BUSINESS DIGEST ||

OBWC recognizing Boak & Sons today

YOUNGSTOWN

Today, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator/CEO Sarah Morrison will recognize Boak & Sons Inc., a residential, commercial and industrial roofing, vinyl and aluminum siding, replacement windows and insulation company in Austintown, for its commitment to workplace safety and for enrolling in a new BWC program that provides workers’ compensation coverage to Ohio employees when they’re working in other states.

Allstate Insurance agent expanding

NEW CASTLE, Pa.

Allstate Insurance Co. recently announced that exclusive agent Chad J. Gettemy is expanding his business in the New Castle community.

The Gettemy Agency’s new office is at 1429 New Butler Road, Suite No. 4. Gettemy has more than 20 years of experience with Allstate, working for the corporation for 10 years before opening his Allstate agency in 2006. To better serve his community, Gettemy is relocating to a larger office space that is more easily accessible for customers.

Man pleads guilty in $30M computer hacking scheme

NEW YORK

A Georgia man pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge Tuesday, admitting participating in a computer hacking scheme that used facts stolen from more than 150,000 press releases to generate $30 million in illegal profits.

Leonid Momotok, 48, of Suwanee, Ga., entered the plea in Brooklyn federal court.

U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in a release that Momotok and a group of traders stole secrets by hacking into three business newswires to snatch information from unpublished press releases.

Momotok could face up to 20 years in prison for the crime prosecutors say was carried out from February 2010 to August 2015. They said Ukraine-based computer hackers gained unauthorized access to computer networks for Marketwired L.P., PR Newswire Association LLC and Business Wire.

Prosecutors said Momotok and co-conspirators traded on earnings and other information gleaned from press releases from companies including Caterpillar Inc. and Hewlett Packard.

Judge asked to lower potential fine after pipeline blast

SAN FRANCISCO

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to cut nearly all of a potential $562 million fine against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in a criminal case alleging pipeline safety violations before a deadly explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office made the request Tuesday in a court filing.

Under the proposal, PG&E would face a maximum fine of $6 million if convicted of obstructing investigators in the wake of the 2010 blast in the city of San Bruno and 11 pipeline safety violations.

The government did not provide an explanation in the filing for its request to lower the penalty.

Associated Press