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White Collar
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June 03, 2024
FTX, IRS Propose Settling $8B Tax Fight For Just $885M
FTX and the Internal Revenue Service have reached a proposed settlement worth roughly $885 million that would resolve the agency's contention that the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange operator owes $8 billion in taxes, according to a motion filed Monday in Delaware federal bankruptcy court.
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June 03, 2024
Ex-Autonomy CEO 'Had 500M Reasons' For Fraud, Jury Told
Autonomy's ex-CEO Michael Lynch "had 500 million reasons to defraud HP," since he reaped $500 million by selling his company to the tech giant at an inflated price, a federal prosecutor argued Monday during closings for the businessman's criminal trial, while Lynch's lawyer told jurors, "HP was not a victim."
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June 03, 2024
Voir Dire With No Judge Present Persists In State Courts
Data released Friday by the National Center for State Courts revealed that voir dire conducted by lawyers with no judge present in the room persists in 7% of state court trials, but has been virtually eliminated in federal courts.
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June 03, 2024
Mich. Justices Say Mid-Case Appeal Should Have Frozen Trial
The Michigan Supreme Court said Monday that a judge should not have moved ahead with a man's rape trial while an appeal of a pretrial ruling was pending before the high court, but the justices were split over whether the man deserved a new trial as a result.
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June 03, 2024
Colo. Defendants Must Show Real Need To Make DAs Testify
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled that criminal defendants must have a "compelling and legitimate need" for forcing their prosecutor to testify, concluding that a trial court judge in Boulder County was wrong to force such testimony in an assault case.
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June 03, 2024
Ex-Official Says Menendez Sparked Fear Of Ag Industry 'Harm'
A former U.S. Department of Agriculture official conceded under cross-examination Monday that a phone call he received from U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez about an acquaintance's certification business for meat exported to Egypt was like dozens he received from lawmakers advocating for their constituents, but he said it still left him worried for the industry.
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June 03, 2024
Some Racketeering Claims In $92M Award Suit Can Proceed
A Monaco bank and a Luxembourg lawyer and trust administrator must face racketeering claims accusing them of helping to hide the fortune of a Russian businessman who's on the hook for a $92 million arbitral award, a California federal judge ruled on Friday.
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June 03, 2024
Ericsson Says It Has Completed DPA Compliance Monitorship
Swedish telecom giant Ericsson announced Monday that it has completed a four-year compliance monitorship imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a deferred prosecution agreement over long-running bribery and slush fund schemes around the world.
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June 03, 2024
Chile Soccer Club Ex-Prez Says Amazon Series Defamed Him
The Amazon Prime drama series "El Presidente" defamed the former president of a Chilean football club by depicting him committing a variety of fabricated crimes related to the 2015 FIFA scandal, a new suit in Florida federal court alleged.
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June 03, 2024
NY 'No-Fault' Insurance Fraudster Gets 10 Years
A federal judge on Monday sentenced the ringleader of an insurance fraud scheme to the maximum term of 10 years in prison for what prosecutors say was a bribery-fueled, 14-year, $60 million scam that exploited New York's no-fault laws.
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June 03, 2024
Treasury Aims To Salvage Corp. Transparency Act At 11th Circ.
The Corporate Transparency Act is a valid exercise of congressional authority to curb money laundering under the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause in the Constitution, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday in a bid to restore the law's reporting requirements.
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June 03, 2024
Epoch Times CFO Charged With $67M Laundering Scheme
The chief financial officer of the Epoch Times was charged with orchestrating a scheme to launder about $67 million of illicit proceeds to benefit himself and the newspaper, according to an indictment unsealed in New York federal court Monday.
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June 03, 2024
GAO Urges DEA To Streamline Religious Drug Use Requests
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a new report that the nation's drug enforcement agency needs to be more transparent about its process for reviewing religious exemption requests from churches that use controlled substances as sacraments.
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June 03, 2024
Trump's NY Gag Orders Likely Lifted With Verdict
Despite claims by former President Donald Trump that he is still limited in what he can say about jurors and witnesses following his guilty verdict, the gag orders imposed on him likely evaporated at the end of the Manhattan trial, lifting a threat of further contempt if he goes on the attack ahead of his sentencing this summer.
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June 03, 2024
Tax Convictions Withstand Poor Counsel Claim, 4th Circ. Says
A North Carolina man's claim of ineffective counsel is not sufficient reason to vacate his convictions for filing false tax returns and obstructing an official proceeding in a case involving $2.1 million in unreported income sent from Bermuda entities, the Fourth Circuit ruled.
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June 03, 2024
Archegos Bets Moved Stock Prices Like A 'Magnet,' Jury Told
An economist on Monday told the Manhattan federal jury hearing charges that Archegos founder Bill Hwang perpetrated a $36 billion market distortion that his big-dollar market moves at the fallen hedge fund pulled share prices like a "magnet."
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June 03, 2024
Ga. Appeals Court May Hear Trump-Willis DQ Fight On Oct. 4
The Georgia Court of Appeals has set a tentative date of Oct. 4 to hear arguments from former President Donald Trump's lawyers that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from his election interference case over her personal relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case.
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June 03, 2024
Jury Trials Dwindle In State Courts; Fall Started Before COVID
Jury trials have continued to "vanish" from state courts, despite seeing a slight bump following the pandemic shutdowns, with 2021 seeing fewer than half the number of jury trials as 2019 and one-third the number held in 2007, according to a new report from the National Center for State Courts.
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June 03, 2024
2nd Circ. Reverses Polish Woman's Removal For Drug Offense
The Second Circuit revived a Polish immigrant's bid to cancel her deportation from the U.S., saying her drug conviction under New Jersey state law for distributing cocaine didn't qualify as an aggravated felony under a comparable federal law.
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June 03, 2024
Tax Crime Lacked 'Meeting Of Minds' With Atty, 5th Circ. Told
A Houston personal injury attorney told the Fifth Circuit on Monday that prosecutors didn't provide enough evidence at trial to show that he intentionally planned to help another lawyer evade federal income taxes as he pushed the court to vacate his conviction for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar ambulance-chasing kickback scheme.
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June 03, 2024
Skadden Adds Ex-SDNY Deputy US Attorney As Partner
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP is adding a former top federal prosecutor who recently worked on cases against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Hwang as a partner in New York, the firm announced Monday.
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June 03, 2024
Cozen O'Connor Hires Sidley Securities Litigator In NY
Cozen O'Connor has hired a longtime Sidley Austin LLP associate who joins the firm's New York City office to continue his practice focused on a range of securities matters, the firm announced Monday.
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June 03, 2024
DC Settles Tax Fraud Suit Against Tech Co. Founder For $40M
The District of Columbia will collect $40 million from the founder of a technology and bitcoin holding company to settle a whistleblower complaint that alleged tax fraud, the district's attorney general said Monday.
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June 03, 2024
Del. Judge Seats Federal Jury In Hunter Biden Trial Opener
A Delaware federal judge seated a jury late Monday in presidential son Hunter Biden's trial on three felony firearm charges related to his October 2018 handgun purchase while allegedly addicted to illegal drugs.
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June 03, 2024
Justices To Hear Mob Case Over 'Violent' Crimes Of Inaction
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the case of an alleged associate of New York's Genovese crime family in which the reputed mobster, and the government, argued that the justices should resolve a circuit split over whether crimes of violence can be committed through inaction.
Expert Analysis
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NY Public Campaign Funding May Attract Scrutiny From Feds
The upcoming elections across New York this year will be the first under the state’s public campaign finance program — which may broaden federal prosecutors' purview to target state election fraud and corruption, says Jarrod Schaeffer at Abell Eskew.
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Perspectives
Justices' Repeat Offender Ruling Eases Prosecutorial Hurdle
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Brown v. U.S., clarifying which drug law applies to sentencing a repeat offender in a federal firearms case, allows courts to rely on outdated drug schedules to impose increased sentences, thus removing a significant hurdle for prosecutors, says attorney Molly Parmer.
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12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews
Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Fintech Compliance Amid Regulatory Focus On Sensitive Data
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent, expansive pursuit of financial services companies using sensitive personal information signals a move into the Federal Trade Commission's territory, and the path forward for fintech and financial service providers involves a balance between innovation and compliance, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial
Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.
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Proposed Cannabis Reschedule Sidesteps State Law Effects
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent proposal to move cannabis to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act provides certain benefits, but its failure to address how the rescheduling would interact with existing state cannabis laws disappointed industry participants hoping for clarity on this crucial question, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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FEPA Cases Are Natural Fit For DOJ's Fraud Section
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent announcement that its Fraud Section would have exclusive jurisdiction over the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act — a new law that criminalizes “demand side” foreign bribery — makes sense, given its experience navigating the political and diplomatic sensitivities of related statutes, say James Koukios and Rachel Davidson Raycraft at MoFo.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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2 Oil Trader FCPA Pleas Highlight Fine-Reduction Factors
Recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements with Gunvor and Trafigura — the latest actions in a yearslong sweep of the commodities trading industry — reveal useful data points related to U.S. Department of Justice policies on cooperation credit and past misconduct, say Michael DeBernardis and Laura Perkins at Hughes Hubbard.
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How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case
Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.
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Crypto Mixer Laundering Case Provides Evidentiary Road Map
A Washington, D.C., federal court’s recent decision to allow expert testimony on blockchain analysis software in a bitcoin mixer money laundering case — which ultimately ended in conviction — establishes a precedent for the admissibility of similar software-derived evidence, say Peter Hardy and Kelly Lenahan-Pfahlert at Ballard Spahr.
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.