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Today: The SEC charged two fraud schemes targeting veterans and pre-IPO investors totaling $8.7 million, while California appeals courts handed free speech wins to journalists facing SLAPP suits. Separately, consumer privacy concerns intensified as automakers continue sharing connected car data with third parties despite recent enforcement. The Supreme Court cleared Tennessee's execution of Christa Pike and added a third-country deportation case to its December docket.
SEC Charges Two Individuals With Orchestrating Fraud Scheme That Targeted Veterans
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Christopher Kenji Dinelli and Jacob David "Kobe" Frankel for allegedly orchestrating a fraud scheme that raised more than $8.7 million from 35 investors through their fund, Beyond. The enforcement action specifically targets schemes that preyed on military veterans.
SEC Charges Meyer Global Management and Its CEO With Defrauding Retail Investors in Private Funds
The SEC charged private fund adviser Meyer Global Management LLC and its CEO, Owen E.H. Meyer, with defrauding investors and MGM-managed funds in connection with investments in SpaceX and other pre-IPO securities. The enforcement action addresses fraudulent practices in private fund management involving high-profile pre-IPO companies.
California Attorney General GM Data Sharing Settlement Enforcement
Automakers routinely share personally identifiable connected-car data with third parties despite California's May 2025 settlement requiring General Motors to stop sharing driver data with credit reporting agencies and data brokers for five years. The settlement imposed a $12 million penalty. New research from Northeastern University and Consumer Reports reveals 19 of 21 major automakers continue sharing customers' private data, including VINs packaged with location data or email addresses, with advertisers, analytics firms, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Reddit, and Pinterest.
Walmart Agrees to $16M Settlement Over Expired Infant Formula Claims
Walmart agreed to pay $16 million to resolve California claims that it sold expired infant formula and over-the-counter drug products to consumers.
Victory! California Appeals Court Refuses to Revive Surveillance Tech CEO's Meritless Lawsuit Against Journalist
The California Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision to strike former Premise Data CEO Maury Blackman's meritless lawsuit against journalist Jack Poulson, who published details from a San Francisco Police Department report regarding Blackman's arrest for felony domestic violence. The trial court dismissed the case under California's anti-SLAPP statute. Blackman appealed, arguing a court order sealing the arrest record overrides Poulson's First Amendment right to report the news. The Court of Appeals held that the First Amendment protects lawfully obtained truthful publication absent "a need to further a state interest of the highest order," which Blackman's privacy interests do not satisfy. The Court relied on EFF's 2006 precedent establishing Shield Law protections for newsletter publishers and affirmed Section 230 immunity for Substack and other hosting platforms.
Supreme Court Clears Tennessee Execution of Christa Pike
The Supreme Court lifted a Sixth Circuit stay and allowed Tennessee to proceed with the execution of Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, convicted for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer. Pike sought to reopen her federal post-conviction case based on the state's recent concession that she was a teenage survivor of child sexual abuse and rape struggling with unmedicated bipolar disorder and PTSD. Justice Sotomayor dissented, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, arguing the majority interfered with routine appellate administrative handling and that "Tennessee's desire to expedite Pike's execution by a few days or even weeks cannot outweigh her fundamental interest in her own life." The AP reported Tennessee officials were unable to complete the execution before the midnight cutoff.
SEC Proposes Amendments to Expand Responsible Retailization of Private Markets
The SEC voted to propose rule amendments that would facilitate capital formation in public and private markets by expanding retail investor choice and promoting innovation in regulated fund structures.
Key Takeaways for Private Sector Entities from the FBI's New Cyber Strategy
The FBI published its Cyber Strategy on September 9, 2026, providing a roadmap for defending critical infrastructure in cyberspace across four pillars. The Strategy outlines FBI priorities and partnerships with private sector entities.
Hey Siri, How Do I Limit AI Data Access? iOS 27 AI Privacy Complications
Apple launched iOS 27 with new AI features integrated into Siri, raising privacy complications regarding how AI tools handle user data. EFF's Thorin Klosowski explained the difference between AI phone features computed on-device versus external servers and implications for data protection.
Pentagon Orders Cyber Command to Address Personnel Mental Health After Suicide Deaths
The Pentagon's top cyber policy official, Assistant Secretary Katherine Sutton, instructed U.S. Cyber Command to implement seven mandatory actions to safeguard personnel well-being following recent suicide deaths. The August 31 memo noted the "continuous, high-tempo nature of ongoing active cyber operations imposes a unique cumulative, cognitive and psychological toll" and directed the command to transition "from a reactive posture to a systematic, proactive force preservation model." Actions include providing four years of climate survey data within 30 days, finalizing a mental health professional sharing agreement with NSA, and creating a Cyber Occupational Resiliency and Engagement Framework by mid-October.
SCOTUS Adds Third-Country Deportation Case to December Argument Session
The Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's request to pause a district court order barring removal of noncitizens to countries not identified in their removal orders without opportunity to raise persecution or torture concerns. The Court scheduled December oral argument on the legality of third-country removals, district court jurisdiction, and authority to offer class-wide relief. The district court order applied to migrants who would otherwise be deported under procedures critics describe as "human trafficking" to countries the State Department warns against. The First Circuit initially refused to stay the injunction, but the Supreme Court reimposed the stay pending appeal.
U.S. Sanctions 10 Over ATM Malware Scheme Tied to Tren de Aragua
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 10 Venezuelan nationals and several companies for their role in a lucrative ATM jackpotting scheme using Ploutus malware that caused at least $40.7 million in losses from 1,500 attacks. Officials tied the scheme to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group, calling it a "key source of revenue for the organization." Proceeds were transferred through cryptocurrency or laundered through Mexico and other countries. At least 98 people have been indicted and five pleaded guilty last month.