Ex-NFL player Erxleben
indicted in Ponzi scamFormer Texas All-American and NFL kicker and punter Russell Erxleben, who served a federal prison sentence for securities fraud, was arrested Thursday on charges of running an illegal Ponzi scam that netted more than $2 million. According to a federal indictment, Erxleben, 56, scammed investors from 2005 to 2009 with fraudulent deals that promoted dealing in old German government bonds and a work of art purportedly by French painter Paul Gauguin. According to the indictment, Erxleben used the investments to pay himself and previous investors. He was indicted on five counts of wire fraud, one of securities fraud and two of money laundering.-- The Associated PressMicrosoft's earningsslip in last quarterMicrosoft's latest quarterly earnings slipped, even as the world's largest software maker showed modest progress adjusting to a shift away from personal computers, which have been its financial foundation for decades. Microsoft earned $6.4 billion, or 76 cents per share, during the final three months of the year. That was down 4 percent from $6.6 billion, or 78 cents per share, a year earlier. The company's total revenue rose 3 percent to $21.5 billion. The results, announced after the close of trading, were the first to include Windows 8.-- The Associated PressAT&T signs more upbut posts a big lossThe launch of the iPhone 5 helped AT&T attract more new customers in the holiday quarter than it has in three years, but it posted a big loss due to an annual adjustment in pension obligations. Dallas-based AT&T's quarterly loss was $3.86 billion, or 68 cents per share. That compares with a loss of $6.68 billion, or $1.12 per share, a year earlier, also caused by pension and retiree benefit obligations. -- The Associated PressNew hearing denied onrules for power plantsA federal appeals court will not reconsider a decision blocking an Obama administration effort to tighten restrictions on power plant pollution. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied an administration request for a new hearing Thursday, saying a majority of its eight active judges opposed a rehearing. A three-judge judge panel ruled in August that the cross-state air pollution rule exceeds the EPA's authority. -- The Associated PressHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
