A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted Sophie Dufort, 57, of Gainesville, for her role in a scheme that submitted over $8.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Dufort owned one durable medical equipment company and managed several others. She conspired with Paula Pirone, 70, of Ocala, and others to bill Medicare for orthotic braces using fake or forged doctors' prescriptions. Marketing companies made high-pressure telemarketing calls to obtain Medicare beneficiaries' information, and one co-conspirator acknowledged that calls from overseas were faked to justify bogus prescriptions. Medical practitioners were paid to sign prescriptions without examining patients, or doctors' credentials were stolen to create forged prescriptions.
Braces were shipped to beneficiaries who did not want or need them. When people tried to return the braces, co-conspirators told them to discard or pass them along to avoid repaying Medicare. A medical expert testified the brace comb
A federal court in the Southern District of Florida has issued a permanent injunction against Miami-area tax return preparer Aniel Saint-Hilaire. The order bars Saint-Hilaire from preparing tax returns, advising others on tax preparation, investing in or receiving fees from a tax preparation business, and working in or consulting with any such business.
The government has accepted in full the Low Pay Commission's recommendations and will raise the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over by 50p to £13.21 from April 2027, a 3.9 per cent increase.
All other rates rise by the same 3.9 per cent. The 18-20 year old rate increases by 42p to £11.27. The 16-17 year old rate and the apprentice rate each rise by 31p to £8.31. The accommodation offset increases by 43p to £11.53 per day.
The LPC chair, Baroness Philippa Stroud, said discussions with workers and employers reflected tough economic headwinds, and that economic growth this year had been better than expected but was not leading to hiring. She said stakeholders were also worried about the risk of a further energy price shock.
The commission noted its recommended NLW rate will not reach the two-thirds of median earnings reference point set out in its remit, but said it judges the rate will protect workers' pay in real terms over the period. The commission recommended pausing
The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) has paused all application types with immediate effect while it implements a revised registration process for advisers and organisations.
Under the current system, an organisation's application cannot proceed until any adviser required to sit a competence assessment has passed it, causing delays when assessments need to be retaken. The revised process will require individuals to pass the competence assessment before being added to an organisation's application.
The updated journey will also require all information, including employment history and right to work details, to be submitted at the point of application rather than requested afterwards.
The revised process takes effect from 17 November 2026. From that date, individuals who must sit a competence assessment will need to pass it before they can join an organisation's application or apply to establish their own organisation. Those exempt from the assessment can still join a regulated orga