Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
White Collar
-
April 11, 2024
Investors Get OK For $111M Ponzi Case Receiver Passed On
A Colorado federal judge has given the green light for a group of investors to seek over $111 million from a forex-focused financial technology firm in the U.K. and its affiliate, in a lawsuit alleging they played an instrumental role in a scheme that duped investors and drew the attention of U.S. securities regulators and prosecutors.
-
April 11, 2024
Fla. Restaurateur Gets Prison Time For Dodging Payroll Taxes
The ex-CEO of a defunct Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain was sentenced to 2½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to willfully failing to pay more than $5 million in payroll taxes.
-
April 11, 2024
Pro-Trump Mich. Atty Gets New Trial Date After Skipping Court
A Michigan attorney accused of accessing voting machines after the 2020 presidential election said Thursday her old lawyer was dragging his feet in sharing critical documents as a judge rescheduled her trial for July following her attorney swap and her arrest for failing to appear in court.
-
April 11, 2024
Prison Racial Gap Narrowing, No Thanks To Reforms, Study Says
A wide range of changes to criminal sentencing laws that most states have adopted in the last two decades did not play a major role in the reduction of Black-white disparity in imprisonment seen between 2000 and 2020, according to a study released Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice.
-
April 11, 2024
Insurer Says Firm Not Covered For Bogus Check Scheme
An insurance firm has filed a complaint in Washington federal court seeking a declaration that it doesn't owe coverage to a Seattle-area firm and its sole attorney, who are embroiled in litigation with a bank after the firm fell prey to a counterfeit check scheme.
-
April 11, 2024
FTX Brass, Investors Can't Move Bankruptcy Suit To MDL
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday denied a bid to move a Delaware bankruptcy proceeding regarding the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Ltd. to an ongoing multidistrict litigation brought by the company's investors seeking to recoup their losses.
-
April 11, 2024
OJ Simpson's Jury Was Sequestered. Why Not Trump's?
Unlike jurors in the murder case of O.J. Simpson, the 12 Manhattanites picked to hear criminal charges against Donald Trump likely won't be sequestered during the trial — easing psychological and financial burdens but potentially exposing them to outside pressures.
-
April 11, 2024
Ohtani's Ex-Interpreter Charged In $16M Theft From MLB Star
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani has been charged with stealing around $16 million from the superstar to place illegal sports bets, federal officials in Los Angeles announced Thursday, saying Ohtani was a victim and had no knowledge of his interpreter's gambling.
-
April 11, 2024
Sen. Menendez's Wife Gets Own Bribery Trial
A New York federal judge agreed on Thursday to give the wife of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez her own trial in a sprawling case accusing the couple of accepting bribes for using the New Jersey Democrat's influence to further the interests of three businessmen.
-
April 10, 2024
No Merit To Autonomy Whistleblower Claims, Auditor Says
A Deloitte partner testifying in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into buying the British tech company for $11.7 billion said Wednesday that auditors concluded that whistleblower allegations by a finance department executive were meritless.
-
April 10, 2024
DOJ Hits Regeneron With False Claims Act Suit Over Eylea
The federal government has brought a False Claims Act intervenor complaint in Massachusetts against Regeneron, alleging the pharmaceutical giant fraudulently withheld information from its Medicare reports seeking reimbursement for its drug Eylea, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
-
April 10, 2024
Deported Man Can't Undo Fraud Conviction After Feds' Error
A deported Nigerian national who confessed to fraud on promises that prosecutors would submit a letter to immigration authorities supporting his deportation defense couldn't convince the Eighth Circuit to toss his guilty plea after prosecutors mistakenly disavowed the letter.
-
April 10, 2024
Plastic Surgeon Owes $7.7M From Offshore Scheme, US Says
A now-retired plastic surgeon owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $7.7 million after he ran an offshore employee leasing scheme and he and his wife transferred nearly all their assets to their then-11-year-old daughter, who is now a lawyer, the government told an Ohio federal court.
-
April 10, 2024
CFTC Names New Watchdog After Whistleblower Allegations
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Wednesday that it has appointed the Federal Election Commission's inspector general to head its own independent watchdog office, following allegations his CFTC predecessor failed to protect whistleblowers within the agency.
-
April 10, 2024
Hemp Cos. Win $134K In Investment Spat
A Colorado federal court has entered final judgment in favor of a hemp processing company sued in an investment dispute, awarding it more than $130,000, following on a judge's findings of fact and conclusions of law last month.
-
April 10, 2024
'Varsity Blues' Judge Won't Recuse From Bid For Plea Redo
The Boston federal judge overseeing the waning "Varsity Blues" college admissions case said Wednesday he should be the one to decide whether a parent who pled guilty in the scandal's early days should be able to have the conviction erased, calling her recusal bid "fraught with judge-shopping."
-
April 10, 2024
Fla. Lawyer Seeks 'Compassion' After Loan Fraud Conviction
Fresh off a failed bid to have her wire fraud conspiracy conviction nixed, a Florida attorney found guilty of fraudulently obtaining federal COVID-19 relief loans asked a Georgia federal judge for leniency in her upcoming sentencing.
-
April 10, 2024
DeFi Platform Uniswap Discloses SEC Enforcement Notice
The firm behind decentralized crypto exchange Uniswap said on Wednesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had notified the firm that it may soon face an enforcement case.
-
April 10, 2024
Trump Fails Again To Halt NY Trial Over Claim Judge Is Biased
Donald Trump on Wednesday tried and failed for the third time in as many days to delay his upcoming hush-money trial, after arguing the judge should be removed for supposed bias and that the judge's rules were preventing him from defending himself.
-
April 10, 2024
Feds Back Trial Delay For Sen. Menendez's Wife's Surgery
Prosecutors on Wednesday told the New York federal judge overseeing Sen. Robert Menendez's bribery case that they are in favor of postponing the May trial for a few months in light of a serious medical condition affecting Nadine Menendez, the senator's wife and co-defendant.
-
April 10, 2024
Mich. Appellate Panel Won't Halt Election Case Against Atty
A Michigan appellate panel on Tuesday said it wouldn't pause criminal proceedings against an attorney accused of tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election or consider her appeal of a trial court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for missing a hearing.
-
April 10, 2024
1st Circ. Says Appellant's Death Erases Conviction
The First Circuit has vacated the stock fraud conviction of a biotech executive who died in prison, aligning itself with all the other federal circuits in adopting the longstanding principle that a defendant's death during a direct appeal of a conviction wipes out all the criminal proceedings from their inception.
-
April 10, 2024
IRS' DOJ Referral Rules 'A Disaster,' Sen. Whitehouse Says
The IRS protocols for referring cases to the U.S. Department of Justice are "a disaster" for enforcing laws against bankers and other actors who help U.S. taxpayers evade taxes, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Wednesday during a hearing on offshore tax evasion before the Senate Budget Committee.
-
April 10, 2024
Ex-Judge Dropped From Harassment Suit After NJ Courts' Win
A New Jersey municipal court administrator has agreed to end a suit alleging she was sexually harassed by a former municipal court judge after a state superior court ruled she could not include the Administrative Office of the Courts as a defendant in the case.
-
April 10, 2024
Feds Cleared To Use Undercover Recording In Atty's Tax Trial
Federal prosecutors trying an attorney next week on charges he orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that spanned seven states will be allowed to play for the jury an audio recording made by an undercover agent, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.
Expert Analysis
-
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
-
5 Gifts That May Run Afoul Of Government Ethics Rules
As the holiday season ramps up, it’s essential to keep in mind that government officials and employees are all subject to specific gift rules, and related violations can lead to consequences far worse than coal in one’s stocking, say Mark Renaud and Rob Walker at Wiley.
-
A Look At FedNow Liability Allocation And A 4th Circ. Toss-Up
Dsu-Wei Yuen and Andrew Lorentz at Davis Wright break down the current legal requirements that are directly applicable to common electronic payment systems like FedNow and Automated Clearing House and how they could be affected by a decision in Studco v. 1st Advantage Credit Union, currently on appeal in the Fourth Circuit.
-
The 4 Top Philadelphia Commerce Court Opinions Of 2023
Four 2023 rulings from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas — including decisions on judicial privilege, stay requests, sheriff's sales and the appointment of a receiver — highlight the court's commitment to stringent standards and address evolving challenges in commercial litigation, say Jonathan Hugg and Sarah Boutros at Eckert Seamans.
-
A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 2023 High Court Rulings
In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued four bankruptcy law opinions — an extraordinary number — and a close look at these cases signals that changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code will have to come from Congress, not the courts, says Phillip Shefferly at the University of Michigan Law School.
-
3 Defense Takeaways From The Bankman-Fried Trial
FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud conviction offers several key lessons for future white collar defendants, from the changing nature of cross-examination to the continued risks of taking the stand, say Jonathan Porter and Gregg Sofer at Husch Blackwell.
-
Series
Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
-
Opinion
What Happens If High Court Rejects Releases In Purdue Ch. 11
Reading the tea leaves following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent arguments in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, it appears likely that the justices will decide that bankruptcy courts lack the power to release third-party claims against nondebtors, which would result in one of three scenarios, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.
-
Lessons From DOJ's Wave Of Labor Market Prosecutions
Attorneys at Patterson Belknap consider lessons learned and future meaningful challenges following the U.S. Department of Justice's first six criminal antitrust cases targeting employee no-poach and wage-fixing agreements, in which just one case resulted in a guilty plea.
-
DOJ Officials' Remarks Signal New Trends In FARA Activity
Three U.S. Justice Department officials' remarks at a recent forum reinforce the department's renewed focus on aggressively enforcing the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which has been transformed into a significant national security and criminal enforcement tool, and its efforts to tightly regulate the activities of foreign agents in the U.S., say attorneys at Covington.
-
3 FinCEN Fraud Alerts To Remember In 2024
With financial fraud now the largest source of illicit proceeds in the U.S., banks should review this year's key Financial Crimes Enforcement Network alerts to ensure their employees know the warning signs of three types of rising scams and understand how to effectively report suspicious activity, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.
-
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
-
7 Enforcement Predictions For US Export Controls, Sanctions
Federal agencies' assertions of coming increases in export-control and sanctions-violations enforcement are not new, but recent improvements in resources and inter-agency cooperation allow for certain predictions about how the administration’s latest approach to enforcement may be applied going forward, say attorneys at Akin.
-
SDNY Ruling Warns Parties To Heed Amended Disclosure Rule
A Manhattan federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Mrabet forewarns both prosecutors and defense counsel that amended expert witness disclosure obligations will be rigorously enforced by judges, and gives some insight into how courts may deal with related constitutional challenges, say John Siffert and Brandon Davis at Lankler Siffert.
-
8 Ways To Negotiate Improved Disgorgement Outcomes
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's nearly $3.4 billion collected in disgorgements in 2023 shows that substantial disgorgement claims from regulators and law enforcement are the new norm, but corporations may be able to dramatically reduce what they owe by using eight strategies to argue for reduced net profit calculations, say experts at AlixPartners.