Treasury official accused in report leaks
WASHINGTON -- A Treasury Department employee was accused Wednesday of leaking confidential banking reports of suspects charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and an unidentified high-ranking colleague was cited in court papers as a co-conspirator but was not charged.
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, a senior official at the department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, is accused of leaking several confidential suspicious activity reports to a journalist, whose name was not disclosed in court papers. But the documents list about a dozen stories published by BuzzFeed News over the past year and a half.
A spokesman for the news organization declined to comment.
Edwards is currently on administrative leave, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network spokesman Steve Hudak said
When federal agents confronted Edwards this week, she described herself as a whistleblower and said she had provided the reports to the reporter for "record-keeping," the court papers said.
According to the government, the material included reports on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and political consultant Richard Gates, as well as Maria Butina, who is accused of trying to infiltrate U.S. political organizations as a covert Russian agent.
Banks must file the suspicious activity reports with the Treasury Department when they spot transactions that raise questions about possible financial misconduct such as money laundering.
Man pleads guilty in letter-threats case
BOSTON -- A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Wednesday to sending threatening letters filled with white powder to President Donald Trump's sons, a Democratic U.S. senator, Republican congressional candidate and others.
Among the letters sent by Daniel Frisiello, 25, was one addressed to Donald Trump Jr. that was opened in February by his now-estranged wife, Vanessa. She called 911 and was briefly hospitalized after she reported she was coughing and felt nauseous. The substances in all of the letters turned out to be nonhazardous.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Garland said Frisiello was a "prolific letter writer" who wrote to public figures and celebrities to share his ideas and request autographs. But he also had a "darker side," Garland said.
Frisiello's attorney, William Fick, told the judge that Frisiello has substantial cognitive and developmental issues from brain damage he suffered at birth. He said Frisiello is autistic and has an anxiety disorder.
Frisiello, who has been out of jail since March, was allowed Wednesday to return to his home, where he's been confined with certain restrictions. He's prohibited from sending anything in the mail. He'll be sentenced in January and has agreed not to appeal his sentence if it's 7¼ years or less.
Halt license suspensions, Tennessee told
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A federal judge in Nashville has ordered the state to stop suspending the driver's licenses of people who are unable to pay traffic fines and court costs.
In an order Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger also instructed the state to allow indigent drivers to get suspended licenses back without fees.
The lawsuit is the second of two similar cases. The earlier one dealt with people who lost licenses because they were unable to pay fines related to criminal convictions. Trauger ruled against the state in July, and Tennessee appealed.
Plaintiffs argue the suspensions leave people unable to work, making it even harder for them to pay court debts.
The rulings potentially affect tens of thousands of Tennesseans and could have implications for similar policies in dozens of other states.
Black seniors barred from voting trip
LOUISVILLE, Ga. -- A group that encourages black Americans to vote said about 40 black residents of a senior living center in Georgia were told to get off a bus taking them to vote.
Jefferson County, which operates the senior center, considered Monday's event "political activity" that's not allowed during county-sponsored events, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Monday was the first day of in-person early voting in Georgia. Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp are running for governor.
The senior center director asked the senior residents to get off the bus, said LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter.
"We knew it was an intimidation tactic," Brown said. "It was really unnecessary. These are grown people."
Officials said no one is being denied their right to vote. County Administrator Adam Brett said they were uncomfortable allowing senior center patrons to leave in a bus with "an unknown third party."
The seniors planned to cast their ballots later, the newspaper reported.
Access to the polls has been a contentious issue in Georgia's race for governor, a closely watched contest. Civil-rights organizations are suing Kemp, the Georgia secretary of state, accusing his office of preventing minority-group members from registering ahead of the Nov. 6 election.
A Section on 10/18/2018