A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment this week charging WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with offenses relating to his involvement in the release of classified information. The indictment does not add any additional charges to the prior 18 count indictment, but broadens the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged.

On June 11th, FEDS President Tony Vergnetti and Director of Strategy and Development Brenda Wilson presented an instructive and timely webinar on “Law Enforcement Liabilities,” aiming to further inform federal law enforcement officers about how the FEDS federal employee professional liability insurance policy can help protect against the exposures and liabilities inherent in a federal law enforcement position.

Law enforcement officers across the country are using TikTok, a social media app, to connect with youth in their communities. Here is a compilation of cop TikToks.

House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) sent letters to the Inspector General (IG) offices of 24 federal agencies requesting they develop assessment plans for reviewing their agencies’ plans for reopening. The letters criticize a lack of cooperation with oversight bodies from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management.

This week on 60 Minutes, Norah O’Donnell and the CBS investigative team did a deep dive into the federal agency responsible for providing federal employees with appeal rights should they be disciplined, demoted, or fired: the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Since 2017, the MSPB has lacked a quorum of board members, preventing it from fully functioning. For over a year, the board has not had any members at all.

Nine pharmacists were charged in three separate indictments for their roles in a $12.1 million health care fraud scheme executed in Detroit and Southern Ohio. The pharmacists were each charged with various count relating to health care fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud.

On FEDtalk this week, join host Tony Vergnetti for an inside look into the home healthcare industry. Guests will be discussing how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape for long term planning and how healthcare workers are responding to ensure patients well cared for and kept safe.

This video from the CDC explains how to use their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator, a tool to help departments track PPE supplies.

On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States, by a 6-3 vote, held that an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination.

Congressional Democrats introduced a legislative package this week to address policing issues as law enforcement accountability makes national headlines. The 135-page package entitled the Justice in Policing Act includes a host of changes to federal and state law enforcement practices and increases federal oversight over state and local police departments.

Several companies have announced plans to suspend cooperation with the federal government on facial recognition technology. Both IBM and Amazon announced this week concerns that, absent proper regulation, the technology could replicate biases that lead to racial profiling or improper use. Amazon has given the federal government one year to impose stronger regulations on the technology’s use.

A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) public affairs officer has pleaded guilty to defrauding at least a dozen companies of over $4.4 million by falsely posing as a covert officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Garrison Kenneth Courtney of Tampa, Florida claimed to be part of a task force involving various components of the United States Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense.

FEDagent recently reported the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Babb v. Wilkie. In Babb, the Supreme Court reversed a panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and held the prohibition against age discrimination in the federal workplace was broader than that applied in the private sector. We update you now that plaintiff Noris Babb is requesting the full Eleventh Circuit to apply the Supreme Court’s holding to lower the bar to establish EEO reprisal claims in the federal workplace.

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate works on innovative programs geared toward securing the world. Here is an overview.

No matter your stage of life, it’s always a good idea to have a long-range health plan in place. One thing to keep in mind is coverage for any potential long term care needs.

Amid national conversations regarding race in the United States, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has launched an online portal to provide Americans with additional resources to both reflect on their own history with race and lead conversation about race. The portal provides targeted guidance for educators, parents or caregivers, and people committed to equity, as well as a multitude of resources delving into the history of race and racism.

Legislation introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct will be taken up next week during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

As various federal law enforcement agencies work in various states to ensure the safety of American cities and peaceful protestors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged several individuals allegedly seeking to exploit the protests to incite violence. These charges range from domestic terror related offenses to possessions of illegal weapons.

In October 2016, Little Rock, AR Police Officer Dennis Hutchins shot and killed Roy Lee Richards, Jr. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently found that Officer Hutchins’s shooting of Richards, who possessed a pellet gun, was unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment, and denied Officer Hutchins qualified immunity.

While there are signs of recovery, many of us are still struggling to manage the monetary impact of this pandemic. But there are actions we can take today to help. This time in history presents an opportunity for all of us to take stock of our positions, assess the impact the coronavirus has had on our goals, and implement a plan to get our finances back on track. We can also reflect on lessons learned and use them to help protect ourselves for when the next disaster strikes.