Latest news with #SFO
CBS News
7 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Port of Oakland attempts another airport renaming to "Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport"
SF seeks to stop Oakland airport from using new "San Francisco Bay" name SF seeks to stop Oakland airport from using new "San Francisco Bay" name SF seeks to stop Oakland airport from using new "San Francisco Bay" name The Port of Oakland is taking another stab at incorporating "San Francisco Bay" into the official name of Oakland's airport after a court blocked its previous attempt. On Friday, the port announced it would seek to adopt the name "Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport," which it said in a press release "reflects its strong Oakland and East Bay identity and its convenient role as a gateway to the entire San Francisco Bay Area." The port said the airport renaming is part of an effort to increase air travel and boost economic activity within Oakland and the East Bay region. Oakland International Airport KPIX In April 2024, the port announced it would change the name of "Metropolitan Oakland International Airport" to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport," noting at the time that many out-of-town passengers were not aware of Oakland's location in relation to the rest of the Bay Area. The San Francisco city attorney filed suit over the name change, arguing that it infringed on the San Francisco International Airport/SFO trademark. The port filed a countersuit, saying San Francisco's lawsuit was "prematurely" filed. In September 2024, San Francisco sought an injunction against the renaming, arguing the change had caused confusion among visitors. A month later, a judge blocked Oakland's use of "San Francisco Bay" in its name in advertising, marketing, or other airport services until the lawsuit between the two cities was resolved. The port said the new name configuration now places "Oakland" at the forefront of the OAK brand while informing travelers that Oakland can be a logical starting point for travelers to the region. "We are proud to be a central gateway to the Bay Area, and we're proud to embrace a name that reflects both our local roots and regional reach," said Craig Simon, the Port of Oakland's director of aviation. "'Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport' does both, putting Oakland first and highlighting our central location in the Bay Area for all visitors." On Friday, a spokesperson for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office said the office was considering its response to the new renaming. "We are just learning about this development and will assess any next steps to ensure San Francisco International Airport's trademark is protected," spokesperson Jen Kwart said. The Board of Port Commissioners will consider adopting the new name at its July 10 meeting. As in the previous renaming attempt, the airport's three-letter OAK code and "I Fly OAK" branding would remain the same.
Axios
7 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Oakland's airport is changing its name — again
After a year of legal disputes, officials at the Port of Oakland announced Friday that they will rename the city's airport — again — to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. Why it matters: San Francisco sued over trademark infringement after Oakland International Airport changed its name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport in a bid to attract more passengers. The lawsuit resulted in a temporary court order blocking the plan. The latest: In a letter to SFO officials, Port of Oakland aviation director Craig Simon maintained that their initial proposal does not infringe on the trademark for SFO and that their goal is to "bring more awareness that OAK is located on the San Francisco Bay." "Research had uncovered a lack of awareness about OAK's geographic location ... as contributing to a depressed flight route demand," Simon wrote. The new name, a response to the court order, will be adopted "while we wait for final legal resolution," the letter reads. Reality check: Widely criticized by San Franciscans, the initial name change led to "evidence of confusion that we have not seen before," SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told SFGATE last September, a few months after the Oakland airport rebrand. Reports included passengers showing up at SFO with tickets flying out of OAK. City attorney David Chiu argued in San Francisco's lawsuit that the renaming "would be particularly challenging for international travelers who may not speak or read English — an important segment of SFO's customer base."
Telegraph
19-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Army of undercover agents to target boardroom crooks
Britain's most senior fraud-buster is planning to hire an army of whistleblowers and undercover agents as part of a crackdown on white-collar crime in the City. Nick Ephgrave, chief of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), has vowed to ramp up the use of 'covert tactics' as he relies on skills learnt during three decades in the Metropolitan Police. As part of the overhaul, he wants undercover officers, paid informants and targeted surveillance operations to help pin down perpetrators of complex corporate frauds. 'Fraudsters are just criminals acting in a different sphere,' he said. 'They're cheating ordinary people, taking money, and damaging the country – the same as gunrunners, drug smugglers and all the rest. 'We should therefore use as much of the tactical armoury that we can against them. That was something I brought in from my policing background, and we are continuing to build that capability.' More than 3.3m frauds were reported in 2024, resulting in in losses worth £1.17bn. This was a 12pc increase on the 3m cases the previous year, according to a UK Finance report. Mr Ephgrave claims to have already made significant headway on tackling the issue since taking over the SFO in 2023, but he is not resting on his laurels. 'I've opened 12 cases since I've started, more than any other director in that period of time,' he said. 'You've got a very, very hungry director of the SFO that is determined to find out. I'm pushing for whistleblowing. I'm pushing for people to come forward. I'm using more covert tactics. I'm getting into your boardrooms. 'Criminals are bullies. They steal, they cheat, they hurt people. You need to stand up to them, and I enjoy doing that. Who wouldn't want to get fired up and enthusiastic about doing that job? 'That's the same motivation whether you're a PC on the beat or director of the SFO.' Police force To boost his cause, Mr Ephgrave is planning to join other forces across Britain in paying whistleblowers for information. 'You only need to look at America to see how effective a properly resourced and arranged incentivised whistleblowing scheme is,' he said. 'Since 2012, 700 UK nationals have gone to the States to blow the whistle, when they could have done it here and this country could have benefited from that. 'Not only could we potentially have had the prosecutions here, but the fines and the money that comes from those prosecutions goes into the Treasury. We've lost all that – it's gone to America.' Prior to taking the top job at the SFO, Mr Ephgrave had served as the third-highest-ranking officer in the Metropolitan Police Service under the leadership of Cressida Dick. This set him apart from all other former SFO directors, who forged their careers as lawyers before taking on the top job at the fraud agency. 'When I came to the end of my policing career, I still had plenty of fire in my belly,' he said. 'I still wanted to be involved in law enforcement. I still wanted to do the best I could for this country.' Now, as the SFO's new director, he wants to use what he learnt in the police to help the UK fraud agency take a more 'practical and pragmatic approach'. 'I spent 35 years investigating stuff in the police so I do have the benefit of a huge amount of experience,' he said. 'I've made all the mistakes. I've done all the things to learn. 'Policing operates in a much faster-paced environment. It's a quicker turnaround. We can learn some of those lessons and bring them into the SFO and we've been doing that.' He believes such tactics can help the SFO take shortcuts to fast-track fraud cases in a way that avoids dragging the agency into risky and expensive trials in court. Growth mission The plan forms part of a wider carrot-and-stick approach to tackling fraud through which Mr Ephgrave is seeking to offer deals in the form of deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs). The agreements let companies avoid criminal trials and typically result in them being forced to pay a fine. 'If you come forward, self-disclose, and fully cooperate with us, we will enter into a DPA with you,' Mr Ephgrave said, 'which means your company can survive and carry on being a profitable organisation, carry on employing people, and carry on being a benefit to the country.' Whistleblowers also offer a way to cut out much of the time spent trawling through documents by pointing the SFO's investigators directly to the source. 'The average size of our investigation is about 5m documents,' Mr Ephgrave said. 'We have a current case on our books with more than 40m documents. One thing whistleblowing can do is take us to the source of the evidence much more quickly, so we haven't got to go out and trawl through tons and tons of stuff.' This renewed focus has already seen him take 'tough decisions to shut cases' that were going nowhere. 'We've got limited resources,' he said. 'I cannot afford to have teams working away on lost causes, so we have to be really hard-nosed and say: 'We're not going anywhere with this''. As for the recent £8.3m funding boost from the Government's spending review, he plans to invest the cash in the SFO's intelligence capabilities and expand its investigative reach. 'We fundamentally believe the SFO is a crucial actor in the growth mission,' he said. 'This country has to be a reliable and safe place for businesses to conduct their business, which means we can have no tolerance for corruption, bribery or large-scale fraud. 'We will pursue every allegation that is appropriate for us to pursue to make this country a really safe and secure place to do business and that's what's going to drive growth. 'If we don't do that, if we fall down on our mission and let all that stuff slip, then this is going to become a wild west again, and reputable companies are going to think twice about investing here.'
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Home detention for role in defrauding Oranga Tamariki of more than $2m
The husband of a former Oranga Tamariki employee who helped his wife defraud the agency of more than $2 million has been sentenced to 12 months' home detention. Amandeep Sharma pleaded guilty to obtaining by deception and money laundering in May after he and his wife Neha Sharma kept their marriage secret and funnelled public money through his construction company Divine Connection Ltd. Neha Sharma, who was jailed for three years in May, kept the conflict of interest concealed as she approved the company's invoices, got him jobs that could have been carried out by other companies and even carried out work for the company during office hours. Less than two weeks after the Serious Fraud Office knocked on their front door, the couple booked two one-way business class to India, after transferring just under $800,000 overseas. Justice Eaton said he seriously considered jailing Sharma but sentenced him to home detention in order for him to seek rehabilitation and support his daughter. "The attitude you have displayed is worrying. It is indicative of a lack of accountability and does in my view display a degree of entitlement, perhaps arrogance," he said. Serious Fraud Office (SFO) director Karen Chang said Sharma and his wife took advantage of her position of trust for their own financial gain. "It is critical that we disrupt behaviour of this kind, which damages the integrity of our public institutions and threatens our reputation as a safe place to invest and do business," she said. "Corrupt behaviour by public servants is a key focus for the SFO, and we are currently advancing initiatives that will strengthen the New Zealand public sector's overall resilience to fraud and corruption." The SFO filed charges against the couple in 2023 alleging Neha Sharma had provided false references to secure her role at Oranga Tamariki where she managed aspects of properties in the Canterbury region, including maintenance, upkeep, and modifications. Neha Sharma set up her husband's company as a contractor without declaring a conflict of interest and then assigned work to this company over others suppliers, at a cost of $2.1 million to Oranga Tamariki. She then applied for a role at the transport agency, for which she also provided a false reference. The SFO said police seized the funds the couple had transferred. It said proceedings to return them to New Zealand were underway, while the High Court had issued a restraining order over the couple's properties in New Zealand. Chang thanked the police and Indian authorities for their swift action and the co-operation of Oranga Tamariki and the transport agency in the investigation.
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Scoop
Husband Who Worked With Public Servant Wife To Defraud Oranga Tamariki Of $2 Million Sentenced In SFO Case
A man who worked with his public servant wife to fraudulently obtain more than $2 million from Oranga Tamariki Ministry for Children was sentenced today, after pleading guilty to charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Amandeep Sharma was sentenced in the Christchurch High Court today to 12 months' home detention. His wife, former Oranga Tamariki Property and Facilities Manager Neha Sharma (nee Chandrasekaran), was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in May. Mr and Mrs Sharma pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining by deception for fraudulently obtaining approximately $2.1 million from Oranga Tamariki. The money was obtained through Mr Sharma's company, Divine Connection, without Oranga Tamariki knowing. The husband and wife team also pleaded guilty to money laundering for transferring just under $800,000 overseas once the offending was discovered, then immediately leaving New Zealand. Mrs Sharma also pleaded guilty to one representative charge of using a forged document. Mrs Sharma used forged references to gain employment at Oranga Tamariki, and again to gain employment at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency directly after leaving Oranga Tamariki. SFO Director, Karen Chang says, 'Mr Sharma and his wife took advantage of her position of trust for their own financial gain. It is critical that we disrupt behaviour of this kind, which damages the integrity of our public institutions and threatens our reputation as a safe place to invest and do business. 'Corrupt behaviour by public servants is a key focus for the SFO, and we are currently advancing initiatives that will strengthen the New Zealand public sector's overall resilience to fraud and corruption.' The SFO filed charges against Neha Sharma and her husband Amandeep Sharma in June 2023. The SFO alleged that Mrs Sharma provided false references to secure her role at Oranga Tamariki, where she managed aspects of properties in the Canterbury region, including maintenance, upkeep, and modifications. Once in the role, Mrs Sharma set up her husband's company, Divine Connection, as a contractor without declaring a conflict of interest. She then ensured work was assigned to his company over other approved suppliers. In total, Oranga Tamariki paid Divine Connection just over $2 million. Following her resignation from Oranga Tamariki, Mrs Sharma applied for a job at Waka Kotahi. Mrs Sharma again provided a false reference to secure her new role. The money laundering charges relate to almost $800,000 transferred to overseas bank accounts in India. The Police Asset Recovery Unit, in close co-operation with colleagues in India, has located and restrained these funds. Proceedings are underway to return them to New Zealand. The High Court has issued a restraining order over the couple's properties in New Zealand upon application by the Commissioner of Police, pursuant to the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009. 'We would like to acknowledge the Police and Indian authorities for their swift action and assistance in securing the offender's assets, as well as the co-operation of Oranga Tamariki and Waka Kotahi in the investigation,' says Ms Chang.
