White Collar

  • November 13, 2024

    Madigan's Atty Seeks To Discredit Key Government Witness

    The cross-examination of a former ComEd executive who wore a wire for the government as it built its corruption case against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan veered Wednesday into the informant's messy divorce proceedings and his failure to disclose felony charges when trying to buy a gun to kill snakes, as Madigan's attorneys tried to call his credibility into question.

  • November 13, 2024

    DOJ Says Disarming Pot Patients Has Historic Precedent

    The U.S. Department of Justice is again urging a Pennsylvania federal court to throw out a suit challenging a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives policy prohibiting medical cannabis users from buying or owning firearms, saying the policy is analogous to laws disarming people who are intoxicated or deemed dangerous for use of illegal drugs.

  • November 13, 2024

    Trump's Choice Of Matt Gaetz For AG Hints At Cannabis Policy

    President-elect Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday that he would nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., one of the relatively few Republican proponents of cannabis legalization, to be the next U.S. attorney general marks an early sign of how his administration will consider marijuana policy.

  • November 13, 2024

    Feds Ink $52M Deal Over Phony Vet Gov't Contract Scheme

    Virginia-based contractor Paragon Systems Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. government $52 million to settle claims that the company knowingly engaged in a fraudulent scheme to use small businesses that it controlled to obtain contracts reserved for veteran-owned or socially or economically disadvantaged businesses and that its executives received monetary kickbacks.

  • November 13, 2024

    Menendez Prosecutors Admit Evidence Gaffe But Deny Harm

    Prosecutors in former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption case told a federal judge Wednesday they accidentally violated a court order when they gave jurors nine exhibits containing information that should have been redacted, but said the error played no part in the guilty verdict.

  • November 13, 2024

    3rd Circ. Wary Of Easing Cheesesteak Shop Owner's Sentence

    Third Circuit judges seemed mostly skeptical of overturning an extension to the prison sentence of a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner who admitted to paying employees off the books, saying during oral arguments it was unclear whether the employees should be considered co-conspirators in the tax fraud.

  • November 13, 2024

    Mass. AG Ready To Reprise Office's Role As Trump Foil

    Taking a page from her predecessor's book, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell told Law360 she is hoping to work with the incoming Trump administration, but the Democrat said she is nevertheless prepared to use her office's "significant tools and power" to challenge actions she feels are at odds with her constituents' interests.

  • November 13, 2024

    Kilpatrick Cybersecurity Leader Joins BakerHostetler In LA

    BakerHostetler has welcomed the cochair of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP's cybersecurity, privacy and data governance practice in California, continuing the firm's plan for strategic growth on the West Coast.

  • November 13, 2024

    Trump Taps DOJ Critic Matt Gaetz For Attorney General

    President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next U.S. attorney general, seeking to elevate a close political ally to lead a Justice Department that the Florida lawmaker has sharply criticized and that last year declined to charge him in a sex-trafficking investigation.

  • November 12, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls Legality Of Gag Orders On X Corp. Subpoenas

    A D.C. Circuit panel grappled Tuesday with the federal government's authority to obtain sweeping nondisclosure orders preventing social media companies from notifying users when their accounts are targeted by subpoenas, with X Corp. arguing that such gag orders are illegal.

  • November 12, 2024

    Celsius' Mashinsky Must Face Full Indictment, Judge Says

    Ex-Celsius Network CEO Alex Mashinsky must face claims that he committed commodities and securities fraud and manipulated his now-bankrupt business's proprietary token after a New York federal judge declined to trim the indictment against him.

  • November 12, 2024

    'I Had A Dream': NJ Ponzi Schemer Gets 12 Years

    A New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday sentenced the operator of a defunct real estate investment fund to 12 years in prison, the maximum term under his plea deal for a $658 million Ponzi scheme, after considering his emotional plea for leniency that drew upon his admiration for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  • November 12, 2024

    'Pig Butchering' Crypto Ploy Launderer Cops To $73M Scheme

    A dual citizen of China and Saint Kitts and Nevis pled guilty in Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday to internationally laundering more than $73 million worth of criminal proceeds obtained through so-called "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scams.

  • November 12, 2024

    Fed Bans Ex-Bank Leaders Over Alleged COVID Relief Fraud

    The Federal Reserve Board of Governors announced Tuesday that it has prohibited two former top brass with Nano Banc from future participation in the banking industry, alleging they fraudulently obtained loans and grants through the federal CARES Act.

  • November 12, 2024

    Huawei Urges Judge To Toss US IP Theft, Fraud Charges

    China's Huawei Technologies and its affiliates have asked a Brooklyn federal judge to dismiss the majority of a criminal indictment, slamming allegations that it tried to steal intellectual property from U.S. rivals and deceived banks and the U.S. government about its business dealings with sanctioned countries.

  • November 12, 2024

    Ex-ComEd Exec Asked If Madigan Hires Truly An 'Exchange'

    Defense attorneys got their chance Tuesday to grill an ex-Commonwealth Edison executive who testified the utility hired people who did little to no work at the behest of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, asking if it truly traded those jobs for Madigan's action on ComEd legislation or if the company was just building goodwill with a key decision-maker.

  • November 12, 2024

    Trump Ally Bannon Seeks Delay Of 'We Build The Wall' Trial

    Former Trump administration strategist Stephen Bannon on Tuesday sought to delay his criminal trial on New York state charges stemming from an alleged scheme to con donors seeking to fund a southern U.S. border wall, two weeks after he wrapped up his federal prison sentence for contempt of Congress.

  • November 12, 2024

    After Bribery Conviction, Insurance Mogul Cops To $2B Fraud

    An insurance mogul convicted on bribery and wire fraud charges turned himself into the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday in North Carolina after pleading guilty to separate charges stemming from a $2 billion scheme to defraud insurance companies, regulators and policyholders.

  • November 12, 2024

    Fla. Man Guilty In $1M Cash-To-Bitcoin Laundering Scheme

    A Boston federal jury has convicted a Florida resident of helping launder drug proceeds and enabling transfers of funds from fraud victims to romance scammers by converting more than $1 million in cash to bitcoin through his unlicensed "no questions asked" money transfer business.

  • November 12, 2024

    Crime Of Inaction Leaves Justices Mulling Legal 'Absurdities'

    The U.S. Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with whether an alleged mobster can be guilty of a murder-for-hire scheme if he did not physically participate in the botched hit job, with one justice remarking that both parties' interpretations of a "violent" crime of inaction could produce absurd results.

  • November 12, 2024

    Freshfields Adds Ex-DOJ Atty To Co-Lead Investigations Team

    Freshfields has added the former associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice as the firm's new co-chair of its congressional investigations team, according to an announcement Tuesday.

  • November 12, 2024

    Former FTX Top Atty Joins Lowenstein Sandler In NY

    Lowenstein Sandler LLP announced Tuesday that the former general counsel at crypto exchange FTX will join the firm's New York office as a partner and chair of its new commodities, futures and derivatives practice group.

  • November 12, 2024

    Ex-National Guardsman Gets 15 Years For Top Secret Leaks

    A former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who leaked top secret Pentagon documents on the social media network Discord was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for a breach that federal prosecutors have said caused "exceptionally grave and long-lasting damage" to national security.

  • November 12, 2024

    Teen Says Judge Not Immune After 'Scared Straight' Trial

    A Michigan state judge can't claim judicial immunity from a lawsuit alleging he abused his power when he streamed a mock "Scared Straight" trial against a teen after she nodded off during a field trip to the courthouse because the judge had no jurisdiction over her with a fake proceeding, the teen and her mother argued Monday.

  • November 12, 2024

    Ex-Snell & Wilmer Group Head, DOJ Atty, Joins Saul Ewing

    The former co-chair of Snell & Wilmer LLP's white collar defense and investigations practice group, an ex-prosecutor known in part for securing the conviction of the surviving Boston Marathon bombing perpetrator, has joined Saul Ewing LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Presidential Privilege Questions After Trump Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. U.S., carving out a new evidentiary privilege for presidents, leaves unanswered several key questions concerning whether this new privilege is waivable or subject to various exceptions, says Jeremy Bates at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • Crypto Gatekeepers May Be The Next Front Of Enforcement

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    Lawyers and other professionals who advise cryptocurrency companies should beware regulators' increasing focus on gatekeeper accountability, and should take several measures to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations, including implementing a robust vetting mechanism when representing crypto clients, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Xinchen Li at Selendy Gay.

  • Implementing Proposed AML Rules May Take More Guidance

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    Two recent rules proposed by financial regulators would modernize requirements for programs aimed at countering money laundering and terrorist financing by centering more robust risk assessments, but financial institutions may need more specific guidance before they could confidently comply, say Meghann Donahue and Nikhil Gore at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Perspectives

    2 High Court Rulings Boost Protections Against Gov't Reprisal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Gonzalez v. Trevino and Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon significantly strengthen legal protections against retaliatory arrests and malicious prosecution, and establish clear precedents that promote accountability in law enforcement, say Corey Stoughton and Amanda Miner at Selendy Gay.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial

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    Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Why DOJ's Whistleblower Program May Have Limited Impact

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to report corporate misconduct, but the program's effectiveness may be undercut by its differences from other federal agencies’ whistleblower programs and its interplay with other DOJ policies, say attorneys at Milbank.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Parsing FY 2024 DOJ Criminal Healthcare Fraud Enforcement

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    While the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division's strike force on healthcare fraud enforcement action shows an impressive doubling of criminal indictments, a closer look at the data offers important clues about underlying trends, including the comparably modest, accompanying increase in associated intended loss, say Roderick Thomas and Kathleen Cooperstein at Wiley.

  • FTC Drives Crackdown On Connected Cars' Data Privacy Risk

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    After the Federal Trade Commission's warning to automakers about data privacy, which continues to emerge as a national concern, automakers must carefully examine their data collection, use and retention practices, say Catherine Castaldo and Michael Rubayo at Reed Smith.

  • Jarkesy May Thwart Consumer Agencies' Civil Penalty Power

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy not only implicates future SEC administrative adjudications, but those of other agencies that operate similarly — and may stymie regulators' efforts to levy civil monetary penalties in a range of consumer protection enforcement actions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Lessons From Recent SEC Cyber Enforcement Actions

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    The recent guidance by the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance is helpful to any company facing a cybersecurity threat, but just as instructive are the warnings raised by the SEC's recent enforcement actions against SolarWinds, R.R. Donnelley and Intercontinental Exchange, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

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