Affected Washington entities eligible for restitution

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Citibank, a Wall Street financial institution, will pay a total of $100 million to 42 states for manipulating a key interest rate before and during the Great Recession, costing investors millions of dollars.

These manipulations may have led     investors to make riskier investments than they realized, or impacted the profits from or costs of various investments throughout the financial system.

OLYMPIA — The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 4-4 decision in the culverts case today, which means the lower court decision will remain in place. That ruling forces the state to pay 100 percent of the cost of replacing barrier culverts, even though the federal government provided the design for those culverts, and regardless of whether other barrier culverts block salmon from getting to the state culverts. Attorney General Bob Ferguson offers the following statement:
 

Companies failed to keep legally required records on political advertising

High court ruling will not affect similar Washington case

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered the following statement in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission:

“Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision may add some procedural steps to the Arlene’s Flowers case, but it will not alter its ultimate resolution.

OLYMPIA — The Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a petition today in Thurston County Superior Court seeking to civilly commit a sex offender and prevent his release into the community.

Randy R. Smith, 59, was convicted of first-degree rape of a child in 1990. He was also convicted of first-degree voyeurism in 2013, which constitutes a recent overt act under the Sexually Violent Predator Act.

Clallam Bay corrections officer suffered traumatic brain injury from attack

PORT ANGELES — The Attorney General’s Office filed second-degree attempted murder charges today in Clallam County Superior Court against a state prison inmate after an assault left a corrections officer with a traumatic brain injury.

The charges are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

OLYMPIA — Former 19^th Legislative District candidate Teresa Purcell will pay $14,395 over campaign finance violations.

The Attorney General’s Office’s lawsuit alleged Purcell failed to timely report debts, contributions and expenditures, and also failed to report employer and occupation information for contributors giving more than $100.

Real Estate Investment Network accused of scamming homeowners out of “surplus funds”

OLYMPIA — A King County Superior Court judge has ordered a company accused of scamming foreclosed homeowners out of equity in the form of surplus funds from the foreclosure sale to halt its deceptive practices while the state’s lawsuit progresses.

Company conspired to inflate prices of a technology once ubiquitous in television screens and computer monitors

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Toshiba Corporation, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Japan, will pay $1.3 million as part of the Attorney General’s price-fixing lawsuit against manufacturers of a component used in television and computer screens called cathode ray tube, or CRT.

Washington, Ohio leading bipartisan coalition of 39 states urging Congress to pass opioid legislation

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson and a bipartisan group of 38 other attorneys general today called on Congress to pass two bills to help reduce the flow of opioids into the black market. The bills, sponsored by Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, increase penalties on opioid manufacturers and distributors.