From Our "No Great Loss' Department: Connecticut Leftist Wacko Gov May Opt Out

02.10.2014

Malloy holds out possibility he may not run

Gov. Dannel Malloy delivers his 2014 State of the Stare address, Feb. 6, 2014.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is holding out the possibility he may not run this year for a second term.

Asked in an interview on WFSB-TV’s “Face the State” on Sunday if there’s a chance he will not run, Malloy said he’s not made a final decision so the answer is “in the affirmative.”

But he added that likes the job and believes his administration is doing what’s right for Connecticut’s long term.

Several Republicans are lining up to seek their party’s nomination to challenge Malloy or another Democrat if the governor chooses to not run. They include 2010 candidate Tom Foley, Senate Republican leader John McKinney and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Malloy calls the GOP candidate gathering a “wonderful donnybrook.”

He says they deserve to have all the attention “they can possibly get.”

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Barclays investigating data theft

02.10.2014

As many as 27,000 customer files with personal information have been stolen

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HONG KONG (CNNMoney) —Barclays is investigating the possible leak of thousands of documents that contain customer information, the latest in a series of blows to the U.K.-based bank.

As many as 27,000 Barclays customer files with personal and financial information have been stolen, according to a whistleblower report published by the Daily Mail.

The files included details such as income, savings, mortgages, health issues, insurance policies, passport and national insurance numbers -- data that brokers could use for investment scams. It's unclear how the information was stolen.

Barclays said that a preliminary investigation suggests the theft was limited to data from clients of the bank's financial planning business, a unit that closed down in 2011. The affected data was likely from 2008 or earlier.

"We will take all necessary steps to contact and advise those customers as soon as possible so that they can also ensure the safety of their personal data," Barclays said in a statement. "This appears to be criminal action and we will cooperate with the authorities on pursuing the perpetrator."

The security breach is the latest in a series of headaches for the London bank.

After a rough 2013, Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins announced earlier this month that he had turned down his annual bonus for a second straight year.

Last July, the bank agreed to pay U.S. and U.K. regulators $453 million after admitting that its employees conspired to manipulate the Libor rate in order to make money for its traders. The rate, which is supposed to represent what banks charge each other to borrow money, is used as the basis for setting rates for up to $800 trillion in loans and financial securities.

On top of that, Barclays announced plans last year to raise about $12 billion after regulators discovered a huge gap on the bank's balance sheet.

Barclays, along with other top banks, is also currently under investigation for potentially manipulating foreign exchange benchmarks to profit at the expense of their clients.

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Civilized World Update: N.Y. cockfighting bust uncovers 3,000 birds

02.10.2014

Jeremias Nieves, 74, was arrested and charged with prohibition of animal fighting

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(CNN) —"Operation Angry Birds": No, it is not a mission to beat your highest score in a phone game app.

Instead, it is the largest cockfighting bust in New York state history, resulting in more than 3,000 seized birds, 70 people taken into custody and nine felony arrests by Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman's Organized Crime Task Force.

The record-setting raid spanned two boroughs and upstate Ulster County.

A cockfight in Queens, a pet shop in Brooklyn, and a farm in upstate Plattekill were raided Saturday night into Sunday by the task force, with the help of New York State Police, the Homeland Security Department and the Ulster County sheriff's office, according to a news release from Schneiderman's office.

The Queens raid disrupted a 70-person event, which included bettors and spectators of the bimonthly fights, according to the news release.

Simultaneously in Brooklyn, law enforcement officials busted the owner of a pet shop called Pet NV after 50 fighting birds were rescued from the basement, according to the statement. The birds were found in poor condition inside metal cages. Cockfighting contraband -- including artificial spurs, candle wax, medical adhesive tape and syringes used to inject performance-enhancing drugs into the roosters -- was also found in the basement.

The owner of the pet shop, Jeremias Nieves, 74, was arrested and charged with prohibition of animal fighting.

The Ulster County sheriff's office and other local law enforcement helped OCTF investigators raid the 90-acre farm in Plattekill. The ASPCA recovered up to 3,000 birds that had been bred, trained and given performance-enhancement drugs from the farm, which has been operating as a live poultry farm for years, according to the release.

For years, the roosters, which were bred and trained at the farm, were then taken to the cockfighting event raided in Queens and the pet shop in Brooklyn, according to the release.

The cockfighting spectators paid an admission fee to watch all-night fights. Alcohol was sold without a permit and drugs were used openly, according to attorney general's office.

"Cockfighting is a cruel, abusive and barbaric practice that tortures animals, endangers the health and safety of the public and is known to facilitate other crimes," Schneiderman said in the release.

Cockfighting is a crime in all 50 states. In New York, cockfighting and possession of a fighting bird at a fighting location are felonies that carry a maximum sentence of four years in jail and a fine of $25,000, according to the statement.

"My office will keep working to hold these individuals accountable, and put an end to illegal cockfighting," said Schneiderman.

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It Was Bound To Happen: "Get Out Of Jail Free" Week

02.10.2014

Beverly Hills offering Amnesty Week for misdemeanor warrants

(KMOV.com) -- A north St. Louis County municipality is offering people a chance to clear their names for free.

The city of Beverly Hills will host an Amnesty Week to lift misdemeanor warrants.

The event begins Monday and runs through Friday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Anyone interested in participating can stop by the Beverly Hills Police Department, at 7150 Natural Bridge Road, for a new court date. 

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The Meddling of Tribal Affairs: The O'Bumbles Effect

02.10.2014

Western tribes have new authority over non-Indians

The changes to tribal jurisdiction resulted from the high rate of domestic violence on reservations, and from an effort to give tribes more authority over crime.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Three American Indian tribes in the West soon will have the power to prosecute non-Indians for a limited set of crimes, becoming the first group of native communities to get such authority since a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court ruling forbade it.

The ruling stripped tribes of any criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians on their reservations. But last year's reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act allows tribes to bring cases against non-Indians for domestic violence crimes and violations of protection orders.

U.S. Department of Justice officials announced Thursday that the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon have met requirements to implement provisions of the law starting Feb. 20 under a pilot project.

Other tribes can implement the law starting in March 2015.

The changes to tribal jurisdiction resulted from the high rate of domestic violence on reservations, and from an effort to give tribes more authority over crime, according to the Justice Department. American Indian women suffer from domestic violence at rates more than double national averages.

Jurisdiction on reservations is split among tribes, states and the federal government, depending on the crime and the race of the person involved.

Tribes have civil jurisdiction over non-Indians but often are reluctant to go forward with a case when the penalty amounts to a fine and offenders have little incentive to pay.

Federal authorities have jurisdiction over major crimes like homicide and assault resulting in serious bodily injury when the victim, suspect, or both, is American Indian. But not all domestic violence on reservations rises to the level of a federal crime.

"By showing people that, in fact, if a non-Indian commits these acts, we'll hold them accountable, it might encourage victims to come forward, speak out and seek help," said Brent Leonhard, an attorney in the Umatilla Office of Legal Counsel.

To become part of the pilot project, the three tribes had to amend their legal codes, create jury pools that include non-Indians and ensure defendants receive the same rights offered in state and federal courts. The Violence Against Women Act also allows defendants to petition a federal court for review of a tribal court decision.

The three tribes will have jurisdiction over non-Indians who live or work on the reservation and who are married to or in a partnership with a tribal member.

Pascua Yaqui Chief Prosecutor Fred Urbina estimates that 1,000 non-Indians live or work on the southern Arizona reservation. He said nearly 270 of the more than 500 criminal charges filed against American Indians in the tribal court in 2011 stemmed from domestic violence. While the caseload won't increase significantly with jurisdiction over non-Indians, he said the tribe can better send the message that justice for victims is possible.

"You don't really want one person being in that situation, being attacked and not having any kind of redress or justice," Urbina said Thursday. "I see that as one of the primary roles of any government, local, state or federal, is protecting your people."

The tribes are required to report cases to the Justice Department as well as any changes in personnel needed to meet the requirements of prosecuting non-Indians, Urbina said. Most tribes believe constitutional challenges will arise from their new authority but say they are prepared to defend their justice systems. Subjecting non-Indians to prosecution in tribal courts was a major point of contention in Congress.

Also on Thursday, officials from the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women were in Albuquerque, N.M., to launch an online resource and training center for stemming sexual violence on tribal lands.

Deputy director Bea Hanson pointed to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that said 46 percent of American Indian women have been physically or sexually assaulted.

The National Indian Country Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault was developed in partnership with the nonprofit Southwest Center for Law and Policy and includes a hotline, online training programs, legal resources and information on the cultural challenges of responding to and prosecuting sexual abuse cases from Indian Country.

"We are at such a base level in terms of tribes being able to address violence against women issues," Hanson said. "It's such a huge problem."

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Basketball player Marcus Smart suspended for shoving FAN he allegedly 'heard calling him a Nigger

02.10.2014

Very dumb thing for this player to do regardless of what he heard or thought he heard.  Laying hands on a fan in the stands is a big no no.  

Daily Mail reports college basketball has been rocked by firestorm of controversy after Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was banned for three games for shoving a fan he thought shouted the n-word at him on Saturday night.

Smart, a 20-year-old sophomore, had fallen on the baseline with seconds remainin in Oklahoma's loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, when he rapidly jumped to his feet and pushed superfan, Jeff Orr in the chest.

The jaws of the surrounding fans dropped as Smart used both his hands and the clearly enraged college player was restrained by his teammates as he pointed back at Orr, who is well known as a Texas Tech season ticket holder.

More here

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AWESOME: Pa. girl, 8, on target with sharpshooting skills

02.09.2014

SENECA, Pa. (AP) — Pulling back slow and steady on her pink 20-pound compound bow, Alexis Dehner rips an arrow straight to the center of her 3-D target.

She does it again and again and then once more.

Lowering her bow, the trophy-winning archer flashes a smile and confidently reaches into her quiver for another arrow that will invariably strike dead center again.

Alexis, winner of medals and trophies and a top-ranked bowman whose talent has been described in flowing terms by professional adult archers, is eight years old.

Granddad's gift

"My PaPa gave me a bow when I was four or five," said the diminutive shooter, a second grader at Cranberry Elementary School. "He taught me how to shoot and I really like doing it."

The bow bestower was Fertigs resident Tom Prody, an archery enthusiast who Alexis quickly described as "really, really good."

Alexis is the daughter of Greg and Tara Dehner of Seneca and the granddaughter of Tom and Julie Prody and Daryl and Sandi Dehner of Seneca.

"We shoot, too, but Alexis just whoops us and that's embarrassing," said her mother, adding that although the movie "Hunger Games" about a young female archer has stirred girls' interest in the sport, that isn't the case for Alexis "because we think she is a little young for that movie."

A repeat champion

While Alexis has a keen affinity for the bow and arrow, she also has incredible talent as an archer. In her past 12 archery contests, she has finished in first place in all but one of them.

The competition has included both large and small fields of young contestants who shoot at both traditional bull's-eye targets and 3-D targets.

"I lost one. I'm really just doing it for fun. But, I wish I had won all of them," said Alexis. "There will be more, though."

The youngster practices every day in a target range set up in the basement of her home. Other practice sessions are held at Archery World on Route 157.

At the age of six, Alexis won her first competition at an International Bowhunting Association match in Fairview. In addition to local contests, she has also taken top honors at matches in Seven Springs, Erie, Warren, Butler and the Rainbow Sportsmen's Club.

Archery equipment companies have come calling, and she has been featured in Shrewd Archery and Copper John Archery publications.

Growing into a second and slightly larger bow, Alexis handed down her original bow to her three-year-old sister, Chelsea.

"My parents have to help her hold it but she can use it," said Alexis.

'Just awesome'

Such diligence to her sport has not distracted Alexis from other pursuits.

"My grades are good - I get all A's and O's," she said. "And my friends and my teacher know I shoot and they think it is just awesome."

As a member of the Lutheran Youth Organization at Good Hope Lutheran Church in Oil City, Alexis so impressed youth director Susie Hlawati that she asked the youngster to show off her skills to her peers.

"Alexis is amazing and she's just such a sweet girl," said Hlawati. "And our youth group thinks she's pretty impressive with the bow."

In the spirit of sharing, Alexis intends to teach the sport.

"I'm having fun doing this and I want to give lessons," she said. "I think it's a good thing to know how to do."

A love of dogs

Alexis is tapping into another talent in an effort to help homeless dogs. Last year, the family terrier-mixed dog, Cupcake, adopted from the Venango County Humane Society shelter, died at the age of 13. Recently, the family adopted another pet.

"I picked her - she's a brown-and-white and six-month-old pit bull from an animal shelter. Her name is Bella," said Alexis. "I really want all animals to have a home and so I wanted to help those places."

Her help is in the form of a craft. She fashions colorful rubber band bracelets, turning out about 10 a week, and sells them for $2 each at Archery World and the Good Hope Lutheran youth group.

In February, proceeds of about $300 to date - all smooshed into a glass jar labeled "God loves a cheerful giver" from Corinthians - will be donated to the Sharon Club Pet, a no-kill pet shelter.

Alexis is teaching her church youth group to make the bracelets and those will be given to Dr. David Wagner of Seneca to take with him on a mission trip, Through God's Eyes, next month to Haiti.

There's a longer campaign, too.

"We're going to do DukeFest to raise money," said Alexis, referring to the annual benefit dog walk in Franklin. "Maybe it will help to make other people care, too."

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How Obamacare discourages work

02.09.2014

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported this week that the Affordable Care Act discourages work among those receiving subsidies to pay their health insurance premiums.

The CBO estimates that the ACA will reduce the number of hours worked by 1.5 to 2 percent from 2017 to 2024.   That represents “a decline in the number of full-time-equivalent workers of about 2 million in 2017, rising to about 2.5 million in 2024.”

Conservative politicians are enjoying another problem with Obamacare, while liberals are straining to explain how this is really a good thing. (Seriously, they are.)

The CBO explains it quite simply.  “Subsidies decline with rising income (and increase as income falls), thus making work less attractive.  As a result, some people will choose not to work or will work for less.”

Just as extending unemployment benefits discourages people from taking a job, prorating health insurance premium subsides to income will discourage some people from trying to move up the economic ladder.

The CBO says some people will choose to work less, but will still be able to maintain the same standard of living.  That, says CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, is a “disincentive for people to work.”

The conclusions make economic sense, of course, but that doesn’t stop the left from arguing, presumably with a straight face, the alleged positive side of the findings.

The New York Times calls the data “liberating.”  “Many workers who felt obliged to stay in a job that provided health benefits would now be able to leave those jobs or choose to work fewer hours than they otherwise would have,” the Times opined.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the CBO report showed that thanks to Obamacare, workers would be “empowered” to leave their jobs.

If this is a good thing, let’s all punch out early and celebrate the emancipation.

It’s not of course, and anyone who has worked hard to improve their station in life and their family’s opportunities for success knows it.

The Times, Carney and the rest have it backward. It is work that’s liberating and empowering, not government dependency.  America was forged on the principle of equal opportunity to pursue one’s aspirations.  A doctrine of the feminist movement was breaking down barriers in the workplace so women could have their own economic success without depending on a man.

Working hard does not guarantee success, but it does improve your chances. What message does it send to Americans who do the math and figure out ways to keep their income down (or perhaps off the books) so they can get the highest possible subsidy for their health insurance?

Creating legislation that discourages work is counter to the American way, along with being lousy economics.

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Doctor says Obamacare creates a federal list of approved treatments

02.09.2014

"Blue Cross can contract with me only if I obey Kathleen Sebelius's regulations on how to provide healthcare."

Dr. John Sowell, Huntsville dermatologist, argues Section 1311(h)(1)(B) of the Affordable Care Act allows for the creation of a list of approved medical treatments, which would restrict doctors seeking the best options for patients.. (Challen Stephens / cstephens@al.com)

The massive binder sits open on the desk Dr. John Sowell, revealing a short high-lighted paragraph in Part II, Section 1311, of the 906-page federal law known as Obamacare.
"Blue Cross can contract with me only if I obey Kathleen Sebelius's regulations on how to provide healthcare," says Sowell, a Huntsville dermatologist who has emerged as a sort of spokesman for Alabama doctors concerned the law will limit their ability to practice medicine.

Under a section marked "Affordable Choices of Health Benefit Plans," under a subsection marked "Quality Improvement," the law restricts payments to doctors. The law says insurers may contract with: "a health care provider only if such provider implements such mechanisms to improve health care quality as the Secretary may by regulation require."

Sowell sees a federal list of medical options, he sees doctors limited to "quality" treatments approved in Washington. The passage hasn't received as much attention as some other portions of the law. But Sowell's not the first doctor to notice.

U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga, a medical doctor, objected to that passage in 2010. He put it this way in 2012 when pushing a bill to repeal that passage: "Under President Obama's health care law, should the HHS Secretary determine that performing mammograms on women younger than 50 violates a standard of care, the provider must comply, regardless of his or her concerns."

Gingrey argued that failure to adhere to such treatment guidelines could cause a doctor to lose the ability to work with federally approved insurers, effectively forcing a doctor out of business.

The new regulations won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2015. So neither Sowell nor Gingrey can know exactly what's coming. "I have no idea. That's the problem," agrees Sowell.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now says it may hold off past the Jan. 1, 2015 deadline.

"We believe that implementing all of the requirements described in section1311(h) by January 1, 2015 could result in a shortage of qualified hospitals and providers available for contracting with QHPs (qualified health plans)," reads the federal discussion in Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters.

But the department is still working on the rules for care. "HHS is currently in the process of researching the establishment of appropriate quality and patient safety standards for QHP issuers contracting with health care providers as described in section 1311(h)(1)(B)."

(See HHS discussion on page 24.)

Sowell, an early opponent of Obamacare, agrees that the U.S. medical system has to change.

"The problem is our system is too expensive," says Sowell, likening healthcare costs to ever-rising prices of college tuition. "I think the dialogue is healthy. The system we've got is unsustainable."

"But I think what's been done is the wrong thing."

Sowell acknowledges that private insurance companies have always limited care. But he sees differences, both ethical and practical, within the Affordable Care Act.

Under private insurance, he says, doctors could exhaust less expensive options before ramping up to more expensive treatments. He also contends patients could switch insurers or appeal to the state regulators of insurers. He envisions few alternatives and no appeals in the face of federal standards.

On an ethical level, doctors take an oath to work on behalf of patients. Sowell says federal regulations could keep doctors from suggesting the best possible option.

Sowell, a charter member of Docs 4 Patient Care, joined the group of physicians in lobbying against Obamacare in 2009. The group now frames the coming debate over government regulations as a looming "moral crisis."

So far, Obamacare hasn't affected his practice. But he expects that will change with regulatory deadlines in 2015.

During a recent forum on Obamacare in Huntsville, Sowell shared the stage with two hospital administrators, an insurance executive and a legal expert. He alone spoke for doctors.

At that forum, Sowell predicted "tens of thousands" of early retirements among doctors. He sees limited access for patients, as more physician assistants and nurse practitioners attempt to meet the demand. He predicted top notch specialists moving their practices to places such as Costa Rica.

Sowell instead favors a three-prong approach, something he regularly discusses with patients. He says the United States first needs insurance competition across state lines.

Second, he argues to separate health insurance from employment. Third, he would have patients spend their own money upfront for minor treatments and reserve insurance for catastrophic injuries.

He argues that if patients knew the cost of a procedure, such as an MRI, they would be more conservative in their requests. And if they had to pay, fewer would seek medical care for colds and minor illness. "All of that should be out of pocket," he said.

But hospital administrators at that same forum last month worried that approach will already lead to increased long-term costs, as $6,000 deductibles under many new plans will deter preventative care. David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital, argued as more people will forgo care and become sicker before seeking expensive treatment at the emergency room.

"The hospitals stand to benefit from this in the short term," said Sowell of Obamacare.
He notes they are required to treat uninsured patients, and the law provides more coverage to more people.

But Alabama has elected not to expand Medicaid, leaving tens of thousands earning too much for insurance under Obamacare. Spillers has said that decision will force dozens of rural hospitals across Alabama to close.

Pam Hudson, CEO of Crestwood Hospital, seemed to share some of Sowell's concerns. "One of the things that worries me is an exodus of providers," said Hudson during the forum.

The members of the panel that night, including an executive from Blue Cross, predicted the Affordable Care Act would lead to a single-payer system. "Then we are literally taking orders from the government," says Sowell.

Yet he agrees. The nation is unlikely to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the direction seems to be toward single payer. From a doctor's perspective, he says that means restricted treatment options for some subgroups, such as the elderly.

While that challenges his sense of duty to patients, Sowell said he has no plans to leave his practice. And he's encouraged his son, who is now planning to attend medical school. "It's a calling" he says.


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Confusing unemployment report explained in 2 graphics

02.09.2014

The job report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics always seems to be sending mixed signals. Take the January report. Unemployment rate down a smidge. U.S. economy added 113,000 jobs. Blah. Blah.

But the Labor figures don’t include people who have given up looking for work, so we’re usually left wondering how many people are really unemployed.

Ritchie S. King, a visual reporter at Quartz, has taken a good look at the January jobs report and explains the employment status of Americans of working age …

King also made a chart that explains which industries are hiring and firing:

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SHOCKER: 70% of Jewish Israelis don’t trust Obama

02.09.2014

A vast majority of Jewish Israelis don’t believe President Obama has their interests at heart in rounds of talks with the Palestinians, according to a poll by Sof Hashavua, or The Weekend, a sister publication of the Jerusalem Post that is Israel’s third most popular newspaper.

It’s the latest bad news for Secretary of State John Kerry, who has spent months on shuttle diplomacy trying to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together for peace negotiations and now finds himself the butt of satire and ridicule by the right wing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday said the “curse-Kerry competition [is] the latest popular sport.”

It wasn’t always this way. Last spring, 61 percent of Israelis had confidence in Obama, writes Karl Vick, the Jerusalem bureau chief for Time. But a Western deal with Iran to freeze Tehran’s nuclear program and Kerry’s pursuit of  framework for peace talks have sent Obama’s ratings south, Vick says. The Sof Hashavua poll finds that 70% of Jewish Israelis don’t trust the U.S. president.

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NOT National News: Bond approved for 2 Chinese scientists charged in Kansas

02.09.2014

Gavel (KSN File Photo)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has approved bond for two scientists from China accused of stealing trade secrets from an agriculture research facility in Kansas.

A grand jury in December indicted Weiqiang Zhang and Wengui Yan on one count each of conspiracy to steal trade secrets and theft of trade secrets. Zhang was an agricultural seed breeder at Ventria Bioscience’s facility in Junction City. Yan was a U.S. Department of Agriculture research geneticist at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark. They’re accused of stealing Ventria rice seeds containing proteins used for therapeutic purposes.

Ventria was the only U.S. producer of those particular seeds and said if the seeds were stolen and the technology compromised, “its entire research and development investment would be compromised,” according to the federal complaint against the two men. The company said its investment in developing the seeds ranged up to $18 million.

Yan and Zhang were denied bond at their initial detention hearings in December, but were later granted new hearings last month in federal court in Kansas City, Kan.

Prosecutors objected to bond for both men, saying there would be no way to “reasonably assure” their appearance at upcoming hearings, and that Zhang lied to investigators and had structured certain financial transactions in an apparent effort to avoid reporting them.

In federal court in Arkansas, where Yan’s initial detention hearing was held, a magistrate initially declined Yan bond, saying Yan had “considerable and somewhat mysterious sources of income.”

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia, however, signed orders Jan. 31 for Zhang and Yan to be allowed release on $50,000 appearance bonds, according to online court records. Conditions of their release include handing over their passports, electronic monitoring and cancelling of all credit cards except one with a $10,000 maximum.

It was unclear Friday if Yan had been released. A lawyer for Yan didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Zhang, who remained in custody Friday, hadn’t been able to make the $50,000 bond because a bank wouldn’t give his wife a second mortgage on their home in northeast Kansas, according to court documents. In a motion filed Friday, Zhang’s public defender, Thomas Bartee, said Zhang’s wife was turned down for the loan “due to concerns about Mr. Zhang’s creditworthiness.”

The motion, which asked the judge to modify the original order to allow Zhang to post bond with money from something other than a second mortgage, said Zhang has other sources who can provide the $50,000 appearance bond, including a brother-in-law in China and a friend at Purdue University.

Zhang and Yan, who have pleaded not guilty, each face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 on each count. They’re scheduled for a next appearance in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., on Feb. 18.

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