OLYMPIA…Attorney General Bob Ferguson grew up in a family of veterans--with a father who served in the US Navy, both grandfathers serving in the military and several uncles who served in World War II.

That’s why he was infuriated to learn unauthorized financial planning companies were targeting senior veterans with schemes promising new untapped veterans benefits—if the veterans were willing to let these “planners” help manage their financial assets.

Pasco—Franklin County Superior Court Judge Vic L. VanderSchoor sentenced Dennis Merle Huston of Pasco, Wash., to 16 years today after Huston pled guilty to a complicated embezzlement scheme involving millions of dollars dating back to March 1990.  

OLYMPIA—Attorney General Bob Ferguson reiterated Washington state’s support for marriage equality today as the US Supreme Court hears two landmark cases. Washington joined more than a dozen other states in two “friend-of-the-court briefs” in these cases in late February.

SEATTLE – The Public Counsel Unit of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office will recommend Friday that the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) continue investigating the so-called “hedging” strategies used by utility companies in their natural gas purchasing strategies.  Public Counsel will also further recommend that the WUTC order that certain hedging costs not be passed to customers.

OLYMPIA— The Washington State Senate today approved a bipartisan measure proposed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson to extend current courthouse protections to all residents accessing the courts.

 
BELLINGHAM, WA – March 14, 2013 – The operator of the now-closed Bayside Café in Bellingham has been charged with the theft of at least $286,000 in sales tax he collected from customers but failed to remit to the Washington State Department of Revenue.

Agreement Bans Unauthorized Data Collection, Requires Training of Google Employees on Privacy and Nationwide Campaign to Education Consumers on Protecting Information

OLYMPIA-- Attorney General Bob Ferguson today joined 37 other states and the District of Columbia in a $7 million settlement with search engine giant Google for collecting data from unsecured wireless networks nationwide while taking photographs for its Street View service.

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.