The Delaware Department of Justice’s Investor Protection Unit is urging investors to proceed with caution when using financial data aggregators and third-party financial platforms. Officials warn that while these tools can offer convenience and a comprehensive view of one’s finances, they also pose significant privacy and security risks. Financial data aggregators—digital services that compile a user’s financial data from various …
Delaware, 8 other states press federal agency for delayed restitution to victims of tech training scam
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and attorneys general from eight other states are demanding answers from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) over months-long delays in distributing restitution to victims of a predatory tech sales training program. In a letter sent Tuesday to the CFPB’s acting director, the multistate coalition expressed frustration with the agency’s unexplained hold-up in delivering $4.2 …
Delaware sees 36% drop in drug deaths in 2024, outpacing national trend
Delaware officials announced a major milestone in the fight against the opioid crisis, reporting a nearly 36% decrease in drug-related deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year. State agencies confirmed 338 drug deaths in 2024, down from 527 in 2023 and 537 in 2022. The dramatic decline, confirmed through toxicology data from the Division of Forensic Science, mirrors broader …
Delaware launches $13M grant round to combat opioid crisis
The Delaware Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC) has opened applications for its third round of grant funding, announcing approximately $13 million in available funds to support initiatives tackling the state’s ongoing opioid crisis. The funding is aimed at empowering local organizations to launch or expand programs focused on addiction recovery, prevention, and support for those impacted by opioid use …
Del. joins $39.1M price inflation settlement with drug co.; consumers urged to check payout eligibility
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings is encouraging consumers who may have purchased certain generic drugs to check their eligibility for compensation as Delaware joins a multistate effort in seeking preliminary approval for a $39.1 million settlement with the generic drug manufacturer Apotex. The settlement, which is part of a broader legal action involving all 50 states and territories, addresses allegations …
Colonial teacher arrested, charged with sexually soliciting student
A 39-year-old physical education teacher at Colonial School District‘s George Read Middle School, Ricardo Vila, was arrested Monday morning on multiple charges after allegedly engaging in sexually explicit communications with an eighth-grade student at the school. The arrest follows a thorough investigation led by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a law enforcement group spearheaded by the Delaware …
Lawsuit filed against Del. says state targets pro-life pregnancy centers
A federal lawsuit against the state of Delaware was filed Wednesday by attorneys representing a nonprofit pregnancy center and a network of affiliated centers. The lawsuit challenges Delaware’s Senate Bill 300, which they argue unconstitutionally restricts free speech and forces the centers to convey messages against their core mission. The lawsuit, filed by Simms Showers and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), …
Head of St. Anne’s Episcopal arrested on 25 counts of child porn
Justin Smith, head of school at Middletown’s St. Anne’s Episcopal School, has been arrested and charged with 25 felony counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. “I write on behalf of the St. Anne’s Episcopal School board of trustees with shocking and deeply troubling news,” said Harry Baetjer, president, on behalf of the school’s Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees …
Delaware DOJ joins $17M settlement with Edward Jones
The Investor Protection Unit (IPU) of the Delaware Department of Justice has joined a $17 million settlement with Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (“Edward Jones”) resulting from a multistate investigation into the broker-dealer’s supervisory failures. Customers paid front-loaded commissions for certain mutual fund shares despite later moving brokerage assets into fee-based investment advisory accounts. “We expect investment firms operating …
Cabela’s must answer subpoena in ammo lawsuit
A Delaware judge says Cabela’s Inc. must answer a state subpoena related to the massive theft of ammunition at the Christiana Mall store. Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued the subpoena as part of a case arguing that Cabela’s itself contributed to the thefts through its hands-off approach to the shoplifting. Among other things, the suit said the store left ammo …