D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb (D) said Wednesday that the tax preparation company Liberty Tax would pay more than 7,000 District residents whom it allegedly overcharged to settle a lawsuit filed in 2022.
Washington
Tax prep company, accused of scamming D.C. residents, to pay up
The company “entices” customers with the purported giveaway, according to a complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court in 2022, creating YouTube videos that invite customers to “Come and get your $50!” or that show a Liberty Tax sign-waver with a placard reading “Get $50 now.”
“‘Cash in a Flash’ (‘CIF’) is a $50 cash perk ‘just for filing,’ that Liberty Tax deploys to entice consumers to use its tax preparation services,” the complaint said. “Yet, this upfront cash does not actually provide any true benefit to most consumers because Liberty Tax raises the cost of tax preparation for these consumers — rendering Liberty Tax’s statements about CIF false and misleading.”
Liberty did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company is the third-largest tax preparation company in the United States, according to the attorney general’s office, with two brick-and-mortar locations in Ward 7.
To settle the suit, Liberty will pay $550,000 to D.C. customers and $200,000 in penalties to the District, according to a consent order. Customers will be compensated depending on how many times they used the promotion, receiving about $42 for each CIF payment they received, the order said.
In addition, Liberty will stop the promotion around the country and be subject to monitoring for five years, according to the order.
“Liberty Tax deceived thousands of taxpayers in DC with its bogus ‘cash in a flash’ promotion,” Schwalb said in a statement. “This settlement not only forces Liberty Tax to compensate every Washingtonian it unlawfully took advantage of, but also creates strong, nationwide legal guardrails that will protect taxpayers across the country.”
Jorge Tormes, a senior staff attorney at Tzedek DC, a legal services nonprofit that has worked with the attorney general on legislation, said in a statement that the settlement was “vitally important.”
“The investigation … protects DC residents, especially working class residents of color, from deceitful practices designed to extract wealth from the Ward 7 community,” the statement said.
Washington
Alaska Airlines comments on holiday-week disruption concerns due to Washington pipeline leak
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska Airlines said it does not expect any disruption in operation through this holiday week because of a leak in a pipeline in Washington, which is raising concern it could impact jet fuel supplies at Seattle and Portland airports.
“We are working to mitigate a potential impact from the Olympic Pipeline fuel leak,” Alaska Airlines wrote to Alaska’s News Source Sunday. “To ensure our scheduled service is maintained without significant disruption, we have implemented contingency plans.”
The contingency plans include tankering in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle, and tech stops on certain routes to conserve fuel. It’s also maintaining and expanding its trucking operation to bring in additional fuel, the airline said.
The airline said tech stops are “a stop at an airport along a flight’s route to add more fuel onboard. The passengers stay onboard.”
The Associated Press is reporting that officials say Portland International Airport does not expect any problems because it can bring in jet fuel on a barge.
The pipeline system has been down since Monday, but there have been intermittent shutoffs since Nov. 11, the Associated Press reported.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
The Washington Spirit will face Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern for the NWSL championship game.
WTOP’s José Umaña previews the Washington Spirit as they prepare to take on Gotham FC for the NWSL championship in San Jose, California, Saturday night.
All eyes will be on the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League championship game Saturday, as the Washington Spirit takes on Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern, and is airing on CBS or streaming online. It’s expected to be a close matchup.
The match marks Washington’s second consecutive appearance in the finals, after losing to Orlando last year in Kansas City, and the fourth overall in franchise history.
The No. 2-seeded Spirit last won the championship in 2021, when it bested the Chicago Red Stars in extra time.
Fans have eagerly awaited the Spirit-Gotham rematch, as the two teams hold a longtime rivalry.
For Gotham FC, the team is looking to make history by becoming the lowest seed ever to win the title after beating top-seeded Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride in the playoffs.
Washington’s Trinity Rodman may be playing her last game in the league because of salary cap constraints. On the other side, Gotham fans will be watching the team’s Esther González, who has scored 13 goals this season.
WTOP’s Washington Spirit Beat Reporter, José Umaña, joined WTOP anchor Ian Crawford for a preview of the game.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Stay with WTOP for the latest developments in Saturday’s championship game.
- Ian Crawford:
The Washington Spirit take a shot at their second NWSL championship in five years when they meet Gotham FC tonight in San Jose. WTOP’s José Umaña — our alcalde de Fútbol — joins us with a closer look at how the team is prepping for the big game.
- José Umaña:
Head Coach Adrián González said yesterday that the team have been trying to keep it loose, keep it normal. For any media member or a fan who’s been at a training session, the Spirit, especially in these last couple of weeks, has tried to remain loose. They said they learned from last year’s final where they were too focused on what Marta could do and what Orlando could do, as they were the No. 1 team in the league that year.
This year, the Spirit are way more relaxed and are much less tense. They talked about using a sports psychologist and trying to find ways to keep their friendly atmosphere going. They played a weird version of dodge ball a couple of days ago and right before the semifinal, and last night before the media availability yesterday, they were apparently listening to Daddy Yankee the entire time as they worked out. So very chill vibes to keep it loose and keep the focus at hand, which is the final.
- Ian Crawford:
Now again, this kind of plays against what I was talking about before, with the great turnaround that the team had over the summer. Is some of that momentum kind of building with them going into the final?
- José Umaña:
Yeah, right after the summer break there was a coaching change, as I mentioned. It’s no longer Jonatan Giráldez. It’s now Adrián González, who was the assistant, and he really tried to bring more of an uplifting, relaxed attitude while the team continued playing more of an aggressive attacking style.
They went on a 14-game unbeaten run between August all the way to mid October, and the team has really gelled — it’s found its groove. Last week, Croix Bethune, the midfielder who wasn’t able to play in last year’s final, said their semifinal match against Portland was the best game they played. But she believes they’re not peaking yet. So that’s some positive vibes that you don’t expect to hear from a player — that they believe they can go even higher as they play in a semifinal now heading into a final.
- Ian Crawford:
How much will the Spirit be missing the rowdy Audi Field advantage when they go to San Jose tonight?
- José Umaña:
It’s a huge advantage. The Spirit are 6 for 6 playing at Audi Field in front of that fan base.
Even though there was a large contingent of Spirit fans at the neutral site game in Kansas City for last year’s championship, they will be missing that (home field).
But for those who remember, and you kind of brought it up, in the beginning half the season, the Spirit were much better on the road than they were playing at home. There was a little bit of anxiety playing at home until the coaching change. They still were, even after the coaching change, a road-based team that could perform well. And if they start the game off on the right foot, going in on the attack and trusting their 3-forward line, there will be problems for Gotham.
- Ian Crawford:
Now we all know about Trinity Rodman, who is probably playing her last game in the Spirit kit. Who else should we watch for tonight? You mentioned Croix Bethune? Who else?
- José Umaña:
Yeah, I would definitely look out for NWSL Defender of the Year Tara McKeown. Not only has she transitioned in the last three years from attacker, playing striker, looking for the eye to the goal, but she’s now a defender, being the key cog in that defense and limiting attacks. She has also been a part of the attack. She essentially becomes what in our sport, we call an 8 — she becomes another midfielder, moving the ball aggressively and making key passes to restart the attack and bringing the ball so much so that she doesn’t even mind taking a shot.
If she gets the ball early on and often, she may create problems for that Gotham midfield that likes to hold on to the ball, if she’s able to be aggressive right away. And look, if this game goes to penalty kicks, which I hope not, I think Spirit fans would like to avoid another heart attack.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Washington
Man shot by Chicago police in Washington Park charged with assault, unlawful possession of a firearm
A man shot by Chicago police earlier this week in the Washington Park neighborhood has been charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said two officers in an unmarked squad car spotted 26-year-old Anthony Nelson leaving a liquor store near 57th and Michigan on Tuesday morning. Police said the officers believed Nelson had a gun, and he ran off when they tried to question him.
Cook County prosecutors said, as he was running away, Nelson dropped the gun he was carrying, and then picked it up again, despite orders not to touch it. Police said that’s when an officer shot Nelson.
Nelson suffered a graze wound to the abdomen and the right arm and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.
On Thursday, Nelson was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault of a police officer and one felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The officer who fired the shot was also taken to an area hospital. A gun was recovered at the scene, police said.
At Nelson’s first court appearance on Thursday, a judge ordered him held at Cook County Jail while he awaits trial.
“Ain’t nobody perfect out here. We’ve done things and we’ve made mistakes,” Nelson’s mother, Shalene Foster, said after her son’s hearing.
Thursday was Nelson’s birthday.
“He got to go through this on today of him making 26 years old,” Foster said. “It’s like an empty space in my heart right now. … There’s a lot of mothers that’s tired too. We’re tired. We’re tired of this.”
Nelson has an extensive criminal history that began when he was 19. He has been convicted twice before of felony weapons charges, and was on patrol at the time of his arrest, according to court records.
He is due back in court on Nov. 26.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting, and the officer who shot Nelson has been placed on administrative duty for 30 days, which is typical protocol for COPA investigations.
San Francisco, CA13 minutes ago
BART equipment issue near West Oakland disrupts service on Red, Green lines
Dallas, TX23 minutes ago
Dallas Wings bring up Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers for trade talk about first pick
Boston, MA43 minutes ago
‘Multiple disabled trains’ cause Red Line delays, T says
Denver, CO53 minutes ago
Cheapest gas prices in Denver hit less than $2 Sunday ahead of Thanksgiving weekend
San Diego, CA1 hour ago
Amazon is shedding software developer jobs in San Diego. Is AI to blame?
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Politics13 hours ago
Rubio claims ‘tremendous amount of progress’ in Ukraine peace talks following Geneva meeting
World14 hours ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,369
News15 hours ago
Texas men indicted in plot to take over Haitian island and enslave women and children
Politics1 day ago
President says Chicagoans are ‘chanting bring in Trump’ after violent downtown riot leaves 8 shot, 1 dead
World1 day ago
Get to know Méabh McMahon, co-anchor of Euronews’ Europe Today
-
Business1 week agoFire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
World6 days agoFrance and Germany support simplification push for digital rules
-
News7 days agoCourt documents shed light on Indiana shooting that sparked stand-your-ground debate
-
World7 days agoSinclair Snaps Up 8% Stake in Scripps in Advance of Potential Merger
-
World7 days agoCalls for answers grow over Canada’s interrogation of Israel critic
-
World1 week ago2% of Russian global oil supply affected following Ukrainian attack
-
Business6 days ago
Amazon’s Zoox offers free robotaxi rides in San Francisco
-
Politics7 days agoDuckworth fires staffer who claimed to be attorney for detained illegal immigrant with criminal history
