White Collar

  • December 18, 2025

    OMB Slammed With Suit Over Federal Watchdog Defunding

    A group of nonprofits sued the federal Office of Management and Budget this week to secure permanent funding for the independent agency for federal watchdogs, saying the office overstepped its authority in choosing to defund the organization.

  • December 18, 2025

    DOJ, Plastic Resin Co. Resolve Tariff Fraud Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute a major plastic resin distributor as part of a resolution reached over a scheme promoted by a former executive to change the country of origin on imports from China to avoid duties, the DOJ said Thursday.

  • December 18, 2025

    Compliance Chiefs' Enforcement Risks Didn't Ease Up In 2025

    The landscape for chief compliance officers' liability might relax a bit in the coming years as experts anticipate the Trump administration will rely less on a "failure to supervise" theory of liability that financial regulators used to target one chief compliance officer this year.

  • December 18, 2025

    Ringleader Of Beer Train Robbery Crew Gets 63 Months

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday handed down a 63-month prison sentence to a Bronx man who led a crew that stole nearly half-a-million dollars' worth of beer from trains, saying the defendant is fortunate nobody was harmed.

  • December 17, 2025

    Ex-Goldman Banker Can't Dodge Ghana Bribery Charges

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday shot down a former Goldman Sachs banker's bid to escape charges over a purported scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials to greenlight a power plant deal, rejecting defense claims of improper sealing and speedy trial violations.

  • December 17, 2025

    Port Authority Fights $4M 'Bridgegate' Legal Fee Ruling

    The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has urged the Second Circuit not to give former executive William E. Baroni Jr. another chance to secure $4 million in legal fees, arguing a recent decision letting him pursue his claims again will upend principles of federalism by broadening the jurisdictional limits of a federal court hearing state-law claims.

  • December 17, 2025

    SEC Again Flags Adviser Testimonials, Ratings In Marketing

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Examinations has again flagged advisers' disclosures regarding their use of testimonials, endorsements and third-party ratings in advertisements, saying staff have observed noncompliance with commission rules in those areas.

  • December 17, 2025

    10th Circ. Panel Restores $2.9M FINRA Award Against Adviser

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Wednesday reinstated a $2.9 million Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration award against a financial adviser who allegedly undermined a firm she worked for, ruling that she waived any objections she had to arbitrating with the plaintiffs before FINRA.

  • December 17, 2025

    SEC Sues Over Alleged $48M Bitcoin Mining Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, accusing the former CEO of a bitcoin mining company of misappropriating $48.5 million in investor funds before fleeing the country once he learned he was under SEC investigation.

  • December 17, 2025

    Ex-Atlanta Hawks Exec Pleads Guilty In $3.8M Fraud Case

    A former finance executive with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks pled guilty to wire fraud Tuesday, striking a deal to resolve a case in which federal prosecutors accused him of embezzling more than $3.9 million from the team.

  • December 17, 2025

    Ex-Conn. Official Denied Hearing On Juror's Media Comment

    A former Connecticut schools construction official did not provide enough justification to warrant a post-conviction hearing to probe whether jurors were forthcoming about their exposure to press coverage of his public corruption case, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • December 17, 2025

    Ex-Leader Of Veterans Group Charged With Wire, Tax Fraud

    A former leader at an Idaho nonprofit veterans organization was indicted on accusations of defrauding the organization and filing false tax returns, federal prosecutors announced.

  • December 17, 2025

    Nikola Founder's Suit Against CNBC Time-Barred, Panel Says

    Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton's trade libel claims against CNBC and short‑seller Hindenburg Research are actually defamation claims and time-barred, a New Jersey appellate panel said in a decision tossing the suit and awarding the defendants attorney fees.

  • December 17, 2025

    Adderall Telehealth Startup Indicted After CEO's Conviction

    A San Francisco grand jury has indicted California telehealth startup Done Global, alleging it had a role in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that involved submitting false claims to government health programs and distributing $100 million in Adderall and other drugs through subscription services, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. 

  • December 17, 2025

    2 Defendants In Landmark NY Corruption Case Ink Plea Deals

    New York federal prosecutors have reached plea agreements with two criminal defendants involved in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that narrowed the scope of public corruption prosecutions, according to court filings Wednesday.

  • December 17, 2025

    Convicted Oil Trader Will Appeal 15-Month FCPA Sentence

    A former Freepoint Commodities LLC and Arcadia Fuels Ltd. oil trader has told a federal court that he intends to appeal his 15-month prison sentence and $300,000 fine after a jury found him guilty of bribing an official at Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

  • December 17, 2025

    DA Willis Rips GOP Probe Of Trump Charges As 'Foolishness'

    Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis came out swinging Wednesday at Republican lawmakers investigating her unsuccessful racketeering prosecution of President Donald Trump, deriding the probe as "foolishness" and a "damn joke."

  • December 17, 2025

    The Spiciest Quotes From Massachusetts Courts In 2025

    Massachusetts courts were replete with high-stakes cases throughout the year, with memorable lines from lawyers and judges alike, including jabs, thoughtful reflections and one defendant "blinded by love."

  • December 17, 2025

    Tricolor Execs Charged With Fraud In Billion-Dollar Collapse

    A Manhattan federal grand jury has indicted the ex-CEO and ex-chief operating officer of bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings, saying they engaged in years of fraud on the company's lenders and investors.

  • December 16, 2025

    Dana-Farber To Pay $15M To Resolve Fraud Allegations

    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will pay $15 million to settle allegations that its researchers used inaccurate images in grant applications and research articles, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • December 16, 2025

    Med School Grad To Pay $509K To End SEC Spoofing Claims

    A medical resident in California has agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nearly $509,000, including a civil penalty of over $112,000, to end claims he used accounts in his name and others' in service of the illegal trading technique known as spoofing.

  • December 16, 2025

    Judge Skeptical Of Trump-Tied SPAC's Defense In SEC Suit

    A former Trump business associate appeared unlikely to win early dismissal of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission suit accusing him of hiding advanced merger discussions with the president's media company from SPAC investors in 2021, as a federal judge wondered Tuesday how the talks could be considered immaterial.

  • December 16, 2025

    Fed Ends Goldman 1MDB, Metropolitan Card Consent Orders

    The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday it has lifted consent orders against Goldman Sachs and Metropolitan Commercial Bank, closing matters tied to Goldman's purported role in the 1MDB scandal and Metropolitan's oversight of a prepaid-card program that government agencies alleged was fraud-ridden.

  • December 16, 2025

    Online Gun Co. Settles SEC Probe Over Sanctioned Ex-Exec

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has inked a nonmonetary penalty settlement with the corporate owner of an online firearm retailer and separately sued three of its former executives over allegations that the company allowed an SEC-sanctioned accountant to work as an executive officer in violation of his industry ban.

  • December 16, 2025

    SafeMoon CEO Seeks No Prison Time For Looting Conviction

    The convicted former CEO of cryptocurrency company SafeMoon has asked a New York federal judge to spare him a prison sentence, pointing to mental health struggles related to his military service and childhood experiences.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

    Author Photo

    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

    Author Photo

    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Who Will Regulate Insider Trading In Prediction Markets?

    Author Photo

    The possibilities for insider trading have greatly expanded in the brave new world of prediction markets, and both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Department of Justice could bring enforcement actions in the space, so businesses should revisit their insider trading and confidential information policies, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Identifying The Sources And Impacts Of Juror Contamination

    Author Photo

    Jury contamination can be pervasive, so it is important that trial teams be able to spot its sources and take specific mitigation steps, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Key NY State Grand Jury Rules Can Shape Defense Strategy

    Author Photo

    As illustrated by recent cases, New York state's grand jury rules are more favorable than their federal counterparts, offering a genuine opportunity in some cases for a white collar criminal defendant to defeat or meaningfully reduce charges that a prosecutor seeks to bring, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

  • Federal Debanking Scrutiny Prompts Compliance Questions

    Author Photo

    Recent U.S. Small Business Administration guidance sets forth requirements for preventing so-called politicized debanking and specific additional instructions for small lenders, but falls short on clarity for larger institutions, leaving lenders of all sizes with questions as they navigate this unique compliance challenge, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SEC's No-Action Relief Could Dramatically Alter Retail Voting

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently cleared the way for ExxonMobil to institute a novel change in retail shareholder voting that could greatly increase voter turnout, granting no-action relief that represents an effective and meaningful step toward modernizing the shareholder voting process and the much-needed democratization of retail investors, say attorneys at Cozen.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

    Author Photo

    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • 4 Strategies To Ensure Courts Calculate Restitution Correctly

    Author Photo

    Recent reversals of restitution orders across the federal appeals courts indicate that some lower courts are misapplying fundamental restitution principles, so defense attorneys should consider a few ways to vigilantly press these issues with the sentencing judge, says Wesley Gorman at Comber Miller.

  • How Calif. Law Cracks Down On Algorithmic Price-Fixing

    Author Photo

    Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws this month significantly expanding state antitrust enforcement and civil and criminal penalties for the use or distribution of shared pricing algorithms, as the U.S. Department of Justice has recently wielded the Sherman Act to challenge algorithmic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Iran Sanctions Snapback Raises Global Compliance Risks

    Author Photo

    ​The reimplementation of U.N. sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program​, under a Security Council resolution​'s snapback mechanism, and​ related actions in Europe and the U.K., may change U.S. due diligence expectations and enforcement policies, particularly as they apply to non-U.S. businesses that do business with Iran, says John Sandage at Berliner Corcoran.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

    Author Photo

    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • What Cross-Border Task Force Says About SEC's Priorities

    Author Photo

    The formation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cross-border task force, focused on investigating U.S. federal securities law violations overseas, underscores Chairman Paul Atkins' prioritization of classic fraud schemes, particularly involving foreign entities, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

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 White Collar archive.