The Delaware Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust (DCRPT) has secured two convictions against William Freeborn, the former Executive Director of the Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank (WNCLB). “If you abuse the public’s trust we will hold you accountable,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The defendant used a position of public confidence to […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Friday that the Department of Justice charged 102 gun offenders and secured 279.5 total years in prison sentences on 67 gun convictions in the month of March. “My first priority is combatting violent crime—particularly gun crimes,” said AG Jennings.  “Gun violence is a both a national crisis and a local one. In Delaware, […]

In honor of Second Chance Month, the Delaware DOJ’s Community Engagement Unit is partnering with the Delaware Center for Justice and several community groups to host a joint job fair and expungement clinic at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center in New Castle on Thursday, April 28 from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. The […]

A Sussex County man has been sentenced to two years in prison for a hate crime involving a neighbor. James Raab, of Laurel, was sentenced on April 22 after pleading guilty to felony Hate Crime, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Aggravated Menacing, and Resisting Arrest. Raab, 38, was arrested […]

All 50 states reach agreement with Intuit for deceiving low-income Americans into paying for free tax services Attorney General Kathy Jennings today secured over $400,000 for low-income Delawareans from the owner of TurboTax, Intuit Inc. (Intuit), for deceiving Delaware consumers into paying for tax services that should have been free. As a result of a […]

Attorney General Kathleen Jennings announced today that the Delaware Department of Justice Consumer Protection Unit is investigating tech sales bootcamp Prehired and its CEO, Joshua Jordan. The investigation began in March, after Prehired filed nearly 300 debt-collection lawsuits in the Delaware Justice of the Peace Court seeking to enforce its income share agreements. Prehired started […]

Indictment includes multiple Attempted Murder, Vehicle Theft charges Four Wilmington men have been indicted following an investigation into a series of connected events in which the defendants are alleged to have stolen motor vehicles and used them in shootings. The defendants – Kyair Keys, Walike Parham, Markel Richards, and Jahmir Morris-Whit – collectively face 75 […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings released the following statement today regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: “Just one day after dramatically curtailing states’ rights to regulate guns, the Supreme Court has upended a half-century of legal precedent by permitting states to regulate women’s most basic freedom — control over […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings released today the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency: “The Supreme Court’s ruling is the latest in a dangerous, disgraceful pattern of decisions that risk the health of our neighbors, of our state, and now the very fate of our planet. The […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings released the following statement today after a jury convicted State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness of Official Misconduct, Structuring, and Conflict of Interest: “From the moment I took office, I promised that no one would be either above the law or beneath justice. Today’s guilty verdict confirmed that. After weeks or grueling trial […]

Jewelry chain defrauded thousands of servicemembers and veterans Attorney General Kathy Jennings, through the Fraud Division’s Consumer Protection Unit and in connection with 17 other states and the FTC, has secured a recovery of $34.2 million for more than 46,000 servicemembers and veterans nationwide who were deceived and defrauded by jewelry retailer Harris Jewelry. Harris […]

Ex-Tower Hill employee faces seven felonies; no Delaware children or THS students among known victims A Wilmington man and former Tower Hill School employee arrested in April has been indicted on charges arising from a child pornography investigation. William Ushler, 53, was arrested and charged on April 19 by members of the Department of Justice […]

Deal commits Trident Mortgage to pay for mortgage subsidies in minority neighborhoods, spurring hundreds of millions in lending Attorney General Jennings today announced a $20 million settlement with former top home mortgage lender, Trident Mortgage Company, to resolve allegations of “redlining” in the greater Philadelphia region, including New Castle County. The deal requires Trident to […]

Delaware is joining a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 attorneys general to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings and fellow attorneys general have reached an agreement in principle with opioid maker Endo International plc and its lenders that would provide up to $450 million to participating states and local governments, ban promotion of Endo’s opioids, and require Endo to turn over documents related to its role in the opioid […]

A Delaware State Trooper has pleaded guilty to Misuse of Computer System Information, Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Col. Melissa Zebley announced Friday.  The case was prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust after Delaware State Police supervisors discovered and reported Boyda’s conduct. James D. Boyda, a five-year veteran of […]

Attorney General Jennings announced today a $438.5 million agreement in principle between JUUL Labs and 34 states and territories resolving a two-year bipartisan investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices. In addition to the financial terms, the settlement would force JUUL to comply with a series of strict injunctive terms severely limiting their marketing and sales practices. […]

A Wilmington man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2018 murder. On August 26, Elgin Wilson, 20, pleaded guilty to Murder 2nd Degree and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, suspended after 20 years for descending levels of probation. Wilson also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy 2nd Degree and was sentenced […]

Two defendants affiliated with the Wilmington-area gang MGS have been sentenced to a collective 61 years in prison in connection with multiple shootings, including three murders. Both defendants were identified and arrested as a result of a years-long investigation into MGS, a violent gang at the center of nearly 200 criminal charges involving 19 defendants and […]

Defendant’s murder conviction follows co-conspirator’s guilty plea The Department of Justice secured convictions on all counts, including 1st Degree Murder, against a Newark defendant charged with the killing of 17-year-old Madison Sparrow, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Thursday. Sparrow was first reported missing on October 2, 2020; a subsequent investigation by Delaware State Police and […]

Attorney General Jennings today announced a multistate settlement with Experian Data Corp (“EDC”) for failing to warn affected consumers after it learned that an identity thief was posing as a private investigator and retrieving sensitive personal information from Court Ventures Inc., a database that EDC had purchased. In 2012, the U.S. Secret Service notified EDC […]

Attorney General Kathleen Jennings announced today that Delaware, along with 39 states, has obtained two multistate settlements with Experian Information Solutions, Inc. (“Experian”) and T-Mobile USA, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) concerning a 2015 data breach experienced by Experian that compromised the personal information of more than 15 million individuals who submitted credit applications with T-Mobile. Under the […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today announced that Delaware has reached a settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores. The settlement will provide $3.1 billion nationally and will require significant improvements in how Walmart’s pharmacies handle […]

Defendant faces decades in prison Department of Justice prosecutors indicted a man Monday for robbing and brutally assaulting the owner of a Wilmington jewelry store in September 2022.  Calvin Ushery, Jr., 39, is charged with multiple felonies — including Assault 1st Degree — for the attack, which was caught on video. In the video, Ushery pistol-whips the victim […]

Together with prior deals, Delaware now expects to recover a quarter-billion dollars to combat opioid crisis Attorney General Kathy Jennings today announced that she has finalized settlement agreements with CVS and Walgreens, bringing the national amount from investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry for its role in the opioid crisis to more than $50 billion. Delaware’s […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Wilmington Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos announced today that a Wilmington man, Oliver “Butter” Henry, has been arrested and charged for the January 2015 murder of 16-year-old Jordan Ellerbe. Ellerbe’s murder ignited a rapidly accelerating feud between two rival gangs, Shoot to Kill and Only My Brothers. In the months […]

The DOJ’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust (DCRPT) has indicted a former Delaware Correctional Officer and K9 handler on three charges, including a felony, for recklessly confining and causing the death of a four-year-old law enforcement animal named Lux. “We find these stories so viscerally disturbing not only because we care for the […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings last week secured a multi-year suspension and fines from a Wilmington based financial adviser for making false and misleading statements to her office’s Investor Protection Unit, the state securities regulator for Delaware, and for providing advisory services to clients while unregistered to do so. “Protecting investors from unscrupulous financial professionals is […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings and the DOJ’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust announced Friday that a New Castle County jury has convicted James MacColl, formerly a corporal of the Wilmington Police Department, of felony false statement to law enforcement and official misconduct. “Justice was served today,” said Attorney General Jennings. “Police who break the […]

The Delaware Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Unit has indicted three individuals with running a ring of illicit massage establishments, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced today   “Some people assume human trafficking only happens on the other side of the world, but the reality is that it is right in our backyard — and cases […]

DOJ, DSP seeking additional victims   A former Seaford High School employee faces six felony child sexual abuse charges under an indictment returned by a Sussex County jury, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Tuesday. Jerry Sodano, 52, of Bridgeville was charged Monday following an investigation into allegations of an illegal sexual relationship with a student at […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today co-led a coalition of attorneys general from across the nation in denouncing four of the world’s largest credit card companies for walking back their commitment to implement a new merchant code for gun sales that would help prevent mass shootings and curb gun violence. “Gun violence has become so endemic in our country that it is now the leading cause of childhood death. […]

A King of Prussia man has been convicted for the 2021 stalking and murder of Nicole Crawford. On March 16, Justin Chaffier, 36, was found guilty of Murder 1st  Degree in addition to a felony Stalking charge. The conviction followed an investigation in which it was confirmed through multiple Ring camera videos, phone records, and DNA testing that […]

Federal judge ensures mifepristone access in Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Friday that Judge Thomas O. Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington has issued an order reiterating that his injunction protecting access to mifepristone in 17 states — including Delaware — and the District of Columbia remains in […]

Recommendations include a whole-person approach to substance use disorder treatment and broadened non-opioid options for chronic pain treatment  The Delaware Drug Overdose Fatality Review Commission (DOFRC) has released its second annual report to Governor John Carney and the General Assembly, announced Attorney General Kathy Jennings. The report examines a sample of 108 cases from fatal overdoses that occurred […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings and her colleagues have announced that a proposed settlement has been reached in the 2020 lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to require Pennsylvania to develop and implement a plan to meet its commitments to reduce pollution under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. One-third of Delaware is […]

The legal debacle over mifepristone underscores how easily a small group of extremist plaintiffs can abuse the judicial system to force draconian, unscientific, and undemocratic laws on the nation. These questions should not even be up for debate: mifepristone has a safer track record than Viagra. But we live in an era where women once […]

A Newark man has been indicted and arrested for a 2009 homicide following a cold case investigation. On April 24, 31-year-old Ricardo J. Vega was indicted on two counts of Murder 1st Degree for the killing of 19-year-old Justin Trnka. Trnka, also of Newark, was killed during an armed robbery on March17,2009. Potential charges for the armed robbery are subject to a statute of limitations […]

Order sends Delaware’s climate damage & deception lawsuit back to State court WASHINGTON — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States DENIED the petition for a writ of certiorari submitted by fossil fuel companies appealing their failure to move Delaware’s climate damage and deception lawsuit out of state court and into federal court.  The question […]

On May 11, 37-year-old Kyle Leonard pled guilty to Murder 2nd Degree in Kent County Superior Court. Leonard was sentenced to 40 years in prison, suspended after 30 years for 6 months of work release or home confinement, followed by two years of probation.   The conviction and sentence follow an investigation into Leonard fatally shooting his mother, […]

Defendant faces multiple felonies after stealing drug evidence  The Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust has indicted a Millsboro police sergeant and evidence custodian after an investigation revealed that he tampered with and used drugs stored in the Department’s evidence locker.   Matthew Dufour, 34, faces ten charges—including multiple felonies such […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today sued Avid Telecom for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls. Avid Telecom sent or transmitted more than 7.5 billion calls to telephone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, and made 27 million calls to Delawareans.  “We often think of illegal robocalls as a nuisance, but they […]

Three-year-old’s remains were found behind Smyrna softball field in 2019 On May 25,, Kristie Haas pled guilty to the lead charge of Murder by Abuse or Neglect First Degree for the killing of her three-year-old daughter, Emma Cole. In addition to Murder by Abuse or Neglect, Haas also pled guilty to three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and one count of Abuse of a […]

Prosecutors have secured indictments against four defendants charged with multiple carjackings, along with kidnapping, rape, and theft.   On June 5, the Department of Justice secured indictments against Defendants Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 24, of Wilmington; David Hinson, 21, of Bear; Mahkiya Powell, 20, of Wilmington; and Michael Caldwell, 21, of Wilmington. The charges stem from an April, […]

A suspended Delaware State Trooper has been arrested and charged for a domestic physical assault, Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Col. Melissa Zebley announced Friday. On March 14, officers from Delaware State Police Troop 9 responded to a residence in Townsend regarding a domestic violence incident involving the defendant, Trooper Anthony DiGati. Police learned that DiGati and the victim had […]

Delaware to receive nearly $70 million to fight the opioid crisis Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings today announced the final approval of $17.3 billion in opioid agreements with drug makers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens. Following successful state sign-on and subdivision sign-on periods, the defendants have committed to the deal and will start releasing funds […]

The Department of Justice has secured two additional felony charges in its case against the violent gang NorthPak as a result of the ongoing investigation led by Wilmington Police Department. “This investigation never stops running,” said Attorney General Jennings. “These charges are a reflection of the dogged determination of Wilmington PD and our prosecutors, who […]

Two Delaware women have been sentenced to probation and suspended prison time for tax-related crimes after falsely claiming thousands of dollars in itemized deductions on their tax returns and submitting falsified documents during their respective audits. The cases represent the first prosecutions brought under the new initiative between the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance targeting state tax fraud “These convictions are the result of great work by our prosecutors and our […]

                Attorney General Kathy Jennings joined a group of 15 state attorneys general calling on Target to support inclusivity and to reject anti-LGBTQ+ hate, intimidation and discrimination.                The letter, sent to national retail chain Target during Pride Month, comes in response to Target’s recent decision to remove certain Pride-related merchandise from its stores and […]

Gun dealer under investigation for lax prevention of shoplifted ammo Attorney General Kathy Jennings, through her Office of Impact Litigation, has asked the Superior Court to enforce a subpoena against Cabela’s, Inc. (“Cabela’s”) seeking answers about a half-million rounds of ammunition that were shoplifted from its Christiana location.  After more than three months, Cabela’s has […]