COLFAX -- The former operator of the St. John Pharmacy, James Craig Hudkins, was charged today with nine counts of first-degree theft for allegedly billing the state Medicaid program in 2002 and 2003 for prescription medications he did not provide to patients.

The Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) filed the charges in Whitman County Superior Court. Each count, which is a Class B felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine, represents a month of fraudulent billings covering November 2002 and January-August 2003.

SEATTLE -- Introducing Esuvee-- a new national mascot to promote Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) safety, particularly among young adult drivers. Washington joins 49 other states and three jurisdictions in announcing Esuvee's drive to educate consumers on SUV safety messages.

"The goal of this educational campaign is to help curtail the number of SUV rollover accidents and save lives," Attorney General Rob McKenna says. "We are particularly targeting male drivers between the ages of 21-39, who are most vulnerable to rollovers."

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a motion in U.S. District court today to intervene in the legal challenge against Initiative 872 on behalf of the Attorney General and the Secretary of State.

Approved by roughly 60 percent of Washington’s voters, I-872 created a “top two” primary where the top two candidates in the primary election advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation and voters are allowed to vote across party lines on their primary ballots.

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today filed a lawsuit against two Bellevue based companies for violating an agreement to stop engaging in deceptive estate planning sales tactics that target senior citizens.

SEATTLE - Oct. 24, 2002 - A company that promised consumers they could make money viewing advertising over the Internet will now use the Internet to offer restitution to the same consumers.

In a settlement with the Attorney General's High Tech Unit, Seattle-based 180 Solutions Inc., will be required to spread the word of its consumer restitution program via e-mail, on web sites and through Internet newsgroups its former customers are likely to visit.

Olympia - June 12, 2001 - The U.S. Department of Energy's proposed budget to clean up the nation's nuclear waste is inadequate and will unnecessarily cost taxpayers billions of dollars, Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire warned Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham in a letter sent today.

"The federal government needs to fulfill its cleanup commitments just like anyone else," Gregoire said of the letter. "Hanford is one of the worst waste sites in the nation and Energy should set an example for responsibly cleaning up its mess."

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today asked a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling which blocks U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to reclassify high-level radioactive waste in order to avoid disposing of it in a safe underground storage facility.

Gregoire and state attorneys for Oregon, Idaho, South Carolina, New Mexico, and New York made the argument in a "friend of the court" brief to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today joined several other states, cities, and environment groups in challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) failure to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act.

A petition filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. asks the court to review recent EPA decisions that said Congress did not provide the agency with authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the clean air law.

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke and state Attorney General Christine Gregoire today announced an $8.8 million settlement of the $55 million lawsuit filed against the state by Linda David.

Under terms of the settlement, the state will pay $8.8 million to Linda David and her guardian.

Snohomish County prosecutors have charged David’s husband, Victor, with a variety of criminal charges, including assaulting his wife. The settlement identifies Victor David as the perpetrator, and he is prohibited from ever collecting money under the settlement.

Olympia - March 23, 2001 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire today called for the preparation of legal action in the event the federal government breaks its promise to begin construction this summer on a facility to treat radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Reported cuts in the Department of Energy (DOE) budget could slash funding for cleanups nationwide by an estimated $425 million. To meet its obligations at Hanford, DOE would need an estimated increase of several hundred million dollars.