Possible $250 million penalty would settle fraud charges with SEC

By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News
September 11, 2004

Qwest Communications has tentatively agreed to pay $250 million to settle fraud charges with federal regulators, sources told the Rocky Mountain News, in a deal that would sweep away a major stumbling block for the company in its bid to survive.

John Thompson, a Communications Workers of America vice president, on Friday told the News a Qwest official had notified him of the preliminary agreement involving the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Another source familiar with Qwest said details of the deal are expected to be spelled out in federal court within weeks.

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By SUZANNE KING The Kansas City Star

Sprint Corp. will pay more than $1.1 million to settle charges that it violated consumer credit protection laws, the Federal Trade Commission said Friday.

A federal investigation found that during 2001 and 2002, Sprint failed to live up to requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The law requires companies that either deny service or offer modified service based on an unfavorable credit report to notify the customer and provide the name and address of the credit reporting agency.

The trade commission also alleges that Sprint violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by failing to provide notices or omitting certain information from the notices it did provide.

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By Steve Eighinger

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Those in attendance at Union United Methodist Church’s contemporary service Sunday morning will have an opportunity to hear chaplain Lt. Col. John Read speak — from Baghdad.

Read will address the congregation via an audio hook-up from Iraq. He will be thanking the congregation for its efforts in spearheading a drive which raised 1.3 million minutes of phone cards for U.S. soldiers to use while stationed in Iraq.

The service begins at 11:30 and will last approximately 30 minutes, according to the Rev. Bob Morwell.

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