White Collar

  • June 07, 2024

    6th Circ. Revives Investors' Suit Over Leech Tishman Advice

    A Sixth Circuit panel has revived a group of investors' claims that Pittsburgh-based Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl's lawyers gave fraudulent and negligent advice about clean energy investments that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, reasoning that a one-year statute of limitations had been tolled for some claims and didn't apply to others.

  • June 07, 2024

    Connecticut Man Ran Illegal $1M Crypto Exchange, Feds Say

    A 55-year-old Connecticut man is accused of ignoring warnings and operating an unlicensed exchange that charged fees for converting more than $1 million in cash, checks and money orders into cryptocurrency without a required license from the state banking commissioner, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

  • June 07, 2024

    Galvion To Pay $2.5M For Alleged US Gear With Foreign Parts

    Military gear company Galvion Ltd. has agreed to a $2.5 million settlement to resolve allegations that it sold gear containing foreign-sourced components to the U.S. government despite knowing the components had to come from the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • June 07, 2024

    Cherokee Man Asks High Court To Undo Tribal Tag Charges

    A Cherokee Nation man is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Michigan Supreme Court order that denied him the chance to appeal his traffic stop convictions, arguing that the state must be barred from broadening the definition of "registration plate" in regard to tribal-licensed tags.

  • June 07, 2024

    Texas AG, Spirit AeroSystems Duel Over Safety Probe

    Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Texas Attorney General Kenneth Paxton each asked a federal court for an early win in their dispute over the state's probe into Spirit's management, with Spirit arguing the state's Request to Examine statute violates the Fourth Amendment, and Paxton arguing it is a constitutionally compliant subpoena.

  • June 07, 2024

    Minn. Jury Convicts 5 In Food Aid Fraud Trial Marred By Bribe

    A Minnesota federal jury on Friday convicted five out of seven defendants on a litany of charges alleging they schemed to defraud a federal food aid program during the COVID-19 pandemic, days after one juror told of being offered a $120,000 bribe to vote for acquittal.

  • June 07, 2024

    'Deceit On Deceit': 7th Circ. OKs Atty's Asset-Hiding Sentence

    The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Chicago-area lawyer's three-year sentence for hiding over $350,000 in her brother's bankruptcy, finding two sentence enhancements were properly applied since she "layered deceit upon deceit" to try to conceal assets and cover her tracks.

  • June 07, 2024

    Off The Bench: NFL On Trial, Betting Crackdowns, Tennis Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NFL stands trial in a massive antitrust class action over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package, a series of sports betting crackdowns makes waves in the MLB and the NBA, and the U.S. Tennis Association denies any liability for a player's sexual assault by her coach.

  • June 07, 2024

    Miami Official Can't Shake Zoning Abuse Claims

    A Miami commissioner can't escape allegations that he and other city officials conspired to sabotage local businesses with zoning and safety laws after a pair of business owners backed the commissioner's opponent in a 2017 election, a Florida federal judge ruled.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ex-Mass. Town Official Charged With Defrauding Pot Investors

    A former elected official in a Massachusetts town has been charged with raising nearly $500,000 from investors in two cannabis businesses he was starting, then using the funds to pay off debts from prior businesses, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

  • June 07, 2024

    Mich. Atty Convicted Of Client's Murder Gets License Pulled

    The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board has suspended the license of a lawyer recently convicted of plotting to kill two of his clients, a jeweler and his wife, and of killing the jeweler, allegedly to gain access to their trust.

  • June 07, 2024

    Support Co. Can't Revive Suit Blaming Lindberg For Lost Biz

    A customer support company that claimed its ties to convicted insurance mogul Greg E. Lindberg cost it an important client can't revive a fraudulent concealment suit, with the Fourth Circuit ruling Friday that Lindberg wasn't obligated to disclose his criminal conduct.

  • June 07, 2024

    Calif. Atty Faces Hacking Charge In Utility Billing Scandal

    A San Fernando Valley attorney accused of scheming with lawyers representing the city of Los Angeles to settle a customer billing class action favorably for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also plotted to access the email and phone accounts of the judge overseeing the litigation, the State Bar of California asserted in an additional disciplinary charge filed Thursday.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ex-Insurance Broker Tells Jury He Bribed Sen. Menendez

    A former insurance broker testified Friday that he bribed U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez to intervene in an investigation by the New Jersey attorney general's office in return for a Mercedes-Benz convertible, which replaced a car that was totaled in a fatal crash involving the congressman's wife.

  • June 07, 2024

    SEC Fines Asian Food Supplier $3.9M Over Splurging Ex-CEO

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a $3.9 million settlement with HF Foods Group Inc. over claims that the food distributor issued false and misleading disclosures, just two days after the regulator settled with two HF Foods executives in a separate case over similar claims.

  • June 07, 2024

    Atty Comms Are Fair Game After NJ Guilty Plea, Feds Say

    Prosecutors told a New Jersey federal court Friday that communications between convicted and later pardoned fraudster Eliyahu Weinstein and Shlomo Erez, his Israeli attorney, must be turned over in Weinstein's new fraud case as Erez pled guilty to involvement in the alleged scheme in late May.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ex-Atlanta Asst. City Atty Gets 87 Months In $15M Fraud Case

    A former Atlanta assistant city attorney and police officer was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for fraudulently obtaining approximately $15 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.

  • June 07, 2024

    Carhartt Heir's Atty Cleared On 2 Counts; Deadlock On Rest

    A Michigan state jury in Detroit on Friday partially cleared a Michigan attorney accused of stealing millions of dollars from his wealthy client, the late Carhartt company heiress Gretchen Valade, but jurors could not agree on two of four charges.

  • June 07, 2024

    Baker Donelson Can't Ax Ponzi Scheme Suit, Receiver Says

    A federal receiver has urged a Mississippi federal judge to reject Baker Donelson's summary judgment bid seeking a pretrial win on civil conspiracy claims the firm allowed a nine-figure timber business Ponzi scheme to unfold,

  • June 07, 2024

    Emboldened SEC Spells Double Trouble For Defense Bar

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division has taken an increasingly aggressive stance in recent years thanks in part to an influx of federal prosecutors joining the agency and court decisions that have gradually become more permissive on parallel civil and criminal investigations, defense lawyers say.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ex-Director In NYC Mayor's Office Charged With Bank Fraud

    A former director in the New York City Mayor's Office during the Bill de Blasio administration has been indicted on charges that he schemed to defraud over a dozen banks out of about $10 million using illegitimate fraud reports to induce reimbursements.

  • June 07, 2024

    Former Allianz Unit Exec Admits Role In $6B Fund Fraud

    A former portfolio manager at Allianz SE's U.S. unit told a Manhattan federal judge Friday that he lied to investors about the risks of the German finance giant's now-defunct Structured Alpha Funds, admitting to his role in a $6 billion fraud.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ex-Goldman Sachs Banker Loses Bribery Extradition Fight

    A former Goldman Sachs banker has lost his fight to avoid being extradited to the U.S. for allegedly bribing Ghanaian officials, as a London court ruled on Friday that the alleged crimes were sufficiently linked to America to be tried there.

  • June 06, 2024

    Alec Baldwin Faces New 'Rust' Shooting Civil Claims In NM

    The family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set of "Rust," has lodged another civil suit against Alec Baldwin, this time in New Mexico, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in Santa Fe County court.

  • June 06, 2024

    NY Prosecutor Says DOJ Self-Disclosure Policies Are Working

    The proliferation of policies across the U.S. Department of Justice crediting firms and individuals for voluntarily self-disclosing misconduct indicates the approach is effective, even though instances of such disclosures aren't overwhelming, a senior federal prosecutor in New York told a gathering of compliance officers on Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    High Court's Gifts Problem Taints Public Corruption Cases

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    A history of U.S. Supreme Court justices failing to disclose luxurious gifts from wealthy donors coincides with a troubling line of court precedent overturning jury convictions in public corruption cases, indicating that perhaps justices aren't presently fit to be making these decisions, says Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders

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    The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Following Banking Regulators' Breadcrumbs To 2024 Priorities

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    Through blog posts, speeches, and formal guidance and regulations, prudential and other federal and state financial regulators laid out a road map last year pointing to compliance priorities that should be reflected in financial institutions' planning this year, say Laurel Loomis Rimon and Gina Shabana at Jenner & Block.

  • New SDNY Whistleblower Program May Be A Game-Changer

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    A new pilot program in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York promises to immunize from prosecution certain individuals who blow the whistle on financial crimes and corruption, and if similar self-disclosure programs are any indication, this significant new policy may measurably increase white collar investigations, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • 1869 Case May Pave Off-Ramp For Justices In Trump DQ Fight

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    In deciding whether former President Donald Trump is disqualified from Colorado's Republican primary ballots, the U.S. Supreme Court could rely on due process principles articulated in a Reconstruction-era case to avert a chaotic or undemocratic outcome, says Gordon Renneisen at Cornerstone Law Group.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A Guide To New Russia Sanctions For Foreign Financial Cos.

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    Attorneys at Foley Hoag take foreign financial companies on a deep dive into the compliance advice the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control issued after President Joe Biden's December executive order widened a Russian import ban and authorized sanctions against businesses that transact with Russia's military-industrial base.

  • How Russia Sanctions Bills Could Reshape Asset Forfeiture

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    Several U.S. legislative proposals to seize billions in frozen Russian assets for post-war reconstruction of Ukraine would bypass traditional asset forfeiture guardrails, making it crucially important that practitioners remain vigilant and understand when to proactively engage with the government, say attorneys at Kasowitz.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property

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    In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Despite HHS Opinion, Gift Card Giveaways Require Caution

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    Though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General recently determined that a healthcare consulting firm's gift card plans do not violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, the opinion does not suggest blanket approval for providing gift cards in exchange for referrals, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • Takeaways From SEC's Aggressive Cybersecurity Moves

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's intensifying policy on cybersecurity and securities violations in the wake of a data breach — like its enforcement action against SolarWinds and its security officer — has emboldened shareholders to file related suits, creating a heightened threat to public companies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial

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    Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

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