TRUMP ISSUES PARDON TO FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN STEPHEN BUYER AFTER INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION. (PHOTO).

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Trump issues pardon to former Republican congressman Stephen Buyer after insider trading conviction    President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to former Republican congressman Stephen Buyer, who served nearly two years in prison after being convicted of insider trading tied to post-congressional consulting work. Buyer was sentenced in 2023 to 22 months in prison for illegal stock trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000 in ill-gotten gains and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released from custody in 2025 after his conviction was upheld, with the Supreme Court declining to take up his appeal earlier this year. In issuing the pardon, Trump described Buyer’s service as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army and his time in Congress as “distinguished and highly productive.” The pardon, dated Thursday and released by the White House on Friday, grants Buyer “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon.” Buyer has maint...

PLAYSTATION CREDIT SCHEME DISRUPTS SONY VIDEO GAME MONOPOLY SETTLEMENT. (PHOTO).


PlayStation credit scheme disrupts Sony video game monopoly settlement

A federal judge for the second time rejected a proposed class-action settlement in an antitrust lawsuit involving PlayStation 5 gamers and Sony Interactive Entertainment. The dispute centers on whether Sony could compensate gamers with nearly $8 million in PlayStation Network credits or if the payout must be made in cash.

Plaintiffs allege that Sony monopolized the digital video game market by blocking third-party retailers from selling PlayStation downloads in 2019, forcing gamers to buy games exclusively through the PlayStation Store at higher prices. The proposed settlement would distribute roughly $7.85 million in credits to about 4.5 million eligible accounts, including those of gamers who purchased a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition—a discless console released during the pandemic at a lower price.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, a Biden appointee, questioned whether the credits counted as cash or functioned more like coupons, which are subject to stricter rules. She had previously rejected a similar settlement last year, citing the lack of an estimated recovery range and the resemblance to a coupon-based deal. Attorneys for Sony argued that because class members are repeat users of the PlayStation Store, the credits would be effective and convenient, reducing administrative costs. Class counsel countered that the credits are applicable to all products on the PlayStation Store, including low-cost games, do not expire, and therefore should not be considered coupons.

The judge also raised concerns about former plaintiffs receiving a share of the settlement despite no longer being class members, and noted that the settlement did not address the underlying request to bar Sony from excluding third-party game sales. Both sides will need to submit additional motions to respond to Martínez-Olguín’s questions before the settlement can move forward.


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