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Ex-Congressman Should Get Almost Five Years in Prison, U.S. Says
Human Rights Watch Boss Says He Was Barred From Hong Kong
A Japanese woman was asked to take a pregnancy test before flying to a US island that has become popular for birth tourism

Ex-Congressman Should Get Almost Five Years in Prison, U.S. Says

Posted: 13 Jan 2020 11:34 AM PST

(Bloomberg) -- Former New York Republican congressman Christopher Collins should serve almost five years in federal prison after admitting to funneling confidential stock tips to his son, prosecutors said.Collins, 69, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and lying to federal investigators as part of a deal with prosecutors, who agreed to seek a punishment within federal sentencing guidelines that called for him to serve 46 to 57 months.Collins last week asked U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in Manhattan to spare him from prison and order him to serve probation when he is sentenced on Friday, citing his advanced age, charitable work and repentance. On Monday, prosecutors urged the judge to impose a sentence at the "top end" of the range to promote respect for the law, punish Collins appropriately and deter others who might engage in similar behavior."Collins was better situated than almost anyone else to understand the societal importance of following the law and of not actively impeding the work of law enforcement through lies," prosecutors said in a memo. "Yet he flouted both of these responsibilities. In committing insider trading and later lying to federal agents to cover it up, and in continuing to actively serve in the House of Representatives during that time period, Collins came to embody the cynical idea that those in power who make the laws are not required to follow them."Read More: Western New Yorkers Urge Judge to 'Throw Book' at Ex-CongressmanCollins, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, was the first congressman to endorse Donald Trump for president. He admitted to tipping off his son Cameron to the negative results of the clinical trial for a a multiple sclerosis drug being developed by Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotechology company on whose board he served. He resigned from Congress in September, shortly before pleading guilty.Prosecutors said by tipping his son to the results of the drug tests, Cameron, his fiancee, her parents and a friend were able to sell more than 1.78 million Innate shares, avoiding losses of about $768,000. Cameron pleaded guilty just days after his father and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23.The case is U.S. v. Collins, 18-cr-567, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Jeffrey, Peter BlumbergFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Human Rights Watch Boss Says He Was Barred From Hong Kong

Posted: 12 Jan 2020 11:35 PM PST

(Bloomberg) -- The executive director of campaign group Human Rights Watch said Sunday that he was prevented from entering Hong Kong, where he intended to release a report critical of the Chinese government.Kenneth Roth said in a video posted on Twitter that he had planned to hold a news conference Wednesday to release the rights group's annual world report."I had hoped to spotlight Beijing's deepening assault on international efforts to uphold human rights," Roth said in a statement. "The refusal to let me enter Hong Kong vividly illustrates the problem."Roth added that Hong Kong officials told him repeatedly that they were barring him for immigration reasons. The Hong Kong Immigration Department said Monday that it doesn't comment on individual cases, but considers "all relevant factors and circumstances of the case before deciding whether the entry should be allowed or not."The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last month that the country would impose unspecified "sanctions" against Human Rights Watch and several other U.S.-based pro-democracy organizations. The group said Sunday that neither Chinese nor Hong Kong officials have since provided details on what action would be taken. Increased ScrutinyThe Hong Kong government has occasionally denied entry to public figures in recent years, mostly to human rights campaigners, journalists or politicians who have criticized China.Last year, Hong Kong denied entry to Dan Garrett, an author who had earlier testified on Hong Kong before the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, as well as former Philippine Foreign minister Albert del Rosario, who has been critical of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea.In 2018, Hong Kong also turned back Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, who had been denied a visa renewal over an event he hosted at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club, and a year earlier denied entry to British human rights campaigner Benedict Rogers.With Journalist's Ouster, China Draws New Red Line for Hong KongGroups like Human Rights Watch have increased scrutiny of Hong Kong during seven months of pro-democracy protests that have led to regular violent clashes between demonstrators and police. The protests continued Sunday, as thousands of people gathered in a square in Hong Kong's city center for a peaceful afternoon rally under the gaze of riot police who kept their distance from the event while patrolling the area.China has bristled at accusations that authorities have used excessive force in containing the protests and has rejected international criticism, accusing foreign governments like the U.S. of meddling in its domestic affairs.(Updates with government statement in fourth paragraph)\--With assistance from James Amott.To contact the reporters on this story: William Shaw in London at wshaw20@bloomberg.net;Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.