The GEO Group unjustly enriched itself through use of illegal $1-per-day detainee work program

OLYMPIA — Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with Attorney General Nick Brown, affirming decisions by a lower court and a jury that found the for-profit operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center exploited detainee workers and unjustly enriched itself through unlawful labor practices.

Oxygen tank provider overbilled Medicaid more than 15,000 times

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that due to his Medicaid Fraud Control Division’s investigation, Lincare Inc. paid Washington state $1.15 million. This will reimburse the state’s Medicaid program for Lincare’s fraudulent overbilling of leased oxygen equipment.

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit today against T-Mobile for failing to adequately secure sensitive personal information of more than 2 million Washingtonians. That failure resulted in a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of those consumers and made them vulnerable to fraud and identity theft. 

Eldon Leinweber assaulted female patients, provided narcotic medications in exchange for sexual favors

WENATCHEE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that a Douglas County Superior Court judge sentenced a former physician’s assistant from Waterville to the maximum sentence of 364 days confinement, with one year of community custody. Eldon Leinweber will serve six months in jail, followed by six months of electronic home monitoring.

More than $52M collected so far from banks that accepted stolen funds

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today Metropolitan Commercial Bank will pay $10 million to Washington state as part of his innovative fraud recovery program to return unemployment funds stolen during the COVID pandemic. This initiative has so far brought in more than $52 million from banks across the U.S. that accepted stolen unemployment funds.

Josephine Townsend faces up to 90 days in jail for allegedly forging court order

VANCOUVER — Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office has filed felony criminal charges against a Clark County defense attorney who is accused of forging a court order to deceive law enforcement and prevent her client’s arrest.

Nearly $2 million will help gun violence prevention efforts in communities across 9 counties

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that his office is awarding nearly $2 million to 12 local law enforcement agencies across Washington state for gun violence prevention efforts.

Eligible Washingtonians who receive letters in Nationstar multistate resolution must submit claims for share of $2M by March 3

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) announced today that more than 1,500 Washingtonians will receive letters in the mail to claim their share of more than $2 million as the result of a multistate resolution with Nationstar, one of the country’s largest mortgage servicers.

King County decision first in the nation on the merits, rules merger unlawful

SEATTLE — A King County judge ruled today that the proposed merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons is unlawful and cannot go forward. The decision came following a September trial in Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s antitrust case challenging the merger. Today’s ruling is the first decision on the merits of the case amongst multiple state and federal challenges of the merger.