(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they have worked through the sticking points on a major infrastructure package, and the Senate agreed on a procedural vote on Wednesday night to advance to debate on the proposal. That announcement came a week after Republicans blocked a test vote on the deal, with GOP […]
Tag: paid
Florida company pays $100,000 into Missouri Investor Protection Fund; returns money to Missouri investor
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s Securities Division issued a consent order against Florida-based WCO Holdings, LLC, and a top executive after allegedly defrauding investors in several states, including Missouri. Between February 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, WCO Holdings and managing member Alan K. Brooks sold $700,000 of unregistered, non-exempt promissory notes through unregistered Las […]
Missouri notifying individuals of possible waiver of recovery from federal unemployment overpayments
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has implemented a process for claimants to apply to the Division of Employment Security for potential waiver of the recovery of non-fraud federal pandemic program unemployment benefit overpayments. Notices to eligible claimants began mailing out last week and are available in the “Correspondence” tab of UInteract, Missouri’s […]
Groups urge swift funding after court upholds Medicaid expansion
Health-care advocates called on Missouri lawmakers to allocate funds for Medicaid expansion right away after the state Supreme Court ruled they must extend coverage to the 275,000 people who fall into what’s known as the Medicaid gap. That means they have incomes above their state’s eligibility for Medicaid but cannot afford marketplace or employer-based insurance. […]
Twenty-two charged in connection with more than $11-million Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme
Seventeen more individuals have been charged in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain approximately $11.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and to use those funds to purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other personal items. According to court documents and statements made in court, between May and August 2020, the defendants submitted or […]
Trenton City Council to look at increasing base electric rate to $21.00
While no official recommendation was made due to the lack of a quorum Tuesday night for the Trenton Utility Committee, the City Council will take a look at increasing the base electric rate by seven dollars for residential customers in Trenton. This is primarily a monthly charge for having an electric meter. The current rate […]
Stop Ransomware website: Government launches first one-stop ransomware resource
As part of the ongoing response, agencies across the U.S. government announced new resources and initiatives to protect American businesses and communities from ransomware attacks. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, together with federal partners, have launched a new website to combat the threat of ransomware. The Stop Ransomware […]
Texas man pleads guilty in Missouri to $1.5 million investment fraud scheme
A Texas man pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding two Kansas City-area brothers who have also been convicted in the investment fraud scheme. Duc Nguyen, also known as “Doug,” 57, of Houston, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to one count of wire fraud. By pleading guilty, Nguyen admitted that he engaged […]
Missouri Attorney General obtains $26,000 in restitution for victims of Buchanan County contractor
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Kansas-City-area contractor Brian S. Pummell will pay back over $26,000 in restitution to Missourians who paid Pummell for work he never performed. “Protecting consumers is an important duty of the Attorney General’s Office, and the dedicated investigators, hotline operators, and attorneys in the Consumer Protection Section of my […]
Governor Parson signs 13 remaining pieces of legislation into law
Governor Mike Parson has signed 13 remaining pieces of legislation into law, concluding bill singings for the 2021 legislative session. SB 26 – Public Safety Modifies several provisions related to public safety, including providing taxpayers with the ability to obtain injunctive relief if a local government decreases its police department’s budget by a prescribed amount […]
Kansas man sentenced in Missouri to 12-years in prison for Payday Loan fraud and tax evasion
A Kansas man was sentenced in federal court for engaging in two separate fraud schemes related to millions of dollars in false payday loan debt and for tax evasion totaling more than $8 million. “After raking in millions of dollars from the victims of his fraud scheme, the defendant lied repeatedly and used every trick […]
Fate of Missouri Medicaid expansion in the hands of the state Supreme Court
(Missouri Independent) – After an eight-year fight over Medicaid expansion, the arguments are over. The question of whether 275,000 people will receive state-paid health care coverage is in the hands of the Missouri Supreme Court. Oral arguments took place Tuesday in an expedited appeal. The seven judges must decide whether Medicaid eligibility will expand, as directed by the […]
Trenton City Council responds to concerns over residential trash pickup
Much of the discussion during Monday night’s Trenton City Council meeting involved discussion on trash service complaints. City administrator Ron Urton provided a list of recent complaint calls received by city hall detailing addresses that experienced issues. Two members of the public, Larry Huffstutter and Gaylon McCorkle voiced their concerns. Responses were provided by Rapid […]
Mexican national sentenced to 6-years in federal prison for $10 million marijuana growing operation in Daviess County
A Mexican national who has been deported seven times after illegally entering the United States was sentenced in federal court for his role in a Daviess County, Missouri, marijuana-growing operation where law enforcement officers seized nearly $10 million worth of plants. Sergio Medina-Perez, 47, of El Monte, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg […]
Bob Griffin, longest-serving Missouri House speaker, has died at age 85
(Missouri Independent) – Bob F. Griffin, who served as speaker of the Missouri House for 15 years until he was forced to resign in the face of a federal criminal investigation, died Wednesday in Columbia. He was 85. Griffin was the longest-serving speaker in the state’s history. During his tenure as speaker from 1981 to 1996, the […]
Commission approves Fiscal Year 2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission today approved the FY2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). It includes transportation projects for July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026. The STIP is the Missouri Department of Transportation’s list of 1,434 highway and bridge projects that are planned by state and regional agencies. The draft STIP was released […]
Graves Leads Opposition To Speaker Pelosi’s “My Way Or The Highway” 2.0 Bill
Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), the Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led conservatives on the floor of the United States House of Representatives today in opposing H.R. 3684. “This bill is nothing more than the Green New Deal with a little infrastructure sprinkled on top,” said Graves. “It’s completely unpaid for and it does nothing […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of Jefferson County Collector
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the Jefferson County Collector. The report received an overall rating of good. The audit found personal commissions paid to the collector were not properly reported as income and, as a result, not taxed as income. The report recommended that the county collector works with the county […]
Missouri Senate approves FRA, rejects push to ban Planned Parenthood from Medicaid
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan coalition handed anti-abortion activists a rare defeat in the Missouri Senate Friday night, rejecting a push to ban Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider as it passed a bill to secure billions for the state’s Medicaid program. And only a restatement of the state’s already existing ban on using public funds to […]