Google Near Deal in US Drug Ad Crackdown

Google Inc. is close to settling a U.S. criminal investigation into allegations it made hundreds of millions of dollars by accepting ads from online pharmacies that break U.S. laws, according to people familiar with the matter.The Internet company disclosed in a cryptic regulatory filing earlier this week that it was setting aside $500 million to potentially resolve a case with the Justice Department. A payment of that size would be among the highest penalties paid by companies in disputes with the U.S. government.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730804576319572448399628.html
www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/google-may-cough-up-us500m-over-illegal-online-pharmacy-adverts/story-e6frg90x-1226055209911Also see:Inquiry of Google on Drug Ads
Federal regulators are investigating Google on suspicion of illegally displaying ads for online pharmacies that are operating outside the law, government officials said Thursday.Google has set aside $500 million to pay for a potential settlement, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing the company made on Tuesday. It said the money was for the “potential resolution of an investigation by the United States Department of Justice into the use of Google advertising by certain advertisers,” but gave no details.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/technology/13google.html