2020 Press Releases

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• 3/19/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Information from Amazon Following Price Gouging Complaint

  Attorney General William Tong today sent a letter to Amazon seeking information from the online retailer regarding efforts to detect and combat price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter follows a complaint from a Connecticut consumer who recently attempted to purchase two types of 3M face masks through Amazon. The consumer was charged nearly $400 in shipment fees for two small boxes of face masks with a retail value of under $100. The letter seeks information regarding the specific reported transaction, as well as procedures and practices being deployed by Amazon to prevent price gouging and protect consumers. “Consumers, especially under current conditions, should not be charged unreasonable sums for such health-related products. With the size of its market share, Amazon plays a crucial role in deterring price gouging, and assisting law enforcement in bringing predatory sellers to account,” the letter states. To date, the Office of the Attorney General has received 110 complaints regarding price hikes on basic supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper since Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies on March 10. In addition to today’s letter to Amazon, the Office of the Attorney General has sent letters as part of its aggressive investigations and law enforcement efforts to multiple Connecticut retailers both large and small in response to consumer price gouging complaints. As states across the country continue with efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak, many states like Connecticut have declared a state of emergency. These declarations have triggered price gouging statutes which are designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous retailers seeking to profit from this public emergency. Anyone who suspects price gouging should file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General online at https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint/. To read a full copy of the Office of the Attorney General’s letter to Amazon, click here.

• 3/18/2020 Attorney General Tong Commends Municipal Electric Utilities, Metropolitan District Commission and Regional Water Authority for Following Shut-off Moratorium

  After urging member utilities in the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative and the Regional Water Authority to voluntarily comply with the shut-off moratorium ordered last week by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Attorney General William Tong thanked the municipal and regional utilities for taking swift action to help consumers.

• 3/17/2020 Attorney General Tong Provides Update on Coronavirus Price Gouging Complaints

  Attorney General William Tong today announced that the Office of the Attorney General has received 71 complaints regarding large price hikes on basic supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper since Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies on March 10 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

• 3/13/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces PURA Has Granted Emergency Moratorium on Utility Shut Offs

  Attorney General William Tong announced today that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has granted an emergency moratorium on electric, natural gas, and water utility shut-offs in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of the Attorney General filed a formal petition Thursday seeking to cease all utility service terminations for a 30 day period subject to renewal to ensure all residents may safely remain home during the epidemic.

• 3/12/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Emergency Moratorium on Utility Shut-Offs

  In a formal petition today with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Attorney General William Tong sought an emergency moratorium on electric, natural gas, and water utility shut-offs in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The petition seeks to cease all utility service terminations for a 30 day period subject to renewal to ensure all residents may safely remain home during the epidemic.

• 3/11/2020 Attorney General Tong Denouces Unlawful Proposal to Undermine National Environmental Policy Act

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general today in filing a comment letter opposing the Trump Administration’s proposed rule to undercut implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

• 3/11/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces Settlement Ending Connecticut's Challenge to T-Mobile, Sprint Merger

  Attorney General William Tong today announced a settlement with T-Mobile, resolving the state’s challenge to the company’s merger with Sprint. The settlement includes terms to protect low income subscribers, extend access to underserved communities, protect current T-Mobile and Sprint employees, and preserve jobs in Connecticut. T-Mobile will reimburse Connecticut for the costs and fees of its investigation and its litigation challenging the merger. This settlement ends the legal challenge brought by Attorney General Tong and a multistate coalition, which alleged that the merger was unlawful and would lead to reduced competition and increased prices for consumers. Connecticut and the plaintiff states will not appeal the court’s ruling in the matter.

• 3/10/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Guidance on Price Gouging Enforcement

  Attorney General William Tong today released the following statement and guidance on price gouging enforcement after Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies.

• 3/9/2020 3D-Printed Guns Win - Attorney General Tong Issues Statement After Court Blocks Release of Files

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement regarding a preliminary injunction granted late Friday by the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington at Seattle blocking release of 3D-printed gun files.

• 3/6/2020 Attorney General Tong Calls for Suspension of Public Charge Rule During COVID-19 Outbreak

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general urging the Trump Administration to suspend the Public Charge rule in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In a letter today to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the attorneys general criticize the Administration for discouraging access to health care during a public health crisis.

• 3/6/2020 Attorney General Tong Delivers Testimony In Support of S.B. 211

  Attorney General William Tong released written testimony today in support of Senate Bill 211, "An Act Concerning the Duties of the Office of the Attorney General."

• 3/5/2020 Attorney General Tong, DCP Commissioner Seagull, Lt. Governor Bysiewicz Urge Residents to be Aware of Potential 2020 Census Scams

  With notices informing Americans about the need to participate in the decennial national headcount set to arrive in the mail mid-March, Attorney General William Tong, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz are urging Connecticut residents to be aware of potential 2020 Census scams.

• 3/4/2020 Attorney General Tong: No President is Immune from Justice

  Attorney General William Tong today joined Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and a coalition of 16 attorneys general fighting to ensure that President Trump cannot impede criminal investigations and hide evidence of potential crimes. In an amicus brief filed in Trump v. Vance, the group urges the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a decision by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which concluded that President Trump cannot block a valid grand jury subpoena sent to his accounting firm. The subpoena seeks financial records as part of an ongoing investigation by the District Attorney of New York.

• 3/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Sues to Block Unlawful Diversion of Billions of Taxpayer Funds-- Including Millions from Connecticut Projects-- For Trump Vanity Border Wall

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in a new lawsuit seeking to block the Trump Administration’s illegal diversion of $3.8 billion in taxpayer dollars for the construction of an unauthorized and pointless border wall. The Trump Administration diversions include millions from funds that Congress intended for Connecticut companies and the Connecticut National Guard.

• 3/2/2020 Connecticut Announces $4.9 Million State/Federal False Claims Settlement with Middletown Doctor Couple

  Attorney General William Tong, U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, Comptroller Kevin Lembo and Connecticut Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford announced today that Connecticut has reached a $4.9 million civil False Claims Act settlement with Middletown couple Crispin and Antonieta Abarientos regarding a long-term fraudulent medical billing scheme involving costly infusions. This is the first False Claims settlement to date regarding the Connecticut State Health Plan.