OLYMPIA-- Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Washington has joined with other states and the federal government in a $22.5 million settlement with Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. (“Par”). The states allege Par promoted sales of the drug Megace ES for uses not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and not covered by the State Medicaid programs.

OLYMPIA— It can happen to anyone. Spoofers have targeted two well-respected consumer protection agencies in an attempt to harm the very people those agencies protect.

In mid-January, the Federal Trade Commission warned people that scammers had sent e-mail messages that appeared to be from the FTC to thousands of businesses claiming that people had complained about them. The email included a link or attachment to a document including more information. The goal? Entice frazzled business owners to click on the link or attachment then dump malware on their computer.

EVERETT – March 6, 2013 – A Bothell contractor was charged today with stealing nearly $23,000 in sales tax between 2004 and 2010 and covering up the theft by filing fraudulent tax returns.

Olympia —Confessed murderer and rapist Cal Coburn Brown was put to death by lethal injection at 12:56 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 10, 2010, at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

King County jurors convicted Brown of aggravated first-degree murder after he confessed to the 1991 strangulation and stabbing death of 21-year-old Holly Washa in the Sea Tac area. Since the jury sentenced him to death in December 1993, Brown utilized the many legal options available to him and filed multiple appeals.

OLYMPIA – Call  them scammers, swindlers, fraudsters or grifters. But whatever you do, don’t believe a word they say.

Just like their counterparts over the ages convinced desperate dreamers to sink their savings into imaginary investments or lured lovesick loners into losing their family fortunes, today’s scam artists prey on people’s desires for love, money or good luck –and walk away with their wallets.

OLYMPIA—The Walla Walla County Superior Court Friday entered a preliminary injunction, ordering several Northwest auto dealerships owned by Mark Gilbert to comply with Washington dealer and consumer protection laws, requiring prompt payoff of customers’ trade-in vehicles.

OLYMPIA—Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson this week joined two friend-of-the court briefs in support of marriage equality in two landmark cases soon to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

OLYMPIA – In a case involving multiple jurisdictions, tracking the accused to Nigeria and Texas and back to Washington, a man charged with committing roughly $100,000 in Medicaid fraud finally pled guilty to 10 counts of First Degree Theft in Thurston County Superior Court today.

Nnanna Mba, formerly of Puyallup, was sentenced as a first-time offender pursuant to a stipulated plea agreement.  He received a sentence of 90 days in jail with credit for time served and agreed to pay full restitution in the amount of $106,730.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson released the following statement today in response to a letter he received today from Paul Lawrence of Pacifica Law Group regarding Initiative 1240.

“We all share the desire to provide the highest quality education for our children. As the state’s attorney, it’s my responsibility to defend the will of the voters and I will be directing my legal team to do so in this case.”

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SPOKANE –
Feb. 25, 2013 – The operator of now-closed Alpine Auto Wholesale in
Spokane pled guilty today to felony theft of sales tax and filing false
state tax returns.