Criminal Practice

  • August 25, 2026

    11th Circ. Says 'Polite' Bank Robbery Notes Still Imply Threats

    A Florida man who said "please" and "good morning" to bank and credit union tellers in notes demanding cash can still be charged with robbery involving intimidation, because of an implication of potential violence if the notes were not followed, the Eleventh Circuit ruled.

  • August 25, 2026

    Summer Camp Owner Accused Of $13M COVID Relief Fraud

    Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that 26 summer camps illegally reaped more than $13 million from a COVID-19 relief program after one of their now-bankrupt owners allegedly "repeatedly lied" on loan documents.

  • August 25, 2026

    Minn. Says Texas 'Smokescreen' Delays ICE Agent Extradition

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is using a dubious investigation as a "smokescreen" to justify his refusal to extradite a federal immigration agent accused of illegally firing a gun into a Minneapolis home, attorneys for the state of Minnesota told a federal judge in Texas on Tuesday.

  • August 25, 2026

    Ghislaine Maxwell Loses 'Frivolous' Bid To Nix Guilty Verdict

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's attempt to overturn her sex trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence, finding her arguments largely "frivolous" or procedurally barred, and concluding that purported new evidence unearthed in the release of the Epstein files does not help her case.

  • August 25, 2026

    Mass. Sheriff Pressured Pot Co. For Pre-IPO Stake, Jury Hears

    A federal prosecutor told a Boston jury Tuesday that a local sheriff used his position to demand a stake in a cannabis company, explaining "that's what corruption looks like here in Massachusetts."

  • August 25, 2026

    Commodities Firm Escapes Brazilian Bribery Case

    A Connecticut federal judge has put an end to a criminal case alleging Freepoint Commodities LLC bribed Brazilian government officials to get an edge over its competitors, dismissing a single felony count shortly after prosecutors said the firm had satisfied its obligations under a deferred prosecution agreement.

  • August 25, 2026

    Rising Star: Dilworth Paxson's Shoshana Silverstein

    Shoshana Silverstein, a criminal law and investigations litigation associate at Dilworth Paxson LLP, has built an accomplished post-conviction appellate practice and worked on cases that helped end an over four-decade-long period of incarceration for a wrongly convicted man, earning her a spot among the criminal law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 25, 2026

    Ex-DOJ Fraud Attys Switch To Civil Focus At Boutique Firm

    Criminal fraud prosecutors commonly pursue careers as white collar defense lawyers after exiting the U.S. Department of Justice, but a group of ex-DOJ lawyers who have recently joined national litigation boutique AXS Law Group are embarking on a path less traveled.

  • August 25, 2026

    8-Year Supervised Release Sentence Upheld In First Step Case

    A man given life in prison for a drug conspiracy and then resentenced under the First Step Act to time served and eight years of supervised release cannot further reduce the judgment, the Second Circuit has ruled.

  • August 24, 2026

    9th Circ. Faults Calif. Judge For Denying Sentence Reduction

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday vacated a prison sentence imposed on a man convicted of possessing ammunition as a felon, saying a California federal judge "misapprehended the law" when he denied a sentencing reduction for the defendant's acceptance of responsibility.

  • August 24, 2026

    Seattle Hookah Lounge Sued Over Fatal Shooting

    The family of a woman shot and killed at a hookah lounge in Seattle are suing several companies connected to the establishment in Washington state court, claiming they negligently allowed violence to occur and failed to provide adequate security despite a known "history of criminal activity" at the location.

  • August 24, 2026

    Conn. Justices Order New Trial Over Gun Residue Science

    The Connecticut Supreme Court has reversed a murder conviction and ordered a new trial, finding in an advance opinion Monday that a state trial court wrongfully refused to hear the defendant's challenge to potentially unreliable gunshot residue evidence.

  • August 24, 2026

    Fla. Man Gets Over 3 Years For Conspiracy In Pandemic Fraud

    A Florida man was sentenced to more than three years in prison last week in Georgia federal court after he pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy stemming from a $9 million COVID-19 pandemic loan fraud scheme involving several individual defendants. 

  • August 24, 2026

    Feds Charge 2 In $11M Pandemic Loan Fraud Scheme

    Two alleged fraudsters in Illinois and Texas have been charged with fraud for purportedly running an $11 million pandemic relief fraud scheme during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • August 24, 2026

    11th Circ. Says Sudden Snatching Is A Deportable Crime

    The Eleventh Circuit has denied a Trinidad and Tobago native's petition to review a decision deeming him removable for his conviction for robbery by sudden snatching, saying the crime is indeed a deportable offense.

  • August 24, 2026

    Rising Star: Hecker Fink's Jeffrey Then

    Jeffrey Then of Hecker Fink LLP helped secure the dismissal of human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in one of the country's most closely watched criminal cases and prevailed in his first federal appellate argument on behalf of an incarcerated man's religious freedom claims, earning him a spot among the criminal law attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 24, 2026

    Dems Seek GAO Review Of Federal Agencies Hacking Americans

    U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, ranking member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, have requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a comprehensive review of federal law enforcement agencies' hacking of Americans' electronic devices.

  • August 24, 2026

    Feds Seek Early End To Commodities Firm Bribery Case DPA

    Federal prosecutors have moved to release a Connecticut-based commodities firm from a deferred prosecution agreement nearly four months early, telling a judge Monday that Freepoint Commodities LLC has satisfied its obligations and paid more than $106 million to resolve allegations that it bribed Brazilian government officials.

  • August 21, 2026

    Vandy Law Grad Can Keep Hidden-Evidence Suit Against Attys

    A Connecticut federal judge ruled Friday that a Vanderbilt Law School graduate can continue a suit against the town of Westport and two attorneys who defended him in a criminal case when he was a teen and, he claims, helped cover up critical information — causing him to be incarcerated.

  • August 21, 2026

    Ex-Abercrombie CEO Fit For Sex-Trafficking Trial

    A Brooklyn federal judge found Friday that former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries is mentally fit to stand trial for sex trafficking after a four-month rehabilitation committal.

  • August 21, 2026

    Divided 2nd Circ. Backs DQ Of Acting NDNY US Attorney

    The Second Circuit on Friday upheld a lower court's decision that found the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone III, was unlawfully serving in his position when he obtained grand jury subpoenas of the New York attorney general's office.

  • August 21, 2026

    Colo. Appeals Panel Clarifies Destruction Of Wildlife Statute

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel Thursday provided clarification on the state's willful destruction of wildlife statute, finding that a hunter who abandoned an animal carcass after collecting only its trophy parts without intending to return violated the law even if they returned at a later date.

  • August 21, 2026

    Calif. Panel Creates Exception To Successive Prosecution Ban

    A California state appeals court panel has upheld the convictions of a man who illegally bought large-capacity magazines, creating a new exception to a rule barring successive prosecutions for multiple related crimes that have already resulted in judgments.

  • August 21, 2026

    Ex-CIA Analyst Loses Bid To Bar FBI Interview In FARA Case

    A former CIA analyst accused of aiding the South Korean government without proper registration can't suppress statements she made to FBI agents in a series of interviews that lasted more than six hours, a New York federal judge has ruled.

  • August 21, 2026

    Balancing The Scales: Diminished Capacity, Sentencing Rules

    The Michigan Supreme Court has overturned 25 years of state precedent by reviving the diminished capacity defense, and the justices in Pennsylvania said the Legislature is out of time to craft new sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder. Here, Law360 highlights access to justice stories arising from litigation, verdicts and judgments you may have missed.

Expert Analysis

  • RETRACTED: Updated Fraud Sentencing Guidelines Add New Defense Tools

    Author Photo

    Editor's note: This guest article has been removed to address author updates.

  • How Justices Stayed Off The Geofence In Location Data Case

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Chatrie v. United States decision reaffirms Fourth Amendment protections for location data but avoids more complicated questions about geofence warrants, say attorneys at Adams Duerk.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Post-Award Noncompliance

    Author Photo

    Grainful Holdings v. Mineev, a recent Commercial Court decision that resulted in a sentence for contempt following post-award enforcement proceedings, illustrates the point at which proceedings, having moved beyond recognition of an arbitral obligation, engage the court's own coercive jurisdiction, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • Reel Justice: 'Obsession' And The Importance Of Precision

    Author Photo

    In “Obsession,” the main character’s failure to define the limits of his wish results in an unexpectedly horrifying outcome, highlighting for attorneys why careful word choice is essential not only in briefs, but also in charging decisions, statutory interpretation and all stages of criminal litigation, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

  • A 3-Part Blueprint For Sentencing Variance Arguments

    Author Photo

    Tom Goldstein’s upcoming sentencing provides a useful lens for defense practitioners seeking a variance from the guidelines range, serving as a reminder to distinguish those requests from guidelines challenges and build an evidence-based case well before the hearing, says Joseph De Gregorio of Sentencing Advocacy Group.

  • Laptop Farms Highlight Identity Fraud Risks Of Remote Work

    Author Photo

    Two U.S. nationals' recent sentencing in Massachusetts federal court for a scheme that enabled foreign operatives to obtain remote jobs at U.S. companies using stolen identities is a reminder that employers must recalibrate their remote hiring, onboarding and monitoring practices to mitigate evolving cybersecurity and geopolitical risks, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

    Author Photo

    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Fighting The Evidentiary Risks Of Deepfakes In Court

    Author Photo

    Though courts and federal rules are only slowly developing frameworks for assessing digital evidence that could have been created or generated by artificial intelligence, litigators should understand what steps they'll likely need to take to successfully challenge potentially deepfaked exhibits — and fight questions about the authenticity of their own, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

    Author Photo

    With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Justices' Concurrences Foretell Fault Line On Appeal Waivers

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled 8-1 in Hunter v. U.S. that appeal waivers that produce a miscarriage of justice are unenforceable, but the decision's concurrences indicate future divisions over whether this exception will be used as a rare safety valve or to police ordinary but troubling plea errors, say attorneys at RJO.

  • Series

    Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

    Author Photo

    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • 3 Litigation Strategies To Stay Ahead Of Bad Facts

    Author Photo

    A case with damaging facts can still be won if, instead of avoiding the facts, attorneys proactively address them by carefully selecting a strategy of confronting, containing or reframing, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Criminal Practice archive.