INTERNACIONAL
Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Several federal prosecutors in Minnesota were formally fired Wednesday after they gave notice that they had resigned afof internal disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a shooting investigation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The DOJ, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, terminated the employment of five prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, including Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 official there, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Their resignations and the internal disputes about the shooting probe first surfaced in The New York Times. The prosecutors were positioned to receive paid leave for months prior to their firings on Wednesday, according to the sources.
WHY THE FBI CAN EXCLUDE STATE AUTHORITIES FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTING PROBE
People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a rally outside the Whipple Building Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
Thompson was spearheading a massive, high-profile investigation into welfare fraud in the state before he submitted his resignation. His exit came after he clashed with officials in Washington, D.C., over the investigation into the ICE shooting, which left 37-year-old Renee Good dead. Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota in an effort to reach Thompson for comment.
Thompson had expressed during a call with DOJ and FBI officials last week that he was on board with investigating the ICE shooting as an assault on or obstruction of a law enforcement officer, a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.
Another one of the fired prosecutors, Melinda Williams, who was also involved in the fraud work, was on the call as well, the source said.
Thompson also indicated that he believed the shooting was justified, two sources said. Prior to the shooting, he had already been discussing the possibility of resigning, the sources said.
Videos of the shooting showed an ICE agent opening fire on Good at close range after she was seen accelerating toward the agent in her vehicle while he was standing in front of it. Critics have argued that the agent improperly used deadly force against Good and that she had turned the wheels of her vehicle away from the agent before accelerating.
A crashed car where an ICE agent shot Renee Good. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The FBI is investigating the incident and has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from the probe, which the Trump administration has said is justified because the incident involved a federal officer. Minnesota leaders have denounced that decision and launched their own parallel investigation.
While supportive of conducting the investigation as an offensive against law enforcement — rather than a civil rights matter against the agent — Thompson had reservations during last week’s call about the DOJ’s plan to also investigate Good’s widow and other possible co-conspirators, the source familiar with the call said.
The FBI had developed evidence that suggested Good and her spouse had at some point been following ICE officers on the day of the shooting, the source said.
That revelation echoes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s allegations during a recent press conference that Good had been «stalking and impeding» ICE throughout the day of the shooting. Noem said Good «weaponized» her vehicle and that the ICE agent who fired shots feared for his life.
In a statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Good’s spouse, Becca, said that on Jan. 7, the day of the shooting, she and Renee «stopped to support [their] neighbors.»
«We had whistles. They had guns,» Becca Good said.
FAMILIAR PROTEST GROUPS MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA PROTESTER
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media at City Hall Jan. 9. Frey has repeatedly called for federal immigration authorities to leave his city. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats have lauded the prosecutors who resigned, framing their departures as a valiant boycott against DOJ.
«These prosecutors are heroes, and the people pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters,» Frey wrote on X.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
At this stage, there is no sign that the DOJ is planning to bring charges against Becca Good despite the DOJ and FBI pursuing an investigation into her as part of a broader probe into any conspiracies to hinder federal law enforcement operations.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.
David Spunt contributed to this report.
justice department,minnesota fraud exposed,pam bondi,fbi
INTERNACIONAL
Florida execs sentenced in $233M Obamacare fraud that targeted homeless, hurricane victims
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: The president of a Florida insurance brokerage firm and the CEO of a marketing company were sentenced Wednesday to 20 years each in prison for leading a sprawling, $233 million Affordable Care Act fraud scheme that preyed on Florida’s most vulnerable residents — including homeless and jobless individuals and newly displaced hurricane victims — to pocket millions in unearned commissions.
Cory Lloyd, 46, of Stuart, Florida, and Steven Strong, 42, of Mansfield, Texas, were convicted of conspiracy and fraud for their roles in the scheme, which involved lying and falsifying government forms to obtain coverage for individuals and lying to or bribing would-be enrollees to sign up for plans even when they knew doing so would cost them their existing insurance coverage. In addition to their prison time, the pair were ordered to pay $180.6 million in restitution to their victims.
Lloyd and Strong profited handsomely for years from the scheme, Justice Department officials said, using the proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles, an 80-foot yacht and an oceanfront home in the Florida Keys.
«Preying upon medically compromised consumers to rob hundreds of millions of taxpayer-funded programs is evil and unforgivable,» Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital in a statement.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S BID TO MOVE BIDEN-COMMUTED DEATH ROW INMATES TO ‘ALCATRAZ OF THE ROCKIES’
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
«Fraud schemes like this rob citizens and shake faith in our institutions. Today’s sentencing is the latest example of this DOJ’s commitment to fighting fraud nationwide,» Bondi said.
An estimated 35,000 individuals were fraudulently enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans during the years-long scheme led by Lloyd and Strong, Justice Department officials with knowledge of the case told Fox News Digital. The two sought more than $233 million in fraudulent payments, including about $180 million in federal Affordable Care Act funding.
«These defendants were sophisticated, licensed insurance brokers,» Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement.
«They had everything and intentionally took advantage of people who had nothing. The message from these sentences is simple: Those who seek to line their own pockets with taxpayer dollars, victimize our most vulnerable and deplete federal programs will be held accountable.»
The two intentionally targeted people in the state who were experiencing homelessness and people experiencing mental health disorders, including addiction to opioids or other drugs, according to materials reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Prosecutors said at trial that Lloyd and Strong conspired to circumvent federal income and eligibility verification safeguards. They also intentionally submitted Medicaid applications designed to trigger denials, allowing them to steer those same individuals into fully subsidized Affordable Care Act plans outside the open enrollment period, maximizing commissions year-round.
TRUMP DOJ APPOINTEE THOMAS ALBUS TAPPED TO LEAD FULTON COUNTY SEARCH WARRANT FIGHT
Former President Trump denied wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Getty Images)
Their lavish lifestyle contrasted starkly with that of the individuals they lied to and scammed.
«One of the really awful things about the case is that it’s not only a scheme that’s taking money from the elderly and the disabled and defrauding the taxpayers, but that it actually resulted in real harm to the patients as well,» one Justice Department official said in an interview.
That harm included individuals losing access to life-saving treatments for opioid use disorders, mental health disorders and serious infectious diseases.
Text messages introduced at trial showed Strong and Lloyd discussing sending «street marketers» into Florida hurricane shelters to recruit enrollees.
In one text exchange, Strong suggested sending their team of «street marketers» into Florida hurricane shelters to recruit enrollees. Lloyd responded enthusiastically, stating, «It’s a killer idea, if we could pull it off!»
Prosecutors said the efforts were particularly harmful because they disrupted existing coverage plans and jeopardized access to treatment for serious conditions.
Many of the victims were experiencing homelessness or unemployment or qualified for Medicaid coverage — an insurance option for low-income or vulnerable populations that, in many cases, best suited their needs.
Jurors heard from a Jacksonville-based psychiatrist who treats homeless individuals and testified about the harm some of his patients suffered as a result of the fraud, which caused them to lose their Medicaid coverage.
This included an individual «living in the woods behind Walmart» who was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, a person familiar with the case told Fox News Digital.
EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP ADMIN NIXES GIANT WIND FARM APPROVED ‘LAST-MINUTE’ BY BIDEN TEAM
Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, joined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, delivers remarks during a press conference announcing the largest health care fraud case in history. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Like others, this individual had previously been enrolled in Medicaid, which covered the entirety of a $2,000 shot used to treat the schizoaffective disorder. Enrollment in an Affordable Care Act plan caused the individual to lose that coverage.
The sentencing comes as the Justice Department has moved aggressively to crack down on healthcare fraud, including through its ongoing «strike force» program that operates across 25 federal districts and has resulted in criminal charges against about 5,000 individuals, according to information shared with Fox News Digital.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It also comes as the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit secured the largest national healthcare fraud takedown in its history in 2025, officials said, charging more than $15 billion in alleged losses and forfeitures and returning more than $560 million to the public.
Justice Department officials noted the amount is «many, many, many times our annual budget.»
donald trump,politics,justice department,crime world,national security,pam bondi
INTERNACIONAL
La paradoja ideológica peruana: la izquierda vuelve al poder tres años después de la caída de Pedro Castillo
Como una paradoja ideológica que marca el desorden político que golpea Perú, la izquierda volvió al poder con José María Balzacar Zelada, tres años y dos meses después de la destitución del presidente Pedro Castillo, hoy preso y condenado a 11 años, 5 meses y 15 días de cárcel por conspiración.
Balcazar, de 83 años, gobernará por apenas cinco meses y dos semanas, hasta el 28 de julio, un país en crisis y en plena campaña electoral.
Leé también: Tras exigirle a Irán un acuerdo nuclear, Trump volvió a amenazar con un ataque militar
El veterano líder izquierdista, que salió del Partido marxista Perú Libre, le entregará el poder al candidato que resulte electo en las elecciones del 12 de abril próximo.
De esta manera la izquierda volvió al gobierno de manera inesperada cuando todo hacía prever la elección de la derechista María del Carmen Alva en el Congreso.
¿Habrá indulto a Pedro Castillo?
Balcazar, antes de ser electo presidente, dejó la puerta abierta a un indulto a Castillo. “El sur pide su liberación”, dijo, al aludir a las manifestaciones a favor del expresidente izquierdista en su feudo electoral.
Esta posibilidad amenaza con causar un terremoto político en un país que atraviesa una crisis institucional interminable y que ya lleva ocho presidentes en los últimos 10 años.
Su sorprendente asunción como presidente encargado generó una profunda incertidumbre en el país, en especial en el ala conservadora del Congreso. Pero también generó profundas dudas en la izquierda.
Jose Maria Balcazar es el nuevo presidente encargado del Perú (Foto: Ernesto Arias/Congreso peruano/ via REUTERS)
¿La causa? El partido Perú Libre está sumido en una grave división interna.
“No está claro que puede pasar. Balcazar viene de Perú Libre, pero ya había renunciado. Estaba como congresista independiente. Se peleó con (el líder de la agrupación, Vladimir) Cerrón, que estaba peleado con Castillo. Todo está por verse”, dijo a TN el analista político David Rivera, gerente de producción de la TV Vibe Perú.
Leé también: Alerta en Mendoza: Chile cierra en forma temporal el paso Cristo Redentor
Cerrón, un dirigente de la izquierda radical, está actualmente en la clandestinidad. Sobre él pesa una orden de prisión preventiva dictada en 2024 por colusión agravada y asociación ilícita. A Balcazar se lo llegó a mencionar como el hombre de confianza de Cerrón.
Para Rivera, la elección de Balcazar se entiende porque Perú Libre es un gran operador político que aprovechó la crisis institucional del país y el profundo rechazo que generaba la candidata derechista María del Carmen Alva, acusada de racista y de malos tratos hacia sus pares, entre fuerzas conservadores y de centro. Así se lo presentó como un postulante de “consenso”.
Pero ahora habrá que ver si logra articular un gobierno de transición no confrontativo que lleve en forma tranquila el último período de un gobierno que deberá organizar las elecciones presidenciales.
Quién es el nuevo presidente del Perú
Balcázar tiene una extensa carrera profesional como abogado. Llegó a ser juez superior y juez supremo provisional pero fue apartado de la Corte Suprema tras ser señalado por modificar una sentencia firme.
Desde 2021 es congresista en representación de la región de Lambayeque, en la costa norte del país.
Leé también: Estados Unidos exigió “cambios drásticos” a Cuba en medio de la crisis económica que sufre la isla
Tras la asunción de Castillo, fue un enérgico defensor de su gobierno hasta su destitución el 7 de diciembre de 2022 tras intentar un autogolpe. Pero poco después se alejó de Perú Libre.
Su figura generó una enorme controversia en el país por sus polémicas opiniones vertidas en 2023 en un debate parlamentario sobre la prohibición del matrimonio infantil.
Entonces, argumentó que las relaciones sexuales a temprana edad “ayudan al futuro psicológico de la mujer”. Estas declaraciones suscitaron la condena de ONG y partidos políticos.
Incluso, antes de su elección como presidente encargado, el Colegio de Abogados de Lambayeque cuestionó su idoneidad para asumir el gobierno.
Según recordó, fue expulsado de la entidad porque “se le imputaron cargos éticos, civiles y penales, como la apropiación de fondos de la institución, cambio de titularidad en las cuentas en distintas entidades financieras, querellas, defraudación de persona jurídica, etc”.
Además, desde 2024, enfrenta una acusación por presunta corrupción.
Perú
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison Thursday for leading an insurrection after declaring martial law in December 2024.
Yoon was found guilty of abuse of authority and masterminding the insurrection.
Yoon, 65, denied the charges and argued that he had presidential authority to declare martial law and that his action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties’ obstruction of government.
NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN’S DAUGHTER SEEN AS FUTURE SUCCESSOR: SPY AGENCY
South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of orchestrating a rebellion when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool)
Prosecutors said in January that Yoon’s «unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law undermined the function of the National Assembly and the Election Commission … actually destroying the liberal democratic constitutional order.»
Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law lasted roughly six hours, sparking mass street protests before parliament quickly voted it down.
Under South Korean law, masterminding an insurrection carries a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.
SOUTH KOREA PRESIDENTIAL OUSTER PART OF CHINESE STRATEGY TO ‘EXPAND ITS REGIONAL INFLUENCE,’ EXPERT SAYS
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 19 for leading an insurrection after declaring martial law in December 2024. (AP)
While courts last imposed a death sentence in 2016, South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.
Yoon is expected to appeal the ruling.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol greets his supporters after he came out of a detention center in Uiwang, South Korea, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP)
Yoon faces eight ongoing trial proceedings and was already given a five-year prison sentence last month in a separate case on charges including obstructing authorities’ attempts to arrest him following his martial law declaration. He has appealed that sentence.
Reuters contributed to this report.
south korea,law,trials
Florida execs sentenced in $233M Obamacare fraud that targeted homeless, hurricane victims
El nuevo límite de dólares que podés depositar en el banco sin tener que justificarlos
Désiré Doué genera discusiones en el vestuario del PSG
La paradoja ideológica peruana: la izquierda vuelve al poder tres años después de la caída de Pedro Castillo
Reforma laboral: tras los cambios al proyecto original, el Gobierno intentará hoy la aprobación en Diputados
South Korean court rules ex‑President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty in insurrection trial
Reforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
Cristian Ritondo: “Vamos a apoyar la ley de modernización laboral, pero no el régimen de licencias por enfermedad”
El dólar no sólo cae en la Argentina: qué pasa con otras monedas emergentes y cuáles son las causas
Uno de los jefes de la CGT adelantó que convocarán a un paro general por la reforma laboral: “Trabajaremos para que sea una gran huelga”
POLITICA1 día agoReforma laboral bomba: menos indemnización, más horas y despidos más fáciles — el cambio que puede sacudir el empleo en Argentina
- POLITICA2 días ago
Cristian Ritondo: “Vamos a apoyar la ley de modernización laboral, pero no el régimen de licencias por enfermedad”
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
El dólar no sólo cae en la Argentina: qué pasa con otras monedas emergentes y cuáles son las causas
