IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn to plead not guilty
Recent Cases
Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn will plead not guilty to sexual assault charges and will be acquitted, his lawyer says.
In an interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper today, Benjamin Brafman said he was confident his client would be acquitted on charges of sexually assaulting a 32-year-old maid in a New York hotel.
"He'll plead not guilty and in the end he'll be acquitted," Brafman told Haaretz during a brief visit to Israel.
"Nothing is certain, but from what I've discerned in the investigation, he will be acquitted.
"He has impressed me very much. Despite the circumstances, he's doing well. He's not happy to have been accused of actions he didn't take."
Mr Brafman is known in the US for having taken on several high-profile legal cases, including the defence of Michael Jackson and rapper Sean Combs.
Related listings
-
4 ex-Auburn players indicted on felony charges
Recent Cases 05/19/2011Four former Auburn football players have been indicted on felony robbery and burglary charges by a Lee County grand jury. Court documents posted online Wednesday show that Michael McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley were indicte...
-
Minn. court: Defendant may withdraw guilty plea
Recent Cases 05/16/2011The Minnesota Court of Appeals says defendants may withdraw a guilty plea if they are not told a conviction could result in deportation. The court on Monday sided with Rene Reyes Campos. Campos said if he knew he risked being deported for a convictio...
-
Together, Phoebe and Tyler alerted us to a crisis
Recent Cases 05/09/2011Phoebe Prince was a recently arrived Irish immigrant, 15 and emotionally fragile, when high school bullying over two boys she dated apparently drove her to hang herself with a scarf in her Massachusetts home. Tyler Clementi was an 18-year-old violini...
USCIS Adjusting Premium Processing Fee
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it is adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers beginning on Oct. 1, 2018 to more effectively adjudicate petitions and maintain effective service to petitioners.
The premium processing fee will increase to $1,410, a 14.92 percent increase (after rounding) from the current fee of $1,225. This increase, which is done in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, represents the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last increased in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
“Because premium processing fees have not been adjusted since 2010, our ability to improve the adjudications and service processes for all petitioners has been hindered as we’ve experienced significantly higher demand for immigration benefits. Ultimately, adjusting the premium processing fee will allow us to continue making necessary investments in staff and technology to administer various immigration benefit requests more effectively and efficiently,” said Chief Financial Officer Joseph Moore. “USCIS will continue adjudicating all petitions on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet all standards required under applicable law, policies, and regulations.”
Premium processing is an optional service that is currently authorized for certain petitioners filing Forms I-129 or I-140. The system allows petitioners to request 15-day processing of certain employment-based immigration benefit requests if they pay an extra fee. The premium processing fee is paid in addition to the base filing fee and any other applicable fees, which cannot be waived.