American Airlines said that it lost $931 in the last three months of 2021 as the COVID-19 cases have surged once again. Industry executives are hoping for a spring and summer driven by rebounds in corporate and international travel. Fierce winter storms and airline workers calling out sick due to COVID-19 forced tens of thousands of cancellations during one of the year’s busiest travel period. American Airlines, however, has notably performed better than its peers. The cancellations represented 4 percent of American’s schedule as opposed to 9 percent for Southwest, 8 percent for United, and 5 percent for Delta. Revenue is expected to be down 20-22 percent.
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a proposed final judgement and order with a federal district court that, if entered by the court, would resolve a March 2021 lawsuit brought by the CFPB against BrightSpeed Solutions and its founder Kevin Howard, according to a press release. The CFPB alleges that between 2016 and 2018, BrightSpeed and Howard knowingly assisted companies profiting from fraudulent services and products. BrightSpeed and Howard processed payments for companies that claimed to offer technical-support services and products to consumers over the internet, but in reality, the companies tricked consumers into purchasing expensive and unnecessary antivirus software or services. Many of the targeted consumers were older adults unaware of clickbait scams and that the software and services they purchased were actually available for free. If entered by the court, the order would require BrightSpeed and Howard to pay a civil penalty of $500,000 and permanently bar them from multiple consumer financial products and services industries.
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The dollar amount collected through cryptocurrency-based crime hit a record high in 2021, as the volume of cryptocurrency transactions overall grew into tens of trillions of dollars, according to blockchain data platform Chainalysis Inc. However, the volume of illicit activities remains a small share of the total cryptocurrency transactions volume, according to a preview of Chainalysis’s 2022 Crypto Crime Report to be published in February. The volume of cryptocurrency transactions grew to $15.8 trillion in 2021, up 567% from 2020, in a sign that the trading of digital assets is becoming increasingly mainstream. Illicit transactions totaled $14 billion in 2021, up 79% from $7.8 billion the previous year. But illicit transactions only made up 0.15% of cryptocurrency transaction volume in 2021.
In its report, Chainalysis warns that its tracked volume of illicit activity is likely to rise later as the company identifies more bad actors and incorporates data gained from that into its historical analysis. The company added that with the exception of 2019, which was notable for the PlusToken cryptocurrency scam, bad actors have made up a smaller component of overall cryptocurrency transaction volume over the past few years. Chainalysis also warns that the rise of DeFi, or decentralized finance — an umbrella term for financial services offered on public blockchains — is a particularly menacing threat to the sector. Out of the total of about $3.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen in 2021, 72% was stolen from DeFi protocols, according to Chainalysis.
About 6 percent of the U.S. workforce, nearly 9 million Americans are out sick due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Between December 29 and January 10, 8.8 million people told the Census Bureau that they were not working due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, either of themselves or caring for someone else. 3.2 million people said they weren’t working due to concerns of the virus spreading and getting infected from it, up 25 percent from December.
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The Internal Revenue Service urged employers to be aware of the January deadline to file Forms W-2 and other wage statements. Filing these documents timely helps employers avoid penalties and helps the IRS in fraud prevention.
The normal January filing date for wage statements means that the IRS can more easily detect refund fraud by verifying income that individuals report on their tax returns. Employers can help support that process and avoid penalties by filing the forms on time and without errors.
The IRS and SSA encourage all employers to e-file. It is the quickest, most accurate and convenient way to file these forms. For more information about e-filing Forms W-2 and a link to the SSA’s Business Services Online website, visit the SSA’s Employer W-2 Filing Instructions & Information website at SSA.gov/employer.
Use same employer identification number on all forms
Employers should ensure the employer identification number (EIN) on their wage and tax statements (Forms W-2, W-3, etc.) and their payroll tax returns (Forms 941, 943, 944, etc.) match the EIN the IRS assigned to their business. They should not use their social security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification number (ITIN) on forms that ask for an EIN.
If an employer used an EIN (including a prior owner’s EIN) on their payroll tax returns that’s different from the EIN reported on their W-3, they should review General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (.pdf), Box h—Other EIN used this year.
Filing these forms with inconsistent EINs or using another business’s EIN may result in penalties and delays in processing an employer’s returns. Even if an employer uses a third-party payer (such as a Certified Professional Employer Organization, Professional Employer Organization, or other third party) or a different entity within their business to file these documents, the name and EIN on all statements and forms filed must be consistent and exactly match the EIN the IRS assigned to their business. For more information on third-party arrangements, see Publication 15, Employer’s Tax Guide.
Filing Form 8809 does not extend the due date for furnishing wage statements to employees. A separate extension of time to furnish Forms W-2 to employees must be filed by January 31. See Extension of time to furnish Forms W-2 to employees for more information.
Charged with defrauding California congregations by mortgaging their properties, Staccato Powell of Wake Forest, NC, and Sheila Quintana of Vallejo, CA obtained $14 million in loans that were used for personal expenses. The pair were named in a federal indictment of conspiracy and wire fraud. Powell was also charged with mail fraud. The indictment said the two set up Western Episcopal District, Inc. and used the entity to illegally obtain grant deeds to properties owed by congregations in various California cities. The congregations had little or no mortgages debt until Powell and Quintana used their real estate as collateral in order to obtain high-interest loans. Western Episcopal District, Inc. filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 and listed among its assets 11 churches in California, Arizona and Colorado, authorities said.
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Unlawful detainer statute does not address title, only immediate possession as against unlawful occupants, foreclosed mortgagees, and holdover employees or tenants. Respondent established that appellants were tenants, by proving that respondent let appellants occupy property in exchange for appellants’ services, even without a written lease. Statute deemed that tenancy month to month, subject to termination on one month’s notice, which respondent established by showing delivery through counsel. Appellants raised no genuine dispute as to those or any other material facts, so the circuit court did not err in granting summary judgment to respondent. Time for adverse possession does not apply to a landlord-tenant relationship because the tenancy is not adverse to the landlord. Joe D. Brown, in his Capacity as Successor Trustee of the George E. Heard Revocable Trust, Dated February 24, 2000 vs. Douglas Lee Barnes and Kyle Barnes (Overview Summary) Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District – WD84279
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“There are countless ways to provide effective assistance in any given case.” Among those ways are the strategic choices of objecting or not objecting to the State’s questioning. When defendant is doing well under questioning, an objection may undercut the defendant’s credibility. A matter may be better addressed through cross-examination than in an objection. An objection may draw more attention to testimony than desirable.
Statutes governing a limited liability company set forth the rights of an expelled member, which no provision in the parties’ operating agreement altered only by adding specified payments. But nothing showed that those payments were in lieu of rights under the statutes, or the operating agreement, and they did not support an accord and satisfaction. Circuit court did not err in considering related portions of operating agreement. Appellants did not show that circuit court erred in determining LLC’s value, as an amount distinct from its net worth, and the circuit court’s credibility determinations are due deference on appeal. Circuit court did not err in awarding punitive damages and attorney fees.
Adverse possession is difficult to prove by summary judgment because the parties’ intentions are so great a part of that theory. The element of actual possession includes actual control and the intent to exclude all other persons. Conclusory assertions do not support themselves and must have evidence in the summary judgment record to establish them. “[A]n allegation from one’s own verified petition is not sufficient documentation to support a statement of uncontroverted fact.” Survey drawing and aerial photographs showed disputed land but not actual possession.
