Crime

Markets

'Pharma Bro' firm reaches $40M settlement in gouging case

A company once owned by "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli will pay up to $40 million to settle allegations that it jacked up the price of a life-saving medication by roughly 4 ,000% after obtaining exclusive rights to the drug, the Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday.

Energy

Ex-LA utility head admits taking bribes in billing scandal

The former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — the nation’s largest public utility — has agreed to plead guilty to taking bribes in a corruption scandal that grew out of an automated billing disaster that stuck ratepayers with exorbitant bills, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Retail

DAs, retailers say California needs tougher retail theft law

Spurred by a recent run of large-scale smash-and-grab robberies, prosecutors and retailers are pushing back on assertions by California's governor and attorney general that they have enough tools to combat retail theft in the wake of a voter-approved easing of related laws.