Vol 13 No. 396
AZFREEPRESS.COM   editor@azfreepress.com      
July 28, 2010
Our Top Stories


Rite Aid Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Settle HIPAA Privacy Case
Tue, Jul 27th, 2010

Company agrees to substantial corrective action to safeguard consumer information

Rite Aid Corporation and its 40 affiliated entities (RAC) have agreed to pay $1 million to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today. In a coordinated action, RAC also signed a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle potential violations of the FTC Act.

Rite Aid, one of the nation's largest drug store chains, has also agreed to take corrective action to improve policies and procedures to safeguard the privacy of its customers when disposing of identifying information on pill bottle labels and other health information. The settlements apply to all of Rite Aid's nearly 4,800 retail pharmacies and follow an extensive joint investigation by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the FTC.

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Thirteen People Indicted on Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine
Fri, Jul 23rd, 2010

Thirteen people were indicted this week by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. All thirteen have been arrested. Initial appearances were held for 12 of the 13 defendants on July 20, 2010. A trial has been scheduled for September 13, 2010.

The defendants have been identified as:

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12 Indicted in Arizona in Mortgage Fraud Schemes
Thu, Jul 8th, 2010

Total of 43 people indicted by Arizona Mortgage Fraud Task Force since beginning of June

PHOENIX - In two separate cases indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently, 12 more people – including loan officers, escrow agents, real estate agents, and an appraiser – have been charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges from scams that occurred during the real estate boom preceding the collapse of the Valley housing market and a tidal wave of foreclosures.

U.S. v. Alexander

Thomas Gregory Alexander, Paul Patrick Alexander and Bobbie Jo Johnson, all of Scottsdale, Arizona, Kara Elizabeth Shumway and Michael S. Mason, of Mesa Arizona, and Sandra M. Stevens, of Chandler, Arizona, and Michael Joseph Harris, of Phoenix, have made initial appearances in court on charges of Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and False Statements.

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Arizona Governor Brewer Sends Letter to US President Addressing Border Issue
Thu, Jun 24th, 2010

Governor Brewer has sent the following letter to President Obama regarding border security.

June 23, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama

The President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for the opportunity to visit with you in person during my recent trip to Washington, D.C. As you know, the issue of border security is foremost in the thoughts of many Arizonans and Americans alike, and I appreciated the chance to personally relate to you my concerns and outline my proposed solutions.

Mr. President, the need for action to secure Arizona’s border could not be clearer. Recently, my office received a number of calls from constituents concerned at reports of new sign postings in interior counties of Arizona warning residents not to access federal lands due to criminal activity associated with the border. These warnings signal to some that we have handed over portions of our border areas to illegal immigrants and drug traffickers. This is unacceptable. Instead of warning Americans to stay out of parts of our own country, we ought to be warning international lawbreakers that they will be detained and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ought to be establishing measures to ensure that illegal traffic of any sort is kept to an absolute minimum, and that Americans are safe and secure within our own borders.

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