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White Collar
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October 16, 2024
$3.6M Ruling Against Merchant Cash Advance Co. Reversed
An Ohio appellate court on Wednesday reversed a trial court's ruling allowing First Financial Bank to recover roughly $3.6 million from a merchant cash advance company, ruling — in a matter of first impression — that under Ohio law, a transferee of funds from a deposit account is protected from conversion claims unless collusion is involved.
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October 16, 2024
H2-A Workers Allegedly Forced To Work In Potato Warehouses
Three Mexican citizens filed a proposed collective action in Colorado federal court Tuesday alleging a company lured them to work in the U.S. under guest worker visas with false promises, then trafficked them into forced labor in Colorado potato warehouses.
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October 16, 2024
3rd Par Funding Exec Admits To Racketeering In $100M Scam
The last member of the triumvirate behind Par Funding, a cash advance company that federal prosecutors say bilked investors out of $100 million, pleaded guilty to racketeering in Pennsylvania federal court Wednesday, just weeks before he was scheduled to stand trial.
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October 16, 2024
En Banc DC Circ. Will Revisit Campaign Finance Appeal
The full D.C. Circuit will revisit an appeal implicating the court's authority to review the Federal Election Commission's decisions on campaign finance complaints when those decisions rest on commissioners' so-called prosecutorial discretion.
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October 16, 2024
5th Circ. Pauses Block Of Texas Election Law
The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday pressed pause on a San Antonio judge's order blocking part of a controversial Texas election law, writing that a change in law less than three weeks before voters will cast their ballots will cause undue confusion during the election.
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October 16, 2024
Sudanese Men Charged With Hacking Cedars-Sinai, Microsoft
California federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that two Sudanese brothers have been charged with operating a prolific hacking group that orchestrated tens of thousands of politically motivated cyberattacks against worldwide government agencies, Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and companies including Microsoft, PayPal, Google and Netflix.
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October 16, 2024
Pharma Co. Contractor Settles SEC Insider Trading Claim
An information technology consultant for a Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company will pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over $28,000 to resolve claims he immediately dumped shares of his client when he got wind of its yet-to-be announced plans for major layoffs.
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October 16, 2024
Record Labels Seek Sanctions For Claim They Aided Combs
Music companies on Wednesday urged a Manhattan federal judge to sanction an attorney for pursuing what they called "outrageous" claims that they supported Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex- and drug-fueled "freak offs."
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October 16, 2024
Ex-Pharma Co. Employee Traded On GSK Deal Info, SEC Says
The former director of analytical development at Canada-based drug company Bellus Health Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over $120,000 to settle claims that he sold shares on nonpublic information about pharma giant GSK's impending takeover of his company, according to court filings.
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October 16, 2024
Ga. DA Wants Nixed Charges Restored In Trump Election Suit
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office asked the Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday to reinstate six criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and five of his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case.
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October 16, 2024
Justices Won't Review Tax Scam Co-Conspirator's Sentence
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the more than eight-year prison sentence for one of the men who conspired with a Canfield, Ohio defense attorney to perpetrate a tax refund scam that defrauded the U.S. Internal Revenue Service out of $1.3 million.
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October 16, 2024
Ex-Alderman Can't End Supervised Release For Tax Crime
A former Chicago alderman and attorney who was convicted of tax evasion cannot terminate his court-ordered supervised release, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Feds Pan ComEd Four's Effort To Avoid Convictions
Prosecutors urged an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to reject an acquittal bid brought by Commonwealth Edison's former CEO and three co-defendants in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing the scope of federal bribery law, arguing that not only is their motion untimely, but the government proved quid pro quo bribery at trial last year.
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October 16, 2024
Court Tosses Suit Against NJ Cops For Medical Pot Seizure
A New Jersey federal judge tossed a civil rights action Tuesday against a police officer who seized medical marijuana from a registered patient, noting that police could not determine at the time whether the marijuana was lawfully purchased.
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October 16, 2024
SEC Data Contractor Faked Audit Certification, Feds Say
The CEO of a company that received roughly $11 million from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to provide data infrastructure services was charged in D.C. federal court with creating a shell entity to fraudulently claim his business was certified for high-level reliability and security, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Houston Pharma Exec Found Guilty In $160M Health Fraud
A Houston man was convicted on 15 criminal charges in connection with orchestrating a massive healthcare scheme that defrauded the government out of $160 million, following a 10-day trial in which prosecutors said doctors were "bamboozled" by the conspiracy.
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October 16, 2024
Bitfinex Hacker Deserves 5 Years For Crypto Heist, Feds Say
The hacker who stole bitcoin now worth billions of dollars from crypto exchange Bitfinex should serve just 60 months for the exploit and subsequent laundering of the funds because his post-arrest cooperation "benefitted numerous investigations" and merits a below-guidelines sentence, prosecutors told a federal judge.
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October 16, 2024
Trump Mostly Denied 'Speculative' Jan. 6 Document Bids
A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday largely denied Donald Trump's request for documents from a slew of federal agencies as he defends against election interference charges, calling the motion mostly "speculation."
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October 16, 2024
Ex-NJ Atty Cops To $1.8M Theft From Dozens Of Clients
A disbarred Garden State real estate lawyer who plundered more than $1.8 million from 60 clients has entered a guilty plea in New Jersey state court to a charge of second-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity, according to a statement Wednesday from the Monmouth County prosecutor's office.
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October 16, 2024
Davis Wright Grows In SF With Ex-Prosecutor From Boutique
A former federal prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer who co-founded boutique Long & Stout PC brought his practice to Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in San Francisco.
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October 16, 2024
Combs Asks To ID His Accusers, Citing 'Media Circus'
Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has asked a Manhattan federal judge to identify the accusers behind his sex-trafficking and racketeering case, claiming the "media circus" surrounding the prosecution and related civil suits has made it impossible for him to develop an adequate defense.
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October 16, 2024
'Fat Leonard' Faces 11 Years For Navy Bribery Scheme
Federal prosecutors are seeking more than 11 years in prison for Leonard Francis, the Malaysian defense contractor and ex-fugitive known as "Fat Leonard" who led a sprawling bribery and corruption scheme that allegedly caused over $20 million in losses for the U.S. Navy.
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October 16, 2024
2 SDNY Terror Finance Cases Against Binance Stay Separate
Two suits claiming Binance unlawfully fostered terrorist activity, filed in the wake of the cryptocurrency platform's $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, will proceed separately in the Southern District of New York, a Manhattan federal judge said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
RTX To Pay $1B For Qatari Bribes And Defrauding US Gov't
RTX Corp. and its Raytheon subsidiary have agreed to pay approximately $1 billion and enter into two separate deferred prosecution agreements in connection with a bribery scheme to secure Qatari military contracts, as well as separate ploys to defraud the U.S. government in deals for Patriot missile and radar systems.
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October 16, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Partner Gets 16 Months For Tax Evasion
A former partner at Husch Blackwell LLP and Dykema Gossett PLLC who pled guilty to refusing to pay taxes on millions of dollars in income was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Expert Analysis
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Enron Law Is Still Threat To Execs After Justices' Jan. 6 Ruling
While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Fischer v. U.S. decision is a setback for prosecutors’ obstruction charges against Jan. 6 defendants, it also represents a strong endorsement of the post-Enron Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s original purpose, serving as a corporate compliance reminder for executives, say Michael Peregrine and Ashley Hoff at McDermott.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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Autonomy Execs' Acquittal Highlights Good Faith Instruction
The recent acquittal of two former Autonomy executives demonstrates that a good faith jury instruction can be the cornerstone of an effective defense strategy in white collar criminal cases, in part because the concept of good faith is a human experience every juror can relate to, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case
In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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New Russia Sanctions Law: Bank Compliance Insights
Financial institutions must familiarize themselves with the new reporting obligations imposed by the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, a recent law that authorizes seizures of Russian sovereign assets under U.S. jurisdiction, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.
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3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways
Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.
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Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks
The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.
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Opinion
Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis
For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.
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Heading Off Officials' Errors When Awarded A Gov't Contract
Government contractors awarded state or local projects funded through federal programs should seek clarification of their compliance obligations, documenting everything, or risk having to defend themselves when they seek reimbursement months later, with only their word for support, says George Petel at Wiley.
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Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar
At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.