Two N.Y. men accused of laundering millions

NEW YORK -- Two men were indicted on charges of operating a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme from their apartments, sometimes charging six figures per transaction, prosecutors said. Arthur Budovsky, 32, and Vladimir Kats, 33, illegally transmitted at least $30 million by letting customers deposit money with limited documentation, then using the cash to buy E-Gold -- digital currency backed up by gold bullion, authorities said. Customers then withdrew their money through wire transfers or checks to international accounts or people overseas, they said. The two were arraigned Thursday on charges of illegally transmitting $4 million over the first half of this year, and each pleaded not guilty.

Jury convicts 4 in Aryan Brotherhood trial

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A jury convicted four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang Friday on charges of murder, conspiracy and racketeering in a federal case aimed at dismantling the white-supremacist organization. Barry "The Baron" Mills, Tyler "The Hulk" Bingham, Edgar "The Snail" Hevle and Christopher Overton Gibson were the first defendants to stand trial in the case. It is one of the largest death penalty cases in U.S. history.

Son of philanthropist Astor denies abuse

NEW YORK -- The son of philanthropist Brooke Astor said he was stunned by allegations that he abused his ailing 104-year-old mother. "I love my mother, and no one cares more about her than I do," Anthony Marshall, 82, said in a statement Thursday. Marshall, a former diplomat and Broadway producer who is now his mother's legal guardian, claimed the family spends more than $2.5 million a year to care for Astor at her Park Avenue duplex. She "has a staff of eight with instructions to provide her with whatever she needs and whatever they think she should have," he said. In court papers filed last week, Astor's grandson accused Marshall, his father, of denying Astor the usual luxuries of a wealthy woman "while enriching himself with millions of dollars" as her legal guardian.

GOP leaders try for minimum wage increase

WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders are willing to allow the first minimum wage increase in a decade but only if it's coupled with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates, lawmakers said Friday. As the House pointed toward a session stretching past midnight, it was anything but certain that the plan would work. In fact, the move seemed unlikely to result in a hike in the minimum wage, which has been frozen at $5.15 per hour for a decade. Republicans hoped to put Democrats in the uncomfortable position of voting against the minimum wage increase and the estate tax cut -- and an accompanying bipartisan package of popular tax breaks, including a research and development credit for businesses and deductions for college tuition and state sales taxes.

Canadian mad cow cases halt exports to U.S.

WASHINGTON -- More cases of mad cow disease in Canada have halted U.S. plans for a major increase in Canadian beef and cattle imports, the Agriculture Department said Friday. Canada has found seven cows infected with mad cow disease, four this year. Some were born after Canada took safety precautions related to cattle feed that should have prevented the animals from being infected. The Bush administration was poised to resume imports of older cattle and beef from older animals. But the department has halted those plans, which had been under final consideration by the White House, until an investigation into Canada's recent cases has been completed.

-- From wire reports