Transportation & Energy Issues

Fugitive lawyer is sentenced in $550M disability scheme; he is spotted in New Mexico

A lawyer who fled after pleading guilty in a $550 million disability fraud scheme has been sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison, the maximum. The lawyer, Eric Conn, was recently spotted on surveillance cameras at a gas station and Walmart in New Mexico, report the Lexington Herald-Leader, the…

Jul 18, 2017 12:18 PM CDT

Florida lawyer’s firm is dedicated to marine mammals

Natalie Barefoot might be one of the few lawyers who enthusiastically describes her work as fun. As executive director of Cet Law, Barefoot has channeled her passion for cetaceans—which include whales, dolphins and porpoises—into a nonprofit law practice with a mission to advocate on behalf of the mammals and their…

Mar 1, 2017 4:20 AM CST

Deep-sea treasure hunter stays in jail as judge awaits ‘epiphany’ about 500 gold coins

Arrested in Florida in January 2015 after several years on the lam, deep-sea treasure hunter Tommy Thompson pleaded guilty a few months later to contempt of court for failing to appear before a federal judge in 2012 and answer questions. But before he can even begin serving his two-year criminal…

Mar 14, 2016 3:50 PM CDT

Appeals court nixes Florida suit over fatal Italian shipwreck of Costa Concordia

Although the parent company of a sunken ocean liner is based in Miami and five plaintiffs are U.S. residents, a Florida appeals court last week nixed a U.S. lawsuit over the fatal 2012 shipwreck. Because the Costa Concordia struck a coral reef off the Italian island of Giglio, the 3rd…

Feb 2, 2016 1:50 PM CST

Attorney and law student indicted in boating accident that cost passenger an arm

A Massachusetts lawyer who specializes in defense of operating-under-the-influence cases was indicted Wednesday, along with a former law student intern, in a Boston Harbor boating accident in which alcohol allegedly played a role. However, the charges against attorney Benjamin Urbelis, 33, were reduced after it became clear that he apparently…

Jul 2, 2015 10:50 AM CDT

Man gets $5K ticket for jumping off charter fishing boat on a dare

An unidentified man got a $5,000 ticket from the U.S. Coast Guard after jumping off a charter fishing vessel into California waters last week on a dare. Although the boat’s crew swiftly rescued the man and he was not injured, the Coast Guard said his action was illegal under 46…

Jul 1, 2015 3:05 PM CDT

Sea Shepherd law firm won’t make waves like the protest group

Expect to see a different kind of whale wars if a new Seattle environmental law firm, Sea Shepherd Legal, begins making headway.

Jul 1, 2015 6:10 AM CDT

Fowler Rodriguez acquires 2 firms in Miami, opens another Florida office

A Louisiana-based international maritime boutique has acquired two Miami law firms and has opened another office in Tampa, Florida. Fowler Rodriguez announced Thursday that Hayden Milliken & Boeringer, which focuses on maritime insurance claims, and the law offices of Santiago J. Padilla, an immigration and international law specialist, are now…

Feb 26, 2015 3:10 PM CST

Captain guilty in Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32; gets 16 years

The captain of a cruise liner that capsized in 2012, resulting in the drowning deaths of 32 people, was sentenced Wednesday in an Italian manslaughter trial to 16 years in prison. Captain Francesco Schettino, 54, was not present when the judges’ verdict was read in the theater being used as…

Feb 11, 2015 3:45 PM CST

Verdict looms for Costa Concordia captain accused of manslaughter in shipwreck deaths of 32

The captain of the Costa Concordia caused a 2012 shipwreck of the massive ocean liner by steering it too close to the small Italian island of Giglio, in the nautical equivalent of a fly-by. Then, compounding his “monstrously gross negligence,” Italian prosecutors contend, he didn’t immediately drop anchor and issue…

Feb 10, 2015 12:40 PM CST

Defense contractor pleads guilty in huge bribery scandal

A Malaysian defense contractor has pleaded guilty to charges that he bribed “scores” of U.S. Navy officials with millions of dollars in cash and gifts over a 10-year period. Leonard Glenn Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard,” pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in San Diego to multiple charges of bribery, conspiracy…

Jan 16, 2015 1:10 PM CST

BP grossly negligent in Gulf oil spill, federal judge rules; company could face $18B in penalties

BP Plc was grossly negligent concerning the massive 2010 oil spill that occurred after a deadly explosion and fire at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge in New Orleans has ruled. The Thursday decision by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who was selected…

Sep 4, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

Prominent law firm says it knew nothing of claimed sunken treasure fraud, wasn’t counsel of record

A partner at a well-known Delaware law firm says in a court filing that he and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor knew nothing about an alleged fraud on a federal court in Florida concerning a client’s claimed sunken undersea treasure find. Responding to the court’s show-cause order, Bruce Silverstein says…

Sep 2, 2014 2:55 PM CDT

Captain who abandoned sinking ferry is arrested; 64 dead, hundreds missing in South Korean waters

Updated: The captain of a ferry that sank Wednesday in South Korean waters, killing at least 64 people, has been arrested. Although specific charges against Lee Jun-seok, 69, haven’t been revealed, reports that he abandoned ship ahead of passengers and crew may have resulted in his arrest, according to CNN…

Apr 18, 2014 7:10 PM CDT

Fallout from claimed sunken treasure discovery dogs law firm

A law firm that represented two divers who claimed to have found emeralds from a sunken ship is now facing a request for sanctions because of its actions in the contingency case. Partner Bruce Silverstein and Wilmington law firm Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor are facing the sanctions request, the…

Mar 17, 2014 2:02 PM CDT