The Nation in Brief

The wreckage from Friday’s crash near Heber, Utah, is shown in this photo provided by the Utah Highway Patrol.
The wreckage from Friday’s crash near Heber, Utah, is shown in this photo provided by the Utah Highway Patrol.

Computer tied to healthcare.gov hacked

WASHINGTON -- A government computer system that interacts with healthcare.gov was hacked earlier this month, compromising the sensitive personal data of some 75,000 people, officials said Friday.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the hacked system was shut down, and technicians are working to restore it before sign-up season starts Nov. 1 for health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

About 10 million people currently have private coverage under former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Consumers applying for subsidized coverage have to provide extensive personal information, including Social Security numbers, income, and citizenship or legal immigration status.

The system that was hacked is used by insurance agents and brokers to directly enroll customers. All other sign-up systems are working.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman Johnathan Monroe said "nothing happened" to the healthcare.gov website used by the general public. "This concerns the agent and broker portal, which is not accessible to the general public," he said.

Federal law enforcement has been alerted, and affected customers will be notified and offered credit protection.

Lawyer: Threats suspect has dementia

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York -- A man charged with threatening to kill U.S. senators over Brett Kavanaugh's U.S. Supreme Court confirmation has dementia and isn't dangerous, his lawyer said as the 74-year-old was ordered held without bail.

Ronald DeRisi was arraigned Friday after prosecutors said he left a series of voicemails threatening two senators for supporting Kavanaugh's recent confirmation. The lawmakers haven't been publicly identified.

One message warned, "I'm gonna get you," according to a criminal complaint. It said another voicemail talked about a "present" for a senator and added, "It's a 9 mm."

DeRisi's lawyer, Peter Brill, told news outlets that his client's brain-atrophying condition has caused behavior problems. The attorney said DeRisi is "belligerent," but not violent, and poses no physical threat to anyone.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Justina Geraci said DeRisi used a pre-paid cellphone, fake name and other strategies to mask his identity. Geraci said that showed "a level of criminal intent."

Authorities said ammunition for a 9mm gun, but no firearms, were found in DeRisi's home.

A judge Friday ordered a psychological evaluation for DeRisi.

63 fetuses found in funeral home search

DETROIT -- Police removed the remains of 63 fetuses from a Detroit funeral home, and regulators shuttered the business amid a widening investigation of improprieties at local funeral homes.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said officers found 36 fetuses in boxes and 27 others in freezers during Friday's raid at the Perry Funeral Home. He said he was "stunned" by the discovery, which came a week after the remains of 10 fetuses and one infant were discovered in a ceiling at Detroit's defunct Cantrell Funeral Home. Those remains were found after state regulators in Lansing, Mich., received an anonymous letter.

Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said the remains found at the Perry Funeral Home were turned over to state investigators, who immediately declared the funeral home closed and its license suspended.

Inspectors for Michigan's Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau said in a statement that they had found "heinous conditions and negligent conduct" at the Perry Funeral Home.

The agency's statement said Friday's findings point clearly toward criminal violations of state laws regulating funeral homes that could be felonies "punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than $50,000, or both."

Dump truck, pickup crash kills 6 men

HEBER, Utah -- A truck crossed a highway median in Utah and collided head-on with a pickup, killing all six men in the pickup in an accident authorities suspect was caused by alcohol and prescription drugs, state troopers said Saturday.

Another two people were injured in a Jeep when the driver lost control trying to avoid the trucks.

The Utah Highway Patrol said investigating officers found prescription pills and open containers of alcohol inside the dump truck after the accident that occurred around noon Friday on a state highway near Heber.

The dump truck driver was treated for minor injuries and was booked into jail on suspicion of six counts of automobile homicide, the agency said.

Patrol Sgt. Lawrence Hopper said Saturday that authorities were working to identify the victims.

The highway patrol reported that just before the crash another driver had contacted authorities to say the dump truck was driving erratically.

The westbound dump truck then vaulted over the middle barrier and slammed into the driver's side of the eastbound pickup, police said. Three of the men were thrown out of the vehicle, and another three remained inside.

-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports

photo

AP/Detroit News/JOHN T. GREILICK

Detroit police officers use crime-scene tape to cordon off the area around Perry Funeral Home during Friday’s raid.

A Section on 10/21/2018

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