Two individuals pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for their roles in business opportunity fraud schemes.

Jeffrey Tesler, a former consultant to Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc. (KBR) and its joint venture partners, pleaded guilty today in Houston to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to violating the FCPA for his participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts.

Following a two-week trial, a federal jury in Miami today convicted Sirtaj “Tosh” Mathauda on 12 felony counts related to a fraudulent business opportunity scheme.

Gregory Britt Fleming was sentenced today in connection with a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.

Sirtaj Mathauda, a former resident of South Florida, was sentenced today in connection with a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.

A U.S. citizen and a Canadian citizen were arrested last week in Costa Rica in connection with the operation of a series of fraudulent business opportunities following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 29, 2011, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced.

The Department of Justice and New York State Attorney General filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today against a tour bus joint venture formed by Coach USA Inc. and City Sights LLC alleging that the joint venture, known as Twin America LLC, has resulted in higher prices for hop-on, hop-off bus tours in New York City.

A dual United States and Costa Rican citizen charged in connection with the operation of a series of fraudulent business opportunities was arrested today in Chicago following his indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 29, 2011, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today. Sean Rosales was arrested based on charges that he and his co-conspirators purported to sell beverage and greeting card business opportunities, including assistance in establishing, maintaining and operating such businesses. The charges in the indictment form part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.

The Department of Justice today announced that it will not challenge a proposal by Columbia Fuel Services Inc. and Lanmar Aviation Inc., the only providers of flight support services at the Groton-New London Airport, in Groton, Conn., to combine their fuel and hangar resources into a newly formed joint venture, Mystic Jet Center.

Sean Rosales pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to one count of an indictment pending against him, charging conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Kerry Michael Deevy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami to 13 counts of an indictment pending against him, including one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and nine counts of wire fraud.

Sean Rosales, a dual United States and Costa Rican citizen, was sentenced today in connection with a series of business opportunity fraud ventures based in Costa Rica, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.

Michael Kerry Deevy, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced today in connection with a series of business opportunity fraud ventures based in Costa Rica, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced. Beginning in 2006, Deevy and his co-conspirators in Costa Rica are alleged to have fraudulently induced purchasers in the U.S. to buy business opportunities from companies known as Cards-R-Us Inc., Premier Cards Inc. and Nation West. The business opportunities cost purchasers thousands of dollars each, with most paying at least $10,000. Today’s sentencing forms part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.

The Department of Justice will require ConAgra Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., CHS Inc. and Horizon Milling LLC to divest four competitively significant flour mills in order to proceed with the formation of Ardent Mills, a flour milling joint venture.

Valensa International announced today a joint venture agreement between Valensa’s parent company EID Parry and Synthite Industries Ltd., expanding plans to lead development and distribution of value-added microalgae extracts.

Third Rock Ventures, the Boston-based venture capital firm behind some of the Bay State’s most prominent biotechs, has reclaimed its title as the biggest life science-focused VC firm in the state with a new $616 million round, and has also named its first female partner in eight years. With the announcement of its Fund IV today — its largest ever — the firm now has raised $1.9 billion in the nine years since it was formed. That eclipses its rival across the Charles River, Flagship Ventures,…

Today, Shire plc confirmed it won’t make any new investments from Baxalta Ventures, the short-lived venture capital arm of the drug company Shire acquired in June.

Sorrento Therapeutics is jumping into the race to develop therapies against COVID-19, teaming up with Mount Sinai to develop a cocktail of antibodies from the blood of 15,000 recovered patients. The company's scientists believe their multipronged therapy will sidestep risks such as treatment resistance.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that it has acquired a nanopipette*1 technology that was developed by BioStinger, Inc., a spin-off from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Wihardja’s appointment comes nine months after his predecessor, former MDI Ventures CEO Nicko Widjaja, quit to join BRI Ventures.

The post Indonesia’s MDI Ventures appoints former AC Ventures partner Donald Wihardja as CEO appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Our Q1 report delves into investment trends in individual sectors and at different funding stages.

The post March megadeals breathe life into Greater China’s venture scene in Q1 appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The fund was backed by several large financial institutions and the National Development Fund of Taiwan.

The post Japan’s JAFCO closes debut Taiwan venture fund at $67m appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Cisco, Intel and JioNext will work with the YourNest team to help assess and shortlist applicants.

The post YourNest Venture Capital launches fast-track funding programme for Indian startups appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

ESB claims to be enabling restaurants to transition to the cloud-kitchen model amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The post AC Ventures leads seed round of Indonesian restaurant ERP startup ESB appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Nium is understood to be Visa's third investment in SE Asia after Gojek and Grab.

The post SG’s Nium closes new round joined by Visa, BRI Ventures, others appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Dakota will also establish “Myanmar’s first-ever cyber training centre."

The post Asia Digest: Dakota Ventures to invest $1m in Myanmar; Vietnam’s FoodHub raises funding appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

LetsVenture Plus will allow Indian investors access to investments across growth-stage private companies and global funds.

The post Indian angel investor LetsVenture launches growth-stage platform to tap domestic capital appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Those working to accelerate economic growth in the Heartland must face some stark realities. The Great Lakes region continues to export wealth to coastal economies, even as investment leaders try to equalize growth between the coasts and the Heartland. The region sees only a tiny fraction of venture capital (VC) deals, despite producing one quarter…

Don't wait for a big exotic trip to get outdoors. How about squeezing it in between 5 pm and 9 am?

This mobile solar power station offers a lightweight high-capacity lithium-ion battery with all the bells and whistles.

What's more fun than riding with 25,000 people through car-free streets on a beautiful day (and night)?

What started in Maryland is spreading. A running club with zombies that chase you. It's about survival of the fittest.

At TreeHugger, we like to keep things realistic, raise a skeptical eyebrow to potential vaporware, and to keep in check our giddy inner children that get sweaty palms when we see something like the VentureOne. After all, a bright idea, some capital, and

Block off one day per week for athletic and outdoor excursions that otherwise would be difficult to schedule.

Rosh Hashana, also known as the Jewish New Year, was celebrated this past week. One of the iconic symbols of the holiday, is honey, which is eaten with challah and apples. Honey has important meaning for the celebrants of Rosh

In the last few years ecotourism has grown from a buzzword to a trend, to full-blown industry. Whether travelers are looking for a rugged adventure or refined luxury, planet-conscious operators have sprung up to satisfy

Is this really the future we want?

This startup offers tailored volunteering experiences where participants can continue working remotely while abroad, in addition to volunteering their skills in local communities.

Hennessy V.S new ad creative celebrates the true story of Auguste Piccard, the first man to reach the stratosphere, and his son Jacques, the first man to reach the deepest depths of the ocean.

Hennessy V.S new ad creative celebrates the true story of Auguste Piccard, the first man to reach the stratosphere, and his son Jacques, the first man to reach the deepest depths of the ocean.

An Epic Summer Adventure Awaits

Finian Tan, Chairman of Vickers Venture Partners proposes a "shelter in place" approach to combat COVID-19, which involves asking those 50 years and above to stay at home without exception, while allowing the rest of the population to go back to business as usual, including opening of businesses and borders.

"Our death toll curve is now worse than when China was at the same stage," Haven CEO Dr. Atul Gawande tells CNBC.

Loup Ventures Gene Munster on Lyft's earnings. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Pete Najarian and Steve Grasso.

After you've played through Death Test and Death Test 2 (available in this boxed set), you'll probably want more. Maybe you would like to take a stab at creating a pgorgrammed adventure for The Fantasy Trip or GURPS? This 1987 article by Steve will teach you how. And here's a great PDF release from Flying Buffalo. Created for Tunnels & Trolls, How to Write a Solo Adventure collects Flying Buffalo's various guidelines (many written back in the '80s, including a large section by Mike Stackpole).

We also direct your attention to our own writing guidelines, of course!

Fans of The Fantasy Trip want more solo adventures, so if you have a spectacular project going, we'll be happy to chat with you about it. You will need a copy of the Legacy Edition set if you plan to write for The Fantasy Trip. You will also want a copy of the Adventures hardcover if you're writing adventures, so you can see examples of what we're looking for when it comes to GM-led scenarios.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Snowflake Dice!

These glittery dice are a beautiful translucent blue with the numbers etched in the center of a delicate snowflake. A unique gift, a perfect stocking–stuffer, or an excellent addition to your own collection! Order Snowflake d6 Dice Set now on Warehouse 23!

By virtue of one thousand pieces of unearned gold and the fact that my floppy white buttcheeks are planted on the top of a horse, I am a leader of soldiers. Well, I say soldiers. What I mean is four grubby drifters with spears and more ear hair than combat experience.

New release date yet to be announced

Ahead of the match for third place, Al Hilal skipper Carlos Eduardo spoke to FIFA.com about the reasons for his side’s defeat to Flamengo and the importance of their upcoming fixture against Monterrey.

Alita: Battle Angel
U/A: Action, Adventure
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali
Rating: 

This film, which has Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron working together with Peter Jackson's visual effects, has wonders never experienced before in cinema. The film may have taken a long while (twenty years) coming to screen, but the end result is fantastic enough to keep you asking for more. A manga-based action thriller, James Cameron's $200 million-worth, long cherished dream is aimed at young adults seeking fresher pastures from that of The Hunger Games variety and hopes to make it to bigger box-office returns than that sub-genre hit-starter.

Cameron started on the cinematic adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's original manga comics way back in the late 1990s, (much before Avatar), but the phenomenal success of Avatar had him relinquishing directorial control to Rodriguez while holding firm as screenwriter (with Jon Landau and Laeta Kalogridis) and producer.

The resultant kick-ass cyberpunk adventure may not be as original as he imagined it, but it has certainly got all the chops to make it to a long-term fan-following on its own.

The filmed adventure is set 500 years from now, in Iron city - a junkyard that is a wasteland for the flying citadel of Zalem. The city is peopled with AI controlled cyborgs mingling with real humans in a community so tech-spangled that it's hard to decipher one from the other. Kindly Doctor Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) reconfigures a former robot superweapon and rechristens her Alita (Rosa Salazar), after his own daughter. I do, who moonlights as a hunter-warrior, tries to protect the young Alita, but her mind has memories of a past that keeps haunting her present. She even develops a crush on handsome robo-junk dealer Hugo (Keean Johnson) and eventually ends up becoming the super weapon she once was.

The plotting here is a little too jumbled up, ensnared as it is in creating set-piece thrills and out-of-this-world experiences. Stereotype characters and genre tropes make the engagement less than wondrous. The tech-specs are certainly the best we've seen in a long time, the IMAX imagery is splendid and beguiling and the vivid expressions of the actors make it feel all the more real and intimately experiential.

Watch the trailer of Alita: Battle Angel

Even though Salazar is the most riveting and fascinating of characters, she does feel a little artificial at times. The CGI blends in effortlessly with digitally morphed motion-capture performance, but the artifice can be felt - too strongly at times. The array of side characters also feels like old hat killing the originality of the experience and allowing déjà-vu to creep in. Even so, there's no belittling this explosive cutting-edge adventure that takes cinema thrills to never-seen-before heights!

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