Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge will host the 2020 Arkansas Law Enforcement Officer of the Year luncheon on January 29, 2021, beginning at Noon at the Benton Event Center in Benton, 17322 Interstate 30. Rutledge will announce state, region and county officer of the year winners. Due to Covid-19, the luncheon will be held under […]
AG announces $17.5 million settlement with The Home Depot over 2014 data breach
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced today that her office, along with attorneys general of 45 other states and the District of Columbia, has obtained a $17.5 million settlement against Georgia-based retailer The Home Depot. The settlement resolves a multistate investigation of a 2014 data breach that exposed the payment card information of approximately 40 […]
Benton Utilities warns customers of recent shut-off scam
Benton Utilities warns the public of a recent scam with someone posing as a collection employee. If you’re thinking “stop, I’ve heard this one,” remember that there wouldn’t be scam artists if no one was falling for the scam. In this particular case, someone is contacting people by phone call, text and also email. They […]
Benton CEO pleads guilty to charges related to Medicaid overbilling
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced Chirie Bazzelle pleaded guilty to obstructing governmental operations. Bazzelle is the owner and CEO at New Beginnings Behavioral Health Services (New Beginnings). In 2018 alone, New Beginnings billed the Medicaid program over $5.3 million. As a result of this investigation and Bazzelle’s arrest New Beginnings is no longer a Medicaid provider. “This […]
Businesses target Hispanic communities to fraudulently sell COVID-19 treatments
As the pandemic continues and Arkansans attempt to get back on their feet, scam artists see opportunity in the uncertainty the virus has caused. A new scam has been identified by the Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s Office seeking to target the Hispanic population in Arkansas. Businesses are charging exorbitant amounts of money for COVID-19 tests […]
Saline County man gets a 20-year sentence for several counts of possession of child pornography
Roughly two years after a Benton man turned himself in, he pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced in court, according to the Attorney General’s Office. David Jefferson Brown, age 46, of Benton was convicted of 4 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a class […]
Over 13K Arkansans eligible for relief on auto loans from predatory company
Over 13,000 Arkansans are eligible to get their money back or forgiveness on their auto loans, totalling up to nearly $30 million from one lender’s predatory actions. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced a settlement with Santander Consumer USA Inc. (Santander) that includes approximately $550 million in relief for consumers, with more relief in additional […]
9 Gym Membership Tips – Get Ripped in the New Year, not Ripped Off
Getting in shape is always a top New Year’s Resolution and joining a gym is a popular step in achieving that goal. More than 60 million Americans are members of health clubs and gyms, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. While the decision to join an exercise program or gym can be […]
Saline County Business Convicted of Medicaid Fraud; $115K in Restitution and Fines
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the conviction of a Saline County business owner who fraudulently billed Medicaid more than $64,000 for speech therapy services at a daycare for children who did not attend the daycare and/or did not need speech therapy. Jennifer Rogers, 44, owns Arkansas Therapy Source, LLC. She was convicted of […]
12 Phone Companies Agree to Provide Tools for Protecting Customers from Illegal Robocalls
A group of AGs and phone companies has formed an agreement to adopt eight principles to fight illegal robocalls, according to Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. It is a bipartisan, public and private coalition with the Attorney General of each state and the District of Columbia along with 12 phone companies. This agreement is meant to help […]