Defendants plead not guilty in UN oil-for-food case News
Defendants plead not guilty in UN oil-for-food case

[JURIST] Following up on a story reported last week in JURIST's Paper Chase, two Houston oil executives pleaded not guilty Monday in a Manhattan federal court to charges of defrauding the UN Oil-For-Food program [JURIST news archive] and paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government. David B. Chalmers Jr., owner of Houston-based Bayoil (USA) Inc., and oil trader Ludmil Dionissiev, a Bulgarian citizen and permanent US resident were arrested last Thursday and charged with cheating the UN out of $100 million that was supposed to go to humanitarian aid. The men were allowed to remain free on $500,000 bail each. If convicted of the charges, Chalmers and Dionissiev could face up to 62 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.