White Collar

  • August 29, 2024

    Ex-SPAC Agrees To Face 'Springing Penalty' In SEC Case

    Former blank check company National Energy Services Reunited Corp. has agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $400,000, with a potential additional penalty of $1.2 million if it doesn't undertake certain remediation efforts, over alleged financial reporting and controls failures stemming from its acquisition of 2 companies.

  • August 29, 2024

    50 Cent's Liquor Biz Wins Ch. 7 Fight Over Ex-Boss's House

    A onetime international liquor trader for rap artist 50 Cent's booze business has lost a bid to protect his Connecticut residence from Sire Spirits LLC's attempt to recover a $7 million New York fraud judgment, with a bankruptcy judge applying a lower state homestead exemption than the indebted trader requested.

  • August 29, 2024

    Trucker Urges Justices To Back Wide RICO Scope In CBD Case

    A commercial truck driver who alleges he lost his job after consuming products containing THC is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a Second Circuit ruling that the civil racketeering statute applies to personal injuries when they upset a person's employment.

  • August 29, 2024

    Chicago Museum Clinging To Nazi-Looted Art, NY Court Told

    A prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office argued in court Thursday that the Art Institute of Chicago is ignoring the horrors of the Nazi regime as it "desperately" attempts to hold onto a Holocaust victim's stolen Egon Schiele drawing.

  • August 29, 2024

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Whistleblower's Credit Suisse Tax Suit

    The Fourth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a former Credit Suisse employee's whistleblower case that alleged the Swiss bank continued to help clients evade taxes after it made a related plea deal with the U.S., saying a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision on the False Claims Act could not save the case.

  • August 29, 2024

    Convicted Drexel Prof Says Records Would've Swayed Jury

    A Drexel University accounting professor convicted on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns after the government accused him of failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton pharmacy has asked a New Jersey federal judge for a new trial.

  • August 29, 2024

    Backpage Co-Founder Gets 5 Years In Prostitution Case

    The co-founder of defunct classifieds service Backpage.com was sentenced in Phoenix federal court to five years behind bars after he was convicted for his role in a $500 million prostitution scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • August 29, 2024

    Feds Say Ex-BigLaw Atty Can't Shake OneCoin Conviction

    Federal prosecutors have told the Second Circuit that former Locke Lord LLP partner Mark S. Scott has "greatly exaggerate[d]" the importance of testimony from a government witness, some of which was later shown to be perjury, in a bid to have his money laundering conviction reversed.

  • August 29, 2024

    5th Circ. Says Pot Use Doesn't Bar Gun Ownership

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday ruled that a federal law barring firearm possession by marijuana users is unconstitutional specifically as it pertains to a nonviolent user who was not actively intoxicated at the time of her encounter with law enforcement.

  • August 29, 2024

    Former Ohio House Legal Chief Rejoins Barnes & Thornburg

    Barnes & Thornburg announced Wednesday that it is welcoming back an Ohio-based attorney after his stint as chief legal counsel for the state House of Representatives.

  • August 29, 2024

    Bannon Again Seeks Bail As DC Circ. Considers Rehearing

    Imprisoned former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Bannon asked a D.C. federal judge on Thursday to reimpose his bail while he waits to hear whether an appeals court will give another look at his contempt of Congress conviction.

  • August 29, 2024

    UK Man Hid Yacht Fraud During Green Card Bid, Feds Say

    A U.K. man was charged with lying on a green card application when he failed to mention that he had served three years in prison for numerous fraud schemes and reportedly attempted to flee after being arrested, Boston prosecutors announced Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    Man Gets Prison In Journalist Harassment Case

    A man who pled guilty to his role in a scheme to harass two New Hampshire Public Radio journalists was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

  • August 28, 2024

    Telegram CEO Indicted In France Over Crimes On Platform

    Paris prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled wide-ranging criminal charges against Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of encrypted messaging-platform Telegram, accusing him of aiding illegal child-pornography, fraud and other crimes and obstructing investigations, and barring him from leaving the country.

  • August 28, 2024

    Feds Say Multimillion-Dollar 'Surge' Scheme Bilked Uber Riders

    New York federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused two men of leading a yearslong scheme that allowed hundreds of Uber drivers to use illicit apps, including some named Screwber and FakeGPS, to manipulate the rideshare market and gain millions of dollars from riders in fraudulent surge fees.

  • August 28, 2024

    Hunter Biden's Addiction Expert Knocked Out Of Tax Trial

    A California federal judge on Tuesday barred Hunter Biden's expected addiction expert from testifying in his upcoming trial on tax charges, saying the expert's opinions hadn't been clearly linked to the specifics of Biden's own struggle.

  • August 28, 2024

    SEC To Embattled NC Insurance Exec: Show Us The Money

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking to force a convicted insurance mogul at the center of an alleged $57 million fraud to tell it what happened to the money he's accused of stealing from the insurance companies he ran, arguing in a North Carolina federal court that his answers thus far don't add up and that he shouldn't be allowed to rely on them at his upcoming trial.

  • August 28, 2024

    Boston Consulting Group Avoids FCPA Prosecution, Feds Say

    The U.S. Department of Justice has declined to prosecute Boston Consulting Group Inc. for former employees' alleged bribery of Angolan officials because of the management consulting firm's self-disclosure of the misconduct, as well as its cooperation, remediation and disgorgement of more than $14.4 million.

  • August 28, 2024

    Pa. Atty Admits To Dodging Taxes On Mass Tort Deal Fees

    A Pennsylvania attorney pled guilty Wednesday to failing to pay taxes for approximately $1.2 million in income she received over three years, depriving the government of up to half a million dollars in revenue, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

  • August 28, 2024

    Feds' Bribery Case 'Rotten From The Start,' ComEd Four Say

    Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants have asked an Illinois federal judge to acquit them on all counts, arguing their bribery convictions cannot stand because the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling narrowing the scope of a federal corruption law confirmed the government's case "has been rotten from the start."

  • August 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Rejects Brady Violation Claim In CWA Conviction

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a Seattle barrel cleaning company owner's conviction for dumping chemical-laden wastewater into public sewers, rejecting his argument that federal prosecutors kept information from the jury about the immigration status of a key witness who worked for him.

  • August 28, 2024

    2nd Circ. Affirms Ex-GE Engineer's Espionage Conviction

    A General Electric Co. engineer convicted of conspiracy to commit economic espionage lost his bid Wednesday to undo his conviction, with a three-judge panel on the Second Circuit affirming the judgment of the New York district court.

  • August 28, 2024

    Mont. Hospital Pays $11M In FCA Case For Doc's Fake Billing

    Nonprofit healthcare center St. Peter's Health will pay nearly $11 million to settle alleged False Claims Act violations stemming from conduct by a former oncology doctor who submitted fraudulent claims to government programs for up-coded cancer treatment services and who double-billed office visits to boost his own salary, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana.

  • August 28, 2024

    'Big Baby' Scores Delayed Prison Date In Health Fraud Case

    Former Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis won approval from a Manhattan federal judge Wednesday to push back his prison surrender date on healthcare fraud charges so he can wrap up production of a documentary film.

  • August 28, 2024

    Taliban And Iran Ordered To Pay $144.7B For 9/11 Attacks

    A New York federal court issued judgments requiring the Taliban and the Iranian government to pay $144.7 billion to thousands of people who were directly injured or lost loved ones in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Expert Analysis

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Takeaways From Nat'l Security Division's Historic Declination

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    The Justice Department National Security Division's recent decision not to prosecute a biochemical company for an employee's export control violation marks its first declination under a new corporate enforcement policy, sending a clear message to companies that self-disclosure of misconduct may confer material benefits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to preserve SEC disgorgement with limits, courts have continued to rule largely in the agency’s favor, but a recent circuit split over the National Defense Authorization Act's import may create hurdles for the SEC, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.

  • The OIG Report: DOD Review May Cause Contractor Dilemmas

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    Given a recent Office of Inspector General report finding that the U.S. Department of Defense awarded billions of dollars in contracts without performing the requisite financial responsibility reviews, contractors should prepare for a lengthier, more burdensome process and the possibility of re-review, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • Playing The Odds: Criminal Charges Related To Sports Betting

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    In light of recent sports betting scandals involving MLB player Shohei Ohtani and NBA player Jontay Porter, institutions and individuals involved in athletics should be aware of and prepared to address the legal issues, including potential criminal charges, that sports gambling may bring to their door, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    New Guidance On Guilty Plea Withdrawals Is Long Past Due

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    In light of the Sentencing Reform Act's 40th anniversary, adding a new section to the accompanying guidelines on the withdrawal of guilty pleas could remedy the lack of direction in this area and improve the regulation's effectiveness in promoting sentencing uniformity, say Mark H. Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

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