202001

AGO Will File Special Action with Arizona Supreme Court to End Illegal Tax Scheme

PHOENIX – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that he believes the City of Phoenix violated the Arizona Constitution when it imposed new rideshare fees for companies operating at Sky Harbor. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) released an investigative report concluding that the Phoenix City Council very likely acted in violation of Article IX, § 25 of the Arizona Constitution.

PHOENIX - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that an additional 44 summonses have been served on current or former employees of the Kokopelli Eye Institute in the case against Dr. Michael Lee Ham, an eye surgeon with Kokopelli who was recently indicted for an alleged fraudulent billing scheme.

SCOTTSDALE - The Arizona Attorney General's Office, Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will launch new training tomorrow (Wednesday, January 15) for hospitality staff at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale on how to identify, report, and prevent sex trafficking. The training is part of the SAFE (Safeguarding All From Exploitation) Action Project. The training will begin immediately following the press conference and is open to the media.

PHOENIX - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a State Grand Jury indicted Bejar Sadiq Abdulaziz and Gretel De La Fuente Gamez with charges of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, Money Laundering, Illegal Control of an Enterprise, Theft, Assisting a Criminal Syndicate, Sale or Transportation of Dangerous Drugs, Sale or Transportation of Narcotic Drugs, and Unlawful Use of Food Stamps.

What: The Attorney General’s Office, Chandler Police Department, and AARP are hosting a free Shred-A-Thon and Prescription Drug Take-Back event this weekend (January 18). The cost is free and will be open to the public.

There is a five box limit for shredded documents. The following are examples of items not accepted (but not limited to): binders, binder clips, inhalers, aerosol cans, lotions or liquids, needles, and hydrogen peroxide.

When: Saturday, January 18th at 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (or until trucks are full)

First Training Takes Place at The Phoenician Resort on January 15

GREENLEE COUNTY - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced 34-year-old Neal Lee Tuomi, of Morenci, was recently arraigned on ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Greenlee County Superior Court.

Tuomi was charged in a felony indictment in October 2019 after law enforcement agents with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force learned he possessed multiple different digital images of minors engaged in exploitative exhibition or sexual conduct.

PHOENIX - Attorney General Mark Brnovich today announced his office also filed an Arizona Consumer Fraud lawsuit against Eonsmoke, LLC, regarding the company’s advertisement and sale of vaping products to Arizonans, including Arizona’s youth. The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court Tuesday morning, is accompanied by a request for a preliminary injunction to immediately prevent Eonsmoke from selling its illegal products in Arizona.

PHOENIX - Attorney General Mark Brnovich today announced that his office filed a Consumer Fraud lawsuit against Juul Labs, Inc. (JUUL), regarding the advertisement and sale of JUUL’s vaping devices and vaping pods to Arizonans, including JUUL's exploitative marketing towards Arizona’s youth. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday morning in Maricopa County Superior Court.

PHOENIX --- Attorney General Mark Brnovich will hold a press briefing to make a major announcement regarding the vaping industry. This is the latest step in the Attorney General’s efforts to combat tobacco and e-cigarette use by Arizona’s youth.

Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: Arizona Attorney General’s Office, 2005 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004