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Bernard Madoff’s investment victims filed 15,400 claims through July 2, 2009, having been scammed in “the largest Ponzi scheme ever conducted,” according to Irving Picard (inset), the trustee appointed by the U.S. bankruptcy court to manage investor claims in the Madoff bankruptcy. Picard, a lawyer at Baker and Hostetler LLP, noted that Madoff’s cohorts “were actively recruiting more than 1,000 customer accounts and infusing [his] Ponzi scheme with billions of dollars....

Aurora, Colorado shooter James Holmes was recently sentenced to over 3,000 years in prison on top of 12 life terms. That could sound lenient (he did avoid the death penalty) or needlessly excessive (he’ll never serve that many years). But his is only the fourth-longest prison sentence in United States history. Who’s gotten a longer prison sentence? Here are the top five: 1. Charles Scott Robinson: 30,000 years Oklahoma child rapist Charles Scott Robinson owns the record for the longest jail term given to a single person on multiple counts....

Angry Chicken? Whatever happened to Angry Birds? It still exists, but some Android phone users may have mistaken the first app for a second edition. It, and a dozen or so other fake Android apps, have made their way into the official Android store. Instead of providing access to endless fun, these apps collect personal information, spam inboxes, and install other apps without permission. Jetpack Joyride, Madden NFL 12 and Pinterest are also amongst the fake Android apps, reports Gizmodo....

Today marks one year since the Boston Marathon bombing, and much has happened since April 2013. As the nation reflects on that tragic day, let’s take a moment to catch up on all the legal events surrounding the explosion that rocked Boston one year ago. One year ago, not many people knew the name Dzhokhar Tsarnaev outside of relatives and school friends. But his photo was soon to grace the cover of July 2013’s Rolling Stone, with a rockstar portrayal that angered many....

This just in from the golden state: California marijuana possession is reduced to an infraction. In a bill signed into effect by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, possession of marijuana up to one ounce has been reduced from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. The new rules will go into effect January 11, 2011. CBS quotes Schwarzenegger: “In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting crimes that carry the same punishment as a traffic ticket....

The domestic violence case involving actor Charlie Sheen and his wife is continuing with settlement talks and a new court date has been set. As previously discussed, Charlie Sheen pleaded not guilty to one felony and two misdemeanor charges stemming from a Christmas Day domestic dispute in Aspen, Colorado with his wife Brooke Mueller. Aspen prosecutor Arnold Mordkin declined to comment on settlement discussions but he did say that the two parties were moving closer to agreeing on a deal....

It’s pretty common for someone convicted of a DUI to attend some kind of DUI class, where instructors and attendees discuss the reasons for and consequences of drinking and driving. The hope is that those attending a DUI course will learn and implement strategies to avoid future drunk driving incidents. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a third of all DUI arrests every year are repeat offenders. Which begs the question: If so many DUI offenders are taking drunk driving courses, why are they drinking and driving again?...

While there are countless individuals who swear by homeopathic medicines, and there are even doctors who will endorse them, the FTC has recently called into question the legitimacy of the entire homeopathic medicine industry. This week, the FTC released an enforcement policy statement clarifying their position that homeopathic drugs will face the same standards as other any other product that makes a claim about its safety or efficacy. This means that for a homeopathic drug, medicine, remedy, or any other product, that claims to have an affect, and/or be safe, a company is required to substantiate those claims with credible and reliable scientific evidence....

Google is stalking you. And you’ll have no way to stop it after March 1. Under the newly unveiled Google privacy policy, the site has given itself permission to collect information stored across all of its platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, Google+ and Reader. That information will then be used to create a single user profile. As of now, the policy includes no way to opt out. Instead, all signed-in users will receive more personalized results when using Google products....

No one (or at least anyone in their right mind) goes around looking for a fight. But sometimes, whether you’re looking for it a not, a physical confrontation may find you. If you find yourself the victim of an assault, what can you do to defend yourself without also potentially being charged with a crime? Is it legal to fight back if someone punches you first? Use of force that would otherwise be criminal in nature may be excused if it was done in self defense....

After the fatal shooting of Quintec Locke by a Chicago police officer on July 1, his sister, Tamara Locke, filed a lawsuit to find out what went wrong. The complaint alleges that officers failed to follow proper procedure, and that the fatal shooting of Quintec was unnecessary. While there has not been an official response to the lawsuit yet, police did report that a handgun and an assault rifle were recovered from the scene....

In what is believed to be the first wrongful death victory over smokeless chewing tobacco, the makers of Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless chewing tobacco have been ordered to pay $5 million to the family of a long-time user. Bobby Hill began chewing tobacco at the age of 13 and continued until his death from mouth cancer at 42. The case featured some interesting and ultimately convincing evidence including: thank you notes written to minors for their use of Skoal, complimentary can openers to help open the can and free samples....

The Food and Drug Administration’s new graphic cigarette warnings may never make it to market. On Monday, the tobacco companies won a temporary injunction barring enforcement of a regulation that places graphic images on cigarette packs. The gory images depict the more horrendous effects of tobacco use, and are accompanied by a series of textual warnings. Federal Judge Richard Leon determined that the regulation illegally compels speech in violation of the First Amendment....

After the shooting deaths of three Muslim students in North Carolina, some are calling for hate crime charges. How are hate crimes defined in that state? Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, each in the head, in a Chapel Hill condominium complex February 10. While relatives and some Muslim groups contend the killings were religiously motivated, prosecutors say it’s too early to know whether religion played a role, The Wall Street Journal reports....

In the coming weeks, the New York City Police Department will be rolling out their body camera program to over 1,000 officers. The cameras will record interactions officers have with the public in an effort to increase the transparency of NYC’s police practices, which have come under increasing scrutiny due to failing stop and frisk policies, as well as excessive force incidents. Last Friday, a federal district court judge in Manhattan denied a motion to delay the roll out due to alleged problems with the program....

Several cities have tried to push through legislation banning the distribution of Yellow Pages phone books. Proponents of such bans argue that Yellow Pages are environmentally wasteful and unnecessary in this age of the Internet. However, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently said that even the most unnecessary books deserve First Amendment protections, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The court overturned a Seattle ordinance that would have created an opt-out registry for the telephone listings....

Vigilantes, lunatics or just guys in masks fighting crime and getting stabbed? That’s the story out of Seattle these days. A group dubbing themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement is donning costumes, taking to the streets and fighting crime, just like the real superheroes; but maybe with a bit less enthusiasm from police. Police are well aware of the Rain City vigilantes. One of their leaders came to police headquarters for an interview and to explain what the group was all about, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer....

You may have heard the term “lewd behavior” in connection with someone being arrested for doing something somewhat less than decent. But you may not know what criminally lewd behavior actually is. Lewd is typically defined as involving or being sexual conduct that is considered indecent or offensive. But at what point does someone’s sexually indecent or offensive conduct run afoul of state or federal laws? What actually counts as criminally lewd behavior?...

More than 20 celebrities and public figures, including First Lady Michelle Obama, have had their private information exposed on a mysterious website believed to be run by hackers. FBI and Secret Service agents are investigating. Others targeted by the celebrity hackers include Jay Z, Britney Spears, Tiger Woods, and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, reports The Associated Press. The website lists the celebrities’ private information such as Social Security numbers, credit reports, addresses, and phone numbers....

The recent discovery of a database of stolen login credentials reveals four of the most common passwords used by consumers. And they’re very easy to guess. A botnet called “Pony” – a form of keylogging malware that tracks users’ keystrokes – collected 2 million usernames and passwords for accounts associated with Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and LinkedIn, reports CNET. What’s more, security company Trustwave discovered many of the victims – who lived in as many as 102 countries – had some of the weakest passwords ever....