AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William Schneider announced today that attorney Brenda Kielty has been selected to serve as Maine?s first Public Access Ombudsman.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that former psychologist John A. Keefe, 60, of Veazie, pled guilty to one count of Class B theft by deception and one count of Class C gross sexual assault for engaging in sexual acts with a client and billing MaineCare for mental health therapy services for that client.

Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster to pay $69 Million Total to Resolve Conspiracy Allegations

Largest Multistate Consumer Protection Drug Settlement

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that Maine, along with 36 other State Attorneys General, reached a record $181 million dollar settlement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson.

Drug Wholesaler to Pay $151 Million to States to Resolve Pricing Claims

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that Maine, as part of a national settlement against McKesson Corporation, has resolved allegations that McKesson violated the Federal False Claims Act and various state false claims acts by reporting inflated pricing information for a large number of prescription drugs, causing the state?s Medicaid program to overpay for those drugs.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider is warning consumers about a scam that claims a new federal government assistance program, sometimes described as a bailout authorized by President Barack Obama?s administration, will pay your utility bills.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that Robert W. Baylor, 35, of Lewiston, pled guilty to one count of Class C theft by deception and was sentenced on June 28, 2012 for stealing $2,800 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps).

Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Clifford sentenced Baylor to one year in jail, all but 30 days suspended, and one year probation with the requirement that he pay full restitution.

$3 Billion Total to Resolve Drug Marketing and Pricing Claims

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that Maine, various other states and the federal government reached an agreement for the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history. Under the terms of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve allegations of unlawful promotion of certain prescription drugs, failure to report certain safety data, and false price reporting practices.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider is warning schools, businesses, municipalities and other government agencies about a mailing that appears to be a bill for services rendered but is a disguised solicitation that may mislead recipients to pay for services that were neither ordered nor received.

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that David R. Burns, 44, of Alfred was sentenced today following his pleas of guilty to three counts of forgery and three counts of theft, all misdemeanors.

York County Superior Court Justice Paul Fritzsche sentenced Burns to 364 days incarceration, all but six months suspended, and one year administrative release following his release from jail. Burns must pay $2,384 in restitution.