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(NEW YORK) — One year ago, on Sept. 21, 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office had filed a $250 million lawsuit against Donald Trump, accusing the former president of fraudulent business practices.

Turning the title of Trump’s bestselling business book on its head, James told reporters at a New York City press conference, “Claiming you have money you do not have does not amount to the Art of the Deal. It’s the Art of the Steal.”

Though Trump has denied all wrongdoing, a New York judge on Tuesday effectively decided the central allegation against Trump, ruling just days before the scheduled start of the trial that the former president committed fraud by repeatedly inflating the value of some of his signature properties. Trump attorney Alina Habba immediately said that Trump planned to appeal the decision.

The judge also canceled the Trump Organization’s business certificates in New York, severely restricting Trump’s ability to conduct business in the state moving forward — a move that Habba called “nonsensical” and “outrageously overreaching.”

Yet the ruling still left multiple matters unresolved — including what additional penalties Trump might face and what might happen with the multiple causes of action included in the attorney general’s suit — which are due to be argued at the civil trial that starts on Monday.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what in the court’s mind does this trial now look like?” Trump attorney Chris Kise asked Judge Arthur Engoron during a pretrial conference on Wednesday, regarding the uncertainties that lie ahead.

Here are five takeaways as the parties prepare for Monday’s scheduled trial.

Trump’s lawyers could face an uphill battle

Trump and his co-defendants face a bench trial, meaning that the sole arbiter of the case is Engoron instead of a jury. In his scathing order Tuesday, Engoron sharply criticized Trump’s business practices as belonging in a “fantasy world.”

“In defendants’ world: rent regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can evaporate into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting responsibility on another party exonerates the other party’s lies…” Engoron wrote, citing multiple arguments made by defense to justify the allegedly inflated valuations of Trump’s assets. “That is a fantasy world, not the real world.”

Engoron also appeared unconvinced by the depositions Trump has given in the case. The judge seemed to use the former president’s words against him, citing transcribed comments Trump made about the inclusion of so-called “worthless clause” disclaimers included in his financial statements, which the defense has argued insulate the defendants from liability.

“However, defendants’ reliance on these ‘worthless’ disclaimers is worthless,” Engoron wrote.

Engoron similarly disagreed with the defense’s argument that Trump’s property values were “subjective” and therefore could not be fraudulent.

“The defenses Donald Trump attempts to articulate in his sworn deposition are wholly without basis in law or fact,” Engoron wrote, adding that the documents presented to the court “clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business.”

Tuesday’s ruling could hurt Trump’s reputation as businessman

While Trump’s public comments indicate he’s been unfazed by the four criminal cases and additional civil lawsuits he faces, Tuesday’s ruling appears to strike at the core of Trump’s identity as a successful negotiator who propelled himself to the presidency on the strength of his business record.

In previous arguments, Kise described Trump as a “master of finding value where others do not” while arguing that Trump’s alleged inflated valuations were a product of his business skill.

“This is why billionaires are billionaires,” Kise said about Trump’s business acumen.

However, Engoron’s ruling methodically tore into Trump’s business transactions, saying that the only way to explain the allegedly inflated valuations was fraud. Finding that Trump inflated the value of his triplex at Trump Tower by between $114 and $207 million, Engoron called out Trump for describing the property as three times its actual size to support his valuation.

“A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud,” Engoron said in his order.

“This has significant consequences for the business of Donald Trump here in New York,” said ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams. “If this holds up on appeal, this could mean he loses buildings, it means he loses properties.”

Trump might appear in court

While Trump is not required to attend the trial, the attorney general plans to call the former president as a fact witness, according to a witness list provided to the court.

When Trump was initially deposed by the attorney general’s office in August 2022, before the case was brought, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 400 times — but he took a more talkative approach during an April 2023 deposition, providing lengthy responses to questions posed by the government.

It remains unclear which approach Trump would adopt if he is called to the stand during the trial.

With so many witnesses, the trial could run for months

Before Tuesday’s surprise ruling, Engoron estimated that the trial could take three months and end by Dec. 22. While his ruling is likely to limit the amount of evidence and testimony, the trial will still include lengthy direct and cross examination of dozens of witnesses.

The government’s witness list, which was updated after Engoron’s ruling, includes 27 people who would appear in the courtroom in person.

While the defense is unlikely to call all their witnesses, their list includes 127 people, in addition to anyone on the government’s witness list.

The outcome could be expensive for Trump

The New York attorney general is seeking a $250 million ruling against Trump and his co-defendants — and that penalty might only be the start of Trump’s financial woes stemming from the trial.

James has also asked the court to bar Trump from entering into commercial real estate transactions in New York, to prevent him from applying for loans, and to disqualify him from serving as an officer of a New York corporation.

With his order to cancel Trump’s New York business licenses, Engoron has directed Trump to begin the process of dissolving the companies held in his name, which could imperil the future of the Trump Organization and similar entities.

“This, you could argue, is more immediately perilous to some degree than some of the criminal cases to Donald Trump,” Abrams said about the risk to Trump’s checkbook.

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(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Recent lawsuits filed against the Baton Rouge Police Department have put a spotlight on a long string of misconduct and abuse claims against the department’s officers, including at a police warehouse referred to as the “Brave Cave.”

The FBI New Orleans Field Office, alongside the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, announced on Friday, Sept. 22, they were opening a federal investigation into the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) amid allegations that members of the police force may have abused their authority.

The announcement came days after a series of lawsuits had been filed against BRPD officers for alleged civil rights violations, including at the hands of BRPD’s Troy Lawrence Jr., a 26-year-old officer and the son of Deputy Chief Troy Lawrence Sr. who, despite his short tenure with the force, is alleged in lawsuits as having an “extensive record of injuring members of the public.”

The lawsuits also put a spotlight on the BRPD’s Street Crimes Unit – known as BRAVE, an acronym for Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination — and their alleged use of a former narcotics unit facility that lawsuits have claimed became a warehouse for violent interrogations, known to BRPD officers as the Brave Cave. Lawsuits filed against the department allege beatings and strip searches of suspects at this facility, with police officers allegedly turning off their body cameras in many of these instances.

On Wednesday, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council held a meeting focused on allegations surrounding the so-called Brave Cave, just a few weeks after Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome ordered the facility be shut down and the Street Crimes Unit disbanded.

“Who is going to tell the people — which one of us is going to tell them — who is going to stand up right now with me and tell them that this issue came before us months ago?” Council member Jennifer Racca said during the meeting. “And we ask for something to be done yet here we sit tonight.”

“Anybody else gonna stand with me? ’cause I know y’all were in the room with me,” Racca said. Most of her 11 fellow council members stood up. It is not clear what issue Racca was referring to. Racca did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. During the meeting, Racca said the council had previously been made aware of the existence of the Brave Cave.

Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Murphy Paul, who was at the meeting, allegedly went straight to the FBI upon learning about the allegations surrounding the warehouse, ABC News previously reported.

“I’ve been quiet, but I’m not going to be quiet no more,” Chief Paul said during the meeting.

Paul said officers had been terminated and others resigned as part of the department’s investigation.

“Fourteen police officers were terminated,” he said while addressing the council. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight resigned under investigation.”

In response to Chief Paul’s statement, Racca said: “If this is what de-escalation looks like the police chief needs to be immediately removed.”

The police department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

In a previous statement to ABC News, the Baton Rouge Police Department said they are “committed to addressing these troubling accusations and have initiated administrative and criminal investigations.”

On Thursday, four Baton Rouge police officers connected to the force’s Street Crimes Unit were arrested by state authorities, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The arrest warrants are not related to the Brave Cave case, according to the source, but for a prior incident.

‘Extensive record’ of misconduct alleged in lawsuit

Officer Troy Lawrence Jr. joined the Baton Rouge Police Department in 2019, and despite his short tenure, “his dangerous temper has led to numerous Internal Affairs investigations,” according to one of the lawsuits recently filed against Lawrence Jr.

The first publicly known incident involving Lawrence Jr. happened less than five months after he was sworn into the police force, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims that on New Year’s Day 2020, Lawrence Jr., along with another BRPD officer, stopped the car of Clarence Green and his younger brother, then 16-years-old. Lawrence Jr. and the other officer ordered the Green brothers to step out of the car and handcuffed them. Body camera footage of the incident, reviewed by ABC News, allegedly shows that Clarence Green and his brother were strip-searched.

The lawsuit, in which Lawrence Jr. was identified as John Doe 1, also alleges he and the other officer then proceeded to search the home of their mother without a warrant and with guns drawn. The case later settled for $35,000 in May 2021.

Less than a year later, another incident allegedly captured on camera seemed to show Lawrence Jr. aggressively detaining a woman after he reported to the scene of a traffic accident. According to a lawsuit filed by the woman, Shermaine Reed, Lawrence Jr. allegedly told her that “next time, I won’t be so nice,” before releasing her.

The lawsuit settled for $55,000 after BRPD declined a settlement offer of $40,000 and an apology, Thomas Frampton, the lawyer for Reed, told ABC News. In both settlements, the city denied any wrongdoing. There are currently three active lawsuits against Lawrence Jr.

One recent lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Jeremy Lee, alleges Lawrence Jr. and other BRPD officers took him to the Brave Cave on Jan. 9, and beat him, turning off their body cameras. Medical records provided by Lee’s lawyers to ABC News show that he was treated for a broken rib and pain on his chest and face before being taken to a local jail.

Just two weeks after Lee’s complaint was filed, Ternell Brown, a 47-year-old grandmother, filed a different lawsuit against Lawrence Jr. and two other BRPD officers, including an unnamed female officer, alleging she was held for over two hours at the facility on June 10.

While she was detained, Brown’s lawsuit claims the officers stripped her and did a body cavity search on her, allegedly holding a flashlight to her private parts as they did so. She was let go without charge, the lawsuit says.

According to one of the lawsuits against Lawrence Jr., another officer, Sgt. Gunter, later told the department’s internal affairs that he believed Lawrence Jr. was “dangerous and that he did not want to work in his presence,” adding that he did not know what Lawrence Jr. “was capable of” and that he felt the officer had a lot of anger against Sgt. Gunter. The investigation resulted in Lawrence Jr. being suspended.

Sgt. Gunter declined to comment for this story.

Lawrence Jr. resigned from the Baton Rouge Police Department on Aug. 29, after news of the impending lawsuit from Jeremy Lee was first reported by local news. The same day, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome ordered the Brave Cave to be shut down.

On Sept. 21, ABC affiliate WBRZ reported that Lawrence Jr. had been arrested on a misdemeanor battery charged related to an Aug. 8 incident in which body camera footage allegedly showed a handcuffed suspect in the rear seat of his patrol car being “dry stunned” by a department issued taser without giving the subject an opportunity to comply with verbal commands. Dry stun refers to the use of a taser on a person to inflict pain without incapacitating the person.

The lawsuit alleges that “no BRPD employee with Troy Lawrence Jr.’s seniority has been suspended by BRPD more times for misconduct (without being terminated) than Troy Lawrence Jr.”

On Wednesday, the Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed to ABC News that Deputy Chief Lawrence Sr. had been put on administrative leave as the investigation into allegations of misconduct in the department continues.

Troy Lawrence Jr. and Lawrence Sr. could not be reached by ABC News for comment.

The Brave Cave

The warehouse, officially known as the Narcotics Processing Facility, was originally used by the narcotics unit at the Baton Rouge Police Department until September 2021, when the unit was disbanded following allegations of corruption that first came to light a year prior, WBRZ reported.

Following the disintegration of the Narcotics Unit, about 20 law enforcement officers belonging to the Street Crimes Unit and Intelligence took over the facility, WBRZ reported.

According to the recent lawsuits, the facility was then used by the unit as a “torture warehouse.” It is in that facility that Lee alleges to have been beaten by police and Brown claims to have been strip searched.

According to the respective lawsuits, in these instances BRPD Officers turned off their body cameras.

In a statement Wednesday, Mayor-President Broome said: “We are taking this matter seriously and are committed to truth, justice and the safety of the Baton Rouge community.”

“The “BRAVE Cave” allegations, or any inhuman act, is not the Baton Rouge any of us want, so there will be accountability and there will continue to be change. We are better than this, and we must not allow ourselves to be defined by this moment in time,” the statement continued. “Red Stick will continue to rise in the face of these allegations because there will be consequences for those who have done wrong. It is the right and only thing to do.”

The FBI has urged the public to come forward with any information regarding the case.

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(WASHINGTON) — The FBI has arrested a member of the Proud Boys who went missing just before he was set to be sentenced for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a spokesperson for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

“We can confirm the arrest of Christopher Worrell,” the spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Thursday evening. “The FBI arrested him and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office assisted.”

Worrell, a 52-year-old from Naples, Florida, went missing in August just before he was going to be sentenced for several felonies he was convicted on over his conduct during the Jan. 6 riot.

Worrell — a self-identified member of right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys — pepper sprayed police during the attack on the Capitol, according to court documents.

A judge found Worrell guilty in May 2023 of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, and obstructing, impeding, or interfering with officers during the commission of a civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence with a deadly or dangerous weapon all felonies, and an act of physical violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings, a misdemeanor. The verdict followed a five-day bench trial.

“Once on Capitol grounds, Worrell spewed vitriol for half an hour at the overwhelmed officers restraining the mob,” according to an Aug. 13 sentencing memo filed by the Justice Department. “And when he saw an opportunity to pepper spray the police line from deep within the crowd, Worrell took it.”

On Jan. 6, Worrell, wearing a tactical vest, carried pepper gel when he marched with other Proud Boys from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, according to court records. He warned officers he passed, “don’t make us go against you,” according to court records.

After the judge in his case was informed that Worrell had gone missing, the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Worrell had been on house arrest after court records show he complained about the treatment at the Washington D.C. jail. The federal judge allowed him to await sentencing while on house arrest.

Prosecutors had sought a 14 year prison sentence for Worrell.

ABC News’ Luke Barr and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this story.

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(BALTIMORE) — The manhunt for a convict accused of murdering a Baltimore tech CEO has ended, authorities said, even as the suspect’s release on a prior conviction comes under further scrutiny.

Jason Dean Billingsley, 32, of Baltimore, was arrested in Maryland without incident around 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, authorities said.

Billingsley was wanted for first-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment and other charges in connection with the death of Pava LaPere, 26, the founder of EcoMap Technologies.

Police found LaPere dead with “blunt-force trauma wounds” in a Baltimore apartment building on Monday, within hours of being reported missing, according to Baltimore Commissioner Richard Worley. There were no signs of forced entry and it is unclear if there was any previous connection between him and LaPere, Worley said. She is believed to have been killed on Friday, he said.

“I know this arrest does not bring back Pava LaPere,” Worley told reporters during a press briefing Thursday. “But my hope is at least we can give a sense of closure to the city of Baltimore, the victims of all his crimes and all their families.”

Billingsley was also being sought in connection with an attempted murder, arson and rape that occurred on Sept. 19 in the 800 block of Edmondson Avenue, police said.

In that case, police responding to the report of a fire found a man and woman suffering from multiple undisclosed injuries. They were transported to area hospitals in critical condition, police said at the time. A 5-year-old was also found on the upper level of the home unharmed, police said.

Billingsley worked at the building and knew the victims, who were targeted, according to Worley.

“All the indications are that this was not a random act of violence,” Worley said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest in that case “within hours” and authorities were actively surveilling and tracking Billingsley to apprehend him when they announced on Tuesday that he was also a suspect in LaPere’s murder, Worley said.

“We knew early on that the risk was when we went public, that the suspect would go underground, which is exactly what he did,” Worley said.

They were within 300 feet of him during the press briefing when the devices authorities were tracking were disconnected, he said.

Amid the search, Worley warned that the suspect was believed to be “armed and dangerous.”

“This individual will kill and he will rape; he will do anything he can to cause harm,” Worley said.

Detectives are reviewing all cases since October 2022 “in order to determine any other connections,” the Baltimore Police Department said in a statement.

Billingsley was previously convicted of a sex offense in 2015 and released in October 2022, according to Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services online records. Billingsley is a registered sex offender in the state’s database.

He was sentenced to 30 years in prison with all but 14 years suspended due to good-time credits — also known as diminution credits — given for good behavior and education under a Maryland statute. Additional time would likely be subtracted for any time served between arrest and sentencing and days off each month, according to ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire.

This type of release would typically require mandatory supervision, including “heavy surveillance,” David Jaros, the faculty director of the Center for Criminal Justice Reform at the University of Baltimore, told ABC News.

Billingsley was on parole and probation and had previously been compliant with the sex offender registry unit, officials said.

When asked about Billingsley’s release on good-time credits, Mayor Brandon Scott told reporters Thursday that every case is different, but when you look at the facts of the suspect’s 2015 case, “you will agree that he shouldn’t have been out in the streets.”

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates told reporters he didn’t know all the details of the prior case, but considered Billingsley’s plea deal and release “more or less systemic failure.”

“Hindsight like they say is always 20/20,” Bates said. “At the end of the day, I think the prosecutor who handled the case would say we had a dangerous individual off the streets for few years, yes. But we also now need to look at in terms of the system that allows for the diminution credits of an individual with this background as well as with those charges.”

LaPere’s family released a statement Wednesday reflecting on her life, compassion and work ethic.

“We have lost a deeply loved daughter, sister and friend who could understand all of us in a way that no other human being could. Pava had a unique vantage into our lives, and an intelligence to understand that each human is unique and irreplaceable,” they said in the statement. “In life’s darkest moments, Pava’s council and reflection gave all of us a perspective, and the will to persevere despite the odds.”

The family also remarked that LaPere, “loved Baltimore, its people, its potential, its art, its history and architecture.”

“There was no bigger ambassador for all that is great about the city,” they said,

EcoMap Technologies, a Baltimore-based company, said LaPere was a “visionary force” behind the startup as well as a “deeply compassionate and dedicated leader.”

“The circumstances surrounding Pava’s death are deeply distressing, and our deepest condolences are with her family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly devastating time,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

ABC News’ Desiree Adib, Beatrice Peterson and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

 

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(NEW YORK) — Hawaii energy and utility officials were grilled Thursday by House members seeking answers about how the deadly Maui wildfires started and could have been prevented.

“We must come to a complete understanding of how this disaster started to ensure Hawaii and other states are prepared to prevent and stop other deadly wildfires,” the committee stated in a recent letter. “To that end, we seek a fuller understanding of the role, if any, of the electric infrastructure in this tragic event.”

On Aug. 8, a series of deadly wildfires broke out across the island of Maui. At least 97 people were killed and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed.

According to the President & CEO of Hawaiian Electric Shelee Kimura, a fire at 6:30 a.m. was caused by power lines that fell in high winds. The Maui County Fire Department responded to the fire, reporting it at 9 a.m. as “100% contained” and later determining it to be “extinguished” and leaving the scene.

Kimura said all of Hawaiian Electric’s power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours when a second fire began in the same area around 3 p.m. The cause of this fire, which grew into the blaze that devastated the historic town of Lahaina, has not yet been determined.

Committee members questioned Kimura on the company’s protocols for shutting off power lines in response to extreme weather conditions. Kimura said they were “very aware of the red flag warning,” which is a warning from the National Weather Service that indicates warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds may combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.

She said that preemptive power shutdowns are not part of their wildfire mitigation plans, but that the company is reexamining their protocols.

Forecasters were indicating that it would be 35 to 45 miles per hour winds with gusts of 60 miles per hour. They later indicated as this was happening, that they had been forecasted that parts of the state were experiencing much higher winds and gusts of about 80 miles per hour,” said Kimura, but she did not know when the warning came in about higher winds.

When asked in questioning, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission chairman Leodoloff R. Asuncion, Jr. said that HECO, the electric company, has the authority to proactively de-energize their power lines when they receive warnings from the National Weather Service.

Chief Energy Officer of the Hawai’i State Energy Office Mark B. Glick was questioned on changes to the policy to reduce vegetation that could cause a fire, as the ability of the electric company to clear brush and vegetation is limited.

According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders, evidence of a downed power line sparking dry brush on the island indicated that Hawaiian Electric equipment may have contributed to the fires. The committee also questioned what actions Hawaiian Electric took in hardening and modernizing the Maui electric grid amid growing wildfire threats.

Kimura said that community members have said they want to have power lines underground as a form of wildfire prevention and mitigation.

However, she added: “On a small island like Maui, with only 70,000 customers, that can get very expensive in a place where … we have the highest rates in the nation. And we’re already facing an economy where many of our people who have lived in Hawaii for a long time can no longer afford to live in Hawaii. So those are the kinds of considerations we have when we make these kinds of decisions.”

The lawsuit alleges that Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. acted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service red flag warning on Aug. 7.

A separate class-action lawsuit was also filed against Hawaiian Electric that alleges that the company “inexcusably kept their power lines energized” despite forecasts of high winds that could topple power lines and potentially ignite a fast-spreading blaze.

Kimura said in a statement that the allegations in the lawsuit from Maui County were “factually and legally irresponsible.” She claimed the company’s investigation showed it responded to both fires promptly.

“Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible. At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review,” Jim Kelly, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric Industries, said about the lawsuit.

 

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(NEW YORK) — Two bodies were found Thursday morning following a plane crash in Ohio County after a widespread search had been launched for an instructor and student pilot, according to Kentucky State Police.

A severe thunderstorm had developed in the area the time of the suspected crash, according to the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials had been searching for an instructor pilot and a student pilot after the small plane crashed on Wednesday near Whitesville, Kentucky.

The plane was found in a heavily wooded area behind a church and a massive search and rescue operation was launched by foot and air to locate the two pilots.

The plane was reported missing by the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday. The plane was en route to Owensboro from Bowling Green when the tower lost contact.

A debris field was located by drone Thursday morning. An initial search was set up based on the flight path, the pilot’s cellphone pings and the Life360 app.

Once the weather cleared, an airplane and three drones were launched to search the area.

Kentucky State Police and the FAA are investigating the crash.

 

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(NEW YORK) — An estimated $925 million jackpot is up for grabs in the next Powerball drawing on Saturday night.

It’s the fourth-largest purse in the American lottery game’s history and the second-largest this year, according to a press release from Powerball.

The grand prize, which has an estimated cash value of $432.4 million, ballooned passed the $900 million mark after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday night. However, four tickets — purchased in California, Kansas, Maryland and New York — matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes, Powerball said.

The jackpot was previously won on July 19, when a ticket purchased in California matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to claim $1.08 billion. Since then, there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.

Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. Both advertised prize options do not include federal and jurisdictional taxes.

The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest, but the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.

Powerball tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.

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(WASHINGTON) — A congressional hearing seeks answers about how the deadly Maui wildfires started, could have been prevented or mitigated.

On Aug. 8, a series of deadly wildfires broke out across the Hawaiian island of Maui. At least 97 people were killed and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed.

“We must come to a complete understanding of how this disaster started to ensure Hawaii and other states are prepared to prevent and stop other deadly wildfires,” the committee stated in a recent letter. “To that end, we seek a fuller understanding of the role, if any, of the electric infrastructure in this tragic event.”

According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders, evidence of a downed power line sparking dry brush on the island indicated that Hawaiian Electric equipment may have contributed to the fires. The committee is also questioning what actions Hawaiian Electric took in hardening and modernizing the Maui electric grid amid growing wildfire threats.

The company is at the center of several lawsuits following the tragedy.

On Thursday, the committee will question three Hawaiian Electric and local officials about the blazes. President & CEO of Hawaiian Electric Shelee Kimura, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission chairman Leodoloff R. Asuncion, Jr., Chairman, and Chief Energy Officer of the Hawai’i State Energy Office Mark B. Glick are expected to be in attendance.

Maui County has filed a lawsuit against the local electric company over the damage.

The lawsuit alleges that Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. acted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service red flag warning on Aug. 7.

A separate class-action lawsuit was also filed against Hawaiian Electric that alleges that the company “inexcusably kept their power lines energized” despite forecasts of high winds that could topple power lines and potentially ignite a fast-spreading blaze.

Kimura said in a statement that the allegations in the lawsuit from Maui County were “factually and legally irresponsible.” She claimed the company’s investigation showed it responded to both fires promptly.

“Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible. At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review,” Jim Kelly, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric Industries, said about the lawsuit.

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(NEW YORK) — Sarah Merlo, a former employee of the Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart, filed a new $20 million lawsuit against the retailer and the estate of shooter Andre Bing for injuries she suffered after the November 2022 mass shooting in Chesapeake, Virginia, that left six dead.

Merlo alleges that years prior to the November 2022 mass shooting, Walmart had been aware of numerous complaints about Bing’s “erratic, disturbing, violent and harassing behavior,” including a complaint Merlo made directly to the company. The lawyers allege that Bing was “acutely paranoid and delusional, believing that he was the victim of conspiracies and unspecified efforts to hack his phone, and was suffering from religious ideations.”

Six people were killed and four others were injured before the suspect — wielding a pistol — shot himself dead, according to the Chesapeake Police Department.

Her lawyers said in the court filing Bing directed “disturbing and harassing behavior towards Sarah due to his personal animus towards her.” They also allege Bing disclosed to Merlo that he liked to kill animals and described how the dead animal carcasses smelled. Merlo’s lawyers also claim that Bing made “veiled threats of active shooter situations to other employees.”

According to Merlo’s account, Bing’s “threatening nature and concerning conduct” had been known to Walmart for more than two years before the November 2022 shooting. The lawsuit alleges that Walmart conducted an investigation but “did nothing at the time and then failed to monitor or respond to additional evidence of Bing’s instability and violent tendencies.”

The alleged shooter chose when to pull the trigger; however, the lawsuit claims that the attack was “fueled by his long-standing paranoia and delusions.”

Merlo also alleges that Bing told another employee to leave before he shot. He later pointed the gun at her as she hid behind a table on her hands and knees. He smiled as he shot her in the face and later six more times, including once in the neck, twice in her upper chest, once in the right elbow and twice in her stomach.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Merlo’s lawyers claim that she has had to “undergo multiple surgeries and faces a lifetime of medical care from these physical injuries and emotional distress.”

ABC News has reached out to Walmart for comment. A rep for Bing’s estate couldn’t immediately be located. The courts have no record of response filings to Merlo’s suit.

Following the shooting in 2022, Walmart said in a statement: “We are shocked at this tragic event.”

“We’re praying for those impacted, the community and our associates. We’re working closely with law enforcement, and we are focused on supporting our associates,” the Walmart spokesperson’s statement concluded.

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(NEW YORK) — Investigators probing the murders of four University of Idaho students sought records of Amazon purchases, Apple data and communications and payments made through PayPal/Venmo, according to newly released records.

Among the Amazon click history that investigators sought was information concerning knives, the search warrant shows. Police say they believe Bryan Kohberger, 28, the suspect charged in the Moscow, Idaho, killings on Nov. 13, 2022, used a knife to commit the murders. Although a knife sheath was found near the body of one of the victims, authorities say the murder weapon has not been found.

In a series of search warrant documents posted late Tuesday to the court docket, though they are dated Sept. 8, authorities requested purchase history and payment method details for an Amazon customer whose identity has been redacted.

The warrant also included a request for “all detailed customer click activity pertaining to knives and accessories,” as well as a long list of information that could flesh out the customer’s full shopping movements and interests on the site, including items saved to the cart, suggestions for future purchases and items reviewed by that customer.

The Moscow Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The warrant requests all details from the account for two precise time periods: March 20, 2022, through March 30, 2022, and Nov. 1, 2022 through Dec. 6, 2022.

It was served in mid-May, several months after Kohberger’s initial arrest, and just a week before a North Idaho grand jury handed up an indictment against him.

The requested data was received by law enforcement by the beginning of July, inventoried, and placed into evidence at the Moscow Police Department, according to an affidavit included in court documents.

Also included in the newly posted documents are search warrants for Apple and PayPal/Venmo, for account identities that were also redacted.

In the Apple search, authorities requested extensive account information, including all devices, addresses and numbers linked to the account, means and source of payment, all emails associated with the account and attachments “in order to locate any materials referencing the planning or commission” of the quadruple murders, according to the warrant.

The warrant also requested the contents of any instant messages associated with the Apple account, as well as the contents of all files and other records stored on iCloud.

The warrant for the Apple search was served on Aug. 1, and the data was received by law enforcement on Aug. 9, according to a Moscow police detective’s affidavit.

The documents for the PayPal/Venmo warrant show that authorities asked for records specifically from June 22, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2022, requesting subscriber details like billing information, payment records, all financial transactions and to whom those payments went, geo-location data, screen names, and all associated email addresses and phone numbers.

Law enforcement received the data on Aug. 1, a week after the warrant was served, according to an affidavit from a forensic detective with the Moscow Police Department. An inventory was prepared and the information was placed into evidence at the police department.

PayPal/Venmo declined to comment when reached by ABC News.

Representatives for Amazon and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors allege that in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, broke into an off-campus home and stabbed to death four University of Idaho students: Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

After a six-week hunt, police zeroed in on Kohberger as a suspect, tracking his white Hyundai Elantra and cellphone signal data, and recovering what authorities said was his DNA on the button snap of a KA-BAR knife sheath found by one of the victims’ bodies at the crime scene.

He was arrested on Dec. 30 and indicted in May, charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. At his arraignment, he declined to offer a plea, so the judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

In court filings, lawyers for Kohberger have said that on the night of the killings, their client was driving around, alone — which, they said, had long been a habit of his — adding he is “not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time; at this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours between late night November 12, 2022, and early morning November 13, 2022.”

Kohberger was “out, driving during the late night and early morning hours” on the night in question, his attorneys added.

Though the trial was initially set for Oct. 2, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial in August, postponing the trial indefinitely.

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