More: Why News Corp. Could Be Prosecuted Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
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Showing posts with label Newscorp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newscorp. Show all posts
Friday, August 5, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Phone hacking: US authorities preparing to subpoena News Corp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/22/phone-hacking-authorities-subpoena-news-corp?CMP=twt_fd
Investigation launced into whether News Corp broke anti-bribery and hacking laws in US
Investigation launced into whether News Corp broke anti-bribery and hacking laws in US
News Corp's New York headquarters. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act forbids US-based companies from profiting from bribery in other countries. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP
The judicial screws are tightening on Rupert Murdoch's empire in America as the US justice department prepares to subpoena News Corporation in its investigation into whether the company broke anti-bribery and hacking laws on both sides of the Atlantic.
The news that subpoenas are being drawn up, reported by News Corp's flagship newspaper the Wall Street Journal, comes a week after attorney general Eric Holder said he was launching a preliminary investigation into the media group as a result of the UK phone-hacking scandal.
According to the Journal, the subpoenas will be broadly cast to draw information from the company relevant to the investigation, though final approval has yet to be granted by top justice department officials. In addition, it has emerged that federal prosecutors have begun probing allegations that News Corp's advertising arm in the US hacked into a computer of a competitor as part of a campaign to crush its rival.
A lawyer for the smaller company, Floorgraphics, told NBC he was visited by two federal prosecutors and an FBI agent. News Corp declined to comment on the legal moves.
Mary Mulligan, a former federal prosecutor in the southern district of New York that handles many of the big corporate cases of this sort, said there were numerous directions in which the probe of News Corp could go. "This is a complicated investigation, and a very important matter that's being looked into." She said the FBI and other federal agents would be guided by what they found.
"The facts are going to drive any charges that arise – what was accessed, how it was accessed and where."
One specific allegation that the FBI is investigating is whether News of the World journalists tried to access the phone records of 9/11 victims. The claim was raised in the UK's Daily Mirror, though, so far, no solid evidence has emerged to support it. If the accusations are confirmed, News Corp could be susceptible to prosecution under Title 18 USC 2701, involving unlawful access to stored communications, or 2703 and 2704 if the mobile phone messages are found to have been stored on a separate server.
News Corp also faces a possibly lengthy and costly federal probe into whether it broke anti-bribery laws as part of the illegal News of the World phone hacking in the UK.
The company is potentially liable under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which bans US-based companies from profiting from bribery and corruption in other countries.
News Corp is a US-based firm, its headquarters on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.
FCPA experts have suggested that it could be brought under the auspices of the act because News of the World journalists bribed police officers in the UK in search of exclusive stories that in turn increased sales and generated profits.
It is not a defence for News Corp executives to argue that they were unaware of the bribery. Under the FCPA, a company can still be penalised if it should have known – what is called "willful blindness".
News Corp could also come under the scrutiny of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is jointly responsible with the justice department for policing the FCPA.
The SEC will want to know whether News Corp properly declared all its activities in its accounts or whether it tried to hide any bribes made within the UK under false accounting returns.
It is not known precisely what information investigators are seeking from News Corp under the subpoenas, but it could include News of the World accounts which would then be examined by forensic accountants.
News Corp itself seems to be most anxious about the FCPA side of the federal investigations, judging from the legal team it has assembled – some of the heaviest hitters in American legal affairs.
They include Brendan Sullivan, a formidable trial lawyer once described as "the legal equivalent of nuclear war", and Mark Mendelsohn, who used to head the justice department section that decides which FCPA cases to prosecute. He is joined by Michael Mukasey, a former US attorney general, and his legal partner Mary Jo White, who represented Siemens in one of the largest FCPA cases ever.
The Siemens case underlined how serious an FCPA prosecution could be for News Corp. In 2008, the engineering company admitted bribing foreign officials around the world and paid a record $800m (£490m) in settlement. That included $350m in disgorgement – a repayment for the profits it was estimated to have made as a result of the bribery.
No figure exists for how much money News of the World made out of its phone hacking activities. Under the FCPA, a rough calculation would be made which News Corp could be forced to disgorge.
Ruppert Murdoch's connection to the Shadow CIA's drug trafficking
Ruppert Murdoch's connection of the Shadow CIA's drug trafficking
Australian authorities began investigating the shadow CIA's money laundering bank, NuganHand Bank headquartered in at Australia. The bank got its name from two guys who started it Frank Nugan and Michael Hand. This bank developed into a story of Golden Triangle drugs, money-laundering, profiteering, corporate shell games, and financial fraud.
Michael Hand moved to Australia in September, 1967. At first Hand went to work selling development lots along the Australian coast. The company, Ocean Shores Development, was run by lawyer Fred Miller, a senior executive for the shipping empire owned by Sir Peter Abeles, the longtime business partner, Rupert Murdoch. Sir Peter Abeles was the US MAFIA representative in Australia.
Abeles and Rupert Murdoch just happened to own 55% of Australia's second biggest domestic airline - ANSETT. ANSETT in turn just happened to own a 20% share in another airline - AMERICA WEST Airline. Peter Abeles, a Mafia kingpin, was the schemer behind Australia's Nugan Hand Bank, the CIA's money laundering front. America West Airlines has been linked to drug trafficking.
CIA officer Ted Shackley, who "had a good relationship with Murdoch when he was CIA station chief in Australia between 1972-1975. Murdoch was facing the likely closure of his newspaper THE AUSTRALIAN. This was around the time that Murdoch's fortunes changed.
Murdoch was running a failed national newspaper in Australia Then suddenly he becomes a US citizen literally overnight and goes on an endless buying spree.
In the run-up to the 1972 election, Murdoch's paper The Australian was a keen Whitlam supporter, donating some $75,000 in free advertising. Murdoch's role was part of a longer-term CIA operation to destroy Labour's powerful leftwing and anti-Vietnam war movement.
From 1960 until early 1967, the Australian Labor Party opposed conscription and then in November 1964, the dispatch of troops to Vietnam. There emerged a modest anti- Vietnam war movement and the conflict with Edward Gough Whitlam over the Party leadership led him to toughen his initial stance which was based on the conviction that the Government's decisions to support the US policy in Vietnam were mistaken. In May 1966 the Parliamentary Labor Party endorsed Calwell's commitment that a Labor Government would pull conscripts out 'without delay' and regular forces 'as soon as possible.
( Source: The Nixon Years, SOME UNKNOWN HISTORY OF THE U.S.)
For related information about Nugan Hand Bank see
The History of the Black Eagle Fund, the Shadow CIA and the relationship to the events of Sept. 11, 2001
The Development of the Shadow CIA using drug trafficking profits http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SomeUnknownUSHistory/messages
The Ruppert Murdoch's press now launched a massive propaganda campaign against the Labour Party and the National Country Party won the new election. The Shadow CIA gave Murdoch covert funds that saved his nearly bankrupt newspaper.
One of the most successful CIA covert operations concerns the removal of Gough Whitlam, the prime minister of Australia. As leader of the Labour Party he advocated the abolition of conscription and Australian withdrawal from the Vietnam War. In 1971 he visited China promising to establish diplomatic relations. This left-wing stance was popular with the Australian people and onDecember 2, 1972 won election.
The CIA had been running a variety of covert operations in Australia, involving Nugan-Hand bank. The CIA and National Security Agency operated a Signal Intelligence base called Pine Gap, near Alice Springs in the Australian outback with collaboration of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, ASIO.
the CIA to bring his government down, including leaking information designed to embarrass members of his cabinet in order to force their resignation. Whitlam began sacking people at ASIO that he felt were responsible, including some of the CIA's best friends in Australia's foreign intelligence service.
The CIA helps topple the democratically elected, left-leaning government of Prime Minister Edward Whitlam. The CIA does this by giving an ultimatum to its Governor-General, John Kerr. Kerr, a longtime CIA collaborator, exercises his constitutional right to dissolve the Whitlam government. The Governor-General is a largely ceremonial position appointed by the Queen; the Prime Minister is democratically elected.
Murdoch did the same in Britain switching his support from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party in 1997. As we now know, the Labour Party followed a right-wing agenda after they came to power. A senior Blair secretary, Lance Price, reported in his memoirs that Blair always consulted with Murdoch before announcing any major policy decision. Blair is rumoured had been recruited by MI5 in the 1970s to spy on CND Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament activists in the Labour Party. He also took CIA funded trips to the United States in the 1980s. Gordon Brown also went on those trips so don't expect any change since he became prime minister. ...
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/14745
Murdoch did the same in Britain switching his support from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party in 1997. As we now know, the Labour Party followed a right-wing agenda after they came to power. A senior Blair secretary, Lance Price, reported in his memoirs that Blair always consulted with Murdoch before announcing any major policy decision. Blair is rumoured had been recruited by MI5 in the 1970s to spy on CND Campaign of Nuclear Disarmament activists in the Labour Party. He also took CIA funded trips to the United States in the 1980s. Gordon Brown also went on those trips so don't expect any change since he became prime minister. ...
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/14745
By Robert Parry
June 30, 2008 ... "One of the CIA's most senior covert action operators was sent to the NSC in 1983 by CIA Director [William] Casey where he participated in the creation of an inter-agency public diplomacy mechanism that included the use of seasoned intelligence specialists," ....
"This public/private network set out to accomplish what a covert CIA operation in a foreign country might attempt – to sway the media, the Congress, and American public opinion in the direction of the Reagan administration's policies."
South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon and Australian press mogul Rupert Murdoch, two far-right media barons who poured billions of dollars into pro-Republican news outlets that continue to influence Washington's political debates to this day.
Before every presidential election, Moon's Washington Times plants derogatory – and often false – stories about Democratic contenders, discrediting them and damaging their chances of winning the White House.
For instance, in 1988, the Times published a bogus account suggesting that the Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis had undergone psychiatric treatment. In 2000, Moon's newspaper pushed the theme that Al Gore suffered from clinical delusions. [For details, see Robert Parry's Secrecy & Privilege.]
As for Murdoch, his giant News Corp. expanded into American cable TV with the founding of Fox News in 1996. Since then, the right-wing network has proved highly effective in promoting attack lines against Democrats or anyone else who challenges the Republican power structure.
As President George W. Bush herded the nation toward war with Iraq in 2002-03, Fox News acted like his sheep dogs making sure public opinion didn't stray too far off. The "Fox effect" was so powerful that it convinced other networks to load up with pro-war military analysts and to silence voices that questioned the invasion. ... http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/062908.html
June 30, 2008 ... "One of the CIA's most senior covert action operators was sent to the NSC in 1983 by CIA Director [William] Casey where he participated in the creation of an inter-agency public diplomacy mechanism that included the use of seasoned intelligence specialists," ....
"This public/private network set out to accomplish what a covert CIA operation in a foreign country might attempt – to sway the media, the Congress, and American public opinion in the direction of the Reagan administration's policies."
South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon and Australian press mogul Rupert Murdoch, two far-right media barons who poured billions of dollars into pro-Republican news outlets that continue to influence Washington's political debates to this day.
Before every presidential election, Moon's Washington Times plants derogatory – and often false – stories about Democratic contenders, discrediting them and damaging their chances of winning the White House.
For instance, in 1988, the Times published a bogus account suggesting that the Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis had undergone psychiatric treatment. In 2000, Moon's newspaper pushed the theme that Al Gore suffered from clinical delusions. [For details, see Robert Parry's Secrecy & Privilege.]
As for Murdoch, his giant News Corp. expanded into American cable TV with the founding of Fox News in 1996. Since then, the right-wing network has proved highly effective in promoting attack lines against Democrats or anyone else who challenges the Republican power structure.
As President George W. Bush herded the nation toward war with Iraq in 2002-03, Fox News acted like his sheep dogs making sure public opinion didn't stray too far off. The "Fox effect" was so powerful that it convinced other networks to load up with pro-war military analysts and to silence voices that questioned the invasion. ... http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/062908.html
In the book Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD and the Sixties Rebellion by Martin A. Lee, he reports that a former unnamed CIA officer stated the CIA was committed to investigating whether or not subliminal messages could be used to influence the outcome of a political campaign. They were especially interested in using of subliminals in this way on television and radio. In a January 17, 1958 declassified document, Operational Potential of Subliminal Perception, the CIA stated that it might be possible to include a subliminal message such as "Obey " in their subliminal projection and added that subliminal messages had achieved some success in commercial advertisements! The CIA did experiments on subliminal messages under the MK/ULTA program.
SOME UNKNOWN HISTORY OF THE U.S.
The 1986 La Bella bombing was really done by Israel, not Libya
- and the history of Israeli terrorism
Friday, July 22, 2011
Mary Tuma : When One Man Owns Too Much
The News Corp. scandal:
A case against media consolidation
What happens when one man owns too much?By Mary Tuma / The Rag Blog / July 21, 2011
Before a UK parliamentary hearing (and in between being attacked by a cream pie) earlier this week, media mogul Rupert Murdoch -- under investigation for allegations that his recently shuttered British tabloidNews of the World hacked into the phones of some 4,000 individuals and bribed police for information -- stunningly absolved himself of any responsibility in the alleged illegal actions of his company.
When MP (Member of Parliament) Jim Sheridan asked Murdoch if he was ultimately responsible for the “whole fiasco,” Murdoch replied, “No,” shifting blame to those he employed and trusted. “The News of the World is less than one percent of our company. I employ 53,000 people around the world,” Murdoch retorted in defense.
Whether or not Mr. Murdoch is telling the truth, his argument -- that as a head of a media conglomerate it is unreasonable to assume -- due to the sheer size of the operation -- that he was aware of actions, however illegal or abhorrent, within the company he owns -- should trouble the public almost as much as the scandal itself.
MOre excellent stuff @this link from the Rag Blog.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Round up of #hackergate, Newscorp links
abcnews.go.com
Justice Department is preparing to launch a preliminary investigation into whether News of the World officials engaged in a systemic conspiracy to pay bribes to British
www.rawstory.com
Online protest group "Anonymous" said Monday night it had obtained a large cache of emails from the servers of News International, the News Corp. subsidiary which oversees global media baron Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers.
Kevin Zeese We are now pushing them to go further as there is evidence of phone tapping in the U.S. A former Fox News producer, Dan Cooper, wrote about Roger Ailes of Fox knowing about an interview he had done about Fox before the story was published. The producer reported Ailes threatening his agent to drop Cooper as a client or never get any business. See also, "Has Roger Ailes Hacked American Phones for Fox News?,"http://www.thenation.com/b
Tigana Too "Rupert Murdoch and Harper conspiring together to destroy canadian media", http://webcache.googleuser
#Hot tweets!!
TedCanova TedCanova
(AUDIO) Were special items snuck into MN budget at 3am? Hear @commoncausemn + Dayton comments right herehttp://ow.ly/5J74s
Move Your Money
#GoldmanSachs reports low earnings and plans to layoff 1,000 employees http://reut.rs/oHsuYb
15MayRevolution 15 May Revolution
Adbusters launches call to #Occupywallstreet on September 17 #opesr #europeanrevolution « Europeanrevolutioneuropeanrevolution.net
#OCCUPYWALLSTREET youtube.com/watch?v=zXEIYp… Draw strength from those who came before.
I am grieving the DEATH OF DEMOCRACY in MN. Must get #MNrecallGOP, #ALECExposed for the sake of #Citizens_power. Plz RT http://t.co/S6omyIE
@USuncutMN Ppl should write-in even if they vote for the lesser evil. #paperballots nej til #Diebold
The MLK that's never quoted youtube.com/watch?v=HlvEiB… #usdor
@commoncausemnCommon Cause MN
Now that all the bills have passed. The public will finally have an opportunity to read the bills. Too bad it's too late.
Tomorrow in London W8: protest at a decision that "undermines everything the disabled people’s movement has fought for"dpac.uk.net/2011/07/defend…
The special legislative session is over. Get the overnight details athttp://strib.mn/ndvx1Q.
House passed Cut, Cap & Balance bill. Vote was 234-190. The GOP plan has no hope of Senate approval & would also be vetoed by President
Hey Gop Chamblis, UR almighty Reagan RAISED TAXES multi X's. Of course, Doocy didnt point out that anti Norquist FACT! @foxandfriends #tcot
I Doubt #rupertmurdoch can save you now #Rebekahbrooks! RT if, like me, her arrest made you smile! #Pope
The PoliticusUSA Daily is out!http://bit.ly/9b6muM
STATEMENT: We at CSAI totally condemn the actions of @JonnieMarbles. We take all pie related incidents INCREDIBLY seriously.
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