and killed by a motor vehicle in 2012.
This figure makes Texas the 10th most dangerous state for pedestrians.
Experts agree that infrastructure is a key element in pedestrian safety, and the American Society of Civil Engineers claims that in 2012, nearly 40 percent of Texas roadways were in poor or mediocre condition.
When asked about the recent data from the NHTSA, officials from the Texas Department of Transportation pointed to unsafe and distracted driving as the key issue. Robert Archuleta, a transportation official with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, also told reporters he believed cell phone use while driving — particularly texting — was a significant factor.
The NHTSA noted that the number of pedestrians killed nationwide has been rising steadily since 2009, even while the number of overall traffic fatalities has generally decreased.
According to the NHTSA data, pedestrians are most likely to be killed or injured by motor vehicles between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. — when children are coming home from school and adults are coming home from work. However, there is also a spike in pedestrian fatalities between midnight and 3:00 a.m. on weekends. Data suggests that this spike could be due to an increase in nightlife coupled with low visibility.
The other states rounding out the top ten most dangerous states are Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, New Mexico and Delaware.
At The Hale Law Firm, we have helped thousands of clients successfully prosecute their personal injury claims including auto accidents, wrongful death, dangerous products, brain injuries, burn injuries, and defective medical devices. Clients depend on their personal injury lawyers for guidance and legal advice across a broad range of personal injury accidents. To learn more, visit http://www.hale911.com/ or call 972.351.0000.
The post Texas Named Among the 10 Most Dangerous States for Pedestrians first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Governors Highway Association indicates 41 states, plus Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico now all have laws in place banning texting while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
There are 14 states that not only have a ban on texting while driving, but have taken the law one more step by banning hand-held e-devices altogether. One state, Tennessee, bans reading or sending messages while a driver is in motion, but they may text while stopped at a red light. They also allow drivers to talk on cells while driving.
Many pundits feel that in the near future, Tennessee will take a look at their traffic accidents statistics and decide a complete ban may make more sense. Other states are still trying to decide whether to impose more laws on their citizens or not, while federally, the U.S. Transportation Secretary wholeheartedly supports a federal ban.
The nine states that are still trying to determine which way to go on the texting while driving issues are Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota and Missouri.
Banning what people see as their “right” to use cellphones and other mobile devices is always a hot button issue. However, even those who oppose this type of ban agree that something needs to be done to reduce the death toll as a result of distracted driving.
If you have been in an accident involving a distracted driver, contact an Austin personal injury lawyer for assistance in making a claim to the courts for compensation for your injuries.
Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.478.8080
The post Laws To Ban Texting While Driving Are Sweeping Slowly Across The Nation first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Green family of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was awarded $2.85 million in a medical malpractice case where a surgeon re-routed Randy Green from a pre-operative waiting area to get a CAT scan, even though Green’s vital signs were not stable.
Green sustained severe injuries in a car accident in 2004, including severed arteries. He was taken to the hospital for surgery. While being prepped, the surgeon ordered a CAT scan. The resulting half hour delay, when the man’s blood pressure was 72 over 56 and considered dangerous, sent Green into cardiac and respiratory arrest. He was brought back to life by an E.R. doctor and anesthesiologist. However, by then, a portion of the man’s spinal cord had died, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
At trial, even expert medical witnesses on behalf of the surgeon agreed the patient should not have been taken for a CAT scan with a blood pressure reading that low. When the patient had a heart attack, his body went without oxygen for up to eight minutes and 27 seconds. The end result was the jury agreeing that the medical negligence in this case was life-altering and egregious.
The Green family may not have known about litigation funding; an emergency lawsuit cash advance that could have helped them cope financially while waiting for their case to go to trial. Pre-settlement funding is for qualified plaintiffs that apply for a lawsuit loan, after they have hired a lawyer to handle their case. In just minutes, an application may be filled out, online or by phone. Once this is done, the application is reviewed and if approved, the litigation funding is sent directly to the plaintiff’s bank account within 24 to 48 hours.
The funding is most often used by plaintiffs to pay for medical bills, but it is also available for them to pay their recurring financial obligations, such as student loans, car payments, rent or the mortgage. While a plaintiff with pre-settlement funding is waiting for their case to be heard, they may turn down any overtures from insurance companies chasing them to settle quickly and for less cash than they may be awarded in court.
While litigation funding is not necessarily for everyone, it is worth checking out, as it may be just the right kind of lifesaver needed when you need it the most.
Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com/.
The post Orthopedic surgeon leaves patient a paraplegic first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In January, 2010, Veronica’s birth mother, Christina Maldonado, learned she was pregnant. She was engaged to the father, Dusten Brown, but later called off the marriage. In a text message, Brown told Maldonado he would not pay child support and would rather give up his parental rights. Maldonado decided she would put the baby up for adoption.
Melanie and Matt Capobianco, a married South Carolina couple, were unable to conceive a child. They met Maldonado through an adoption agency while she was still pregnant. They helped her with medical expenses and were present during her delivery. They named the baby Veronica and brought her to their Charleston home while the legalities of the adoption proceeded.
When Brown heard that his daughter had been placed for adoption, he immediately filed suit to halt the adoption, citing the Indian Child Welfare Act. The ICWA is a 1978 federal law that places tough restrictions on ending an Indian’s parental rights in order to discourage those not in the tribe from adopting Indian children. It was created to end what lawmakers saw as a practice of improper removal of Indian children from their families.
The South Carolina Supreme Court granted Brown custody of Veronica, and on New Year’s Eve, 2011, the Capobianco’s handed her over, aged 27 months. Since then, she has lived with Brown and his new wife in Oklahoma.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said the ICWA does not require granting Brown custody. Concurring, Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the constitutionality of the law, although the ruling does not strike it down.
“Nothing in the Indian Commerce Clause permits Congress to enact special laws applicable to [Brown] merely because of his status as an Indian,” Thomas wrote. “Because adoption proceedings like this one involve neither ‘commerce’ nor ‘Indian tribes,’ there is simply no constitutional basis for Congress’ assertion of authority over such proceedings.”
Dissenting, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority ignored the intent of the ICWA, which was to discourage adoptions outside tribes.
“The majority may consider this scheme unwise,” Sotomayor wrote. “But no principle of construction licenses a court to interpret a statute with a view to averting the very consequences Congress expressly stated it was trying to bring about.”
Now, South Carolina judges will continue to decide the fate of a little girl who has already left one home and will likely soon leave another.
Joshua Law is a divorce attorney and Brandon family law lawyer with the Osenton Law Offices, P.A. To learn more, visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com/
The post Supreme Court Rules for Adoptive Couple in ‘Baby Veronica’ Case first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>