Manhattan DA Unveils Corporate Crime & Antitrust Task Force

By Stewart Bishop

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Wednesday announced the formation of a new task force that will focus on prosecuting corporate crime and antitrust violations, as part of a push to deter industrywide misconduct and promote systemic accountability for entities that encourage and enable financial crimes.

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DOJ, IRS Say Enforcement Surge Exposed $490M In Tax Fraud

By Kat Lucero

The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted 76 people linked to more than $490 million in federal revenue losses as part of a stepped-up enforcement effort with the IRS and U.S. attorneys' offices over the past six weeks, the leader of the DOJ's new fraud division said Wednesday.

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Ex-BigLaw Atty Wants Firm Docs For Insider Trading Defense

By Carolyn Muyskens

A former BigLaw associate accused of insider trading is seeking records from ex-employers Sidley Austin LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Goodwin Procter LLP to help fight charges that he tipped others about nonpublic deals the firms were working on.

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DOJ To Drop Foreign Agent Case Against Ex-CIA Analyst

By Phillip Bantz

The U.S. Department of Justice has halted the prosecution of an ex-Central Intelligence Agency analyst accused of secretly aiding the South Korean government in exchange for pricey gifts, according to an agreement filed in New York federal court Tuesday.

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Watchdog Wants Probe Of Trump Press Secretary's Atty Claim

By Jack Karp

A nonprofit government watchdog on Wednesday asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether the new White House press secretary has claimed to be an attorney without being licensed to practice law.

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Amazon Flags Possible Abuse In Chicago 'Schedule A' Suits

By Ivan Moreno

Amazon is moving to pause court-ordered fund transfers in more than a dozen trademark cases brought against large numbers of online sellers in Chicago federal court, saying that while it's not a party to the litigation, it's investigating whether some of the lawsuits were used to obtain money the retailer previously froze for reasons unrelated to the disputes.

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No Jail For Coach Who Testified Against Jordan Card Con Man

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday allowed a Washington state youth sports coach to avoid prison, after he admitted bankrolling a $2 million Michael Jordan trading-card scam and testified against the main perpetrator who recently was arrested in Canada.

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10th Circ. Backs Asset Freeze In SEC Case Against Biotech

By Katryna Perera

The Tenth Circuit on Wednesday backed a lower court's order freezing a biotech firm's assets in a suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accusing the company and its founders of misappropriating roughly $9 million.

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Brooklyn DA Busts Crypto Scam Targeting Russian Speakers

By Aislinn Keely

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said Wednesday it has taken down hundreds of servers and domains used to defraud Russian speakers in the U.S., dealing a significant blow to the international cryptocurrency scam operation.

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9th Circ. Blocks Calif. Law Requiring Fed Agents To Show IDs

By Bonnie Eslinger

A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed the implementation of a California law requiring federal agents to display identification, saying the Trump administration is "certain to succeed" on its argument that the state statute violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause.

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Ex-Oakland Mayor Thao Put 'Power Up For Sale,' Jury Told

By Dorothy Atkins

Prosecutors told a California federal jury during trial openings Wednesday that Oakland's then-mayor Sheng Thao put "power up for sale" when she and her boyfriend accepted bribes in exchange for potential city contracts to build prefab "tiny homes" for the unhoused.

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TD Bank Must Face Bulk Of Investors' AML Penalties Suit

By Sydney Price

A New York federal judge has ruled TD Bank and some of its executives must face the majority of claims in an investor action related to a $3 billion settlement the bank signed with U.S. authorities over anti-money laundering compliance failures, saying they made some statements that may have downplayed the severity of the issues the bank faced.

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Wash. Pastor Pleads Not Guilty To Alleged $13M Investor Con

By Rachel Riley

The pastor of a Washington church pled not guilty Tuesday to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges after he allegedly told congregation members they had been chosen by God to back his e-commerce venture and convinced victims to invest $13 million in a sham company.

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Atty Sanctioned For Vulgar Emails To Opposing Counsel

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal magistrate judge has sanctioned an attorney who serves as principal for an oil and gas exploration company locked in a trade secret misappropriation case with a rival after opposing counsel complained of his expletive-ridden emails containing ad hominem attacks.

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Conn. Committee Backs Monitored Return For Convicted Atty

By Aaron Keller

A former Connecticut attorney who pled guilty to moving money during a client's $3 million securities scheme can be readmitted to the bar subject to monitoring, insurance and mentorship conditions, a local ethics committee has recommended, though a three-judge panel will now decide whether to accept or reject that guidance.

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Healthcare CEO Gets 19 Years In $450M Medicare Scheme

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge sentenced a former healthcare executive Wednesday to 19 years in prison for running a $450 million scheme to swindle Medicare by using software that created false prescriptions for orthotic braces.

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IBEW Union Hall Wants Out Of COVID-19 Loan Fraud Suit

By Emily Brill

An International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall in Boston asked a Massachusetts federal judge Wednesday to toss claims that it committed fraud by collecting a COVID-19 relief loan it wasn't eligible for, saying it didn't know it wasn't eligible.

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Trustee Asks 1st Circ. To Nix Shuttered Bank Owner's Claims

By Zak Kostro

A Puerto Rico federal court properly dismissed claims against a trustee appointed to administer the receivership of a shuttered online bank suspected of facilitating tax evasion and money laundering, he told the First Circuit, saying he's entitled to 11th Amendment immunity because he was sued in his official capacity.

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Mayer Brown Taps Ex-Sheppard Leader As Group Co-Lead

By Jack Rodgers

Mayer Brown LLP has hired Sheppard's former governmental practice group co-chair to be the co-chair of its global investigations and white collar defense practice.

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Ex-Prosecutor To Lead Meland Budwick Health Law Practice

By Gianna Ferrarin

A former federal prosecutor suing U.S. Department of Justice officials over his termination from the DOJ last year will lead Miami-based law firm Meland Budwick PA's new health law practice, the firm announced.

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Boies Schiller Adds Ex-DOJ Civil Division Leader In NY, DC

By Hailey Konnath

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP has added a former deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Division to its global investigations and white collar teams in New York and Washington, D.C., according to an announcement made Wednesday.

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What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

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Quinn Emanuel Seeks Arbitration Of $1.7M Fee Dispute

By Caroline Simson

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is urging a California federal court to order an entrepreneur to arbitrate malpractice claims stemming from the firm's representation of her in a sexual harassment claim against a technology investor as it seeks to collect more than $1.7 million in unpaid fees.

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Baker Botts Atty Seeks $3.4M In Fees After Defamation Suit

By Madison Arnold

A Baker Botts LLP patent attorney has moved for almost $3.4 million in attorney fees and expenses in a defamation suit an inventor brought against her that was dismissed.

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Fox Rothschild Beats Daycare's Malicious Prosecution Suit

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state court dismissed an adult daycare company's suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and one of its attorneys related to their prosecution of a fraudulent loan lawsuit that led to a $65,000 sanction against the firm, according to a court order.

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DLA Piper Accused Of Malpractice In Investor's Soccer Deals

By Bonnie Eslinger

American businessman John Textor has filed a legal malpractice suit in Florida against DLA Piper over the firm's representation in connection with an investment vehicle he created to acquire soccer clubs in the United Kingdom and other countries, claiming his damages could exceed hundreds of millions of dollars.

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