2025

The Minnesota Vikings are set to make NFL history in 2025, now slated to become the first team to play international games in consecutive weeks but in different countries.

But before you conclude the league has unfairly set Minnesota’s season ablaze like a funereal Viking longship with a penal scheduling quirk, realize that there is plenty of upside at stake for a franchise still in pursuit of its first championship since entering the NFL in 1961.

Multiple people with intimate knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports that the Vikes sought the opportunity to participate in the league’s first regular-season game in Ireland – against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 28 – followed by a matchup with the Cleveland Browns in London on October 5. (Both kickoffs will occur at 9:30 a.m. ET.) The people were granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation as the NFL’s 2025 schedule continues to slowly unfurl ahead of Wednesday night’s official reveal.

“The two-game trip,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday in a conference call with Irish media members, “gives us an unbelievable opportunity to take our team on the road, get away from a lot of the day-to-day things that may be pulling players in any other direction.”

O’Connell also admitted it’s preferable to face the Steelers at Dublin’s Croke Park rather than Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. The Vikings will be the designated road team against the Browns, too, so they don’t lose a home game in this arrangement, either.

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“From a football side of it, both opponents that we’ll play,” said O’Connell, “have very high-quality home atmospheres in their home stadiums here in the United States. So to get to play them not at their home stadium – tough division, the AFC North tends to be year-in and year-out … we found that to be a potential bonus for our football team, as well as getting the opportunity to have a trip together where we can continue to build our team, our camaraderie.”

The flight from Minneapolis to the United Kingdom is comparable to a trip from Seattle to Miami – long but hardly unprecedented in the NFL. It’s also become rather commonplace for clubs playing back-to-back road games on the East or West Coasts of the U.S. to remain there for a week rather than take a cross-country flight home and back again between games.

“It was kind of a joint decision in conjunction with the NFL,” O’Connell later told members of London’s media corps. “The way I looked at it is from a standpoint of it being a positive opportunity – from both a football side and a business side for our organization. We’re very proud of our organization.”

The world stage also beckons All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson, whose crossover appeal has continued to grow as he makes inroads into the fashion world and leverages media opportunities with international soccer stars, a path blazed to some degree by Odell Beckham Jr. a decade earlier.

“We do have some star power. Justin Jefferson, if (international) fans don’t know about him yet, they certainly will very soon,” said O’Connell.

“Getting the opportunity to see the best wide receiver – on the planet in my opinion – is a great start to getting to know the Minnesota Vikings.”

The Vikings, while serving as the designated home team, beat the New York Jets 23-17 in London last year to cap a 5-0 start to what became an unexpectedly strong 14-3 regular season. Overall, they are 4-0 in international games and have the most NFL victories abroad since 2005. They’re 4-0 in preseason games they’ve played internationally, too. The Jacksonville Jaguars have played consecutive games in London before but didn’t have to switch countries like the Vikes will.

It doesn’t hurt, either, that O’Connell and J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota’s new starting quarterback after missing his 2024 rookie campaign with a preseason knee injury, have Irish roots.

“Our experiences in London have always been memorable, so to return in 2025 as the first team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up,” Vikings owner and team president Mark Wilf said in a statement.

“UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings, creating what often feels like a homefield environment, and we are hopeful that is what we see again in 2025.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

NBA playoff bracket: Conference semifinals schedule, scores

The first spot in the conference finals of the 2025 NBA playoffs is secured.

Round two of the postseason has been a captivating one in the Association. In the East, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated and the Indiana Pacers are conference final bound. In the other series, the defending champion Boston Celtics are down 3-1 to the New York Knicks and will have to play without star Jayson Tatum.

In the West, the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves are one game away from returning to the Western Conference finals. Golden State is hoping Steph Curry can return to spark a rally. Then there’s the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, who are deadlocked at 2-2 with the Denver Nuggets entering an important Game 5.

Here’s the complete NBA playoffs schedule, including results and broadcast information:

NBA bracket: Playoff schedule, scores and results

The conference semifinals are underway, potentially running through May 19.

All times Eastern. *-if necessary

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Indiana Pacers

Pacers win series 4-1

Game 1: Pacers 121, Cavaliers 112
Game 2: Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119
Game 3: Cavaliers 126, Pacers 104
Game 4: Pacers 129, Cavaliers 109
Game 5: Pacers 114, Cavaliers 105

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) New York Knicks

Knicks lead series 3-1

Game 1: Knicks 108, Celtics 105 (OT)
Game 2: Knicks 91, Celtics 90
Game 3: Celtics 115, Knicks 93
Game 4: Knicks 121, Celtics 113
Game 5: Knicks at Celtics | Wednesday, May 14, 7 p.m. | TNT
Game 6: Celtics at Knicks | Friday, May 16, 8 p.m. | ESPN*
Game 7: Knicks at Celtics | Monday, May 19, 8 p.m. | TNT*

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (4) Denver Nuggets

Series tied 2-2

Game 1: Nuggets 121, Thunder 119
Game 2: Thunder 149, Nuggets 106
Game 3: Nuggets 113, Thunder 104 (OT)
Game 4: Thunder 92, Nuggets 87
Game 5: Nuggets at Thunder | Tuesday, May 13, 9:30 p.m. | TNT
Game 6: Thunder at Nuggets | Thursday, May 15, TBD | ESPN
Game 7: Nuggets at Thunder | Sunday, May 18, TBD | TBD*

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (7) Golden State Warriors

Timberwolves lead series 3-1

Game 1: Warriors 99, Timberwolves 88
Game 2: Timberwolves 117, Warriors 93
Game 3: Timberwolves 102, Warriors 97
Game 4: Timberwolves 117, Warriors 110
Game 5: Warriors at Timberwolves | Wednesday, May 14 9:30 p.m. | TNT
Game 6: Timberwolves at Warriors | Sunday, May 18 TBD | TBD*
Game 7: Warriors at Timberwolves | Tuesday, May 20, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN*

Conference finals

All times Eastern. *-if necessary

Eastern Conference

(Series start could move up to May 19)

Game 1, May 21: Pacers at TBD | TNT, 8 p.m.
Game 2, May 23: Pacers at TBD | TNT, 8 p.m.
Game 3, May 25: TBD at Pacers | TNT, 8 p.m.
Game 4, May 27: TBD at Pacers | TNT, 8 p.m.
Game 5, May 29: Pacers at TBD | TNT, 8 p.m.*
Game 6, May 31: TBD at Pacers | TNT, 8 p.m.*
Game 7, June 2: Pacers at TBD | TNT, 8 p.m.*

Western Conference

(Series start could move up to May 18)

Game 1, May 20: ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Game 2, May 22: ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Game 3, May 24: ABC, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4, May 26: ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Game 5, May 28: ESPN, 8:30 p.m.*
Game 6, May 30: ESPN, 8:30 p.m.*
Game 7, June 1: ESPN, 8 p.m.*

2025 NBA Finals schedule

*-if necessary

Game 1, June 5: TBD, ABC
Game 2, June 8: TBD, ABC
Game 3, June 11: TBD, ABC
Game 4, June 13: TBD, ABC
Game 5, June 16: TBD, ABC*
Game 6, June 19: TBD, ABC*
Game 7, June 22: TBD, ABC*

NBA playoff results: First round

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Miami Heat

Cavaliers win series 4-0

Game 1: Cavaliers 121, Heat 100
Game 2: Cavaliers 121, Heat 112
Game 3: Cavaliers 124, Heat 87
Game 4: Cavaliers 138, Heat 83

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Orlando Magic

Celtics win series 4-1

Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
Game 2: Celtics 109, Magic 100
Game 3: Magic 95, Celtics 93
Game 4: Celtics 107, Magic 98
Game 5: Celtics 120, Magic 89

(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Detroit Pistons

Knicks win series 4-2

Game 1: Knicks 123, Pistons 112
Game 2: Pistons 100, Knicks 94
Game 3: Knicks 118, Pistons 116
Game 4: Knicks 94, Pistons 93
Game 5: Pistons 106, Knicks 103
Game 6: Knicks 116, Pistons 113

(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks

Pacers win series 4-1

Game 1: Pacers 117, Bucks 98
Game 2: Pacers 123, Bucks 115
Game 3: Bucks 117, Pacers 107
Game 4: Pacers 129, Bucks 103
Game 5: Pacers 119, Bucks 118 (OT)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Thunder win series 4-0

Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzles 80
Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99
Game 3: Thunder 114, Grizzlies 108
Game 4: Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Golden State Warriors

Warriors win series 4-3

Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85
Game 2: Rockets 109, Warriors 94
Game 3: Warriors 104, Rockets 93
Game 4: Warriors 109, Rockets 106
Game 5: Rockets 131, Warriors 116
Game 6: Rockets 115, Warriors 107
Game 7: Warriors 103, Rockets 89

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves win series 4-1

Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Game 3: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 104
Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
Game 5: Timberwolves 103, Lakers 96

(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers

Nuggets win series 4-3

Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110
Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102
Game 3: Clippers 117, Nuggets 83
Game 4: Nuggets 101, Clippers 99
Game 5: Nuggets 131, Clippers 115
Game 6: Clippers 111, Nuggets 105
Game 7: Nuggets 120, Clippers 101

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Politics

House Republicans face down Dem attacks, protests to pull all-nighter on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

Three key committees in the process of putting together President Donald Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’ are expected to work through the night to advance their respective portions of the Republican agenda.

The House Agriculture Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ways & Means Committee are all holding meetings aimed at advancing key parts of Trump’s bill.

Sources told Fox News Digital they expected the Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means meetings, which began on Tuesday afternoon, to last upwards of 20 hours each. The Agriculture panel’s markup is also expected to last into Wednesday.

Democrats on each committee, meanwhile, have prepared a barrage of attacks and accusations against GOP lawmakers looking to gut critical welfare programs.

Sparks flew early at the Energy & Commerce Committee meeting with protesters both inside and outside the room repeatedly attempting to disrupt proceedings – with 26 people arrested by Capitol Police.

Protesters against Medicaid cuts, predominately in wheelchairs, remained outside the budget markup for several hours as representatives inside debated that and other critical facets under the committee’s broad jurisdiction.

Inside the budget markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred along party lines over Medicaid cuts. Democrats repeatedly claimed the Republican budget proposal will cut vital Medicaid services.

Many Democrats shared how Medicaid services have saved their constituents’ lives and argued that millions of Americans could lose coverage under the current proposal.

Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American people about Medicaid cuts – a word Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, deterred his colleagues from using. Tensions arose when the word was repeated as Democrats called it a mischaracterization of their testimonies.

Republicans have contended that their bill only seeks to cut waste, fraud, and abuse of the Medicaid system, leaving more of its resources for vulnerable populations that truly need it.

That committee was tasked with finding $880 billion in spending cuts to offset Trump’s other funding priorities. Guthrie told House Republicans on a call Sunday night that they’d found upwards of $900 billion in cuts.

Democrats have seized on Republican reforms to Medicaid, including heightened work requirements and shifting more costs to certain states, as a political cudgel.

At one point late in the evening, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made an appearance at the Energy & Commerce panel’s meeting.

‘I just want to mention our Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is here because of his concern about Medicaid. Thank you,’ the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said.

But tensions remain between moderate Republicans and conservatives about the level of cuts the committee is seeking to the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act green energy tax subsidies.

The meeting at the Ways & Means Committee, the House’s tax-writing panel, had relatively little fanfare but was equally contentious as Democrats attempted to offer amendments to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits and changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap.

At one point, Reps. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., got into a heated exchange over SALT, with Suozzi pushing Van Duyne on whether she’d ever been to New York.

Van Duyne earlier called Texas a ‘donor state’ in terms of taxes, arguing, ‘We should not have to pay to make up for the rich folks in New York who are getting raped by their local and state governments.’

Suozzi later pointed out Van Duyne was born and went to college in upstate New York – leading to audible gasps in the room.

Van Duyne said there was ‘a reason’ she left.

‘We’re sorry you left New York, but in some ways it may have worked out better for all of us,’ Suozzi said.

The SALT deduction cap, however, is still a politically tricky issue even as House lawmakers debate what Republicans hoped would be the final bill.

The legislation would raise the $10,000 SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for most single and married tax filers – a figure that Republicans in higher cost-of-living areas said was not enough.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., threatened to vote against the final bill if the new cap remains.

As the committee’s marathon meeting continued, a group of blue state Republicans are huddling with House GOP leaders to find a compromise on a way forward.

Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., hinted at tensions in the meeting when he posted on X that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a member of the SALT Caucus and Ways & Means Committee, ‘wasn’t involved in today’s meeting’ because her district required ‘something different than mine and the other most SALTY five.’

Malliotakis had told Fox News Digital she was supportive of the $30,000 cap. She’s also the only member of the SALT Caucus on the critical tax-writing panel.

The Agriculture Committee, which began its meeting on Tuesday evening, saw Democrats waste no time in accusing Republicans of trying to gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps.

Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., accused Republicans of worrying that ‘somebody is getting a meal they didn’t deserve or kids are getting too fat’ instead of more critical issues.

Republicans, like Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, touted the bill’s inclusion of crop insurance for young farmers, increasing opportunity for export markets, and helping invest in national animal disaster centers aimed at preventing and mitigating livestock illness.

He also said Republicans were working to ‘secure’ SNAP from waste and abuse.

House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt.

Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver for a sweeping bill on his tax, border, immigration, energy and defense priorities.

Two sources familiar with the plan said the House Budget Committee intends to advance the full bill, the first step to getting the legislation to a House-wide vote, on Friday.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Sports

Florida Panthers minority owner suspended for ‘unacceptable’ posts

The NHL suspended a minority owner of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday for his recent ‘unacceptable and inappropriate’ posts on social media.

Doug Cifu, the team’s vice chairman and alternate governor, is barred from any involvement with the team or the league pending a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a later date.

In a back-and-forth exchange Sunday with a Toronto fan on X (formerly Twitter) that began with comments about the ongoing playoff series between the Maple Leafs and Panthers, the topic switched to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

‘Eat (expletive) 51st state anti-semite loser,’ one of Cifu’s posts read. ‘Israel now and forever. Until ever (sic) last Hamas rat is eliminated.’

That post, which began by referencing President Donald Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state, was later deleted and the account was deactivated.

‘The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu’s X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate,’ the league said in a statement. ‘As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL.’

Cifu provided a statement Tuesday to Florida Hockey Now.

‘Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media,’ the statement read. ‘My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions.’

Cifu is the CEO of Virtu Financial, a business he co-founded with Panthers owner and chairman Vincent Viola in 2008.

The Panthers and Maple Leafs are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Game 5 is in Toronto on Wednesday night.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Ohio State women’s hoops coach arrested on suspicion of drunk driving

Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff was arrested May 6 in a suspected drunk-driving incident, during which he was found parked in his own front yard, according to a police report cited by the Columbus Dispatch.

Police in Dublin, Ohio, said they arrested McGuff on May 6 before later noting he was found in his Toyota Sequoia in an incident report on Tuesday.

Ohio State athletics told the Dispatch, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that it is aware of the matter and following the situation.

‘This is an ongoing, personal legal matter, and the department will share additional information at the appropriate time,’ said Maria Slovikovski, associate director for communications at the department of athletics.

The report notes another driver called the police after seeing a Toyota Sequoia driving recklessly, hitting multiple curbs and driving partially through a yard. The report also states it took the driver more than two minutes to open the driver’s side door, and the driver denied being under the influence.

McGuff was asked to perform a field sobriety test at the scene and was asked to recite the alphabet from letters D to R. The report noted the instructions had to be repeated three times. He also refused to take a breathalyzer test.

McGuff was eventually taken into custody and charged with an OVI, or operating a vehicle (while) impaired, in Ohio. He was released to his wife at 9:31 p.m., just more than an hour after being taken into custody. Since he refused a breathalyzer test, his driver’s license was also suspended.

McGuff, 55, has been at Ohio State since 2013 and has won four Big Ten regular-season championships. He led the Buckeyes to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearance in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. He has a 224-109 career record at Ohio State after leaving Washington, where he coached from 2011-13.

This story was updated to correct a typo in the headline.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Business

Father and son fraudsters sentenced in case of $100 million New Jersey deli

CAMDEN, N.J. — The father and son duo behind a stock fraud scheme involving the infamous $100 million New Jersey deli were sentenced to several months in prison Tuesday.

Peter Coker Jr. was sentenced to 40 months. With credit for time served, he owes about 12 months locked up. But he could be released sooner than that given how federal inmates are granted time off for good conduct.

Earlier Tuesday, the 56-year-old’s father, North Carolina businessman Peter Coker Sr., was sentenced to six months in jail, to be followed by six months of home confinement, for his role in the case.

The Cokers and a third man, James Patten, admitted to the scheme in orchestrated the fraudulent inflation of the share price of two companies to better position them for mergers with private firms.

One of the companies, Hometown International, ended up having a market capitalization of more than $100 million despite owning just a small, money-losing deli in South Jersey.

The other company, E-Waste, had an even larger market cap, despite having no business operations.

Coker Jr. was brutally attacked while in a Thai prison awaiting extradition in early 2023, his attorney said at his sentencing for securities fraud in New Jersey federal court on Tuesday.

Coker Jr. was set upon by as many as 10 fellow inmates in the Thai lock-up, his lawyer said. Coker Jr. was being held there after police found him in Thailand while under indictment in the United States for the securities fraud scheme involving the deli owner and a related shell company

Coker Jr.’s lawyer, John Azzarello, cited his time in the Thai prison and in the 26 or so months he has served in an Essex County jail, in asking a judge to sentence him to effectively time served, or only a few months more.

Azzarello called those conditions in both jails “inhumane.”

Azzarello also detailed how Coker Jr. was suffering from severe cirrhosis of the liver as the result of alcohol abuse — “a bottle of whiskey a day” — before he was arrested in Thailand.

He said Coker Jr. had been hospitalized several times for his condition, and that doctors were considering doing a liver transplant.

Coker Jr., speaking to Judge Christine O’Hearn in U.S. District Court in Camden, said, “This crime has changed me profoundly.”

“The assault and the horrors I experienced in Bangkok prison, I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” Coker Jr. said, wearing a yellow one-piece jailhouse uniform.

“It was the lowest point in my life.”

He also expressed regret for his role in the scheme, which involved his father and another man.

“It’s very important to me that your honor and my parents know I wish I could go back,” and not commit the crime, Coker Jr. said.

“It kills me, every time I think about it, how my actions affected my parents,” he said.

“My parents should have never been associated with this abhorrent crime,” Coker Jr. said.

“My greed destroyed us both.”

Coker Jr. faces deportation after he serves his sentence. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2019, and holds citizenship in the Caribbean nation St. Kitts.

During his sentencing, Coker Sr. was ordered to pay a $500,000 fine and pay up to $644,000 in restitution.

“I do stand before you extremely remorseful for my actions,” Coker Sr. said as his wife, daughter, grandchildren, and friends looked on.

“I’m terribly sorry for my part. This episode has been the worst time of my life,” the 82-year-old Chapel Hill resident said. “I’m sorry for every investor who has been harmed by my actions.”

Federal sentencing guidelines had suggested a prison sentence of 51 to 63 months for Coker Sr.

But prosecutors said they wanted less time than that, namely the top end of a range of zero to 24 months that they stipulated when he pleaded guilty.

Judge O’Hearn said she would have sentenced Coker Sr. to much more time in jail if he was not as old as he is.

“This was a fraudulent scheme from the inception,” Judge O’Hearn said at the start of the hearing.

“The companies are, in fact, worthless, and there is no prospect for recovery,” O’Hearn said.

“This was a multi-year, very sophisticated fraudulent scheme involving a sort of esoteric corporate structure, of which I’ve learned more than I ever care to,” the judge said. “One that was illegal … and it caused harm.”

The judge opened the hearing by delivering a blow to defense lawyers, adopting prosecutors’ argument that there were nearly $5 million in losses from the scheme, which included investments by Duke and Vanderbilt universities.

“What is the motivation here other than greed? Because I don’t see it,” O’Hearn asked at one point, after noting that all three defendants were each worth millions of dollars apiece.

Coker Sr., who was a star college basketball player at Dartmouth and then North Carolina State, has a net worth of $6 million, the judge said.

Patten is due to be sentenced on June 10.

The younger Coker was not in court while his father was sentenced, because of a long delay in transporting him from a jail in Essex County. He has been detained there without bail since being extradited from Thailand in March 2023 following his arrest there as a fugitive.

Coker Sr.’s lawyer, Zach Intrater, asked O’Hearn to sentence him to no prison time after describing him as a good family man who never disputed his criminal conduct after he was first charged.

“I don’t think they make very many more like Pete anymore,” the defense attorney said. “He’s courtly, his manners are impeccable.”

Intrater repeatedly referenced Susan Coker, who has been married to Peter for 61 years, asking the judge to allow the couple to remain together for what remains of their lives.

“He bears responsibility for engaging in an offense that didn’t just hurt other peopl,e that didn’t just hurt his family, but that involved his son, his only son, and knowing that his son has been incarcerated in part from his own actions and knowing what has happening to his son during that term of incarceration.”

“Judge, I think having to live with that is a punishment that could be worse than even what you could impose,” Intrater said.

The attorney also argued that Coker Sr. was not the “prime mover” for the scheme.

Susan Coker told the judge, “He’s just a wonderful guy.”

“I know if he had a second chance, he never would have done any of this,” Susan said, her voice cracking.

Coker Sr. and Patten were arrested in September 2022, months after both Hometown merged with a bioplastics company, and more than a year after E-Waste did its own merger with an electric vehicle company.

Coker Jr., who previously resided in Hong Kong, was arrested months later.

The men were indicted more than a year after CNBC detailed a web of questionable connections between Hometown and E-Waste, as well as the prior criminal and civil court cases of Coker Sr. and of Patten, and consulting deals with both companies that benefited those two men.

The fraud came to light in April 2021 when hedge fund manager David Einhorn wryly noted that Hometown International’s market capitalization was $100 million despite owning just one asset whose annual revenue from selling sandwiches, soda, and chips was less than $36,000 for the past two years combined.

“The pastrami must be amazing,” Einhorn wrote in a letter to clients.

Intrater on Tuesday said that he believed the case was prosecuted in large part because of the Einhorn letter, which generated significant coverage in the media.

The scam, which ran from 2014 through September 2022, coordinated trading of the stocks of the companies, creating the false impression of demand for shares that traded on OTC Marketplace.

The scheme began when Patten suggested the creation of Hometown as an umbrella corporation to his friend Paul Morina, a high school principal and renowned wrestling coach. The company would go on to own the Your Hometown Deli in Paulsboro, New Jersey.

Morina and the other deli owner were unaware of Patten’s scheme to manipulate Hometown’s stock.

Hometown’s stock price rose by more than 900% during the scheme. The price of E-Waste rose by nearly 20,000%.

In 2010, Patten pleaded guilty in New Jersey federal court to a mail fraud charge in connection with sending a client a false financial statement to cover up bad investments he made using her money. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison in that case.

Four years before, Patten was barred by the broker-dealer FINRA from acting as a stockbroker for failing to satisfy an arbitration award of more than $753,000, violating securities laws, and unauthorized trading for churning a client’s account.

Coker Sr. years ago was sued for allegedly hiding money from creditors and alleged business-related fraud. He denied wrongdoing in those cases.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Business

UnitedHealth CEO suddenly steps down for ‘personal reasons’

UnitedHealth Group announced a new chief executive Tuesday, a sudden and surprising change following the fatal shooting in December of its UnitedHealthcare subsidiary’s leader.

Andrew Witty stepped down from leading UnitedHealth for unspecified “personal reasons,” the company said. Stephen J. Hemsley, who served as chief executive from 2006 to 2017, will return to the role and remain board chairman. Witty will serve as a senior adviser to Hemsley, the company said in a news release.

UnitedHealth has been the focus of sharp criticism over the health insurance industry’s practices and has seen its stock plummet in the past year. The Justice Department has investigated its business activities.

UnitedHealth’s shares fell more than 17% Tuesday. The stock, which is part of the 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average, closed at $311.38 a share, well off its recent high of $630.73 in November.

The company also said that it has suspended its annual outlook for 2025, to include ‘more types of benefit offerings than seen in the first quarter’ and because ‘the medical costs of many Medicare Advantage beneficiaries new to UnitedHealthcare remained higher than expected.’

‘The company expects to return to growth in 2026,’ the statement added.

In December, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in what police described as a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack” in midtown Manhattan as he was walking to an investors’ conference.

Luigi Mangione, now 27, was arrested after a five-day manhunt at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

He faces federal and state charges in New York and Pennsylvania in connection with the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder and terrorism charges in New York, and not guilty to federal stalking and murder charges. If convicted of federal charges, Mangione could be sentenced to death.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Business

Microsoft to cut 3% of its workforce

Microsoft on Tuesday said that it’s laying off 3% of employees across all levels, teams and geographies.

“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.

The company reported better-than-expected results, with $25.8 billion in quarterly net income, and an upbeat forecast in late April.

Microsoft had 228,000 employees worldwide at the end of June, meaning that the move will affect thousands of employees.

It’s likely Microsoft’s largest round of layoffs since the elimination of 10,000 roles in 2023. In January the company announced a small round of layoffs that were performance-based. These new job cuts are not related to performance, the spokesperson said.

One objective is to reduce layers of management, the spokesperson said. In January Amazon announced that it was getting rid of some employees after noticing “unnecessary layers” in its organization.

Last week cybersecurity software provider CrowdStrike announced it would lay off 5% of its workforce.

In January, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told analysts that the company would make sales execution changes that led to lower growth than expected in Azure cloud revenue that wasn’t tied to artificial intelligence. Performance in AI cloud growth outdid internal projections.

“How do you really tweak the incentives, go-to-market?” Nadella said. “At a time of platform shifts, you kind of want to make sure you lean into even the new design wins, and you just don’t keep doing the stuff that you did in the previous generation.”

On Monday, Microsoft shares stopped trading at $449.26, the highest price so far this year. They closed at a record $467.56 last July.

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Sports

Dick Vitale announces he’s cancer-free: ‘I’m on cloud nine’

On Tuesday, Dick Vitale was told the four words he was so desperately waiting to hear.

You are cancer-free.

The longtime ESPN college basketball analyst, who has battled various forms of cancer since 2021, announced on social media that his doctors at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida gave him a clean bill of health after reviewing his scans and bloodwork.

“I can’t believe it. I really am so excited,” Vitale said. “It brought me to tears when he delivered it because as cancer patients, you know that call is nerve-wracking. It’s life-changing. …I’m on cloud nine.”

Since undergoing surgery in the summer of 2021 to remove melanoma, Vitale has endured several different cancer diagnoses and treatments. He announced in October 2021 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma and later that year, precancerous dysplasia and ulcerous lesions were found on his vocal cords.

Two years later, in July 2023, he was again diagnosed with cancer in his vocal cords, forcing him to undergo radiation treatments and in June 2024, a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer.

During that four-year stretch, Vitale had to step away on several different occasions from calling games for ESPN, where he had become one of the faces of not only the network’s college basketball coverage, but the sport as a whole. He missed the entirety of the 2023-24 season before making his much-anticipated return for Clemson’s 77-71 win against Duke on Feb. 8.

‘There were moments I wasn’t sure I’d ever sit courtside again,’ he said to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in advance of his first game back. ‘Long stretches where I had no voice at all. It was a roller coaster — highs, lows, moments of doubt. But through it all, I kept fighting, believing, and praying. The last time I called a game was on April 3, 2023, the national championship, UConn versus San Diego State for ESPN International. That feels like a lifetime ago. But now? Now, I get to do it again.’

Following the latest bit of good news, Vitale has some plans in mind.

“Celebration time tonight,” he said. “I’m going to have a great Italian dinner, man. I feel like I won the national championship.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Sports

Ohio State women’s hoops coach arrested on suspension of drunk driving

Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff was arrested May 6 in a suspected drunk-driving incident, during which he was found parked in his own front yard, according to a police report cited by the Columbus Dispatch.

Police in Dublin, Ohio said they arrested McGuff on May 6 before later noting he was found in his Toyota Sequoia in an incident report on Tuesday.

Ohio State athletics told the Dispatch, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that it is aware of the matter and following the situation.

‘This is an ongoing, personal legal matter, and the department will share additional information at the appropriate time,’ said Maria Slovikovski, associate director for communications at the department of athletics.

The report notes another driver called the police after seeing a Toyota Sequoia driving recklessly, hitting multiple curbs and driving partially through a yard. The report also states it took the driver more than two minutes to open the driver’s side door, and the driver denied being under the influence.

McGuff was asked to perform a field sobriety test at the scene and was asked to recite the alphabet from letters D to R. The report noted the instructions had to be repeated three times. He also refused to take a breathalyzer test.

McGuff was eventually taken into custody and charged with an OVI, or operating a vehicle impaired, in Ohio. He was released to his wife at 9:31 p.m., just more than an hour after being taken into custody. Since he refused a breathalyzer test, his driver’s license was also suspended.

McGuff, 55, has been at Ohio State since 2013 and has won four Big Ten regular-season championships. He led the Buckeyes to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearance in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. He has a 224-109 career record at Ohio State after leaving Washington, where he coached from 2011-13.

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