Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications has been authorized by the Cabinet to temporarily operate the country’s two cellular networks until a new tender is launched, Minister of Telecommunications Talal Hawat said Tuesday.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings has announced that her office’s Consumer Protection Unit has secured an agreement to recover $23,362 in debt relief for 5 former ITT Tech students in Delaware as part of a 43-state multistate settlement. The settlement is with Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC (“CUSO”), which offered deceptive loans to finance students’ tuition […]

Attempted rape and child pornography charges also lead to prison A 25-year-old man who rented a room in a home in Georgetown was sentenced in Superior Court for beating and raping a woman who lived in the home, and for killing another man. In October 2016, Juan Tovar Cruz returned to the house on Wilson […]

The Delaware Department of Justice has filed suit against the developer of The Villages of Noble’s Pond, an 879-lot “55-plus” community in Kent County, for numerous violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and other Delaware laws protecting consumers against unlawful and predatory behavior. Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced the filing […]

Wilmington man pleads guilty to murder and 2 other shootings A 26-year-old New Castle man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murder. A Superior Court judge sentenced Shaheed Matthews for the December 2017 fatal shooting of Antoine Terry, 23, of New Castle shortly after Terry had been at Matthew’s home on […]

A Wilmington man charged with killing a 16-year-old girl has pleaded guilty. Deputy Attorneys General John Downs and Timothy Maguire secured the plea from Shyheim Warren, 25. In April 2017, Warren fatally shot Tynesia Cephas as she tried to break up a large fight in front of a home on the 900 block of North […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings on Tuesday released the following statement regarding Kili Mayfield’s conviction in Superior Court: Justice was served today. A man who raped three women, including beating and strangling one victim until she lost consciousness, has been convicted of his crimes. I am proud of the work of our prosecutors, paralegals, and social […]

$600 million settlement over 2017 Equifax data breach includes up to $425 million in consumer restitution Attorney General Kathy Jennings Monday announced a settlement with Equifax as the result of an investigation into the largest-ever breach of consumer data. Under the terms of the settlement, Equifax agreed to provide a single Consumer Restitution Fund of […]

Scammers ordered to pay thousands in restitution, barred from offering services in Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Tuesday that the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) has reached a settlement with two California-based companies requiring them to stop advertising and selling mortgage loan modification and debt relief services in Delaware and to provide […]

Coalition of 21 attorneys general argues changes violate federal law and judicial precedent Attorney General Kathy Jennings joined Friday a group of 21 state attorneys general to challenge the Trump administration’s proposed changes to asylum standards. If implemented, these changes would allow the Executive branch to arbitrarily deny asylum claims to immigrants seeking haven from […]

A Queens, NY man was sentenced by a Superior Court judge for a Wilmington murder. In September 2017, Sandy Lashley, 31, shot and killed Allen Melton of Wilmington after Melton attempted to intervene in an altercation on Cedar Street between his girlfriend and Lashley’s female friend. Lashley pleaded guilty in May to Murder Second Degree […]

A Magnolia man has been sentenced by a Superior Court judge for continuous sexual abuse of a child. Emmanuel Wright, 20, engaged in a pattern of sexual and physical abuse began when the victim was 12 years old and continued for approximately 2 years until Wright was arrested in late 2018. An investigation found Wright […]

The Department of Justice on Tuesday released the following statement: Beatriz Fana-Ruiz recklessly started a fire in the basement of the home where she lived, resulting in the tragic deaths of three Wilmington Fire Department Firefighters and serious injury to another. While her motivation in setting the fire was a reaction to her living conditions, […]

DOJ Community Engagement Unit Hosts Back to School Fair A Dover man targeted in a drug investigation after selling heroin to an undercover police officer was sentenced to prison. Deputy Attorney General Gregory Babowal secured the sentence for 26-year-old Javon Young. In January 2019, members of the State Police Kent County Drug Unit and Kent […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today announced that she is joining a lawsuit opposing the Trump Administration’s new rule circumventing the Flores Settlement Agreement, which has governed the treatment of children in immigration custody since 1997. In the complaint before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the coalition argues that the rule eliminates several critical protections […]

Additional victims encouraged to contact Consumer Protection Unit The Delaware Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Unit today announced three indictments, including separate criminal charges against two brothers, in a series of home improvement frauds targeting older Delawareans. Isaac K. Lovell, 44, of Bear was indicted on July 8, 2019 on charges including Racketeering, Conspiracy to […]

Other defendants sentenced on kidnapping, manslaughter, assault, and weapons charges Malcolm Casson, a Dover man who stabbed another man to death on the grounds of a state museum, has pleaded guilty to a 2018 murder. In February 2018, State Police were called to the John Dickinson House off of Kitts Hummock Road in Dover after […]

Complaint accuses family behind Purdue Pharma of consumer fraud, negligence, and nuisance  Attorney General Kathy Jennings Monday sued seven members of the Sackler family for their role in creating and sustaining the opioid crisis in Delaware. The individuals named in the Delaware Superior Court complaint controlled and directed opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma’s two-decade course of falsely and deceptively marketing opioids, sowing the seeds […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings released the following statement regarding reports of “at-home” sexual assault kits being marketed to universities and sexual assault survivors: Our office has been made aware of a new company selling sexual assault evidence kits for “at-home” use, seemingly targeted at college students. I empathize with survivors’ vulnerability and desire for privacy, […]

Delaware, along with other states, is issuing the following additional statement on a settlement offer by Purdue Pharma: A majority of states rejected the settlement proposed by Purdue and the Sacklers. We have heard the voices of families across the country calling for justice.  Purdue’s proposal does not provide anything close to the $10-12 billion […]

Other defendants plea to drug, weapons, and robbery charges A Superior Court judge sentenced three inmates Friday for their roles in the 2017 Vaughn prison riot, which resulted in the murder of correctional officer Lt. Steven Floyd. Dwayne Staats, 37, sentenced to two life sentences in prison plus 153 years for his conviction on 2 […]

Fraudulent companies include shells owned by Manafort, Gates, and Cohen; others used to undermine democratic processes and launder drug money Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Thursday that the she has filed actions in the state Court of Chancery to dissolve 15 Delaware business entities for involvement in criminal activities. State law allows the Attorney General […]

Sexual assault kit testing initiative generates rape conviction; Child sexual abuse, armed robbery also lead to guilty pleas An employee of the state Division of Motor Vehicles and a man who bribed her have pleaded guilty to issuing drivers’ licenses to people who hadn’t earned them. Danielle Haldeman, 29, of Greenwood, who worked at the […]

Other defendants face prison for murder, assault, drug, and weapons charges The repeated sexual abuse of 2 children has led to a prison sentence of more than 100 years for a New Castle man. For a period of almost 3 years beginning in January 2014, Melvin Finney, 57, sexually assaulted 2 children in his care. […]

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today released the following statement after a jury returned a guilty verdict against Clay Conaway for Rape 4th Degree: “The message today is no means no. I am grateful for the jury’s decision, for the work of our excellent trial team, for the investigative work of the Delaware State Police, and […]

The Delaware Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights & Public Trust announced Monday that a grand jury has indicted former Wilmington City Council President Theopalis K. Gregory on charges of Profiteering and Official Misconduct. The DOJ alleges that Gregory, 67, used his position on City Council to secure a City grant that would enrich […]

25-state coalition files briefs in Bankruptcy Court Attorney General Kathy Jennings, along with a bipartisan group of 24 attorneys general, filed today two briefs opposing a request by Purdue Pharma to stop all lawsuits against the company and the Sackler family. “The Sacklers extracted up to $13 billion from Purdue while drugs like OxyContin wreaked […]

Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings announced Thursday a multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ethicon, Inc., for their deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices. A multistate investigation found the companies violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the safety and effectiveness of the devices and failing to sufficiently disclose risks associated […]

Other defendants convicted on murder, manslaughter, weapons, and drug charges Three men at the helm of a massive drug dealing enterprise were sentenced to prison in Superior Court. Dwayne White, 36, of Wilmington, Eric Lloyd, 40, of New Castle, and Damon Anderson, 40, were convicted of numerous charges in June for their roles in the […]

Multi-state settlement resolves allegations of improper marketing and sale of addictive withdrawal treatment Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced today that Delaware and other states have reached an agreement with pharmaceutical distributor Reckitt Benckiser Group (“Reckitt”) to settle allegations that the company, either directly or through a subsidiary, improperly marketed and otherwise promoted the drug Suboxone, […]

Others face prison on assault and resisting arrest charges Steven Snell, the Millsboro man who kidnapped and robbed an elderly Rehoboth Beach couple has been sentenced to prison. In July 2018, Snell, 30, went to a home on Cornwall Road asking to use the phone. Once inside, Snell threatened the couple with a box cutter, […]

Prison time for other defendants on murder, weapons, racketeering, drug, and sexual abuse charges The operator of a criminal enterprise run out of several massage parlors he owned throughout the state, was found liable of 3 violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (R.I.C.O.) statute. The State alleged that Da Zhong Wang, 55, formerly […]

This settlement resolves allegations that Newark Manor provided substandard and worthless care to residents of the nursing facility. Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced today that the State of Delaware has reached an agreement with Newark Manor Nursing Home (also known as Premiere Healthcare, Inc.), its owner Bruce Boyer, administrator David Boyer and former administrator Susan […]

A Maryland woman who caused a fatal crash while driving under the influence of drugs has been sentenced to prison. Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod and William Leonard secured the sentence for Michelle Park, 35, of Earlville. In March 2018, with her 2-year-old child in the car, Park failed to negotiate a curve while driving […]

Delaware leads bipartisan coalition opposing attempt to weaponize class action settlements against state law enforcement actions Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Monday that Delaware has filed an amicus brief in a Minnesota federal court opposing a corporation’s attempt to weaponize a class action settlement against a parallel law enforcement action by the Minnesota Attorney General. […]

Guilty plea to murder in Dover killing; Change in state’s securities act leads to guilty plea to theft and identity theft Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, the woman who set fire to the home where she lived leading to the deaths of 3 Wilmington firefighters has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod […]

Wilmington man sentenced for assault under I-95 Deputy Attorney General Monil Amin secured a 10-year prison sentence for a man who raped and impregnated a teenager with developmental disabilities. In June 2018, Britt Bowen, 45, of Newark sexually assaulted the victim while in his care. Bowen was arrested after DNA evidence revealed him to be […]

A broker-dealer operating in Delaware, Horace Mann Investors, Inc., has agreed to provide settlement payments to numerous customers with IRA accounts opened by one of its registered representatives, Dieter Hofmann.

A Superior Court judge sentenced Friday a Chester, PA man to 20 years in prison for 2 counts of rape, concluding a years-long effort to solve multiple cold cases. Hayim Raison was arrested after DNA tests on previously untested sexual assault kits helped lead to his arrest and guilty plea for 2 counts of Rape […]

A Sussex County Judge has found a Millsboro man guilty of murder. On November 17, 2016, a passerby discovered Darrin Gibbs of Millsboro lying face down on Monroe Street with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Witness testimony, ballistics evidence, and video surveillance ultimately identified one of Gibbs’ associates, A.J. McMullen, as […]

Two members of the Shoot To Kill (STK) gang, who were responsible for multiple armed robberies and three separate shootings—including the broad daylight murder of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo—have been sentenced by a Superior Court Judge. Diamonte Taylor, 22, of Wilmington, was sentenced life in prison plus 11 years after a Superior Court jury convicted him […]

Dover, DE   August 8, 2019 — A Wilmington woman was indicted by the New Castle County Grand Jury for insurance fraud and other felony charges. Theresa T. Milton, 44, of the 900 block of Clayton Street, was indicted on seven felony counts of insurance fraud, one felony count of theft by false pretense, and one […]

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2019                                                     MEDIA ADVISORY WHAT:  Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro will be hosting a ribbon cutting and ceremony to commemorate the opening of the […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 10, 2019 Delaware Department of Insurance Opens New Building in Dover, Delaware   Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro cut the ribbon during a ceremony held this morning at 11 AM to commemorate the opening of the Delaware Department of Insurance’s new Dover office location at 1351 West North Street, Suite 101 […]

DOVER, DE – Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro is pleased to announce that there will be another decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates, effective December 1, 2019. “I am delighted to approve a decrease in workers’ compensation rates in Delaware for the third year in a row,” stated Commissioner Navarro. “These continued decreases mean significant […]

Investigations result in discovery and correction of issues impacting consumers The Delaware Department of Insurance’s Market Conduct Examinations resulted in the receipt of nearly $700,000 in fines during 2019 from more than a dozen companies found to violate the Insurance Code or other related regulations. The fines are contributed to the General Fund, providing funding […]

The Delaware Department of Insurance made great strides in fraud detection and response during 2019. Throughout the year, 6 criminal arrests that included 21 charges were recommended from the Department’s Fraud Prevention Bureau to the Department of Justice, and 16 civil cases were brought forward resulting in more than $21,000 in fines. The Bureau received 551 referral cases in 2019.

Consumers won nearly 90% of arbitration cases in 2019 The Delaware Department of Insurance announced that its arbitration services program earned residents $839,466 in awards during 2019. Considering overlap from the previous year, 354 settlements occurred, and 144 cases were heard. Residents prevailed in about 90% of all cases. In total, the Department opened 502 […]