Trump tax-record matter draws inquiry
WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department's acting inspector general has opened an investigation into whether President Donald Trump's administration acted improperly during its ongoing fight with House Democrats over releasing Trump's tax returns.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has refused to comply with a request from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., for six years of the president's business and financial returns. Democrats have said a 1924 law explicitly gives them the authority to request the documents, but Mnuchin has denied the request and now the matter is pending in federal court.
A focus of the fight is the mandatory audit program that the Internal Revenue Service conducts on the tax returns of the president and vice president.
In July, an IRS whistleblower filed a complaint with lawmakers and relayed concerns that at least one Treasury Department official attempted to interfere in that audit process.
On Monday, Neal sent a letter to Richard Delmar, the Treasury Department's acting inspector general, and asked for an investigation.
"I want to be assured that Treasury, including the [IRS], is enforcing the law in a fair and impartial manner and no one is endeavoring to intimidate or impede government officials and employees carrying out their duties," Neal wrote in the letter.
Asked if the investigation encompassed the whistleblower complaint, Delmar referred instead to Neal's letter and said the investigation would focus on matters the lawmaker raised.
Dad in admissions scam gets 5 months
BOSTON -- The former owner of a California wine business was sentenced Friday to five months in prison for paying $50,000 to rig his daughter's ACT score and for trying to bribe her way into the University of Southern California as a fake water polo recruit.
Agustin Huneeus, 53, of San Francisco pleaded guilty in May to fraud and conspiracy in a deal with prosecutors. He is the fifth parent to be sentenced in the college admissions scandal. Huneeus was arrested before the deal was complete and his daughter was not admitted. His sentence also includes a $100,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.
Huneeus is among a few parents accused of pursuing both angles of the scam: cheating on their children's college entrance exams or paying bribes to get them admitted to elite universities as recruited athletes.
His prison sentence is the longest so far in the scheme. Others have ranged from 14 days to four months, with fines from $30,000 to $100,000.
A total of 52 people have been charged in the scheme, including parents, test proctors, college sports officials and others.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOsFE7DwB3w]
790 tainted convictions being tossed
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's top prosecutor has begun asking judges to throw out nearly 800 convictions that she said were tainted by officers linked to a corruption scandal.
A review by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby found 790 criminal cases handled by 25 city officers whom she says she has reason to distrust. Mosby updated the number of officers being scrutinized on Friday, saying it could fluctuate as her office investigates.
Eight members of the Gun Trace Task Force were convicted of racketeering crimes and sentenced to prison. Many of the other 17 officers cited by Mosby's office were named in testimony during a federal trial, though not necessarily charged with crimes.
The convicted officers admitted to stealing money from people, lying in police paperwork and claiming unearned overtime pay. Convicted officers also testified about potential wrongdoing by other police officers who haven't been charged.
Three of the officers remain on the force, including a detective and two sergeants, citing confirmation from a department spokesman. One of the three has been suspended.
The Police Department didn't immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment.
City Solicitor Andre Davis has said he's concerned that many defendants could file lawsuits against the city.
Sanders illness verified as heart attack
LAS VEGAS -- Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had a heart attack, his campaign confirmed Friday as the Vermont senator was released from a Nevada hospital.
The 78-year-old was at a campaign event Tuesday when he experienced chest discomfort and was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a heart attack. The senator was transferred to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, where doctors inserted two stents to open up a blocked artery in his heart, according to a statement from the Las Vegas doctors.
The doctors, Arturo Marchand Jr. and Arjun Gururaj, said the rest of his arteries were normal.
The campaign also released a statement from Sanders in which he thanked the doctors, nurses and the hospital staff.
"After two and a half days in the hospital, I feel great, and after taking a short time off, I look forward to getting back to work," he said.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports
A Section on 10/05/2019